By the time Lyra got home, it was already night. She had planned to return early to eat the dinner Lucien made, but meetings had kept her tied up.
As she stepped inside, the lights were dim, and the living room was empty.
"Welcome, Mistress," the butler greeted.
"Where is Lucien?" she asked immediately.
"He is in his room. Since you left, he hasn't come downstairs. I sent David to check on him, but the door was locked from inside. We couldn't open it without his permission."
Lyra's brows furrowed sharply. "What? He stayed in his room the whole evening and you didn't inform me? Didn't I tell you to report everything about him?" Her voice turned cold and sharp.
"Ma'am, I thought you were busy. I assumed Master was resting and didn't want to disturb you."
She shot him a glare and rushed upstairs without another word. A strange unease had already settled in her chest. What if he had fainted again?
Grabbing the spare key from the butler, she unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
Lucien stood there, wrapped in nothing but a towel. His hair was still wet, droplets of water trailing down his neck and bare chest. His skin glistened under the soft light, and his exposed form caught her completely off guard.
For a second, she simply stared.
Then reality hit.
The butler was still behind her.
"Don't look!" she snapped, immediately stepping in and slamming the door shut behind her.
Outside, the butler stood stunned, mouth slightly open.
Inside, silence stretched between them.
Lucien stared at her, equally shocked. He had been asleep most of the afternoon and evening. After waking from a nightmare, drenched in sweat, he had gone to shower. He hadn't expected her to come in—especially not like this.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped, gripping the towel tighter around his waist. "How can you just walk in without knocking?"
But his glare barely affected her.
Lyra was still looking at him, dazed, as if trying to process what she was seeing.
"Get out," he said again, more firmly.
That seemed to snap her back. But instead of leaving, she walked toward him.
Lucien instinctively stepped back.
One step. Then another.
Until his back hit the wall.
"Lyra… what are you doing?" His voice dropped, uneasy.
She didn't answer. She just smiled.
That smile made his heartbeat spike.
She moved closer, her presence overwhelming. He could feel the heat radiating from her.
"Lucien," she said softly, her tone turning low and teasing, "we're married. Don't tell me you forgot that."
He stiffened. "We… we agreed not to rush things. We said we'd wait—"
Before he could finish, she closed the distance and kissed him.
The kiss wasn't rushed. It was slow, deliberate… almost gentle.
Lucien froze at first, caught off guard. But as the seconds passed, something shifted. The warmth, the closeness… it felt real. Too real.
His thoughts started tangling.
Right or wrong?
Should he stop?
Could he?
His mind argued, but his body betrayed him.
He didn't pull away.
Lyra felt it. His hesitation, his confusion… and the way he still didn't push her off.
She broke the kiss slightly, her lips brushing against his as she whispered, "If you keep thinking this much, I might lose control."
Then she lightly covered his eyes with her hand. "Close them."
He obeyed instantly.
That made her chuckle softly.
When she kissed him again, it was deeper this time.
Lucien's thoughts scattered completely.
His hand slowly lifted, hesitating for a moment before settling at the back of her head, pulling her closer without even realizing it.
That small action made her smile.
She wrapped her arms around him, closing whatever little distance remained between them.
The kiss deepened.
Breath grew uneven.
Heat built between them.
By the time she finally pulled away, both of them were slightly breathless.
Lyra looked at him—his flushed face, his unsteady breathing, the way he was trying so hard to stay composed.
It made something in her eyes darken with satisfaction.
Lucien swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on her.
For the first time, he felt completely out of control.
And Lyra could see it clearly.