Chapter 67 - 66: Don’t Let Him Touch You Again

Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Don’t Let Him Touch You Again

Their eyes met.

Lilia still hadn’t quite processed what was happening. Her gaze slowly drifted downward, landing on the hand Lucian had rested against her chest. His fingers were pinching a pearl button, having already unfastened it halfway.

She blinked.

After a moment of silence, Lucian spoke first. "Did I wake you?"

Lilia shook her head. Gripping his clothes, she shifted her position from lying flat on her back to sitting sideways.

Before she could ask, Lucian explained, "You’re covered in blood. I wanted to see if you were hurt."

"I’m not. It’s all someone else’s."

Lilia explained, but Lucian clearly believed that seeing was believing. He kept one arm firmly wrapped around her back, as if terrified she might vanish the moment he looked away. His other hand stayed at her collar, undoing the topmost button.

The blood on her was mostly concentrated around her shoulders and chest—smeared there when Frei had grabbed her at the very end.

Lucian was always measured in his actions; he stopped after undoing just two buttons. He pulled the garment down slightly, gently peeling back the blood-soaked fabric to reveal the flawless, pale skin of her collarbone and shoulders.

Pale and smooth, there was indeed not a single sign of injury.

Lucian had just breathed a sigh of relief when he caught sight of something in his peripheral vision, causing his breath to suddenly hitch.

There, at the juncture of the girl’s shoulder and neck, closer to her throat, was a bite mark.

The mark seemed to have been left recently. Against her pristine white skin, it was incredibly conspicuous—and glaringly harsh to the eye.

Lucian’s gaze was practically glued to it. His palm moved up slowly to gently grasp Lilia’s shoulder. His thumb pressed against the bite mark, applying a slight pressure as he rubbed over it, as if trying to erase it with his bare hand.

"...Lucian?" Lilia called his name.

"Indeed, no wounds," Lucian said, his voice tight.

He looked into the girl’s eyes, the usual gentle smile resting on the corners of his lips. Reaching to the side, he grabbed a clean towel, draped it over the top of her head, and began to dry her with tender movements. "You’re soaked through. If you don’t dry off, you’ll catch a cold."

Lilia let him help. However, she wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but it felt like he was wiping her neck with a bit more force than everywhere else.

With all the visible water droplets dried and no immediate way to change her out of her soaked clothes, Lucian took off his own coat, draped it over Lilia’s shoulders, and continued drying her hair.

Through the white towel shifting back and forth over her eyes, Lilia could clearly see Lucian’s face. Those lake-green eyes were just inches away. The look he gave her was focused and earnest, yet it seemed to burn with a smoldering fire.

Lilia grabbed his hand.

Lucian paused his movements and asked softly, "Did I pull your hair?"

Lilia shook her head, pinching the hem of his shirt with her other hand. "Are you angry?"

"No." Lucian’s reply came without hesitation.

"You’re angry," Lilia insisted, refusing to let it go. She leaned in a little closer. "Do you think I was taking risks? But getting caught wasn’t my fault."

"No..." Lucian said hoarsely. "It’s not because of that."

"Then what is it because of?"

Looking into those pitch-black eyes, Lucian felt for the first time that there were some things he simply couldn’t say, no matter how hard he tried.

What was he supposed to say?

Tell her he was angry because he saw the kiss mark on the side of her neck? Or should he interrogate her? Ask her who left it? Ask if it was Caius?

But what reason or standing did he have to say any of that?

They were just partners. They couldn’t even be considered an engaged couple.

Partners... For the first time, Lucian deeply loathed this title.

"...It’s nothing." His Adam’s apple bobbed as he changed the subject. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

Lilia was speechless. She pouted out of spite. "No."

Pressing her hands against Lucian’s shoulders, she tried to break free from his embrace. "Put me down."

Lucian didn’t listen to her; the arm wrapped around her lower back only tightened.

"Don’t move." His voice was a little raspy.

Lilia had always been rebellious to the bone. If he wouldn’t let her move, she was going to do exactly that.

However, there was an undeniable gap in their physical constitutions, not to mention her current state of utter exhaustion. After struggling a few times without breaking free, Lilia grew flustered and angry. "Did you not hear what I said? Let me go."

Lucian fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "...It’s cold out. I just thought this would keep you a bit warmer."

"I don’t need it." Lilia turned her head away. "I don’t need you to hold me."

"Then I’ll get you a blanket."

"I already said I don’t need it."

"...Be good. You’ll catch a cold if you don’t cover up."

"So what?"

Lilia finally turned her head to look at him. She was clearly angry, yet her pitch-black eyes were brimming with grievance. "What does my being cold have to do with you?"

Lucian’s breath hitched.

An aching, stinging pain instantly blossomed from his heart, plunging him into silence.

His silence only made Lilia angrier. "Don’t you think it’s incredibly unfair? You won’t tell me anything when I ask, but then you try to control me like this.

"In what capacity are you saying these things to me? As a father? A brother? Or just a partner showing concern for a friend?

"If it’s any of those, then I don’t need your concern, because you’ve never truly cared about me—!"

Before she could finish, Lilia’s eyes snapped wide open.

She merely felt a hand cup the back of her head, forcing her body forward as that handsome face suddenly loomed large before her eyes.

And then... then her lip was bitten.

"...Ow," Lilia muttered.

"Only pain will make you shut your mouth."

"So fierce." Lilia looked at him. "Did I say anything wrong?"

Even after being bitten, she remained self-righteous, clearly still pouting. "If you think I’m wrong, then tell me why you were angry just now.

"Tell me, and I won’t say it anymore."

Lucian didn’t answer immediately.

The hand resting on the back of the girl’s head shifted, his five fingers sliding into her hair. They were so close—close enough that he could clearly feel her unique body heat and scent.

A moment later, just as Lilia couldn’t help but part her lips to speak again, he captured them once more.

This time he didn’t bite, but licked and kissed her in a soothing manner.

With a slight pressure from the hand at the back of her head, Lilia was forced to tilt her chin up, enduring a kiss that was both gentle and ferocious. He kissed her deeply. Unable to withstand it, Lilia pressed both hands against his chest and pushed hard.

Sensing the resistance, Lucian released her. His lake-green eyes swam with dark, murky flames.

His thumb pressed against the girl’s lips, slowly wiping away the glistening moisture. As it brushed past the swell of her upper lip, he couldn’t resist pressing down firmly, as if trying to leave a mark behind.

Under Lilia’s accusing gaze, Lucian leaned in close once again.

He lightly bit her neck, murmuring low in her ear, "...Don’t let anyone else touch you."