Chapter 8
A Deceitful Heart
“I’m not sure if I’m just being sensitive, but…”
“About the sacred kiss…”
“Was the wedding perhaps unsatisfactory for you?”
Contrary to her expectations, his expression was very calm.
That only made her feel more stubborn.
“Your expression looked quite bad.”
“When we kissed…”
Lucent listened to Applin’s words attentively, resting his chin on his hand.
Perhaps because it had taken courage to bring it up, Applin’s face flushed red and her eyes wavered uneasily.
Blinking her large greenish-blue eyes, Applin fixed her gaze on Lucent.
The Lucent Blackcarson she knew was not a man who acted without reason, and he was always cool-headed and logical.
Since reason preceded emotion for him and he rarely revealed his true feelings, she was even more curious about why he had acted that way.
Lucent stared at Applin with a slightly stiffened face, then turned his head to look outside.
Once again, a cold current swept fiercely between the two of them.
“Because I didn’t want you to be taken away…”
Still fixing his gaze on the window, Lucent murmured quietly.
“Taken away by whom?”
Bewildered, Applin stepped closer and leaned her face right up to his.
Lucent flinched in surprise and pressed his back flat against the seat.
She had thought him firm and resolute, someone who valued formality and dignity above all else, yet she never imagined he could have such an unexpected side.
“The answer…”
“You should find it yourself, Applin.”
“What?”
“Me?”
Without realizing it, she had been handed an assignment by Lucent.
What was even stranger was that the resentment she had felt toward him vanished like a spring mirage.
Soon, only one thought lingered in Applin’s mind.
‘Didn’t want to be taken away… by whom?’
Wasn’t Lucent the kind of man who could obtain anything he desired?
It was difficult to find an answer to what he did not want taken away, by whom, and for what reason.
Still, it seemed not to be as serious a matter as she had feared, which was a relief.
Applin quickly changed the subject.
She did not want to have a long, serious conversation on a day like today.
“I’m curious about the villa in Haven.”
“I’m certain you’ll like it too, Applin.”
“Once you step outside the villa, there’s a blue sea and a white sandy beach.”
“Really?”
Clasping her hands together, Applin’s eyes sparkled.
“However, while the villa is quite beautiful,”
“there is also a very fierce presence there.”
“A very fierce presence?”
At Lucent’s dazzling smile, a single thought crossed Applin’s mind.
‘That kind of presence must be…’
“Do ghosts appear there?”
Her gaze naturally drifted toward Lucent.
“What?”
Hearing the unexpected remark, Lucent barely managed to suppress his laughter.
They were going on a modest honeymoon, not seeking a frightening experience.
“We don’t keep ghosts at the villa.”
“My imagination ran away with me.”
Applin felt embarrassed for asking such a childish question.
When she had first met him, he had been astonishingly aloof and disciplined, yet at today’s wedding he had been more splendid and dignified than anyone else.
They had promised to share the seasons of life together and build a family…
‘Build a family?’
All at once, Applin’s face flushed deeply.
She had momentarily forgotten the fact that she would spend her first night with him tonight, only to suddenly realize it.
‘Kissing, sleeping together…’
‘As husband and wife, we’re supposed to do intimate things.’
She knew it in theory, but she had not prepared herself emotionally.
More than anything, Applin wanted to know Lucent better.
Even if their union was not founded on love, she hoped her feelings for him would deepen.
Only then would she be able to live without regretting her choice.
‘How deceitful the human heart is.’
Turning her head to look out the window, Applin wore a bitter expression.
When disaster had loomed, she had cast aside dignity without hesitation, yet once she could breathe again, she found herself calculating worldly matters.
Still, people were said to be selfish creatures in any circumstance.
With that thought, Applin decided that wanting to know Lucent better was not a sin.
Just then, an unfamiliar landscape entered her view.
Leaving the bustling city behind, they passed fields dense with dark green olive trees, and before long, the scent of the sea lingered at the tip of her nose.
“I can feel the sea.”
With an excited face, Applin turned to Lucent.
Smiling gently, he stretched out his long arm and opened the window for her.
“Take it all in.”
“Th… thank you.”
Fresh air flowed into the car in gentle waves.
Clear yet tinged with salt, the breeze also carried the fragrance of unknown flowers.
Closing her eyes briefly, Applin imagined herself standing in a place surrounded by clear skies and lush greenery, like a forest spirit freed from the capital’s gray haze.
Before she knew it, the worries that had filled her chest vanished like smoke, replaced by calm.
She slowly opened her eyes and took in the changed scenery once more.
Houses clustered together.
All had white roofs and blue windows, and though they were tall, they did not block the blue sky.
It felt as though she had traveled back in time, and her heart fluttered.
At that moment, Lucent drew Applin’s attention.
“That building you see over there is our villa.”
Applin immediately turned her gaze to where he pointed.
The white marble building looked mysterious, like a temple from the heavens.
Lace curtains fluttered in the breeze by the windows, and the trees surrounding the villa were unlike anything seen in the capital.
Before she could even voice her admiration, Applin swallowed dryly.
“It’s… wonderful.”
She wanted to praise it with every flattering word she could think of, but her emotions surged too strongly for proper words to come to mind.
The feeling of wonder was the most vivid, so she spoke honestly.
Dinner at the splendid villa was excellent.
Applin was in the bath, attended by Laurel.
Then, unexpected words poured from Laurel’s mouth like a sudden downpour.
The news of Crown Prince Serge’s breakup with the opera singer Marita, followed by the revelation that he had attempted to come to the Grand Temple today to stop Applin’s wedding, was truly shocking.
“Isn’t it ridiculous?”
“His Highness was the one who broke things off with you first.”
“Rather than ridiculous, it’s just unfortunate that His Highness’s love couldn’t last.”
Unlike the indignant Laurel, Applin replied with a wistful expression.
“My lady must be a saint.”
“I’m not a saint.”
“Then why do you feel sorry for him?”
“Normally, this is when one should feel triumphant.”
Applin smiled softly at Laurel.
She had no desire to imitate a saint.
She had simply grown up learning to suppress her emotions and refrain from anger.
She had been taught that openly displaying one’s feelings was vulgar, and it had naturally become a habit.
“Every time I see you, I feel like you’re trapped within the frame of being a count’s daughter.”
“Even though the times keep changing…”
“…?!”
That single remark from Laurel, who was applying fragrant oil to her body, struck Applin’s chest like thunder.
She had resolved many times to break away from outdated ideals of womanhood in step with the times…
Yet she had never truly made the effort.
That was why Laurel’s words, hitting the mark, stung so sharply.
“By the way, are you mentally prepared?”
“Tonight is a special night…”
Only then did Applin, who had remained composed all along, show a flustered reaction.
“Do I really need to prepare myself mentally?”
“It should just… happen naturally.”
Laurel dressed Applin in a negligee and sprayed her with apple-scented perfume.
Only after finishing her hair did Applin sit on the large bed where she would share her first night with Lucent.
On the bedside table, candles, a bottle of wine, and crystal glasses were prepared to create an intimate atmosphere.
“My lady, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Stay a little longer.”
“Are you scared?”
Laurel asked with a mischievous expression.
“It’s not that.”
“Anyway, have a night where bones and flesh burn.”
“What?”
Applin shot a glare at Laurel as she left the bedroom with a weak chuckle.
‘Saying such indecent things…’
It was the first time in her life she had heard something so blatantly suggestive.
Yet her body was wrapped in a strange mix of anticipation and excitement.
Before she could hide the tingling sensation, the bedroom door opened, and Lucent finally appeared.
Wearing only a black silk robe, his hair was wet unlike usual, and through the open robe, his firm bare chest was fully revealed.
“Applin.”
The sight of him approaching while calling her name felt like time slowing to a crawl.
Unable to tear her eyes away from Lucent, Applin stared at him as if enchanted.
