Chapter 22: The Dreams!

Chapter 22: The Dreams! Lucien’s POV What the hell is wrong with me? First, I brought this girl home again, and now I was following her words she was uttering. Since when did I start taking orders? Especially from someone who looked like she’d collapse if I breathed a little. Why was I acting like this? And that part about her liking sweets... what even was that? I hadn’t seen her eat anything sugary, and yet it just came out of my mouth. Was it because every time I got close to her, she smelled like some damn floral syrup? Sweet and extremely attractive! Or was it just because it was her? "Master." I turned at the sound of soft footsteps. One of the house staff stood a respectful distance away, her expression unreadable but curious. She always had good timing. "Do you need something?" she asked. "Prepare something sweet. Also... some juice. And porridge," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. She blinked in surprise. "Is that young miss here again?" I didn’t respond. A slow smile crept up her face anyway. "I’m glad, Young Master. I was starting to think you’d never bring a girl home." I narrowed my eyes, but before I could speak, she added under her breath, "Just... she’s not a minor, is she?" My jaw tensed. "She looks awfully young," she continued, half-joking, half-serious, as she turned to leave. "Don’t go breaking any laws now." And just like that, she walked off, not even waiting for my explanation. I stood there, the corner of my mouth twitching in disbelief and irritation. Not because of what she said. But because she wasn’t completely wrong. Seraphina did look young and broken. She was so malnourished that no one could tell that she was an eighteen-year-old grown woman. But for some reason, despite her frail body, she looked extra mature whenever I looked into her eyes. They belonged to someone who had seen too much and survived too much. Someone who didn’t want to be a victim and had a fighter spirit. I sighed and leaned against the cold marble counter, pinching the bridge of my nose. Whatever this was... it was getting under my skin. And I didn’t like that. Not one damn bit. I closed my eyes as the dream from last night played again in my head. It was her again. That girl, eating sweets and enjoying herself. She looked older this time. Still, she looked like an older version of Seraphina, but something was different. She looked sick and tired, not like how she looked at the moment. Since meeting Seraphina, the dreams felt more real. I could hear her voice, clear as day. She was talking to someone, though I couldn’t tell who. And the weirdest part? I remembered every word. What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I getting so involved with her, of all people? Why does it feel like she’s already a part of me? I was still caught up in my thoughts when my phone rang. "Damn it." I didn’t even need to look—I knew that ringtone. Adrian... Of course. Was I giving him too much space in my life? Since when did he have the right to call me anytime he pleased? I rolled my eyes and answered. "What is it?" I didn’t bother with greetings. "What happened to my sister? How is she?" Adrian’s panicked voice hit me immediately. He didn’t greet me either and demanded. I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a slow breath. "I don’t know yet," I muttered. "What do you mean you don’t know?" he snapped. "Asher said you took her with you. Why wouldn’t you know?!" I clenched my jaw. "Didn’t your darling brother tell you if he even bothered to call first?" My voice was low and a little icy. "Or did he just dump her on me and expect me to play savior without asking questions?" "I... I don’t know! He’s not responding anymore after dumping the news on me," Adrian said, exhaling sharply. "Can you please just tell me she’s okay?" I wanted to hang up. God knows I did. But the desperation in his voice made me pause. "She’s extremely weak," I said after a moment, "but otherwise, she’s fine." "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Adrian kept repeating. He looked clearly relieved. "Please take care of her. I’ll come back as soon as I finish up here." I rolled my eyes. "That’s still a year away, isn’t it?" There was silence on the other end. "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her," I said, and hung up. "Why... why are you here?" I had just slipped my phone into my pocket when I heard Seraphina’s soft, shaky voice behind me. I turned around. "I should be asking you that," I said. "You’re sick, can barely walk... so why are you out of bed?" "It’s... it’s too quiet," she murmured. "And the tap water... the sound... it’s making me—" She stopped talking, eyes darting away from me. She’d clearly been to the bathroom. Her face was freshly washed, drops of water still clinging to her lashes. And somehow, she looked even more beautiful than before. Fuck! What was I even thinking! "I... I don’t like the sound of tap water. It... it kept spilling no matter how much I tried and... and it..." Her hand trembled as she tried to explain, voice cracking with each word that came out of her mouth. As if it were a sound that was haunting her. I stared at her, feeling a strange tightness building in my chest. What had happened to her? Why was she reacting like this? "Calm down," I said softly, taking her shaky hand in mine and rubbing it gently. "I’ll have someone take care of it." "Ah... it’s... it’s alright," she said quickly, pulling her hand back as if my touch had burned her. She turned away, her voice low. "I’m really sorry for bothering you, I just..." She trailed off. It looked like she wanted to explain, but the words never came. Like whatever she was feeling was too heavy to put into a sentence.