Chapter 39: When Heart Beats Only For Him

[Luceille’s POV — Later — Towards the Ashcroft Territory]

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The sound of hooves crushing the thin layer of frost beneath them echoed through the Northern Forest as we finally left the hidden elven village behind.

The towering trees gradually began to thin as we traveled farther away from the heart of the forest, their enormous branches no longer blocking out the pale afternoon sky. The cold wind brushed against my cheeks, carrying the familiar scent of snow and pine.

We were heading back toward the Ashcroft Territory, and, thankfully, I had survived my first encounter with the elves.

Technically, they had kidnapped me, then they had bowed to me, and then they had called me the Master of the Dragon.

Then I had handed them the legendary dragon sword for cleaning.

Honestly, my life was starting to sound like the plot of a very questionable fantasy game.

Elyan rode a short distance ahead of us on his own horse, which the elves had provided before we left the village. Every now and then, he would glance back in our direction, seemingly checking whether we were still following him.

I watched him for a moment; he really was strange, not in a bad way—he was simply... cheerful. For someone who had just been entrusted with treating Divine White Fox Beasts and traveling to the territory of the Grand Duke of the North, he seemed far too excited.

Then again, maybe that was just an elf thing. I leaned back against Cassian’s chest, letting the warmth of his body shield me from the cold wind.

"We were quite lucky," I murmured.

Cassian’s arms remained loosely around my waist as he guided the horse forward.

"To find the hidden elven village so easily," I continued. "And even luckier that they agreed to come with us and treat the babies."

I paused, glancing toward Elyan again.

"Although..." My eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Our hands also landed on something incredibly rare, didn’t they?"

Cassian didn’t answer.

I waited, but nothing. I tilted my head slightly.

"Cassian?"

Still nothing.

I looked up at him; his expression was unreadable as he stared straight ahead, his attention seemingly fixed on the road.

That was suspicious, very suspicious.

"Did something happen?"

He finally looked down at me; his blue eyes met mine for a moment, and then he turned his gaze forward again.

"My wife gets close to other people rather quickly."

. . .

. . .

I blinked.

"...What?"

His tone was completely calm, too calm, almost painfully calm.

"I said," he continued, "that my wife seems to become friendly with other people rather quickly."

I stared at the side of his face.

What was happening? Was this Cassian? The terrifying Grand Duke? The man who could silence an entire room merely by looking at someone? Why did he suddenly sound like a husband whose wife had been ignoring him at a family gathering?

I slowly narrowed my eyes.

"Are you... upset?"

"No."

That answer came far too quickly.

I stared at him as he continued riding. I waited, and then eventually, he sighed.

"I had to convince you to share a room with me."

My eyebrows rose.

Oh.

We were going there.

"And now," he continued, his voice carrying a faint edge of annoyance, "you have already become comfortable enough with another man to joke with him."

I almost choked.

"Another man?"

"Elyan and Illum, also Aurelius."

I stared at him. "Cassian, he’s an elf."

"He is still a man."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Oh my God. Was he jealous? The mighty Grand Duke of the North was jealous of a teenage-looking elf healer?

I wanted to laugh. I really did, but something in his expression stopped me. He wasn’t angry; he wasn’t genuinely accusing me of anything; he just looked...sulky, and somehow that was much more dangerous to my heart than his usual intimidating expression.

"I am not even allowed to hug you," he muttered.

My cheeks immediately heated.

"Cassian!"

"What?"

"You can’t just say things like that!"

"Why?"

"Because..."

I couldn’t even finish the sentence; he looked down at me again, completely serious. "I am your husband."

My face became even hotter.

"I know that."

"Then why am I the only person you keep at a distance?"

I opened my mouth and closed it. No words came out because...I didn’t have a good answer.

Cassian had been patient with me from the beginning; he had given me space when I needed it. He had never forced me to accept his affection. Even when he clearly wanted to be closer, he had waited for me to take the first step.

And somehow, without realizing it, I had become comfortable enough to tease everyone else but with him...I was still cautious.

Maybe because he mattered too much. I lowered my gaze.

"It’s because..." My voice became quieter. "They’re different."

Cassian’s brow furrowed.

"Different how?"

I hesitated; the words felt strangely difficult to say.

"They...they aren’t my husband."

Silence.

For several seconds, neither of us said anything.

The horse continued walking beneath us, its hooves making a steady rhythm against the frozen road.

Crunch.

Crunch.

I slowly lifted my eyes. Cassian was looking at me, but his expression had changed; the coldness was gone, and the slight pout had disappeared. Instead, there was a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, a very small one, but I saw it.

I immediately became embarrassed.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I am not."

"You are."

"No."

"You absolutely are."

His smile grew just a little.

My heart gave a strange little thump. I didn’t know what to say to that. So instead, I turned my face away and leaned back against his chest again.

"Are you satisfied with my answer?"

There was a brief silence.

Then I felt his arms tighten around my waist, his hands settling gently over my stomach, pulling me closer until my back was completely against his chest. His chin nearly brushed the top of my head.

"Yes."

His voice was quiet, warm, and completely different from the cold Grand Duke everyone else knew.

I smiled faintly.

"Good."

The wind continued blowing around us, but I barely felt the cold anymore. Cassian’s warmth surrounded me; his heartbeat was steady against my back, and for some reason, listening to it made my own heart feel strangely restless.

I lowered my eyes; my stomach gave a quiet little gurgle.

I froze.

Cassian went silent. I slowly looked up; he was looking down at me. I looked away immediately.

"That wasn’t me."

"It was."

"No."

"Your stomach just growled."

"It was the horse."

Cassian glanced at the horse; the horse continued walking peacefully. He looked back at me.

I sighed.

"Fine. I’m hungry."

A faint smile returned to his lips. "We’ll stop when we reach the next village."

I nodded.

Then I settled against him again.

For a while, neither of us spoke, and somewhere between the cold wind, the steady rhythm of the horse’s footsteps, and the warmth of Cassian’s arms around me, a strange thought slipped quietly into my mind.

Maybe...maybe I had been thinking about myself all wrong. In my previous life, I had never fallen in love with a man.

I had never imagined myself falling for one, and even after waking up in this world, inside the body of Luceille Ashcroft, I had never considered that possibility either, but perhaps love didn’t always care about the labels we gave ourselves.

Perhaps it didn’t care about the life we had lived before. Perhaps it simply found someone who made our heart behave differently.

And Cassian...

Cassian made mine behave very differently.

My heart thundered against my ribs. My stomach fluttered again, although this time I wasn’t sure whether it was hunger. I closed my eyes and smiled faintly.

Maybe I wasn’t gay in my previous life. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to be in this life either, but when it came to Cassian...perhaps my heart simply spoke a language that didn’t need a label.

A language that, for some reason, only seemed to understand him.