During the afternoon tea, the two families continued to talk animatedly about ordinary matters and wedding preparations. That weekend, Jesse and Victoria Shang would finally get married. A party that Lucian was eagerly awaiting, as he would accompany Magnus on another social event.
It was always nice to go to parties with your fiancé.
Just before dusk, Lucian and Magnus went for a walk through the greenhouse. The others dismissed them with small smiles with a little malice, but that perfectly matched Lucian's intention to steal the attention of his fiancé.
Walking on the white stones that guided between trees and bushes, the two boys enjoyed the silence of that region with a fragrant aroma. Just being next to his favorite character was enough to calm Lucian and forget the other nightmare he had that night.
It was as if comforted in his silence.
"Lucian, I wanted to talk with you about something."
The sudden speech of Magnus caught him by surprise, especially for the serious tone. Lucian raised his diamond eyes to the omega, who stared at him coldly. His fingers clenched slightly when their eyes met. A cold in the belly made him anxious.
"About what?"
"Yesterday I was here, you should know that, right?"
What? Lucian blinked a few times and frowned.
"What did you said? Yesterday?" Lucian lowered his eyes, remembering his tasks the day before "I don't remember being warned about your visit."
"I came when you were sleeping" Magnus took a few steps forward, turning his eyes away from some tulips that were planted there "I was hunting rebels outside the city gates and found out they would try to invade your palace to kidnap you."
"What?!"
"Calm down, it's all right. I got there just in time to stop this."
"Oh my" Lucian shuddered slightly.
His hand was cold. A lump formed in the throat.
He was not safe.
Not safe at all.
It was exactly as he imagined. The duel between Cadec and Magnus would open the way for the villain to approach Lucian.
"When I arrived at your palace, I found a woman accompanying your servant... She did something to him, used a drug and made him talk about something of vision." Continued Magnus, returning to face Lucian "She said she was from a guild and had business with you. It was extremely shocking to find out that you bought drugs with her to use on me at that dinner."
Lucian remained... petrified. He blinked not and the color disappeared from his face.
He found out.
Tum-tum.
Tum-tum.
Tum-tum.
The hand went to his chest unconsciously, squeezing his fingers as if he hoped to grab his own heart and make it slow down the beats. Inside his head, infinite thoughts passed by the second, giving him one all and leaving him in a nothing.
"I think it's time you were honest with me, Lucian."
The problem was that he just... couldn't. Not that he did not want to, but his body simply stiffened in a way that only allowed him to feel despair.
Was it bad for Magnus to know the truth?
Maybe Lucian should trust him completely and be sincere?
That was not the problem.
Lucian was afraid of Magnus' reaction. While Magnus spoke, the omega kept cool looking at him as if he were evaluating every part of his soul. It was uncomfortable to see Magnus suspicious of you, especially if there was a chance he didn't believe. He knew well that Magnus looked at him that way only to show that it was a serious matter.
It was still a nuisance.
"Sincerity?" Whispered, finally, the alpha.
"That's right."
Lucian shuddered and took a deep breath trying to calm down. It wasn't the end of the world. Remember that Magnus Grimwood was the only one he could trust. He was their salvation, while Lucian would try to save them.
It was just a character in a story, which at some point Lucian would abandon to return to his world.
"Okay. Let's go by pieces." Lucian said calmly, still with his hand on his chest "Ask me what you want to know, and I will answer with the sincerity that you ask."
"So be it. First, I know you drugged me that night, just like I drugged you. How did you get the drug?"
"With the Nightshade guild. I asked for a mild aphrodisiac."
"Did you know about the drug I was going to use that night?"
"Yes..." Lucian replied in a whispering voice "I knew you intended to drug Stephen, so I changed the cups."
The crimson eyes shrunk and Magnus stepped forward, narrowing the distance between them.
"How did you know?"
Lucian could not tell him that he knows a lot of things because everything was just a novel, a fictional book that he read when he came home from work. It was as absurd as the idea of him being inside the book possessing a secondary character.
"I-I..."
Magnus kept staring at him cold and silent. It made his heart race in pure fear of losing the omega. Lucian had to restrain the urge to touch him to prevent his departure, for the omega did not move a step and seemed unwilling to leave until he heard his answer.
What should Lucian say?
It is true!
He mentioned the vision!
"I dreamed... of Stephen drinking a drug and having his heat cycle awakened."
"Did you "dream"?"
"I-That's it..."
"What else did you "dream", Lucian?"
Magnus stepped forward, looking intimidating. Lucian restrained the urge to go back a few steps, but his torso tilted slightly backwards.
"I have had several dreams, actually. I am constantly seeing information from the future."
"Are you telling me that you can predict the future?"
"Something like that, although it's... limited. Could you go back, please?"
"I can't" Answered Magnus, face close to Lucian's "Second question, what business do you have with the guild woman?"
"Ethera?" Noticing Magnus' subtle nod, Lucian swallowed it dry "S-She is the leader of the Nightshade. I proposed a deal for her."
"What business, Lucian Saint Richmond?"
My, saying the full name was never a good sign!
Lucian felt more and more nervous.
"I dreamed of the death of her men on the way out of town, and told her that her guild would go through a crisis. To avoid the crisis, I p-proposed to be your benefactor."
"Be the benefactor of a guild? That requires a lot of money, and you wouldn't spend your fortune on something fruitless. What do you want from them, Lucian?"
Damn, the fucking was too much hope!
"A list of influential people from the underworld."
The eyes widened in surprise, and Magnus was also petrified, despite not containing the same anxiety as the alpha. Taking a deep breath, Lucian remained calm and then told the whole situation to Magnus.
That Argus would forgive him, but he would use his fanfic to deceive poor Magnus. Lucian refused to say that all he knew was from a novel, so he would use the foolish story of his dreaming and having visions with the future. To give more increment, Lucian was sincere in saying that it started after he had recovered from a strong flu.
It wasn't a lie, right?
As Lucian told the truth to Magnus, he felt as if the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders, but that such weight was shifted on his chest. The silence of his fiancé in hearing that story, which seemed even more absurd when said out loud, fed the accelerated beats of his heart.
The lack of a reaction was like an emptiness.
Magnus was a rational man who would always think the easiest way to get what he wants. His ambition led him to paths not always ethical, some even bloody. Lucian was basically following the same path, only with caution and for reasons of survival.
The alpha told about "dreaming" with Magnus falling in love with Maverick and the investigations they were doing on the rebels. Avoided counting too much. It did not mean that Magnus would find the contraband and that this would lead to his death. In return, Lucian made it clear that he managed to get engaged to Maverick, but then the engagement was broken.
In no way did he want to give the impression that he could marry Maverick. Lucian refused to give Magnus such hope.
"So, are you saying that you engineered this whole plan to get us engaged all because of a possible "vision"? This leads me to ask you the third question, did you see anything related to my death?"
Swallowing dry, he agreed with the head.
"I dreamed that you were... murdered."
"Murdered? Me? And who would be the person capable of such a feat?" Magnus questioned, opening an arrogant smile.
"Me."
The smile was slowly dying.
"You? Are you telling me that in your dream, you would kill me? It must be really just a dream."
"In this future that I predicted, you and I have never met personally. For living reclusive in my palace, I was caught to be made a puppet in this battle to the throne. They used every resource of mine, used me to gather information, my name to commit heinous acts."
Magnus's countenance became gloomy, and he crossed his arms at chest height.
"This is something you have been talking about, being the reason for wanting to leave the Imperial Palace."
"Exactly!" Lucian took a step close to Magnus, feeling a thread of hope "If I stand by your side like your husband, even without your affection, I will not hurt you. As long as I never fall into the hands of that person."
"What person?"
Lucian shook his head.
"I will not reveal your name now, I need irrefutable evidence first. I cannot accuse the person based on dreams. I need proof, but it is not what I seek in this life."
"What do you seek then? Just run away in my arms?"
"After I killed you... I was dead." Lucian told in a whisper "The end of all this leads to my death. I'm marrying you so that I can survive this horrible future, Magnus."