Chapter 13

"Well, hello there," Tristan hummed.

Fay controlled herself quickly and curtsied. She needed to stay calm.

"My lord."

Tristan smiled as he observed her.

"What brings you here?" he inquired. "This is no place for a lady."

Fay pressed her lips together, reminding herself to stay calm.

"I am sure you know why I am here, my lord."

Tristan glanced at Lucien before turning his eyes back to Fay.

"Hmm, I see. You came for your beloved?"

"Yes, I did," Fay replied.

Tristan stared at her for a moment before continuing.

"You still love him?"

"Of course I do," she replied coolly, trying to control herself. All she wanted was to slap Tristan's arrogant face. He had done this to poor Lucien.

"No matter what he looks like?" Tristan hummed.

"Of course."

"How wonderful. Would you like to kiss him then?" Tristan stated.

Fay's eyes widened; she couldn't help it.

"What?"

Tristan smiled as he crossed his arms.

"You said that you came here to see the man you love. Well, there he is, so go ahead, kiss him."

"He is hurt," Fay replied as calmly as she could.

"Surely you are not afraid of blood, my lady?"

"No, but I do not wish to cause him more pain."

"I am sure he won't mind," Tristan hummed smiling. "If he truly loves you as you claim."

What was Tristan doing? Was this some kind of a game? Probably. Fay looked him in the eyes and crossed her arms.

"Why would that matter to you, my lord?"

"Well, true love is wonderful, would you agree? I want to give you a chance to kiss the man you love. If you still want to."

Yes, he was definitely playing a game. Fine. Fay turned her back on Tristan and walked over to Lucien. As she knelt before him, she noticed that he was shaking. Gently she touched the unharmed part of his face and looked into his teary eyes. They both knew that Tristan would hurt Lucien worse if he would know the truth. Carefully Fay leaned closer and touched Lucien's lips with hers. He flinched and she tasted his blood in her mouth, but she forced herself to ignore that. All she wanted was to be as careful as possible. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him more.

"I love you," she murmured, hoping to finish her performance.

Tristan was observing her as she stood up and headed to the stairs. Unfortunately, Tristan blocked her way.

"You have a little something," he stated and touched his cheek. "Allow me."

Fay held still as he carefully wiped Lucien's blood off her cheek with a handkerchief.

"I must say that I am impressed," he stated. "I did not think you would do it."

"I am happy I was able to offer you entertainment, my lord," she replied coolly.

He smiled and shook his head.

"You offered me more than that, my lady. You see, I know that you and Lucien are not lovers."

"We are…"

"No, you are not. I pretended to believe you in the chapel because I wanted to protect my sister's reputation, but I know the truth." He paused and glanced at Lucien. "I have seen how that scum looks at my sister." He paused again and leaned towards Fay. "You however are a mystery to me. Why did you help him?"

"He is a good man," Fay replied tensely. "He has done nothing to deserve any of this."

Tristan was quiet for a moment before replying.

"Well, he certainly does not deserve you, my lady."

"I would like to leave now," she stated, ignoring his words.

"What makes you think I would allow that?" he inquired. "You aided a traitor."

"He has not done anything wrong," Fay argued. "He never touched your sister."

"No, because I stopped him before he could," Tristan snorted. "We both know that he wants my sister."

"Perhaps, but he knows that she can never be his," Fay stated, feeling a lump in her throat. "She does not love him or want him. She never has. He is not good enough for her."

Much to her horror, Fay felt a tear rolling down her cheek. Of course, Tristan saw it before she managed to wipe it away. Silently she cursed herself for being so weak.

"Perhaps I could be willing to discus about Lucien's fate," Tristan stated after a moment of silence. "If you join me for supper."

Fay stared at him disbelievingly.

"What?"

"Supper," Tristan repeated smiling. "You must be hungry."

"Lucien is hurt…" Fay stated tensely.

"Join me and I will send someone to clean his wounds," Tristan cut in. "What do you say?"

Fay hesitated, but right now she didn't have much choice. Lucien needed help and she didn't know how long it would take before she would be able to talk to Niklaus or his siblings.

"Fine," she stated as calmly as she could. "May I have your word that Lucien's wounds will be taken care of?"

"Yes," Tristan replied. "I give you my word."