TRAPPED BY THE SECOND MALE LEAD
CHAPTRE 16
The grand building of the royal palace did not look like an abandoned building. Although Meridia stood quite a distance away from the palace area, she was still able to clearly see that everything around her was extremely well-preserved especially the plants growing in the front garden.
Naturally, if the magnificent building looks quiet because it is already night, but the lighting is too minimal to compensate for the size of the palace.
This place has a waiter ‘ right? So quiet…
Meridia felt uncomfortable seeing the aura of the surroundings within that translucent barrier that was darker than outside. Meridia feels stuffy. His legs are moving backwards, but someone has already seen the existence of “Hei, who is there?!”
“Wire!”
Meridia hastily broke through the barrier. Unfortunately the guard was super fast and somehow caught up with Meridia and clutched her wrists tightly until she could feel her bones breaking.
“Who are you?!” Meridia looked up at the tall figure of the big man in front of her “I just passed by and suddenly I can enter here.” replied Meridia slowly.
The observant eyes of the fully clothed man like the knight closely watched the weak girl from top to bottom. A messy face, puffy eyes, a dress that is not clear in shape, feet full of scars exposed to thorny plants. “You look very suspicious.”
Meridia raised two fingers of the sign asking for peace in front of the face, “But I did not lie. Really.”
The man then turned his gaze towards the shield Meridia had penetrated, observing if there was any damage to the shield but everything still looked solid. “How can a skinny and weak girl like you get in easily?” asked her astonishment while Meridia just shrugged her shoulders not understanding.
Meridia looked down at one of her wrists that was still being held. To prove that she wasn't lying, Meridia used one other hand and pierced through the shield without the need for any meaningful effort.
The man with the face of the sangar boughtak in disbelief over what he just saw “Actually you are who?” his confused gaze did not necessarily make Meridia know the answer. The blue dongker girl did not understand what her interlocutor meant.
“I am only a servant of one of the noble families,” Meridia replied with a simple sentence.
The foreign man fell silent a moment ago dragging Meridia further into the front yard of the palace, “Follow me.”
The long-haired girl looked at the broad shoulders of the burly man who was dragging her “Where are you going? Are you going to imprison me?”
“Huh? That's a good idea. If you are proven to carry a threat then I will imprison you with a wild animal in the dungeon.”
Meridia had trouble aligning their footsteps “I asked, not gave an idea. Is it wrong to be able to penetrate the wind like that?”.
Meridia gasped as the man suddenly turned to her while glaring, the grip on her wrist tightening “APA? WIND YOU SAID?” he said with great emphasis.
“Ah yes, sorry.” Chirp Meridia horrified.
Arriving inside the palace, Meridia sensed a new oddity. Indeed, several times he passed by the servants who were still working but the atmosphere still felt quiet and cold, rivaling the silence in the cemetery area. There is no air of life there.
His eyes combed through the dark deserted passage to find out what place he had accidentally come to. For a large building size, valuable objects in it is not much hanging along the wall. Items in the hallway tend to be non-high value objects.
The burly man who is known as Hugo brought Meridia into the room with a black door patterned with gold embroidery is quite high and wide which apparently is the throne room.
Someone is sitting on a throne while supporting the head with one hand “Who are you carrying it? intruder?”
The very minimal light there made Meridia unable to see clearly. He could only see the silhouette of a human sitting on a throne chair, his eyes seemed to light up in the darkness.
The throne room was only illuminated by the moonlight that slipped in through the window. Meridia needed to narrow her eyes to see the figure.
“Hugo facing you, Your Highness.” the man bowed respectfully while putting his right hand on his left chest, then he looked at the young man sitting in that chair “I want to report something, Your Majesty.” Hugo gave a little pause in his sentence and immediately told a brief summary.
“So? Come.”
Hugo took off his grip and pushed Meridia's shoulder slowly, asking the beautiful girl to come forward according to the master's decree. One hand of the mysterious young man raised as if it was about to welcome Meridia.
After standing in front of the figure Meridia then gradually ventured to look directly at the young man. Then a few seconds later he realized “I feel familiar,” Meridia does not care about his hand which is currently being held by the young man.
“Finally you met me.”
“…”
“You must have forgotten my name again, didn't you?” a thin smile etched on her lips “Let me properly introduce myself this time. I'm Lucien Clein Navarro, nice to see you again, Meridia.”
The girl rounded her eyes flabbergasted that “Lucien?” the man replied to her with a small nod without knowing what the real meaning of Meridia's question was.
Although faintly Meridia remembered Lucien's name. The handsome young man with minimal expression was the second male lead of the novel.
Lucien Clein Navarro, a young man who is arguably the youngest Duke of all time is a character who is certainly often milling around along the storyline with the title as a mysterious person.
Since she is also a helper character to be eliminated by Arden, Lucien does not have many parts of the story about his personal life. The author further highlights the part of the story when the Duke Navarro often came to the Emerald mansion to get Marigold's heart.
Maybe the author just wants to focus on the lives of the two main actors in his novel so it is not explained where and what Lucien lives like.
On several occasions, Meridia had occasionally heard rumors that Lucien hardly ever appeared in social circles of the nobles. Some of those interested in business relationships and matchmaking offers said they never found Lucien's address.
The last time Lucien appeared was on the emperor's birthday celebration last year. Other than the invitation from the royal family, Lucien would never attend. In addition, Lucien would disappear without a trace after the event. People can only gossip because no one knows who and what Lucien really is.
When their eyes were locked, one corner of Lucien's lips lifted “I've been waiting for you for a long time. To be honest I was afraid you'd completely forget me.”
Meridia frowned “Sorry?”
Within a split second all his memories regarding the meeting of the two of them returned. This is not the first time they have met. Near the market, the temple, then in the forest. Meridia remembers Lucien's message when they were about to split up because of the guards who came looking.
Lucien then stood up from the chair and directly hugged the weak body of the girl tightly, wanting to feel the warmth of Meridia's body. Lucien's eyes sharpened looking at Hugo, hinting him to leave the room and leave the two of them.
Meridia was silent trying to manage what was going on. She was a little confused when Lucien suddenly hugged her. Moreover, all Meridia could feel was Lucien's cold body temperature.
The position lasted for two minutes. Lucien then took off his embrace while stroking the smooth cheek of the girl in front of him gently “I'm glad you came to me. I was so bored waiting.” Lucien's warm gaze slightly teased something in Meridia's heart.
Both of Lucien's eyebrows were linked when he found the girl's eyes. His thumb moving rubbing the trail of tears that are still visible on his cheek “You've been crying? Who has made you sad like this?” her attentive tone raised a huge question mark on Meridia's head.
Lucien also looks angry when he sees a bruise on Meridia's cheek, it is seen from her furrowed eyebrows.
“You suddenly behave very attentive, it is very suspicious.” Meridia brushed Lucien's hand off his face. His watchful eyes even tickled Lucien's stomach. The jet-black haired youth chuckled softly “You are so adorable,” said, “You came here to ask for my help, ‘kan?”
“No. I just accidentally entered.”
“Really?” asked Lucien who was immediately answered with a quick nod from Meridia “I can already grant your wish, do you still still not want to ask for my help?”
The girl's forehead is wrinkled. Meridia hands up “Anu, sorry. I just accidentally met you at your house. Ask for help from fellow humans? That's not funny.”
Meridia can't trust humans that easily. His experience which is always filled with selfless humans makes him understand very well what rottenness means.
Lucien laughed again, but Meridia admitted that her good looks increased to two hundred percent. “You are so funny. don't you feel that our meeting is a fate?” lucien's smile changed with a mysterious grin.
Meridia squinting wonder “Since the first time we met you always said something confusing. I don't understand.” instead of answering, the young man actually eroded the distance between them.
Lucien's red eyes that were as sharp as the eyes of a savage beast stared straight into Meridia's puffy eyes “I don't like to see mine hurt by others. Like it or not, I will reply them.”
“A-what?” Meridia took a few steps back but it was useless because Lucien came closer so there was no point in the girl staying away “No, forget it. You don't want to ask me for help ‘ do you? Then go home,” Meridia looked up at the beautiful face of the young man who owned this silent castle. Meridia remained silent.
Lucien smiling obliquely “Why be quiet? You said you wouldn't ask me for help. Though I didn't lie about having a house and lots of rooms.”
“...” Meridia cannot argue.
“Fear of being scolded on coming home later?” undeniably, Meridia was afraid when she returned later she would be bullied and beaten, not only to get there, but also, maybe he'll also be locked up in a new, stuffier warehouse for days.
As if you can read Meridia's face, Lucien gently stroked the top of Meridia's head “Take it easy, nothing will happen.”
“You know from where everything will be fine?” Meridia had memorized the habits of the Emerald family when they had already misunderstood her. There will be no such thing as okay.
“Um...insting?” Lucien smiled knot “Tomorrow morning I'll pick you up so you don't have to worry about anything, understand? I'll bring you here.”
“What?”
“You will know tomorrow, now you have to go home and rest,” Lucien flips Meridia's body facing the door “Hugo will take you home,” Hugo also came to open the door and wait for Meridia to come out.
While walking towards the door, Meridia took the time to look back and Lucien still smiled at her, waved and said good night to her from afar.
“Beyond my expectations, Lucien was not a cold and talkative figure. It was a little different from the original character, did I remember wrongly?” inner Meridia in heart.
In the original story Meridia several times talking with Lucien, of course, want to work together to separate two lovebirds who have been destined to be together by the author.
In Meridia's already faint memory, Lucien was not an easy person to talk to and showed more action than giving an explanation first. No wonder it sometimes leads to misunderstanding.
“She's a little different than I remember.”
What does it mean to pick me up? What's he gonna do?
“Hold to me.” Meridia held Hugo's hand as requested. They both broke through the protective barrier together. Meridia was flabbergasted to see what was presented before her eyes. It is no longer a lake but the backyard of the Emerald mansion “We have arrived.”
It's hard to keep your mouth shut when you're amazed at something. Meridia nods like a fool “Thank you.”
“Then, I will return now.” said Hugo to be more refined.
Meridia came in through the back door. It just so happened that Samuel was still in the back shed cleaning all the garden equipment before returning home. The middle-aged man helped him enter without being caught by another servant.
Meridia did not know that Ziel had seen her through the window in the hallway but she deliberately let Meridia and did not directly meet him. She was drawn to the guilt in her heart when she saw the girl who had always been ignored. Meridia was being tortured too much mentally.
The man who was the head of the Emerald family sighed furiously, then muttered “I don't know how to address the girl.”
