The Alpha King Marked Me. I Still Haven't Told Him I'm A Girl novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Seventy Eight

"We are," Evadne murmured, gaze lingering on the snow-drenched courtyard. "But Lucien has never been an open book. You’d have to hold a knife to his throat to get answers out of him and even then, the bastard would probably enjoy it." A wistful smile ghosts over her lips. "You’d never guess what catches his interest. And the only way I ever knew something had truly captivated or disturbed him was when he destroyed it."

"Destroyed it?" I echo.

She nods. "When he first met Ilya, we were only a handful years. It was a brief revel in honour of conquering yet another city in Silvermoor, adding their landmarks to ours. He was fascinated by her hair. That rare, ember-red. So, naturally..." Her grin turns wicked. "He cut it all off while she slept."

My jaw drops.

Her laughter grows into an outright cackle that draws everyone’s attention. Lucien frowns, then scowls, before returning his attention to shovelling the snow and his conversation with Trenton. "Her shriek woke the entire castle. Everyone was quite surprised when he picked Ilya and not Lilith, but I saw that one coming." Her eerie blue eyes lift to mine. "If you want to know something, just ask him directly."

"Hard to, when he’s such a liar."

She snorts. "And you, my dear, can be dense as sod. Lucien is many things, but a liar isn’t one of them. He’ll dodge, twist, and dance around a question, but he cannot lie."

"Everyone lies, at one point or the other. And he is no saint."

"Ever heard the saying ’the gods do not lie’?" When I nod, she shrugs. "It is true. And being a direct descendant of one makes it rather difficult to go against his innate nature."

I mull over it. "So, when he says he considers all else beneath him, he means it?"

"Utterly," she laughs. "I’ve never known anyone to possess so much depth and vanity in the same breath."

An hour later, Lucien makes a beeline for me, fully dressed and cloaked, his hair pulled back from his face in a man bun. "We ride out in minutes. I imagine you’ve never ridden in a carriage before."

I shake my head.

"It can be a little... congested sometimes, considering you’ll be sharing it with Evadne and Lilith."

I pause. "Lilith?"

He nods, escorting me to the side of the carriage. "She’ll be joining us for the journey. She’s confessed that she was approached a few weeks before the final stage of the Selection by a swords dealer from Voss. In exchange for exoneration, she’s offered to identify and turn him in." His gaze sweeps the blizzard building around us. "And we might need a fire-breather in this weather."

"And I have to share a carriage with her?" Unease curls in my gut. "Do you know how many times she’s tried to kill me? She’ll try again if I so much as blink."

Lucien lips twitch. "In truth, I’m more worried for her than I am for you."

"What’s that supposed to mean? That I plan to kill her?"

He lifts his shoulders in a slow shrug. "I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Just tell me first, so I can help get rid of the body--"

"Lucien!"

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