The Wolf and the Fue
Chapter 112
Helios paid no heed to their curious stares, his focus consumed by the singular desire to find Lucia, to unravel the mystery of her disappearance. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing the urgency of his quest.
Finally, as he rounded a corner, his breath caught in his throat at the sight that greeted him. There, at the end of the hall, stood Lucia, her figure bathed in the soft glow of sunlight streaming through a nearby window.
Relief flooded through him at the sight of her, a wave of emotion crashing over him like a tidal wave. But even as he yearned to rush to her side, to hold her close and assure himself of her safety,mething held him back.
For in that moment, as he gazed upon her form from afar, Helios couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach. There was a reason she left early. She already knew he was going to pull back.
His heart clenched with a sense of dread as he watched her, the ache of longing mingling with the ache of uncertainty.
He was scared of her not even paying attention but he knew that it had to be done, the rebels were still out there along with the council. He needed to settle all that before he could look for other ways around the curse, but for now, he had to be in full strength.
“my lord, its time for breakfast” the maid said, looking at him wearily. He then looked at what he had thrown in a bit of a haze. He was in nothing but his undergarment.
He looked back up, trying to be unbothered by appearance. “lead the way” he said instead of wanting to crawl in a hole and die
With a heavy heart and a mind weighed down by uncertainty, Helios made his way to the dining hall where Lucia awaited him for their morning meal. The usual chatter of the palace staff fell silent as he entered, their gazes lingering on him with a mixture of
concern and deference.
Lucia sat at the head of the table, her posture regal and composed as always, yet Helios couldn’t shake the sense of detachment that seemed to hang in the air between them. He forced a smile onto his lips as he took his seat opposite her, but the gesture felt hollow, devoid of genuine warmth.
“Good morning, Helios,” Lucia greeted him, her voice soft and melodic, but even her words seemed to echo with a distance that sent a chill down his spine.
“Good morning,” Helios replied, his own voice lacking the usual warmth and affection he reserved for her. He reached for a piece of fruit, his movements mechanical as he forced himself to eat, the taste of food bland against the bitterness that lingered in his
mouth.
As they ate in silence, the tension between them thickened, suffocating in its intensity. Helios stole glances at Lucia, searching for any sign of the woman from last night. There was none, her wall were also up
It was as if a chasm had opened up between them, separating them from the intimacy they once shared. Each moment stretched on endlessly, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy in the air like a shroud.
Finally, unable to bear the suffocating silence any longer, Helios pushed back his chair and rose to his feet, the scrape of wood against marble echoing through the room like a gunshot.
“I have matters to attend to,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he turned to leave, the emptiness of the room mirroring the emptiness in his heart.
And as he walked away, leaving Lucia behind who looked like she was holding back tears