Vain - Chapter 70 Doub

Lucian stood by and watched Aileene receive her urgent letter and read it. He was rather curious about what the letter contained, as it seemed to have thrown her off so much so that her mood went through a drastic change. Even to the point that she would immediately burn it with no hesitation. He had always known that there were things that Aileene hid from him, but there were things he had hid from her too. He wasn’t sure when he should truly expose himself to her, he didn’t know what her reaction would be. He couldn’t bear for her to react negatively, but with this afternoon and Aileene’s show of vulnerability, he was convinced of his own foolish. He should have comforted her first and told her all the truths that he possessed, he had been purposely prolonging until the very moment that she had to confess herself.

He wanted to blame himself, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He could only listen to her at that moment and tell her all he knew as well. Lucian didn’t want to be the one left behind when she put all her trust in him. It was only unfortunate that the letter and the servant had come at the wrong time, he could only silently curse their unluckiness. But he wouldn’t place the fault on Aileene since it wasn’t something that she could have controlled. He assumed that the letter had been simple at first, even if it was urgent. It couldn’t be that devastating of news, could it?

Either way, he would be here for her, he was here for her for whatever she could be going through. He would always stand by her side no matter what. That was something that would never change, it was an unwavering promise deep in his heart. He had been regretful for all the times that he hadn’t been able to stay with her. He had not even been close to her at the darkest times of her life, so he must make it for it however he can. And he could only make up for it if he started now. That way, Lucian would never feel guilty for the things that he didn’t do.

But before he could have taken any action to comfort Aileene, she had rushed out the door with hast, not a single word or glance thrown in his direction. He was shocked, he was confused and at that moment his mind lagged. He truly didn’t know what to do, he didn’t think that she would have acknowledged him so coldly. Lucian didn’t want to doubt his Aileene, he didn’t want to doubt her feelings or their relationship.

So his only thought was the fact that her actions might have had some sort of reason, any reason at all. The Aileene he knew wasn’t a rash person, he knew this from the beginning. He had always known this, even from the moment, he had first met her, by the river in Kinlar during the Light Festival. It was a magical event to be their meeting, but he still remembered it vividly to this day. It was something that he would never forget, it was deeply engraved in his mind and in his heart.

Aileene wouldn’t have rushed out if the letter wasn’t something important, but he couldn’t let her get away alone like this. He had to follow her, Lucian snaps out of his momentary hesitation and started running off the dorm room. The room was closed behind him and with the hallway in his view, he couldn’t see Aileene anymore. It meant that she was already down the stairs of the dormitory, he quickens his steps. But he made sure to not draw too much attention to himself by making a ruckus. His steps were light and soft without a single sound to them.

He reached the doors to the stairway and pushed it open, only to look down the spiral of stairs. Aileene was already a few floors below him. She wasn’t slow either, he had to hurry or he would never be able to catch up to her. Lucian didn’t know why Aileene ran, he was concern without any clues to what was going on. He didn’t like being so ignorant to the people around him. Especially when it involved Aileene, he had never been so messy before with his network but in the month that he had been with Aileene. He found himself ignoring much of the duties that he would have done with no problem in the past. Though he was at the academy to learn, it was all formal and he had royal duties he had to attend to. Even at the academy, he could not ignore the upheaval that would occur in the future.

Normally this wouldn’t have been an issue for him, he was always so invested with this plan. He was at the head of it after all. Lucian only slacked and found the academy to be of some important, enough that he would invest his time into it because of Aileene. He had been so soft that he didn’t realize when Aileene had begun slipping away from him. He trusted her and he knew that she was ready to confess to him, but in the end, she still chose to run. What did this mean? What could have been so significant to Aileene, that it would even override her logic.

Lucian’s face scrunched in frustration, he didn’t want to doubt Aileene. He kept telling himself that, but as he went through his own speculation, he couldn’t help but become a bit suspicious. And he was slowly growing exasperated as he tailed Aileene, it felt as if she was in his reach, but when he reached out he still could not touch her.

‘Don’t run!’ He wanted to shout, but the words could not escape his lips. Soon as Aileene had left through the gate of the academy, he got onto a prepared carriage that took off without pause. She had not even dared glanced at him who was desperately trying to catch up to her. His doubts slowly grew, but he was no longer frustrated, as he watched her carriage disappear from his view. A cold and all-invading sense of loneliness settled in the pit of his heart. Would Aileene leave him too?