Chapter 39: Fractured glass of the past

Soft footsteps echoed in the corridor, masked by the growls of thunder rolling through the evening sky. It was dinnertime, but Ruelle made her way to one of the classrooms, where she had left her notebook.

As she approached the door, a faint light flickered from inside, casting a warm glow across the threshold. When she stepped inside, the scent of dried herbs and a faint metallic tinge filled the air, mingling with the dampness of the oncoming storm outside. A quiet clink of glass against wood echoed through the room, halting her steps.

Lucian sat at one of the tables with a flask of dark liquid before him, his profile half-shadowed, intent on his work. His red eyes were fixed on the test tube in his hand—and her notebook lay only a few steps away from him. Ruelle felt her heartbeat quicken, both from hesitation and the pull of his quiet, commanding presence.

“I thought the room would be empty,” Ruelle murmured, half to herself. But her words drew Lucian’s gaze, his brooding eyes narrowing as they locked onto her. “I just… I left my notes behind,” she added, in a softer tone.

Lucian offered her only a brief, dismissive glance before returning his attention to his work, his demeanour cool and detached, as though her presence held no more significance than the stray gust of air. She stepped farther in to retrieve her notebook, clutching it tightly to her chest. She should leave—every instinct told her to leave—but her gaze drifted once more to the flask and test tubes he held with such practiced precision, curiosity pinning her to the spot.

Clearing her throat, she managed, “Thank you for letting me use your books. They have… they’ve helped me a lot.” The words, timid yet genuine, lingered in the charged silence between them.

“I didn’t do it for you,” Lucian replied, his tone curt, his gaze still on his work.

Ruelle nodded, a faint smile appearing briefly, only to vanish as quickly. She turned to go when a sharp crack filled the room—the test tube in Lucian’s hand shattered with a sudden pop, sending volatile liquid splattering across the stone floor. A faint, sizzling hiss rose as the droplets hit, filling the air with a sharp, acrid scent. But what held Ruelle’s attention was the small spray of liquid that landed across Lucian’s hand, leaving angry red splotches in its wake.

“Your hand!” she gasped, instinctively moving towards him. Her fingers brushed against his skin, a light, concerned touch that seemed to spark a response more acidic than the liquid itself.

Lucian snapped his hand back as though her touch burned, his red eyes blazing with a restrained intensity, and he growled, “Don’t.”

Ruelle’s heart hammered under his gaze, something guarded yet fierce sparking between them. She suddenly felt small, as though his scrutiny stripped her bare.

“I didn’t mean… I was only trying to help,” she managed, the words coming out quieter than she intended. There was a tightness in her throat, a vulnerability she hadn’t meant to show.

“Help?” Lucian echoed, his tone calm but the word twisted, his eyes carrying a guarded, almost reluctant curiosity. “You don’t simply touch people—especially not other men,” he continued quietly. “Do you make a habit of forgetting things?”

The accusation left Ruelle momentarily stunned, but she forced herself to stay steady, hands curling at her sides as she replied, “I’m sorry. It was the most human thing to do. When someone is hurt, we help.”

Lucian’s lips twisted into a faint, humourless smile, his gaze assessing. “Human,” he murmured, as if tasting the bitterness of the word. His brow raised, his voice measured as he continued, “Is that what it is? You do seem… adept at reaching others.” His eyes beheld her in a way that felt more like a test than reprimand.

“What are you talking about?” Ruelle’s eyebrows furrowed, feeling the weight of his suspicion.

“I am talking about you and Henley.”

The rain outside finally broke, lashing against the windows with a fierce, rhythmic pounding. The sound matched the sudden dread in her chest. Her mind raced back to the night by the tower—the unwanted embrace, the shame she had carried in silence since. Her heart pounded with fresh panic, and her voice trembled as she whispered,

“How… how could you know about that?”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his head tilted. “So, you admit it, then?”

Her pulse faltered, her mind scrambling for words. “It’s… it’s not what you think,” she managed, her voice barely steady. “I didn’t want that to happen. It was a misunderstanding that—”

“Spare me the act. I don’t care what you and Henley do,” Lucian interrupted, his tone calm yet laced with a quiet edge. “Innocence may work on others here—it doesn’t work on me. You may have fooled others here with your doe-eyed looks and soft words, but not me. So if you think you can manipulate me, play innocent, and get your way with it… you should reconsider.”

His words were calm, yet Ruelle could feel the weight of them. She held her ground, unwilling to let him see the shame that twisted inside her. The rain thundered against the window, matching the erratic pulse in her chest. Forcing her voice to stay steady, she replied,

“I am not trying to manipulate you or anyone else. You don’t know the first thing about me.” She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze.

Lucian’s gaze softened briefly, a flicker of something resembling doubt crossing his face. But it disappeared as quickly as it came. He straightened, his expression once more guarded. The rain lashed harder, the storm outside matching the storm of words between them. His voice was calm as he remarked,

“I know enough.”

Ruelle took a shaky breath, finding her voice as she retorted, “If you are so certain of what you think you know, then there’s nothing I can say to change it… But you don’t have the right to accuse me of things you know nothing about.”

Her words echoed somewhere deep in his mind, almost igniting hesitation—but Lucian smothered it before it could surface. His expression hardened once more. “Stay away from me. If you wish to entangle yourself in others’ lives, do so far from my path.”

Her hands twisted tightly in front of her, her composure nearly breaking as she murmured, “Can you… not mention this to anyone?”

Lucian’s lips curled into a slight, humourless smile, a dark glint in his eyes as he turned back to his work, almost dismissing her. He picked up a new test tube to work on. He remarked,

“A secret, then. Perhaps you should have moved into his quarters instead of mine. It would certainly suit… your situation better.”

Ruelle clenched her hands before replying, “The moment there is an opening, I will move out.”

She would have left immediately if it were possible, but she and Lucian were both bound by the hidden clause in their contract with Mr. Mortis—a clause that tied them as roommates for two months before any changes to accommodation could be made. And for now, they were both stuck with each other.

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