Three days later…
From one forbidden relationship, to another forbidden relationship. Lucian was digging his own grave as Celine fed him the shovel with her schoolgirl antics.
Bullying her teacher with her father's name to give her better grades? Check.
Throwing ink at the heroine in class in order to be reprimanded by her teacher? Check.
Kissing the teacher on the cheek after class as an apology for bullying him? Check.
Evening time was usually when the teachers stayed back to grade papers, or prepare for the next day's lessons.
Lucian, being the new teacher, had to stay longer to study the curriculum and make his own lesson plans.
Celine had waited for him to finish his work. Both were inside the library, but on the opposite sides, ignoring each other.
There were plenty of students still lingering around, so they had to be careful and not act like a couple.
When the crowd thinned out, Celine gave him a note with the message: meet me in room 302.
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Celine pulled Lucian into the empty classroom. She then pushed him against the wall, her knee between his legs, making him bite his lip.
The danger that she represented had turned into a hook, a sharp one that could pierce through his skin and hold him captive.
She grabbed his hand, stroking the back of it, where the bruise from the pencil had formed, "Parading it like a badge of honor, hm?"
He nodded slightly; his hand had been throbbing all day, making him think of various ways to get back at her for it. He tried to get her expelled, but the school was too lenient with her.
Celine's lips brushed against the wound, leaving a soft kiss, then she kissed his wrist, and his forearm.
"Open your mouth," he said, stopping her advance.
Celine did, letting him slip something inside her mouth, "Mmm?"
"Dried mango," Lucian answered, "It's good for nausea."
Small portions every hour or so were helping with her morning sickness. It was still there, but less severe.
Chewing on the treat, she climbed his body, her legs wrapping around his waist, her hands holding onto his shoulders for support. "Hug me," she ordered.
Lucian fed her another piece, his other hand supporting her weight, his elbow under her bottom, "I can't feed our child properly if you're clinging to me like this."
"Do I have to be dying to get a little bit of attention?" she finished chewing, refusing to get down from him, "And I don't need a reason to cling to you. I'll do it when I feel like it."
She took another piece into her mouth, but she did not eat it. Instead, she held it between her teeth, and brought her face close to Lucian's.
He raised an eyebrow, but leaned in, taking the mango from her lips.
Getting to a man's heart through his stomach seemed to be her motto, always sharing something to eat with him. No matter how angry at her he was, she knew he hated wasting food.
"Is something bothering you?" he asked, sliding off the wall and sitting down on the ground with her in his lap. It was more comfortable this way, and he could move his arm freely, feeding her while she rested.
She wasn't in a mood for kisses and just wanted to be held. The thought of her needing his warmth and comfort, made Lucian's heart swell.
"My brother..." she trailed off, her eyes losing focus, "It's not him. He doesn't...feel like my brother anymore."
Lucian's hand stilled, "How so?"
"He's known for skipping classes, but suddenly showed up to all classes with the pink haired girl...he acted so strange around her. He's not the same."
"Mm, I noticed too," Lucian started to suspect the worst, "It's more dangerous for you to interact with him than him ignoring you. I don't want him near your or our child."
He used Varia's language, which she understood. His third eye was making him a bit lethargic from overuse, but he still pushed himself to keep an eye on Celine's surroundings, just in case.
"He knows too much, he can expose our secrets...I have to get him out of the Academy, quickly. Father is waiting for an opportunity to do so."
Lucian had tried to set a fire in the male's dormitory, to have everyone evacuate, and let her father catch Edmund as he tried to escape. But the fire was put out before it spread, and the opportunity was lost.
After feeding her the last piece, which took quite a while, Lucian cleaned his hands with a napkin, and then cleaned Celine's mouth with a gentle touch, "..." his thumb lingered a bit longer than necessary.
Celine didn't notice, she seemed too distracted by her own thoughts to pay attention to his actions.
When he licked his thumb, she gave him a questioning look, and he cleared his throat, "You look tired, let me accompany you to your dorm."
She nodded and got up from his lap. Her mind agreed with him that she needed a good night's rest. It was a bit funny how it sometimes worked, always standing in the path of their true desires.
Lucian kept an eye on Celine until she was inside her dorm, promising her a date under the skies to end their day.
Still no kiss was demanded. It made him stare at his palm on his way to the gardens, wondering if he should take it as a good or bad sign.
Good because he wasn't being tormented further, or bad because he had rejected her kisses for too long, and she had given up.
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Lucian didn't like the atmosphere of this place, and it had nothing to do with the people. The academy's ground was dark, and the energy was even darker, like a heavy fog, that made him want to grab Celine and run away.
The grand halls, the prestigious teachers, the elite students, the royal status of the place, nothing could cover the rottenness of its foundation.
Lucian turned off his third eye, leaning his head against the wall after he was far enough from Celine's dorms, waiting for the throbbing in his skull to stop.
His vision became blurry, and he closed his eyes to rest. The sound of footsteps approaching him made him open them again.
He saw Heroine shoes first, then her uniform, and finally her face as she looked down at him with concern.
"You look pale. Are you okay?" she asked, her hand hovering over his forehead.