Lucian stared at the broken chair by the bed's side, his body remembering the impact it made with his back, the dull ache in his spine.
His skin was covered in goosebumps, and he felt cold.
The fact that she didn't even hesitate proved that she had gone mad.
Now that his identity as a shackled was out, he was sure she was going to do experiments on him.
'It's over. We're over,' he had thought back then, 'We're not meant to be together. The world doesn't want us together, and now she doesn't either...'
She could have used a spear or a staff meant for combat, but she chose the closest thing to her.
This was no longer a punishment for a broken promise, but an impulsive act. She no longer feared his hatred; there was nothing holding her back now.
Celine had gone outside for a moment, returning with ropes and pieces of fabric. Sitting on the bed, she tugged on the blanket that covered his body.
Lucian hid his body from her when she began to restrain him, still in disbelief from her actions. His heart was hurting, the pain unbearable.
"I'm not running away. You don't need to tie me up."
She tied a fabric around his eyes, and then tied his wrists together with the rope, securing his arms behind his back. It wasn't a simple rope and knot, but a technique to restrain people.
"Who else knows?" she asked.
Lucian didn't answer, trying to pull his hands apart.
"Lucian," Celine hissed, "Who else knows?"
"Edmund," Lucian quickly answered, from her tone, it seemed like she was going to hit him again if he didn't cooperate, "Nobody else."
Celine placed the blanket over his shoulder and wrapped it around his body.
Then went to remove her clothes and boots to wash herself.
Lucian refused to use Voice's powers to see through the fabric of the blindfold. His heart had already taken enough beating.
He heard the sound of water splashing, and then silence, then more splashing of water.
The sound of footsteps approaching made him tense. He could feel her presence near his, and a hand pressed against the side of his face, the other hand on his cheek.
His face was forcefully turned to the right, making him face her.
"Now that's what I call a victim face," she commented, rubbing her thumb on his lower lip. "It suits you better than that of a liar," she added, placing his head back on the bed, sideways.
She rustled under her bed, and took something from the chest below it. A box, judging from the sound of its lid being opened and closed.
The smell of medicine filled the room. She started applying some kind of cream on his neck.
"Nothing is broken, so you'll be fine in a couple of days."
Her fingers continued to apply the cream on the rest of his injured skin, making him hiss in pain, "Ow, ow, ow!"
"Does it hurt?"
"A lot."
"It will get worse," she said, reaching a particularly painful spot, which made him yelp. "Be a man and take it," she cooed, stopping his exaggerated reactions.
He could only bite his lip, breathing heavily.
"I'm not a man, I'm a human being. Human. Being," he emphasized the second word, "I'm allowed to act like a human and feel pain. Just like a real human," he emphasized that being a shackled didn't mean he wasn't a human being and should be treated as one.
"Quiet."
"Human," he continued, "Being."
A slap on the side of his face made him shut his mouth.
Lucian's face turned red from her handprint, the hot feeling lingering on his skin.
Nothing he did worked on her, no matter how much he tried to appeal to her emotions or sympathy. She should be crying right now, mourning the end of their relationship, not him in her place.
She placed a piece of bread in his mouth, which he accepted without protest.
Chewing and swallowing, he was ready to repeat the same thing with a new piece of bread.
His heart started to race when she leaned in to kiss the slapping mark she left on the side of his face.
He yanked his head away, not wanting to receive affection from her, not after the things she had done to him.
She hummed, "You don't want my affection?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"I don't need it."
"You don't?" she asked again, her hand brushing against his cheek, and then the other one on his chin.
"No," he answered, trying to get out of her grip, but the ropes on his body prevented him from moving, "I don't─"
She shoved the bread inside his mouth again, forcing him to shut up and swallow the piece.
"Well, I don't feel like giving you any either. We are finally on the same page. Good."
She was not going to let him feel in control of the situation, and she made sure he knew that.
He swallowed the piece, his mind already coming up with a response.
She was just pretending to be unaffected by his words. She just didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her upset. She was just pretending.
She had to be. She was a master at acting, but he knew her better than that.
He didn't realize how much he focused on getting back at her that the fear of his wish getting granted had been pushed to the back of his head.
With how the situation was going, he was likely to die from his biggest fears coming true.
He didn't even know what his fears were anymore. So many of them had come true already, he didn't know which one he was afraid of the most.
Lucian didn't say anything as Celine leaned in to kiss his cheek, this time he didn't reject it.
It was cold, like a chore she had to go through to fulfill the promise she had made.
A promise about kissing him better after hurting him.