Chapter 88

[ 1,041 words ]

Jasmine Smith:

“Three days!”

I couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto my face as I settled into the chair across from Lucien’s desk. He glanced up from the file he was reading, “Hmm?”

“Our engagement.” I crossed one leg over the other. “It’s only three days away.”

“I know.”

Of course he knew. I suppressed a laugh and opened the folder I’d brought with me.

“The final arrangements are almost done. Security will close the eastern entrance two hours before the ceremony. The media will only have access to the main hall, and I’ve doubled the warriors around the royal wing.”

Lucien gave a small nod while signing something at the bottom of a page. “And before you ask…” I leaned forward slightly. “I’ve taken care of the live coverage too.”

That finally earned me a look.

I smiled. “Your face won’t be visible.”

His brows drew together slightly.

“We’ve arranged the lighting in such a way that you’ll remain in the shadows during the ceremony. The cameras will only capture your silhouette from the front. They can film me, the guests, the engagement—everything else.”

I paused, suddenly feeling ridiculously giddy. I couldn’t help smiling again. “You can reveal yourself whenever you’re ready after marking me.”

Queen Theodora had promised me that the marking ceremony would take place right after six months of the engagement ceremony.

However, the rumors were going around that the King might mark me right after slipping the ring onto my finger.

Lucien studied me for a moment before giving an approving nod, “Great.”

One word. Yet somehow it was enough to make my heart flutter. I closed the folder and watched him return to his work.

His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the tattoos along his forearms, and his hair looked slightly disheveled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it for hours.

Goddess. How could a man look that good while reading reports? He was just… perfect.

“What are you working on?” I asked.

“Eastern territory,” he said without looking up.

I got up and walked around the desk. Lucien didn’t react when I stopped behind his chair, so I leaned slightly closer to look at the file.

“That’s the Silver Claw border,” I remarked with a frown. And he smelt amazing.

“Yes.”

I followed one of the columns with my eyes. “Why did you reject their request for another fifty warriors?”

He exhaled a long sigh, “They don’t need warriors.”

I shrugged, “Oh. Their rogue attacks increased by twelve percent.”

“So did their patrol budget,” He turned the page and pointed at one of the figures, “They’ve doubled their patrol expenditure in six months but haven’t increased the number of patrols.”

I studied the numbers again, “Then where’s the money going?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

I smiled.

This was the Lucien I liked talking to. Always responding to my questions with patience. Never treating them as stupid. I placed one hand on the back of his chair and leaned a little closer.

“What about asking Alpha Mason for his accounts directly, Lucien?” I asked him and closed my eyes while sniffing his scent.

“Delicious!” My wolf’s eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

“He’ll clean them before they reach us,” He answered without knowing that his creepy fiancé wanted to devour him.

“So, you send someone without warning.”

Lucien tilted his head a little. “Exactly.”

A satisfied smile tugged at my lips.

I straightened, and that was when I noticed a lock of black hair had fallen messily over his forehead. Without thinking, I reached toward it.

My fingers barely brushed his hair before a hand closed around my wrist, making me freeze. Lucien looked up at me.

His grip wasn’t painful, but it stopped me completely. For a second, neither of us spoke. Then he gently lowered my hand away from his face and released me.

“Why don’t you go back to your seat, Jasmine?”

My smile faltered.

“I was just…” I gulped in embarrassment, “… fixing your hair.”

“I know.” His voice remained calm as he nodded toward the chair across from him. “I know how to do my hair. You can go back.”

I stared at his head for a second before forcing a small laugh, “Sure.”

Not even a hint of a smile on his face.

I walked back around the desk and dropped into my chair. Lucien had already returned to the file.

Just then, Amy’s voice slipped into my head through the mindlink.

“Hey, where are you?”

A slow smile appeared on my lips, “In Lucien’s office.”

A low whistle sounded in my head.

“Again? You two have been spending an awful lot of time in that royal office lately. What exactly do you do in there?”

I didn’t miss the mischief in her tone and rolled my eyes, “Shut up. We’re working. I’ll be with you in a while.”

I closed the mindlink before she could tease me further and the smile slowly disappeared from my face. How could I tell her that nothing ever happened in this office?

I still remembered when Amy got engaged to Noah. They were nothing like us. Noah used to steal glances at her even when the whole family was sitting together, and Amy would pretend not to notice while fighting that stupid smile on her face. Sometimes, the two of them would disappear without telling anyone and return thirty minutes later, acting as if nothing had happened.

But they could never fool us. Amy’s flushed cheeks, Noah’s messed-up hair, the ridiculous glow on both their faces… we always knew.

I looked at Lucien, who was already buried in his file again. There were no stolen kisses, no secret touches. Why didn’t we have that?

I crossed my legs and picked up my engagement folder again, pretending to check something inside.

It was nothing, but just a boundary Lucien had always kept between us. In three days, I was going to become his fiancée. And after that, his mate and his wife. The queen of Lunaris Kingdom.

Would things change after that? They should.

I looked at him once more and smiled to myself. I had waited so long for him. I could definitely wait for a little longer.

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