The Billionaire Serpent King's Bride

Chapter 8

Selene's POV

The door closed behind him. I didn't move. I couldn't. The room was silent again, yet it no longer felt peaceful.

"What..." The word barely escaped my lips. "What just happened?" I stared at the closed door as though he might walk back through it. My heart refused to slow. My cheeks still burned. It had happened so fast.

One moment I had been drying my hair... The next... I had been standing in front of Lucien Drakon with nothing but a towel between us.

"Oh my God..." I buried my face in my hands. "I can't believe that just happened." Embarrassment crashed over me all over again. If the floor had opened beneath my feet, I would have gladly disappeared into it.

Why hadn't I held onto the towel? Why hadn't I locked the door? Why... Why him?

I let out a long groan before dropping onto the edge of the bed. There was no way I could face him again. Not after... Not after everything that had just happened.

I squeezed my eyes shut. "No." I refused to think about it anymore. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to finish getting dressed.

A pair of cream trousers. A soft green blouse. Simple. Comfortable. Anything that made me feel like myself again.

When I finally looked at my reflection, I hardly recognized the woman staring back. She looked composed. I wasn't.

My gaze drifted toward the bedroom door. Lucien's final words echoed through my mind. "Lunch is ready." "I'll wait downstairs." Another wave of embarrassment swept through me.

He was waiting. For me. The longer I stayed here... The worse it would become.

Drawing one slow breath, I straightened my shoulders, reached for the door handle, and stepped into the hallway.

The walk to the dining room felt much longer than it had before. Every step gave me another chance to turn around. I didn't.

By the time I reached the dining room, my palms were damp. I paused outside the open doorway for the briefest moment before forcing myself inside.

Lucien was already there. He looked up as I entered before immediately rising to his feet. My eyes instinctively swept over him. Then paused.

He had changed. The black golf shirt he'd been wearing earlier was gone. In its place was a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, paired with tailored charcoal trousers.

He must have gone to his room after leaving mine. The thought made my heartbeat stumble. Somehow... He looked even more handsome than before.

Before he could catch me staring, I quickly lowered my eyes. Lucien walked around the table and pulled out the chair beside him.

"Please." His voice was calm. Steady. As though nothing unusual had happened upstairs.

"...Thank you." I lowered myself into the chair, keeping my eyes firmly on the table. The silence between us settled once again. It wasn't uncomfortable. It was simply... careful.

The household staff moved with quiet efficiency, placing silver-covered plates before us before disappearing just as silently. One by one, the covers were lifted.

The familiar aroma reached me immediately. Grilled salmon with lemon butter. Roasted baby potatoes. Perfectly grilled asparagus. My favorite.

My fingers tightened around my fork. He really had remembered. Or perhaps... He had always known.

I stole the quickest glance in his direction. He unfolded his napkin across his lap with effortless composure. Nothing about him betrayed what had happened upstairs. How?

I lowered my eyes again before he caught me staring. "Please," he said quietly. "Eat while it's still warm."

I nodded. The first bite should have tasted wonderful. Normally... It would have. Today, I barely noticed the flavor.

Embarrassment sat too heavily inside me. Every time I lifted my eyes, I remembered standing in front of him. Every time I reached for my glass... I remembered how close we'd been.

I lowered my fork. "...I'm sorry." The words escaped before I could stop them.

Lucien looked up. "For what?" My face burned. "For... upstairs."

Silence lingered between us. "I should've been more careful."

He set his cutlery down. "There is nothing for you to apologize for." His voice remained gentle. "I entered because I believed something had happened to you."

A brief pause followed. "When you didn't answer... I made the wrong decision." His golden eyes met mine. "I owe you the apology, Selene."

The sound of my name on his lips caught me completely off guard. Not Miss Ashford. Selene. Something shifted quietly inside my chest.

I'd spent yesterday begging someone to admit he'd hurt me. Now... A man who had done nothing intentionally wrong was apologizing with complete sincerity.

I didn't know what to say. So I simply picked up my fork again. Another bite. This time... I tasted the lemon butter.

The salmon melted softly on my tongue. The potatoes were perfectly seasoned. Without realizing it, I took another bite. Then another.

Conversation never returned. Only the quiet clink of cutlery against porcelain filled the room. Somewhere between my thoughts and the silence... My plate became emptier.

When I finally looked down, only a few pieces of asparagus remained. I'd eaten almost everything.

A strange warmth spread through me. Not because of the food. Because, for the first time in what felt like forever... My stomach no longer hurt.

Lucien noticed. A faint look of relief crossed his face before disappearing just as quickly.

"I'm glad you ate." Four simple words. Nothing more. Yet they settled gently somewhere deep inside me.

He wasn't trying to impress me. He wasn't asking for gratitude. He was simply... Glad.

Lucien folded his napkin neatly beside his plate before rising to his feet. "I have a few matters that require my attention."

He looked toward Margaret. "Show Selene around the main residence. She'll be staying here. She should know her way around."

"Of course, sir."

His eyes found mine. "I'll see you this evening."

I nodded. "...Alright." With a polite incline of his head, he turned and left the dining room.

For reasons I couldn't explain... I found myself watching him until he disappeared from sight.

"Miss?" Margaret smiled warmly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to show you around."

I returned the smile. "I'd like that.

The mansion was even larger than I'd imagined. Sunlight poured through towering windows, illuminating polished marble floors and walls adorned with priceless paintings. Every corridor seemed to lead somewhere new.

A library with shelves stretching from floor to ceiling. A music room where a grand piano rested beneath an elegant chandelier. A conservatory overflowing with flowers I'd never seen before.

"This is beautiful," I murmured.

Margaret smiled proudly. "The main residence has been part of the Drakon family for generations."

I paused beside one of the windows. From here, I could see several magnificent mansions scattered across the estate.

"I thought this was the only house."

"Oh, no." Margaret chuckled softly. "This is only the main residence. Many members of the Drakon family live within the estate, each in their own home."

I couldn't help staring. It truly was a world hidden behind those gates.

We continued walking. Gradually... The bright, welcoming atmosphere began to fade. The corridors became quieter. The polished marble gave way to older stone beneath our feet.

Even the air felt different. Cooler. Heavier.

I frowned. "...Did you hear that?"

Margaret stopped walking. "Hear what, Miss?"

I listened carefully. Nothing. I was about to dismiss it when..

A faint hiss. So soft I almost believed I'd imagined it.

"There." I turned toward a corridor branching away from ours. "I'm sure I heard something."

Without thinking, I took a step. Then another.

At the very end stood a pair of enormous black doors unlike any I'd seen elsewhere in the mansion. They were carved with intricate patterns that seemed almost alive beneath the dim light.

Something about them drew me in. I couldn't explain why. I took another step.

"Miss Ashford."

Margaret's voice stopped me instantly. I turned. The warmth had vanished from her expression. For the first time since I'd met her... She looked genuinely frightened.

"Please..." She swallowed. "There are places in this house that even members of the Drakon family do not enter without permission."

A chill crept slowly down my spine. My eyes drifted back to the black doors.

"...What's behind them?"

Margaret looked at the doors for a long moment before meeting my gaze again.

"Please..." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Don't ask me that again."

Before I could speak—

THUD.

A heavy impact echoed from somewhere beyond the doors. The stone floor beneath my feet vibrated. My heart lurched.

Margaret reached for my arm immediately. "We're leaving."

She didn't wait for me to answer. As she gently guided me away, I glanced back one last time.

The black doors stood motionless. Silent. Yet I couldn't shake the feeling...

That something on the other side...

Already knew I was there.