Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife
Chapter 82: Not again!

Chapter 82: Not again!

Lucian glared at Ave for slapping his shoulder like that, but then he didn’t say or do anything to reprimand her about it and turned around to swiftly mount the horse, saying, "It’s a power I just figured out I have recently, so it wasn’t on my mind when we were leaving the palace until you spoke." He looked down at her from atop the horse and held out his hand. "Let’s go," he said.

Ave didn’t take his hand immediately and stared into the eye color she could never have associated with him. It was so dark she thought he looked even more handsome and terrifying, and as he looked down at her, hand stretched out, she couldn’t help but swallow hard from the sudden thrill that went through her entire body.

Before taking his hand, Ave looked at the back of his head that still had bloodstains and said, "What about the wound? Come down so I can attend to it before we leave."

"There is no need, it has healed already." He assured her, and when she still didn’t take his hand and kept looking at the back of his head in doubt, Lucian added, "Don’t waste my time, let’s go, and if you want us to keep standing here until some bandits notice us and intend to rob us, then I will dismount the horse, and we can wait for them," he said sarcastically.

Hearing the words bandits and getting robbed, Ave didn’t waste time. However, before she took his hand, she said, "Give me a minute," and then closed her eyes. In the blink of an eye, the plain blue dress she wore transformed into comfortable pants and a T-shirt, causing Lucian’s eyes to narrow at what she was wearing. But before he could even speak, she took his hand, and he automatically pulled her up.

"What do you think you are wearing?" he demanded when she settled in front of him and took the reins from his hand to take control of the horse as she had earlier.

"Something comfortable for a horse ride, of course. It’s quite uncomfortable to wear that dress while sitting on the horse," she said good-naturedly as she snapped the horse to move, and Lucian’s hand slowly came to settle back around her waist. This time, she was completely aware of the action and felt herself stiffen as a bolt of heat rushed up to her neck and face.

"You are going to bring attention to us with such clothes. Change it back to the dress," Lucian remarked as his eyes fell on her thighs and how the trousers she wore clung to her legs. He hadn’t given her the dress back because he wanted her to use it anyhow she wanted and wear clothes from her time. He had given it to her because he didn’t want a repeat of what had happened yesterday at the river when they would be going out together.

He had wanted her to have an option of changing if something like that were to happen so he wouldn’t be forced to look at her breasts and body and feel aroused by them. And the thought of her breasts right now just did that—he felt his body acting up again, and his hand around her waist slightly tightened.

"I like the one I’m wearing, and nothing you say will make me change it," came Ave’s voice as she tried her best to ignore his warm breath on her ear and his arms around her waist.

Lucian didn’t argue with her and only remained silent. Lastly, if she brought attention to herself and got in trouble for it, he was going to pretend they were not together and that he didn’t know who she was, he thought, even though he knew deep down he wouldn’t be able to ignore her completely if she were to get herself into trouble.

They moved into the next town that looked to be in much better condition than the first village, with no one recognizing them. However, everyone stopped to stare at the two strangers on the horse as Ave slowed down to look around.

People couldn’t help but wonder if the person controlling the horse was a woman or a young boy with the strange attire. When they kept giving them strange looks, Lucian’s voice came from the back.

"I told you you’d bring attention to us," he said in displeasure, as he was never the type to like attention, not to mention one coming from the people he despised. To his surprise, the woman in front of him halted the horse. "Well, screw them all. I’m used to attention," she said as she began to dismount the horse. "I want to look around this town. Can we find a place to keep the horse?" she asked as she got down and looked up at him.

Lucian could already feel himself regretting agreeing to take this woman out of the palace walls. Now that they were here, he couldn’t simply force her to go back because he could tell she wouldn’t. Sighing heavily, he got down and took the reins she still held in hand. "We can’t keep the horse. We will have to walk to wherever you’re going with him."

"Why?" Ave asked, as she knew in movies there was always a place to tie a horse and move around the town freely.

"Keep the horse somewhere and come back to find it gone," he deadpanned. "This is not your era where you can be careless. The people here are starving and suffering. Stealing is the best way to make quick money, and a royal horse would be worth one gold bar, and a gold bar is enough to feed a family for two years. I have had Aziz since the day I joined the military. I can’t afford to risk losing him to some worthless human," he said, his voice not hiding the hate he held for the people of his lands.

Ave, who was walking by his side, glanced at his hardened profile. "Why has the Pendragon Empire fallen to such a state where its people would have to steal to survive, not to mention everything I’m seeing looks so rundown and in bad condition?" she asked, unable to ignore that despite this town looking better than the last one, it still looked so poor compared to the palace, and the attire the people wore looked too damaged to be considered clothes.

"The current Emperor is as good as nothing. He lets his officials and wife control him. He might be on the throne, but he has no say in anything that goes on in his lands. The people are suffering because they have no work to do in their own lands when most of the workers in our Empire are coming from the other lands we conquered during wars. None of the officials will pay for workers when they could get free slaves after every war to work for them." Lucian explained in a voice devoid of emotions; it was almost like he was talking about the weather.

Ave frowned at that. "And no one thought to do anything about such a system?" she asked.

Lucian shrugged. "No one would do anything about it as no one cared enough."

"What about you?" Ave scoffed, not liking the fact that he was being nonchalant about the matter when people were suffering. She looked to the side where a father was dragging a loaf of bread thrown from a moving carriage with his son, who looked to be no more than four years old, in tattered clothes.

"Me? Why should I care? What have the people done for me to make me want to change their current situation?" He chuckled darkly, his eyes on the father and son duo fighting over a dirty piece of bread. "I have never cared about them enough to do anything for them," he remarked coldly, causing Ave’s heart to sink. Even a man with no heart would pity these people, but this prince seemed to be consumed in his hate for them, blinded to everything else.

"Then why do you want to take the throne?" she asked, swallowing the huge lump in her throat as she tore her eyes away from the father and son. She had once lived in poverty when she ran away from home, where she had nowhere to sleep, and eating depended on anyone who took pity on her until she got the job at the restaurant.

Ave knew the desperate feeling that came with hunger, where you’d want to do anything to put something in your stomach. She had been there, but her own situation was in no way close to this. She had gotten a job at a five-star restaurant and got to eat for free, and also managed to afford a rundown apartment that would have looked like a mansion to these people. The fact that the man beside her could do something to change this but wasn’t doing it, because of his own hate, didn’t sit well with her.

Lucian glanced at the woman beside him upon hearing her question, his brows drawing together. "How did you know I want to take the throne?" he demanded coolly. Gone was the carefree tone he had been using with her. Lucian had never told anyone but Zane about his plans, and even though Selene had found out about it in her last moments, she hadn’t gotten to report it before this woman took over her body.

He had been removed from having the opportunity to ever sit on the throne and was exiled. However, he was willing to make an opportunity for himself through any means, even if it meant treason, and if word of it got out, he would be executed before he got the chance to do anything.

"How I found out doesn’t matter," Ave said, but before she knew it, Lucian had stopped walking and turned fully towards her, his dark eyes narrowing in displeasure.

"Were you also spying on me? Are you reporting back to the Empress just like Selene?" he demanded, slowly backing her up against a tree behind her as they had walked into a part where there were not many people.

Ave’s eyes widened as she saw the murderous look in his eyes. She had found out from that shadow woman, and she wasn’t sure if telling him that was going to help her get back to her time. "I... I..." Ave was at a loss for words, and that only seemed to irritate him more.

"Lion got your tongue?" He snarled darkly. "I see, because I kept my guard down around you, you think you can stab me in the back as well. I should have killed you the day I found out you were an imposter, but then, it isn’t too late to do that now." He pulled out his dagger and placed it against her neck.