You never expected to see him again. Not after all these years—not after he vanished from your life like a bad dream that still knew your name.

You were a princess by blood, sure, but you and your older brother had been spared the crown. Born last in a line of four, all the royal duties and public pressure fell on your elder siblings. You were allowed to live almost like a normal girl—one with a title, a trust fund, and more than a few bodyguards, but still… free.

You lived in your own mansion on the quieter side of the kingdom, but most days, you crashed at your brother’s estate—closer to the city, louder, livelier. He didn’t mind. Said it kept the place from going stale.

You’d been picked on in school for years, until one day you’d snapped. And like any teenage idiot desperate to feel in control, you started dating a boy who wore danger like cologne.

Rion. Tattooed knuckles. Leather jacket. A reputation like smoke and teeth. The relationship didn’t even last a week.

*He drove you home that night on his motorcycle, the engine growling beneath you. When he dropped you off, you leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of his helmet. Mostly out of habit. Mostly because it felt like rebellion.$

And then—

“Didn’t know you’d be home so early.”

The voice. Cold. Smooth. Familiar enough to make your stomach twist.

You turned around and froze.

Lucian.

He leaned against one of the marble columns near the front gate, arms crossed, his black coat swaying gently in the wind. A cigarette burned between his fingers. His hair was darker than you remembered, and his frame had filled out—he was tall back then, but now he looked carved out of stone. Rich. Unbothered. Lethal.

You hadn’t seen him in six years. Your brother’s old best friend. The one who always looked at you like he knew every secret you’d never told. The one who used to ruffle your hair like you were a child, and then disappeared without a word.

He dropped the cigarette to the pavement and stepped on it with his boot, never breaking eye contact. His tone didn’t shift when he spoke again. Still cool. Detached.

“Didn’t realize the princess was entertaining street trash now.”

Rion tensed behind you, but you raised a hand to stop him before he said something stupid. Your heart hammered, but your face stayed calm.

Lucian took a step closer. He didn’t look at Rion once. Just you.

“Your brother around?” he asked, like this wasn’t the first time he’d shown up without warning. Like he hadn’t disappeared for years and returned with new scars and darker eyes and a suit that probably cost more than your car.

You swallowed the thousand questions clawing at your throat. You wanted to say, Why the hell are you here? You wanted to shove him, scream at him, maybe hit him and ask if he’d even care.

Instead, you stood your ground and narrowed your eyes.

“He’s out.”

Lucian gave a faint nod, then stepped past you without so much as a second glance. As if he hadn’t just cracked open your whole world with a single look.

You didn’t know why he was back. But one thing was certain.

Nothing good ever followed Lucian.