The Do-Over System:My Beloved is the Villain! - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: 02/23- Lucian is a priority

Aeliana looked at Kael, her mind still a whirlwind of emotions. She had tried to push forward, tried to convince herself that things would work out with Lucian, but now, in the quiet of this moment, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the storm was coming. She had always been strong—an elf princess with her duty, a leader among her people—but in matters of the heart, it seemed so much more difficult to navigate.

“I don’t know,” Aeliana said softly, her voice barely a whisper. “I thought that if I could just fix the mistakes, we could find a way. But I can’t seem to get through to him. I’ve failed him so many times already. How can I keep going like this, Kael?” Her voice cracked as she spoke, the weight of the situation pressing down on her like a physical burden.

Kael reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He had always been there for her, a constant protector in times of need, and now, more than ever, she needed his steadiness. “Aeliana, you’re not alone in this. We’ll figure this out together, all right?” His words were sincere, but they didn’t fully reach the depths of her pain. He wanted to help, but the complexity of her feelings for Lucian, combined with the pressures of her duties, was something that Kael couldn’t just fix with kind words.

“You’ve always been there for me, Kael,” Aeliana said, her voice trembling slightly as she looked up at him. “But this… this is something I need to do myself. Lucian and I… I need to know if we can make it work. I need to know if he can really accept who I am and the responsibility I carry. I can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine when it’s not.”

Kael nodded, understanding the weight of her words. He knew that Aeliana was a strong, capable woman—one who didn’t shy away from difficult choices—but this time, he wasn’t sure if even she could solve the turmoil that was pulling her apart.

As if on cue, the door to the room opened, and Lucian stepped in, his presence commanding yet distant. He still bore the air of a prince—his regal posture and confident demeanor, but there was something in his eyes that told a different story. His gaze flickered briefly toward Aeliana before it moved to Kael.

“Aeliana,” Lucian began, his voice cold and controlled, but there was an underlying tension in it that suggested he was struggling with his own emotions. “Why do you still insist on us, princess? After everything that’s happened, why do you continue to hold onto this… this fantasy?” His words stung, and Aeliana felt her heart constrict at the accusation, but she didn’t flinch. She couldn’t.

“I don’t know what else to do, Lucian,” she replied, her voice steady, though her emotions were anything but. “I can’t let go of you. I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve never stopped loving you. I thought we could work through it, that we could still find a way to make this work.”

Lucian’s expression hardened, his jaw tightening as he struggled to hold his composure. “You think I don’t want the same thing? You think I haven’t tried? But I’m trapped, Aeliana. You’re trapped, too. We can’t keep pretending like the world doesn’t have its expectations, like we can just run away from our duties. We have responsibilities to our people, to our positions, and this—” he gestured between them, his words tinged with frustration—”this can’t be a priority.”

Aeliana’s heart twisted at his words. She had always known that their relationship had been complicated, that the demands of their roles were immense. But she had held onto the belief that love, no matter how difficult, could overcome those challenges. Now, hearing Lucian voice the very doubts she had been trying to suppress, she felt a sinking feeling in her chest.

“I never asked you to give up everything, Lucian,” Aeliana said softly, her voice cracking as she took a step toward him. “I just want you—want us—to be able to figure this out. But if you don’t feel the same, if you can’t even try, then maybe I was wrong to believe it could work at all.”

Lucian stood there, conflicted, as if he were caught in a storm of his own making. His gaze softened for a moment, but it quickly hardened again as he turned his back to her. “Maybe it’s time we stop pretending. You deserve someone who can be with you without all this… baggage. You deserve someone who can share your world fully.”

Aeliana’s chest tightened as the realization of what he was saying began to sink in. She wasn’t sure if this was truly the end, but it certainly felt like it. Kael, watching from the sidelines, could see the turmoil in both of them, the way their feelings were tangled in a web they couldn’t seem to untangle.

“You’re wrong, Lucian,” Aeliana said, her voice firm now, despite the pain that laced her words. “I don’t want someone else. I want you. But if you can’t see that, if you can’t find it in your heart to fight for us, then maybe I have to let go, no matter how much it hurts.”

Lucian didn’t turn back. He couldn’t face her, not now, not with the weight of their fractured bond hanging between them. His silence was the answer she had feared but knew deep down.

Kael, who had been silent for the duration of their exchange, stepped forward. “Aeliana, you deserve to be loved, not just for who you are as the Oracle, but for who you are as a person. Don’t settle for a love that doesn’t make you feel whole. You have so much to offer, and one day, someone will see that.”

Aeliana turned her gaze toward Kael, her heart aching with the truth of his words. But for now, all she could do was stand there, watching Lucian’s retreating back, wondering if their love was truly worth fighting for—or if, at the end of the day, it had been doomed from the start.

..

Aeliana’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched Lucian turn to leave. She couldn’t let him go—not like this, not after everything they had been through together. The words had been hanging in her throat for so long, but now, with the finality of his departure looming, they erupted from her with all the intensity of a storm.

“Lucian!” she shouted, her voice thick with emotion. She didn’t care if Kael was watching, didn’t care about the weight of her duty or her role as the elf princess. Right now, all that mattered was the man who had been her closest companion, her love, the one she had shared everything with. “I’m sorry, but we’ve gone too far to break things off now! You can’t just walk away from everything we’ve built, everything we’ve fought for!” Her words hung in the air, desperate and raw.

Lucian stopped in his tracks, but he didn’t turn around. His shoulders tensed, and Aeliana could see the internal battle he was fighting. His voice, when he finally spoke, was barely a whisper. “I’m not walking away, Aeliana. I’m trying to protect you. You don’t understand the danger we’re in. I can’t offer you the life you deserve, not with the burdens I carry.”

Aeliana shook her head, her breath coming in shallow gasps. “No, Lucian, you don’t get it. I need you. I need you just as much as you need me. You’re not the only one with responsibilities, with burdens. I have mine too. But I still choose you.” She took a few tentative steps toward him, her hands trembling at her sides. “I’m selfishly doing this for me, but I need you too. Don’t you see that? This isn’t just about what’s right or what’s expected of us. This is about us—about the love we’ve shared and the future we’ve built together. I can’t just let go of that, not without a fight.”

For the first time since they had started this conversation, Lucian turned to face her. His expression was unreadable, but there was pain in his eyes—a pain that mirrored her own. His fists clenched at his sides, and for a moment, Aeliana thought he might say something that would finally end it all, that would make her believe this truly was the end. But instead, he took a step closer to her, his voice low and full of regret.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Aeliana,” he murmured, his eyes searching hers for any hint of understanding. “But I don’t know if I can be what you need. The path we’re on… it’s leading us to a place where I won’t be able to protect you. You deserve so much more than this.”

Aeliana’s heart ached, but she didn’t back away. “You don’t get to decide what I deserve,” she said, her voice fierce with conviction. “I choose this. I choose you. And if that means facing the consequences, then I’ll face them. But we do this together, Lucian. I’m not walking away from you. Not now, not ever.”

For a long moment, the two of them stood there, neither speaking, but the weight of their emotions filled the space between them. Lucian’s gaze softened, though his doubt still lingered like a storm on the horizon. He reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, his touch tender yet hesitant.

“I’m scared, Aeliana,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “Scared of what this could mean for you, for both of us. I can’t bear the thought of losing you, but I also don’t know how to make this work.”

Aeliana placed her hand over his, her touch warm and reassuring. “We’ll figure it out,”she said, her words firm despite the turmoil in her chest. ” I won’t give up on us.”