Chapter 195: _Don’t Hide As Well As You Think Lucian’s POV
The moment his chamber doors hissed open, Lucian stepped in like a man walking into a stranger’s home. The biometric locks blinked silver, scanning his iris, and the magnetic seal clicked shut behind him with a faint hum. The air inside was cool and too polished for comfort—almost as if someone had taken his entire life and wiped it clean along with his memories. He stood there for a moment, staring at the holographic mural glowing faintly above the bed. Two moons hung low in an artificial night sky, animated to ripple gently. His hand rose halfway, then dropped. "Remember something," he muttered under his breath, raking his fingers through his lush black hair. The bed sheets looked untouched, neatly pressed by the maids earlier in the day. He noticed a spike in heart rate just then. "Elian..." The name came out like a glitch. He sat at the edge of the bed, his head bowed, palms pressed together. The mate bond pulsed faintly beneath his skin again, like it was reminding him of something his mind refused to unlock.
The moment his chamber doors hissed open, Lucian stepped in like a man walking into a stranger’s home. The biometric locks blinked silver, scanning his iris, and the magnetic seal clicked shut behind him with a faint hum. The air inside was cool and too polished for comfort—almost as if someone had taken his entire life and wiped it clean along with his memories. He stood there for a moment, staring at the holographic mural glowing faintly above the bed. Two moons hung low in an artificial night sky, animated to ripple gently. His hand rose halfway, then dropped. "Remember something," he muttered under his breath, raking his fingers through his lush black hair. The bed sheets looked untouched, neatly pressed by the maids earlier in the day. He noticed a spike in heart rate just then. "Elian..." The name came out like a glitch. He sat at the edge of the bed, his head bowed, palms pressed together. The mate bond pulsed faintly beneath his skin again, like it was reminding him of something his mind refused to unlock.
A flicker of static crossed his vision—memories trying to piece themselves together:
A hand on his chest. Laughter. The warmth of someone breathing against his neck.
Then—flashes of argument, shouting and a lot of guilt that seared through his bones. He blinked hard, and the room came back into focus.
Lucian exhaled shakily. "What the hell did I do to him?"
He rose, pacing toward the console at the far end of the room.
His fingers danced across the translucent interface. "Chrono-search: personal footage. Last month," he commanded.
The AI chimed politely. "Access denied. Memory stream encrypted by user: Lucian Stormborn."
His brows drew together. "I encrypted my own memories?"
The system beeped once in confirmation. "Would you like to attempt an override?"
He hesitated.
If he did that without clearance, it could fry his synaptic links. But gods, he needed to know.
"Override attempt—authorization code Theta Nine—"
A sharp pulse slammed through his skull.
He staggered backward, gripping the edge of the desk.
For a second, he saw it—Elian’s face, wet with tears, shouting his name with intense sadness. Then the vision shattered into digital static, leaving him panting and sweating.
The console flickered. "Unauthorized override attempt detected. Access suspended."
Lucian slammed his fist against the glass surface, the glow scattering like shards of light. "Damn it!"
He stood there, his chest heaving, surrounded by the faint hum of tech and silence.
A soft chime broke the quiet just then.
The doors hissed open again, and Aurora’s voice drifted in before she did.
"Breaking your own room’s system again, big brother?"
Lucian looked over his shoulder, his pulse still ragged from the override attempt. "Shouldn’t you knock?"
Aurora stepped inside, silver hair catching the faint blue from the holograms.
Her eyes flicked over the sparking console before landing on him. "If you wanted privacy, you shouldn’t have yelled at the walls like a deranged AI."
Lucian exhaled through his nose. "Not in the mood, Aurora."
"That’s new." She leaned casually against the door frame. "You’re always in the mood for your own drama."
He gave her a flat stare, and she raised both hands. "Alright, fine. I’ll shut up. But seriously—what happened? I heard the override alarm all the way down the hallway."
"Just trying to remember," he muttered.
"About Elian." she said knowingly.
His head jerked up, eyes narrowing. "How do you—"
"Lucian, half the palace can probably tell." She tilted her head, studying him with concern that peeked through her sarcasm. "You don’t hide things as well as you think."
Lucian scoffed lightly, sinking onto the couch. "Maybe I’m tired of hiding. Maybe I’m tired of not knowing why my chest feels like it’s being ripped apart every time someone says his name."
Aurora hesitated before crossing the room.
She perched on the edge of his desk, tapping one finger against the glass. "You’re not supposed to mess with memory encryption, you know. You could fry half your neural pathways."
. "Then maybe I’ll finally stop feeling this way," he said quietly.
For a long moment, the only sound was the hum of the air filters and the soft flicker of the two moon holograms on the wall.
Aurora sighed. "You really don’t remember anything?"
"Only pieces," he said. "Pain. Anger. His voice."
"That tracks," she murmured.
He shot her a sharp look. "Meaning?"
Aurora smiled faintly. "You always screw things up when it comes to people you care about."
"Thanks for the therapy, Doctor."
Aurora didn’t flare at the jab.
Instead, she folded her arms, her expression softening just enough to show a hint of hurt. "You’re angry with me too, aren’t you?"
Lucian’s gaze flicked toward her, cool and distant. "Should I not be?"
She blinked, pretending confusion—but her body gave her away. Her shoulders tensed. "This is about Kyren, isn’t it?"
He laughed once, low and humorless. "Oh, so you do know what you did."
"Lucian—"
"No," he cut in sharply, standing again. The room’s lights shifted slightly, reacting to his emotions. "You knew Kyren was our half-cousin. You knew, Aurora, and you said nothing all this while."
Her jaw tightened. "I wanted to tell you. Father forbade me."
"Oh, that excuse," he snapped, pacing. "You always hide behind Father’s orders when it’s convenient. But you knew how I’d react, didn’t you? You didn’t want to deal with me being furious."
"That’s not fair."
"It’s true."
Aurora stepped closer, her shoes clicking softly on the marble. "You think it was easy for me? To look at Kyren and see parts of our bloodline staring back? To realize the same man who killed my mate shares blood with us?"
Lucian’s nostrils flared. "And yet, you still chose Father’s side."
"Because chaos isn’t a solution!" she snapped, finally matching his tone. "You think the nobles would’ve stayed calm if they knew the Rogue King was a royal by blood? They’d have torn the continent apart!"
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension stretched tight as wire, every breath heavy with old wounds and new resentments.
Then Lucian’s voice dropped low. "You sound just like him."
Aurora froze.
Lucian turned toward the holographic mural again, the twin moons casting faint silver light across his face. "Always justifying secrets. Always thinking manipulation keeps us safe."
She swallowed, her voice small now. "You’re wrong. I was trying to protect us."
He looked at her, his eyes colder than steel. "No, Aurora. You were protecting him."
Aurora parted her lips, seeming like she was about to say something.
But then—
A knock sounded on the door, causing both of them to freeze.
When the door creaked open, Lucian’s eyes widened at who he saw walking in.