Meleonora’s fingers twitched.
A strange, foreign emotion crept into her chest.
Was it fear? No it couldn’t be. She had been in presence kings, dictators, and warlords before, and none of them had ever made her feel this unsteady.
Yet here she was standing in front of an 18-year-old boy and her entire body felt like it was on edge.
Lucian’s hand suddenly moved, grabbing the barrel of her pistol and pressing it against his chest right over his heart.
“Go ahead,” he whispered. “Shoot me.”
Meleonora’s entire body tensed.
What… was this feeling of oppression?
Why did it feel like, despite holding the gun, she was the one at a disadvantage?
Lucian’s eyes were dark, unreadable. Unshaken.
“Have you ever been dead before?”he asked, his voice calm.
Meleonora’s breath caught in her throat.
“What…?”she whispered, her lips moving on their own.
“You won’t understand.”Lucian’s voice was quieter now, almost distant.
“Not until you lose your heart once that is.”
Before she could react, Lucian’s grip on her gun tightened.
With a swift yank,he snatched the pistol from her hands, flipping it out of her grasp effortlessly.
Her fingers felt numb, her mind unable to process what just happened.
Lucian glanced down at the pistol before letting out a tired sigh.
“You really shouldn’t be playing with toys like these,” he muttered.
Then he turned his back to her, walking toward Rose’s unconscious body on the hospital stretcher.
“I can’t understand the stupidity of someone like you,” he said, his voice cold.”You’re too soft for that position anyway.”
Meleonora stood frozen in place, staring at the empty space between them.
She hadn’t even noticed,but her breathing had quickened.
Her chest rose and fell as she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.
What was that?
What the hell just happened?
Those eyes…
Those weren’t the eyes of an 18-year-old.
They weren’t even the eyes of a normal human.
For the first time in years, Meleonora felt something she never expected to feel
Anxiety.
—
“Sir, put down the weapon!”
The two guards behind Meleonora raised their Glocks, aiming directly at Lucian’s back.
Lucian, still facing Rose, exhaled slowly.
He didn’t even bother turning around.
“You guys really don’t love your lives, do you?”
His voice was steady, dangerously calm.
“What gives you the confidence to think I won’t kill you?”
His cold gaze shifted slightly, his head tilting just enough to glance at Meleonora.
“You’ve seen the CCTV footage, haven’t you?”he asked. “You watched what happened to those men last night, right?”
The two officers hesitated, their grips faltering slightly.
“And yet…”
Lucian’s voice dropped lower, his gaze narrowing.
“You’re ignoring the warning I already gave you?”
The weight of his words settled into the room like a noose tightening around their throats.
Lucian’s Gaze Turned Cold
Meleonora suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
Lucian tilted his head slightly, observing her with disinterest.
“I’m honestly surprised by your stupidity coming here after witnessing how easily hundreds of people disappeared in my hands.”
He casually spun the pistol he had just snatched from her, a mocking smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
“I really can’t understand where you’re getting this confidence from,”he continued, amusement flickering in his eyes.
“Do you really think I wont kill you?”
The air thickened with tension.
Meleonora swallowed.
She was afraid. Terrified, even. But instead of backing down
She suddenly grinned.
“Yes… you’re right. I am afraid.”
Lucian’s eyebrows lifted slightly in curiosity.
“I’ve never killed anyone before,” she admitted. “I am too gentle. Too soft.”
Her grin widened.
“But tell me something…” she unbuttoned her brown coat, one button at a time, her fingers moving slowly.
Lucian’s sharp gaze followed her movements.
“You think that’s a weakness?” Meleonora scoffed.
“I was given this position because of that. Because I am kind-hearted. Because I fear power. Because I never let it control me.”
The last button came undone.
Lucian’s gaze darkened.
Because beneath that coat
She was wearing a bomb vest.
The room fell into silence.
Dr. Murphy stiffened, his face pale.
The nurses gasped audibly, stepping back in fear.
Even the purple-haired man, who had been watching the confrontation with a smirk, dropped his arms, his amusement completely erased.
Meleonora’s crazy grin deepened.
“If I die here”
Her eyes flickered toward Rose’s unconscious body.
“This entire hospital will explode.”
Lucian’s expression didn’t change.
She expected him to show panic. Fear. Anger.
But instead
His brows simply raised.
Almost as if he were… impressed.
He pointed the pistol at her again, but this time, it was not in anger.
It was in amusement.
“What about you?”he asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
“You’re willing to die just to make sure I’m locked up or die?”
Meleonora fingers tightened slightly.
“We stand for the law.”
Her voice was firm, unwavering.
“You committed mass murder. No matter the reason, you are wrong.”
Her piercing gaze met his.
“Someone like you with that kind of power, with that kind of technology you are never good for the people of my country.”
Lucian exhaled slowly.
“Ahh man,”he sighed, his tone mocking, his lips twitching into a smirk.
“Why does everyone hate me this much?”
The air was suffocating
Meleonora’s grip on the detonator tightened.
Lucian’s head tilted slightly, his expression unreadable.
“Don’t you think this is a bit much?”he asked, his voice calm.
“What about the people in this hospital?The innocents?”
His voice was eerily casual.
“You don’t really want to do this…right?”
Meleonora breath hitched.
Her fingers twitched.
Doubt seeped into her mind.
This wasn’t what she wanted.
She came here ready prepared to sacrifice everything.
For the greater good.
For justice.
And yet
Now that the moment was here…
Her hands wouldn’t move eyes trembling.
Lucian smiled slightly,noticing her hesitation.
Meleonora wanted to pull the trigger in her head.
She wanted to end this.
But the problem was
She couldn’t.
And Lucian knew it.
—
thanks for reading