LUCIUSThey made love again in the bathtub. He just could not appease his hunger for her. The madness that drove him to be always close to her connected to her. The connection of their bodies, souls, and minds.Now Lucius understood what the former king, aka his late father, said to him when Lucius asked his father what he thought of their mother–his father’s soulmate destined by the Moon Goddess.He only heard the praise that was so poetically cringing for the ten-year-old Lucius. But somehow, what his father said imprinted into his mind and heart, he could not forget those ludicrous words uttered by the besotted king toward his queen.“Lucius, I can’t take it anymore. Please release me…&rdq
Lucius walked to his mother’s palace. It was as grand as the main palace where he resided. The vast garden filled with spring flowers surrounded the front palace. The scenery in front of the Dowager Queen’s palace looked stunning. “Any agenda we need to prepare for you to meet the Dowager Queen? Your Majesty?” One of his aides asked him. He could not hide his astonishment at why the King visited his mother in broad daylight like this out of the blue. “Why? Because of the filial duty, of course,” Lucius smirked. His Beta, Shiraz, coughed as if to disguise his chortle. “Stop it, Shiraz!” he said to his Beta. “Yes, Your Majesty,” Shiraz complied. “I think you need to give the Queen a gift. She would be surprised if her beloved son gave her something. I am sure she will treasure it,” Shiraz gave him advice. Lucius stopped on his track. Yeah, that was sound advice. It had been too long since she visited her mother. Should he give her another land as a gift? He pondered internally u
SELENEShe felt slightly lost just a minute after Lucius left the room, as if the oxygen was suddenly depleted and left her with the terrifying realization that she needed Lucius in the middle of this new world. Her new world.She needed the time to calm her heart and tone down the buzzing inside her mind.True to his words, Lucius called her maids to accompany her. So, when she was feeling a bit better, the maids finally came into the room and saw her who sat on the bed.“Miss Selene, how are you feeling? You look sick and tired,” Noura said. Noting how pale Selene was.Nou
Selene walked together with Noura after she insisted that she wanted to check and see the training grounds–where the guards and the selected elite warriors practiced daily. She looked in awe. All the athletic bodies with sweat glistening on their skin made those warriors look significantly better. And without realizing it, she smiled and put up a dreamy face. Indeed, those were fine-looking men, such a sight to behold. When she checked on Noura, she had the same expression as her. And when they looked at each other–their laughter was finally broken. "Miss Selene!" Noura scolded her, but Selene didn't feel embarrassed when caught red handedly watching the knights with a deep interest. "They're looking good!" Selene said defensively. "I can't blame you, though. The knights are mighty fine," Noura mumbled beside her. At least they were on the same page regarding this matter. Selene watched the knights intently. She couldn't tell which knights already had mates or which didn'
INTROSelene Valois did not think today would be her most remarkable (or unfortunate) day during her twenty-five years of existence. She diligently woke up at six AM like usual. Doing some quick meditation and stretching before she started her day, she drank her chrysanthemum tea, a gift from her beloved best friend Cécile when she went on her vacation in China two weeks ago.No, she thought her day would be a monotonous routine as usual.Woke up early,Meditated,Drank her tea, took her breakfast,a quick shower prepared her outfit,went to take the subway and then arrived at her office,fired up her laptop and started working in her cubicle. Just usual yadda yadda. But something was eerily calm this morning. Selene just could not put it into her mind or words. She was just feeling weird inside and began feeling her heart throbbing faster.She tiptoed into the big white window of her flat, which directly presented her with the blue sky and the hustle and bustle of her hometown.Hes
LUCIUS Lucius faintly heard a crackling sound of bonfire amidst the laughter and hooting from his loyal subjects and his closest aides, confidante, and some of the Elder Councils of the Kingdom.Today was his thirtieth birthday, and following the tradition of the Lafazall Kingdom, the King shall attend a sacred ritual in one of the most sacred forests in this kingdom, The Ariadne Forest.Today was a mandatory ritual that every King, including his past predecessors from the Lafazall Kingdom who had yet to marry his Luna and appointed his soulmate as his Consort Queen, must have done. To beg the divinity Moon Goddess to give her blessing and send Luna to cross the path with the King of Lafazall."My King, we need to conclude this Ritual." Azara, one of the Elder Council, tapped his wooden stick onto the ground, and all the laughter slowly disappeared, and finally, the Ariadne Forest fell into a quiet, tranquil land.Lucius arched his eyebrows, and his gaze bore intently to the row of
SELENESelene felt a pounding rhythm inside her head. She tried to open her eyes because the blinding lights in her surroundings really made her irritable and made the pounding stronger. And she also tried to move her hands to cover her eyes. Alas, her hands just stay limp beside her body. She understood she could not move her body as she wished because she was just regaining consciousness. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw intense black eyes staring back at her. His thick and full eyebrows furrowed deeper once Selene blinked. “How are you feeling?” His voice was hoarse but sounded exotic to her ears. Was it possible to get a shiver when you heard somebody talking? Because that was what Selene was feeling right now. “Hi…” she tried to say something, but her voice was small and cracked. “Do you want a glass of water?” Selene nodded, and the stranger rose from the plush leather chair beside her bed and went toward a cabinet where a pitch of cold water was there. Selene wa
Lucius stood up and walked to his working table at the end of the room. He opened the red with a gold-adorned curtain behind the desk and looked outside the palace. He was deep in his thoughts. Selene took a deep breath. Repeating what he said just now inside her head. “Ritual? Elders? Wha…” She retook a deep breath to calm herself. “Look… King Lucius…” she argued, well… she called him king because out of courtesy, of course. She never met a king before, so this was at least what she could do and keep her neck safe in this uncertain situation. “As you know, I am not a citizen of this place. Please enlighten me. What do you mean by rituals? And who are the Elders? And why, I… the stranger, must attend this ritual? This is not making any sense to me.”“Please explain!” demanded Selene. She was exhausted, cranky and hungry. “Why do you need to attend the ritual? Why darling, because you are the main star of this ritual.” Lucius answered her question. “What kind of ritual is th