I Refuse to be a Named Character

Part 3

He shrugged at my shocked expression. "I know it doesn't make sense. On one hand, I'm selfish, and I want to keep my only friend, the woman I care about, by my side. But on the other..." He reached out, squeezing my hand in his own. "I want you to be safe. And happy."

"..." I studied him closely. He didn't appear to be lying, openly admitting the conflicting motivations within himself. A small warmth rose within me, surprising me. This was Lucien? The murdering villain of Deadly Crown? I had suspected his motivations once I realized he was the villain, but now... I was more confused than ever.

"Luke..."

"LUCIEN!" Graham walked up, interrupting us, looking annoyed. He turned to me, hesitating over what to call me "...Lucien's fiancé. We need to move. The task requires that we reach one of the bandit camps before nightfall."

"..." Luke looked over at me with an amused grin. "You still don't have a name yet?"

I shrugged. "Not important enough for one."

His laughter rang out, and I couldn't help but smile at the pleasant sound.

Graham face darkened even further. "Come one, we have to go."

He reached out to grab my hand, pausing when he realized there was no longer a bracelet on it. His eyes lit up at the sight. Luke, on the other hand, frowned at his half brother uncomfortably.

"Your Highness!" A voice rang out behind us before anyone could speak further. A young man wearing armor rode up, his face concerned. "You rode ahead of me, I couldn't keep up! What happened?"

Luke sighed quietly. "It's fine, Eric. Just needed to take care of a few things." He didn't look up at the newcomer even as he answered him, continuing to stare at me with an intense expression.

"Something on my face?" I grinned.

"I missed you."

His simple answer threw me, and I found myself struggling to reply.

"Let's go." I turned to rejoin Graham's group. It's better to just avoid talking further for now. At least until I sort out my feelings.

"Are you and my brother fighting?" Graham was smiling as he walked beside me, making me want to punch him in the face.

"It's not your concern."

"Of course it is!" He feigned innocence. "Lucien's my brother, and you're..."

"I'm no one."

"You're important." He brushed past my annoyed words, finishing his sentence while studying me closely. I disliked the sensation. He was always staring at my eyes, looking for something unknown. Whatever it was he never seemed to find it, again he turned away with a disappointed shrug.

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We all rode together into the desert. I kept myself to the middle of the group, away from Graham and his closer lackeys in the front, but also apart from Luke and his servant in the back. Part of me wanted to draw back, spend time talking with him. I wanted to know how he had been in the years apart, what difficulties he faced... but I had a sneaking suspicion that the more time I spent by his side, the harder it would be to separate myself from the plot.

Plot equals death wish. I repeated in my head over and over, hoping to regain the certainty I had not that long ago.

"What happened?!" An irritated whisper broke through my troubled thoughts. Distracted, I looked up to see Chloe glaring at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how on earth did you end up engaged to Lucien?" She sneered, a hand grabbing my arm to slow me to her pace. "You were so sincere, begging me to hide your name and avoid the plot, I actually bought it. And all along you were sneaking around, hooking up with the main villain."