Chapter3
1034 Words
BENEATH THE SURFACE
The boat rocked gently beneath Eleanor's feet as Lucien guided it away from the shore.
She sat quietly, her hands clasped together, pretending the view was far more interesting than the man sitting across from her.
It wasn't working. She could feel Lucien's eyes on her.
She finally sighed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You've been staring at me.”
“I know.”
Eleanor turned toward him.
“Then why?”
Lucien's lips curved.
“I'm wondering how long you're planning to avoid looking at me.”
Her cheeks warmed immediately.
“I am not avoiding you.”
“You haven't looked at me properly since we left.”
Eleanor looked away again.
“Maybe I don't want to.”
Lucien laughed under his breath.
“After last night?”
Her head snapped toward him.
“Lucien!”
“What?”
“You promised you wouldn't tease me.”
“I never promised that.”
“You practically did.”
“I don't remember.”
Eleanor groaned and turned toward the water.
She could still remember every embarrassing second of the previous night. Every word she'd said.
Every moment she'd lost her composure.
And now Lucien was sitting there looking completely unaffected.
It was infuriating.
“You're enjoying this,” she muttered.
“Very much.”
She glanced at him.
“You're horrible.”
“And yet you agreed to come with me.”
“That was a mistake.”
“Then you can jump off the boat.”
Eleanor's eyes widened.
“You're insane.”
Lucien laughed.
“Relax. I wouldn't let you.”
Something about the way he said it made her heart flutter.
She quickly looked away.
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable.
It was different.
Almost intimate.
The wind moved through Eleanor's hair, and Lucien reached across to catch a loose strand before it blew into her face.
His fingers brushed her cheek.
Eleanor froze.
Lucien's gaze lingered on her.
“Still embarrassed?”
She swallowed.
“A little.”
“Good.”
She frowned.
“Why is that good?”
“Because it means last night meant something to you.”
Eleanor stared at him.
Before she could answer, Lucien looked toward the shore.
“We're stopping here.”
“Why?”
“There's something I want to show you.”
The moment they stepped into the marketplace, Eleanor understood why Lucien had brought her.
It was alive.
Music floated through the streets. Vendors called out to passing customers. People crowded around stalls filled with jewelry, clothes, food, and expensive handmade goods.
Eleanor smiled despite herself.
“It's beautiful.”
Lucien watched her rather than the market.
“You like it?”
She nodded.
“Very much.”
“Then stay here.”
She looked at him.
“Where are you going?”
“I'll be back.”
“Where?”
He pointed toward a shop across the street.
“I want to get something,” Eleanor nodded.
“Okay.”
Lucien gave her one last look before disappearing into the crowd.
Eleanor wandered toward a jewel stall.
She was examining a delicate necklace when a familiar voice came from behind her.
“Well, look who decided to come out.”
Eleanor's smile disappeared.
She slowly turned.
A beautifully dressed woman stood there with two friends.
The woman looked Eleanor up and down.
Then she laughed.
“I almost didn't recognize you.”
Eleanor raised an eyebrow.
“Should I be offended?”
“Oh, don't worry. You should have been used to it.”
Her friends giggled.
Eleanor returned the necklace to the stall.
“I don't have time for this.”
She turned to leave.
The woman stepped in front of her.
“Still arrogant, I see.”
“Still obsessed, I see.”
One of the women behind her laughed.
The woman's expression hardened.
“You really think you're somebody now?”
Eleanor looked at her calmly.
“I never said that.”
“You don't have to bitch." She jabbed Eleanor sharply on the shoulder with the tip of her finger, hard enough to make her wince in pain. Her gaze traveled deliberately over Eleanor's clothes.
“Everyone can see you're trying desperately to look like someone you're not.”
Eleanor's jaw tightened.
“And yet you're still looking at me.”
The woman scoffed.
“Do you even remember where you came from?”
Eleanor's eyes sharpened.
“I remember perfectly.”
“Good.”
The woman's smile turned cruel.
“Because everyone here should remember too.”
She raised her voice.
“This is Eleanor. A lowborn girl who suddenly thinks she belongs among the elite.”
People nearby began turning.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
Then came the laughter.
Eleanor stood still.
Her fingers curled slowly at her sides.
The woman continued.
“Look at her. She actually believes dressing differently changes where she came from.”
More laughter.
Eleanor finally smiled.
A small, defiant smile.
“You seem very interested in where I came from.”
The woman frowned.
She scoffed.
“Because if you were truly satisfied with where you came from, you wouldn't spend so much time talking about mine.”
A few people in the crowd laughed.
The woman's face reddened.
“You think you're clever?”
“No.”
Eleanor stepped closer.
“I think you're insecure.”
The crowd reacted with a few amused gasps.
The woman's smile vanished.
“You little—”
She grabbed Eleanor's arm.
Eleanor immediately pulled back.“Let go!”
The woman tightened her grip.
“You need to learn your place.”
Eleanor tried to free herself.
“I said let go.”
The woman shoved her.
Eleanor stumbled against the edge of the stall. A sharp corner scraped her arm.
She looked down.
A thin line of blood appears
ed.
The crowd gasped.
Then, slowly, someone laughed.
Another followed.
Eleanor looked around at them.
Her eyes burned.
She lifted her chin.
“Is that all you've got?”
The woman stared at her.
Then she raised her hand.
And before it could come down—
A deep voice cut through the crowd…
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