Chapter 23 Lucien Moves Into My Library
Lucien, the newly-revived prince from my rewritten backstory, arrived with baggage.
Literal baggage. Twelve enchanted trunks, a staff that whispered in Latin, and a faint smell of tragic lore.
"I will reside here," he said, sweeping into the palace library like he was claiming it with inheritance rights. "Where it is quiet. And symbolically rich."
Ashrin followed after him, glaring daggers. "This is our library. Verenia and I literally had our first banter duel here."
Lucien raised one elegant eyebrow. "And yet history has been rewritten. She and I have older banter."
He pulled out a dusty grimoire labeled Oaths of Fire Betrayal – 3rd Edition and placed it dramatically on the table.
I stared. "Wait. That book is mine."
"It was a gift," Lucien said solemnly. "You gave it to me after we swore the Pact of Shared Flame."
"...WHAT."
Liora burst into the room mid-declaration, holding a cup of iced drama.
"Just to be clear," she said. "Are we adding another romance arc to the dating sim or are we about to have a magical custody battle over literary real estate?"
Ashrin pointed furiously. "He's trying to become a romance route!"
Lucien nodded serenely. "I am a romance route."
"NO," Ashrin shouted. "WE'RE LOCKED IN. THE RIVALS TO LOVERS ARC IS ALMOST FINISHED."
Lucien tilted his head. "Rivals to lovers? Isn't that our arc?"
Ashrin turned to me. "Verenia. Say something. Preferably something that ends in 'Ashrin is canon.'"
I blinked. Hard.
Because in that moment, I remembered.
Not a full memory. Just flashes.
—A promise made in the snow.
—A crown of shadows.
—A cut on my palm.
—Lucien's voice saying: "We'll break our fate. Together."
I stumbled back.
Ashrin caught me.
Lucien's expression softened. "So... you do remember."
Liora sipped her drink. "Oh no. Oh no. We are in a love polygon."
Later, in the garden of emotionally-charged monologues, I sat between Ashrin and Lucien, both clearly trying not to make this into a showdown.
"Okay," I said, rubbing my temples. "Let me get this straight. I rewrote myself into someone who once made a pact with a dark prince, but I forgot about it."
Lucien: "Correct."
Ashrin: "And now he thinks he has claim to your future."
Lucien: "Also correct."
Liora (from a bush): "AND WE'RE ALL LIVING TOGETHER. This is like a reverse harem meets political satire and I'm thriving."
The duck waddled past holding a rose and a scroll labeled Lucien DLC Pre-Order Bonus. I chose to ignore that.
I turned to Ashrin. "I love you. But this is... messy."
He nodded. "I know. But I'd rather fight messy with you than be written out cleanly."
I turned to Lucien. "And you. If you really believe in that old pact—then you're going to have to prove it. Not just to me. To all of us."
Lucien smiled. "Then let the second arc begin."