Chapter 97: The Risk

Olivia’s POV

I slowly lay back against my pillows, staring at the ceiling. The more I thought about the dream, the more it felt like something I had experienced before. But that made no sense. If it had really happened, why couldn’t I remember any of it?

I closed my eyes, trying once more to picture the blurred face, but nothing came to mind.

Was it really just a dream, or had something else happened in that forest four years ago that I could no longer remember?

By the time morning came, I was feeling completely exhausted. I had barely slept after that strange dream, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about the person I had seen in the forest. Who was that person, and why did the dream feel like something that had actually happened?

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in," I called.

Gloria, the maid assigned to attend to me, stepped inside and bowed slightly. "Good morning, my lady. Breakfast is ready. Would you like to come downstairs?"

I shook my head. "No, Gloria. I’m not feeling up to it today. Could you please bring something to my room instead?"

"Of course, my lady. Is there anything in particular you’d like?"

"Anything is fine. Thank you."

She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I knew I needed to eat something. Yesterday had been one of the most difficult days of my life, and I still had no idea what would happen next.

A short while later, Gloria returned with a tray of food. She placed it on the small table beside the couch and poured me a glass of juice before leaving me alone.

I sat down and began eating, although I had little appetite. I had only managed a few bites when another knock came at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It’s Lucian."

My hand froze around the fork.

Lucian?

I hadn’t seen him since everything happened yesterday, and I had no idea what to expect from him. Was he still angry with me? Had he changed his mind about our marriage after speaking with Lucas?

"Come in," I finally answered.

The door opened, and Lucian stepped inside. The moment I saw him, I noticed how exhausted he looked. His hair was slightly messy, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. He looked nothing like the confident Alpha who usually walked around the palace as though nothing could trouble him.

"Good morning," he said quietly.

"Good morning, Alpha Lucian."

He glanced at the tray of food in front of me. "You didn’t come downstairs for breakfast."

I lowered my fork. "I wasn’t feeling up to it. Everything that’s happened has been a little overwhelming."

Lucian nodded and walked toward the couch opposite mine. "Can I sit?"

"Of course."

He sat down, leaning back against the cushion with a tired sigh. For a moment, neither of us spoke. I watched him quietly, wondering what had happened since I last saw him. He looked as though he hadn’t slept at all.

"Lucian, are you alright?" I eventually asked.

He looked at me and gave a small, tired smile. "I’ve had better days."

I didn’t know what to say to that. I lowered my gaze to the food in front of me, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Olivia," he began after a moment, "first of all, I want to apologize."

I looked up at him. "Apologize for what?"

"For everything you’re going through right now. When you first arrived here, I treated you terribly. I made it clear that I didn’t want you as my wife, and I never gave you a reason to trust me. If I’d been kinder, perhaps you would have felt comfortable telling me the truth instead of Lucas."

My chest tightened at his words.

"Lucian, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I wasn’t Princess Annabel," I whispered. "I wanted to tell you so many times, but I was scared. I didn’t know what you would do if you found out I was just a maid pretending to be a princess."

"I understand, Olivia. And I don’t blame you for being afraid."

I looked at him, feeling tears gather in my eyes. This was the same man who had once treated our marriage like a punishment, yet here he was, taking responsibility for the way he had treated me.

Lucian looked down at his hands for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"So, Olivia, what have you decided?"

I frowned. "Decided about what?"

"About everything. About me, Lucas, and what you want to happen next."

I swallowed hard. "I don’t know, Lucian. Everything happened so suddenly. Yesterday, I thought I was finally beginning to understand my life, and now I don’t even know where I belong."

He studied me quietly before asking, "Do you have feelings for Lucas?"

My heart skipped a beat.

I hadn’t expected him to ask me that so directly.

"Lucian, why are you asking me that?" I whispered. "Where is this conversation going?"

"Please, Olivia. I need to know."

I looked away, unable to give him an answer. Lucas was the man I had spent four years believing had abandoned me. Discovering that he had been searching for me all along had changed so much, and I couldn’t pretend that the feelings I had for him had completely disappeared.

Lucian watched me for a moment before slowly nodding.

"You don’t have to answer," he said quietly. "I think your silence tells me enough."

"Lucian..."

"I’m scared, Olivia."

I turned toward him in surprise. I had never heard him admit something like that before.

"I’m scared of losing you to my brother," he continued. "I know I haven’t always been the husband you deserved, but I love you, Olivia. And the thought of losing you now terrifies me."

My eyes began to sting.

"Do you know something?" he asked, giving a sad smile. "There have only been two women I’ve ever had feelings for in my entire life. The first was a girl I met briefly years ago. I spent only a few minutes with her, and I never saw her again. I don’t even know what became of her."

He paused before looking into my eyes.

"And the second is you, Olivia. You’re the first woman I’ve truly fallen in love with, and I don’t want to lose you."

I lowered my gaze, struggling to control my emotions.

"And I know my brother," Lucian continued. "Lucas spent four years searching for you, and he won’t give you up easily. I love him, Olivia, but I love you too. I don’t know how this will end without someone getting hurt."

I swallowed hard. He was right. No matter how this ended, someone was going to get hurt, and the thought of being responsible for coming between two brothers made me feel even worse.

I remained silent for a moment before something suddenly occurred to me.

"Lucian, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"This claiming mark Lucas left on me... is there really no way to remove it?"

"There is," Lucian replied. "But both of you have to agree. If Lucas willingly releases you, a seer can perform the ritual to remove it."

I immediately sat up straighter. "And if he refuses?"

Lucian’s expression became serious. "Then the mark remains. Under our laws, Lucas can enforce his claim unless it’s properly dissolved."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Even if I don’t want to be with him?"

"Yes."

"But that’s unfair!" I exclaimed. "How can someone claim another person without their permission and then expect them to accept it for the rest of their life?"

"I know, Olivia. And there’s something else you need to understand. Resisting an active royal claim for too long could affect your health."

My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

"You could experience severe pain, weakness, or other complications. Every person’s body reacts differently, but resisting the connection for too long can be dangerous."

I stared at him in disbelief. "So even if I refuse to be with Lucas, I could suffer because of a mark I never agreed to receive?"

Lucian nodded reluctantly, his expression heavy. "Knowing how deeply my brother has fallen for you, I don’t think he will ever let you go."

"Is there really nothing else that can be done?" I asked quietly.

"The safest option is for Lucas to willingly release you," Lucian answered. "And I don’t think he will."

I sat in silence, letting his words sink into my chest. The weight of everything pressed down on me. I couldn’t just sit back and let a magical mark dictate my existence, nor could I watch these two brothers tear themselves apart over a ghost from the past and a marriage built on a lie.

I looked up, meeting Lucian’s tired gaze. My resolve hardened, pushing past the fear in my chest.

"Please ask Alpha Lucas to come here," I said firmly. "I need to speak with him."