Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Just as Lucas and Lira were beginning to enjoy their intimacy, it was broken by a sudden knock on the chamber door. Both Lucas and Lira turned their heads at once, Lucas let out a faint sigh, reluctant to let the intrusion shatter the moment. He glanced at Lira and nodded toward the door. "Go see who it is," he said in a calm tone.

Lira hesitated for only a breath before rising to her feet. She moved with quick precision, her cheeks flushed as though embarrassed to be seen, and she snatched a blanket from nearby to wrap around herself before crossing the chamber. She opened the door carefully, revealing a servant waiting outside, her head lowered in formality. The servant's eyes flicked up briefly, searching for Lucas, but he was hidden behind the screen of steam in the bath.

"Is Master Xavier within?" the servant asked politely.

Lira's expression held a faint trace of irritation, though her voice remained even. "He is occupied. Deliver the message to me and I shall pass it along to him."

The servant shook her head quickly, her stance firm despite her deferential tone. "Forgive me, but the instructions are clear. The message is to be given to Master Xavier directly."

Lucas had been listening from the bath, his ears keen to every word despite his desire to ignore the interruption. Realizing that the servant would not yield, he raised his voice just enough to carry across the chamber. "You may speak from the doorway," he said evenly. "I can hear you well enough."

The servant straightened at once, bowing in the direction of his voice even though her eyes still could not find him. "Then forgive the disturbance, my lord," she began. "I come with a message from Princess Nyx. She requests your immediate presence. She made it clear that it is urgent."

For a moment Lucas's brow furrowed, though the steam concealed his expression. "Very well," he replied after a pause. "Tell the Princess I will attend her at once."

The servant bowed deeply, murmured her farewell, and departed down the corridor. Lira closed the door firmly behind her, exhaling a soft breath as though to rid herself of the unwanted interruption. Without wasting time she moved back into the room, her movements brisk but precise as she gathered ointments and oils, setting them carefully beside the robe she had laid out for him earlier.

Lucas rose slowly from the bath, droplets of water clinging to his skin as the steam curled around his frame. He stepped out, his body still carrying the frailty of strain though the bath had eased him somewhat. As he reached for the towel, he glanced at Lira and spoke with quiet sincerity. "You should not be upset," he said softly. "Do not let this vex you. I am sorry that our moment was broken. I would not have chosen it so."

Lira paused, the ointment jar still in her hand, and looked up at him with a faint but genuine smile. "There is no need to apologize," she answered gently. "In truth, I like that you did. If you had not said so, I would have had no choice but to accept the interruption in silence. Your words matter, even if you think otherwise."

Her voice carried no reproach, only a quiet warmth, and Lucas inclined his head slightly, recognizing the truth of what she said. He allowed her to approach, and with patient hands she began to dress him, fastening his robe and smoothing the fabric over his shoulders with the same care she always gave him, her movements steady and unhurried as though to make up for the moment that had been taken from them.

When Lira had finished tying the last fold of his robe and smoothing the cloth along his shoulders, she lingered for a moment with her hands resting lightly against him, as if reluctant to let go. Her eyes lingered on his face, still faintly pale from strain though steadier than before. Lucas reached out, gently taking her hand from his chest, and with a calm but deliberate motion he lifted her chin so their eyes met. Without hesitation he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss, one that held both reassurance and unspoken promise.

When he pulled away, his voice was steady, touched with the faint softness he reserved only for her. "I will call for you when I am less occupied," he said. "Wait for me."

A flicker of warmth crossed Lira's face, her lips curving into the faintest of smiles as she gave a single nod. She did not protest, nor did she try to hold him longer, though her eyes betrayed the wish that he could stay. Lucas lingered a heartbeat longer, studying her expression, before turning toward the door.

Lira remained where she was, watching as the door closed behind him, the air still carrying the faint scent of steam and oils from the bath. Lucas, meanwhile, straightened his robe with a final adjustment and set his thoughts firmly ahead, leaving the chamber behind as he went to answer the urgent call of Princess Nyx.

When Lucas reached Princess Nyx's chamber, he paused briefly before the heavy wooden door and raised his hand to knock. The sound echoed softly within the quiet corridor, and after only a moment a servant appeared, bowing quickly before pulling the door open for him. Inside, the chamber, where Nyx was standing at the center while three servant girls attended to her with layers of silken garments and jeweled adornments. The sight of her in such regal preparation was striking, but before Lucas could say a word, Nyx turned sharply toward the door.

The instant her eyes met his, her voice cut through the room, firm and impatient. "Leave us."

The servant girls, startled by the sudden command, curtsied hurriedly and gathered what little they carried. None dared to linger. They shuffled quickly past Lucas, heads bowed low, and shut the door firmly behind them, leaving only the two of them in the vast chamber. The silence that followed was almost heavy, broken only by the faint rustle of Nyx's gown as she took a step forward.

Lucas inclined his head slightly, a gesture of respect he had always reserved for her, but before he could finish the words of his greeting, Nyx scoffed lightly, her expression tightening with a mixture of frustration and longing. "There is no need for such formalities with me," she said, her tone carrying both reproach and vulnerability.

Before Lucas could respond, she crossed the distance between them in a sudden rush. Her hands found his shoulders, and then her lips pressed against his in a kiss that carried more than passion, it was desperate, urgent, filled with an emotion that seemed to tremble beneath the surface. Lucas, caught for a heartbeat by the force of it, allowed his arms to close around her slender frame, drawing her against him. He returned the kiss with equal depth, steadying her trembling fervor with his own strength.

As he held her, he felt it clearly, the blend of excitement and despair coursing through her touch, and though she tried to conceal it in the intensity of the embrace, Lucas could not ignore it. When at last he broke away gently, his lips parting from hers, he did not need to search long before the truth revealed itself in her eyes. The despair that had been hidden beneath her boldness was laid bare in the fragile quiver of her gaze, and it pierced him more than any words could have.

Her voice came low and heavy, edged with bitterness she could not disguise. "The emperor of Rus will arrive soon," she said, the words carrying the weight of a sentence already passed. "And I am to be betrothed to him, to seal the alliance… probably in only a few days. "You must not trouble yourself over the promise you made me," she said quietly, her words carrying the faint tremor of someone trying to sound braver than they felt. "I have accepted what lies ahead, even if my heart still wishes it were otherwise. It is my duty, my burden, and I will bear it as I must." Her voice broke ever so slightly, betraying the sorrow that her composure tried to hide.

She drew in a steadying breath, as if summoning the strength to continue. "I would be lying if I said I did not wish for something different… that I did not long for you to somehow stand against it, to take this fate from me. But I know the truth, Xavier. I know there is little you can do. This is greater than either of us, greater than what we may want. And so I will not hold you to that promise anymore. I will not let it chain you when it cannot be fulfilled."

Her words struck him with a heaviness he had not expected, not because she doubted him, but because she had given up on what they both desired. Lucas felt his chest tighten, a storm of emotion building within him. For a fleeting instant, he wanted to tell her everything, that he had not been idle, that he had already taken steps that might turn the king's heart, that the chains of duty she feared might yet be broken. The confession rose to the edge of his tongue, burning to be spoken, but he swallowed it back before it could escape.