Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife
Chapter 70: Temptation

Chapter 70: Temptation

"I don’t have parents. My mother passed away when she gave birth to me, and my father is as good as dead to me after the day he married another woman who treated me like trash, he never said anything about it. And even if my parents cared about me, they wouldn’t say anything about me acting. It’s normal in my time," she told him with a small, bitter smile on her face. She’d always wondered if her mother would be proud of what she had achieved in the modern world, as she didn’t care what her father thought.

Lucian found himself relating to her in such a way. He had also lost his mother and was mistreated by his father’s other wives, and the Emperor had never said anything about it. "Do you miss your mother?" he asked softly as he raised his hand and moved her hair, which had fallen back to her face, behind her ears while his hand lingered on her cheek when he noticed the look of sadness in her eyes.

Ave looked into his eyes and smiled, "I don’t know her enough to miss her. She was gone from the world before I knew what feelings were, but there are days I wish she was alive and had stayed with me."

She didn’t know why she felt free talking about this topic with a man she barely knew, but something about the atmosphere made her feel like she could tell him anything.

"What about you?" Ave asked. "Do you miss your mother?"

Lucian’s hand fell from her cheek as his eyes turned distant. "Sometimes, especially on days I see how much the Emperor’s other consorts dote on their children. It’s like..." He stopped himself short as he realized he was saying something he’d never speak out with anyone to this imposter. He cleared his throat and quickly tried to sit up, but Ave pressed down on his chest to keep him down.

"What were you saying?" she asked with a small smile. Knowing more about him would make it easier for her to stand by him until the day her quest was completed.

Lucian glared at her in disapproval. He had let his guard down, forgetting who he was talking to and the position they were in at the moment. Raising his hands, he wrapped his fingers around her wrists and pulled her hands away from his chest while saying, "If you are strong enough to use your injured hand to stop me from standing, then you can return to teaching the princesses whatever you were teaching them the day after tomorrow."

Ave’s eyes brightened up. "Really?" she asked. "Then what will I be doing tomorrow?"

"Sleeping," he deadpanned.

"But I’m not used to sleeping in the day," she said.

"Then get used to it. Now get off me," he commanded, but Ave snatched her wrists away from his grip and pushed him back down on the bed.

"Alright, I will rest tomorrow but only on one condition. You can’t say no to me because I got this injury trying to save you." She pursed her lips, raising her injured hand to his face.

Lucian would have said no to whatever negotiation she was about to make with him, but then he still felt he owed her for not just the injury but for curing his poison as well, unintentionally. "What is that?"

"You will give me one of the many horses in your stables and also take me out on a tour of the town next week. I haven’t gone around the Pendragon lands yet and I want to see what is so dangerous about it," she said with a hopeful look as she subconsciously toyed with the top buttons of his shirt. She needed a horse to teach the princesses and also wanted to see the lands after Thalia had told her it was dangerous for any royal woman.

"You said one condition, so why did you state two? I’m not going to agree to any of them," Lucian said dismissively, as women were not allowed to ride horses in their lands, nor was he going to take her out of the palace grounds to see the lands.

Ave blinked pitifully at him as she made her mouth in a way like she was about to cry. "Is that how you repay me for what I did? I just wanted a horse and a tour, that’s all I’ll ever ask from you."

Lucian’s expression didn’t waver at all. "My answer is no. Now move away before I push you off," he said indifferently, even though deep down he knew he’d give her the horse—that was if she could even ride one.

Ave glared down at him. "Is this how you treat your wife, by always telling her no? No wonder she went to the third prince. If you don’t give me what I want, I might—" Before she could finish her words, Lucian’s expression had turned murderous, and his hands had grabbed her shoulders. In a swift movement, he turned their position so he was the one straddling her, his hand pinning her wrists above her head.

"Don’t you ever in your life threaten me with Caelan. You are not my wife, and I will never forgive you if you follow the path Selene did. I will kill you immediately without hesitation, do you hear me?" he demanded coldly, his face now devoid of emotion as he glared murderously down at her.

Ave was quick to nod her head. She had not really meant those words and had spoken them because she wanted him to give in to her negotiation, but looking into his eyes that looked like the flame from hell, she felt her throat go dry and her heart trembled in nervousness.

"Answer with your mouth, woman!" he snapped angrily when she only nodded.

"I... I will never say that to you again..." she said hurriedly, seeing that this prince wasn’t the kind she could talk to however she liked, even though he had let her glimpse a little into who he truly was a moment ago.

Without saying anything else, he got off her body and the bed and left the room, slamming the door behind him so hard it made Ave slightly jump.

Ave stared at the closed door then back at her wrists where he’d grabbed a moment ago and had now left a red mark there, before she raised her hand and slapped her mouth. "Why do you always talk rubbish all the time, Ave? How could you compare him with that Casanova?" She chided herself and fought down the urge to scream in embarrassment, as she’d been so scared when he’d grabbed her that she’d shaken slightly from fear.

She threw herself back on the bed and buried her head with a pillow before she screamed into it.

Outside the chamber, Lucian angrily walked down the corridor of his chamber and out to the open halls when he saw Lydia looking around with a tray containing bowls of covered food in hand.

Before Lucian could walk past her, he called her over, and when she jumped at his sudden voice and glanced at him, he beckoned her forward with his two fingers, and she gingerly walked towards him and bowed her head.

"Y-your Highness..." She greeted.

Lucian glanced at the tray in her hands, which consisted of a bowl of healthy porridge and herb drink, which he’d ordered to be made for that woman earlier in the evening, as it helped with fast healing.

"Are you looking for your mistress?" He asked the maid, whose hands were shaking so much that the tray was shaking along like it would fall any moment.

Lydia nodded her head, "Y-yes, Your Highness." She hadn’t seen her mistress for the whole day, and the kitchen cook had ordered her to bring this to her. Lydia had been looking around every room to see which one she was in, as it was said she was sick.

"Hand the tray to me," Lucian said as he held out his hand. He wasn’t going to let anyone go into his chamber when he’d already forbidden all of them. Though he didn’t want to see that woman’s face or be around her after her words, he wouldn’t want to starve her and slow the process of her healing because of his anger. He didn’t like feeling indebted to people, and the only way he could repay her was by seeing that she healed properly.

Lydia didn’t hesitate to pass the tray to him when she saw his hand in front of her and immediately stepped back. But before the prince could turn and leave, she mustered the courage to ask, "H-how is Her Highness’ health? Is she feeling well?"

Lucian only paused for a moment to say, "She’s fine." And then walked away, leaving Lydia feeling more worried than assured that the prince had taken the food from her to take to the princess, as he seemed to know where she was. Was he keeping her captive? she wondered worriedly.

Lucian walked back to his chamber expecting to find Ave sulking or even curled up in bed crying because he’d lost his temper at her earlier, as that was the reaction he always got from Selene whenever he lost his temper with her. She would either curl up in bed crying her eyes out or stare blankly into the distance like the world was about to come to an end.

However, when Lucian stepped back into his chamber, the woman he’d left on the bed was nowhere to be found in the chamber nor on the bed. He dropped the tray and looked around, but she wasn’t there. He was about to step out and see if she’d left the room, when he heard a giggle coming from his bathing room, followed by a singing voice, which he recognized as Ave’s, singing an odd song he’d never heard before.

"Now I like dollars, I like diamonds, I like stunting, I like shining, I like million dollar deals

Where’s my pen? Bitch I’m signin’

I like those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks, I like going to the jeweler, I put rocks all in my watch, I like texts from my exes when they want a second chance

I like proving n**** wrong, I do what they say I can’t..."

Lucian found himself walking towards the bathing room as her voice was so loud, as if she was having fun on her own, singing and splashing water. He’d heated the water with his newfound powers when she was still sleeping earlier, as he’d intended to take a bath, but she’d woken up and distracted him. However, it seemed she was using his water and bathing tub without his consent.

Lucian walked into the bathing room, ready to tell her to get out and go back to her chamber as she’d healed enough to be goofing around in the bath, but stopped in his tracks at the entrance. Normally, when a lady bathed, she hid her body inside the water with the steam covering her, which was why he’d walked in. However, he’d forgotten that this one was anything but a lady. She wasn’t seated inside the bath but was standing while using her hands to pour water on her body.

Though the water in the tub covered her to the waist, and her back was to him, where he could see her hair pouring wetly down her back, he could see the sides of her breasts when she bent to pour water with her hands on her back, and the outline of her womanly figure in the water.

Lucian felt his throat go dry as he watched the oblivious woman continue to sing her strange song and bathe in his tub, using his soap and bathing brush. Not even couples shared a soap in this day and age, but that wasn’t what bothered him now. It was the fact that he could feel something in him rising the more he watched her.

Lucian’s amber eyes flickered between black and amber before he turned and left the chamber.

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Note: The song Ave is singing is "I Like It" by Cardi B. Smiles.