Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 78

Eve~

When she pulled away, I was still frozen in place.

Then her expression fell. "Oh, I am sorry if you don’t want to be touched."

I just stared at her, my mouth agape. Then I shook my head, my hands in front of me. "No, no, it’s not that at all," I denied, still shaken by her attitude. "It’s just that..."

"That what?" she asked, her brows raised in genuine confusion.

I opened my mouth to complete the sentence but thought better of it and put on a shaky smile. "No worries." I felt a lump in my throat nonetheless. Her attitude toward me had completely caught me off guard.

It was far too early into the alliance for Lycans and Werewolves to tolerate each other, not to mention being friendly enough to hug. I was flabbergasted.

"Hey," she waved her hand in my face. "I think I lost you there."

I was snapped out of my thoughts, and my gaze settled again.

Jules laughed, her voice light and unaffected, as though she hadn’t noticed the walls I’d unconsciously put up around myself. "I know, I can be a little... much," she said with a grin, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "But Aunt Miller always says the world could use a little more warmth, especially around here."

Her words were genuine, her friendliness so disarming that I found myself mirroring her smile despite the confusion and the instinctual caution I usually wore as armor. "It’s just... I haven’t met many people here. Or rather, none who seemed so... welcoming."

Jules’s eyes softened, and she gave a little shrug. "Well, I’m not the type to hold grudges. Life’s too short, right? Aunt Miller told me a little about you, just the basics. I thought it might be nice to have someone around who treats you... you know, like a person and not a ’werewolf.’"

My heart twisted slightly at her words. The way she’d said "person" was as if it were the simplest thing, something I’d almost forgotten in this place. She was something, I thought. To chalk up the enmity between Lycans and Werewolves that had lasted for centuries to nothing but a ’grudge’ was something I never thought possible.

"Thank you," I managed to say, my voice softer than I’d intended. "It... means a lot." And, in that moment, I realized just how starved I’d been for this—simple kindness, without strings attached, without the weight of titles and alliances.

Jules waved off my gratitude, still smiling. "Think nothing of it. Besides, it’s my job to look after you while Aunt Miller’s away. And trust me, I’m a pro at making tea and sneaking sweets into the diet plan."

I chuckled, feeling some of the tension in my shoulders ease for the first time in days. "Diet plan?" I asked, through my chuckling.

She cast her gaze on my body. "You are, um... quite slim," she commented.

I looked down, suddenly conscious. "Genetics," I lied. My chest was on the bigger side, and luckily, it helped cover up the fact that I was still underweight, but it seemed that Jules was vigilant. I felt the delicate hairs on my neck raise. I hoped she wouldn’t notice anything else.

"Then you should have been a model, not a royal," she complimented. "I’m getting carried away," she pushed the sleeves of her uniform up. "I’ll get your bath ready."

"Thanks, of course."

She nodded before making her way to the bathroom.

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Hades~

I took a slow drag, watching the smoke curl around my fingers as I exhaled, but it did little to ease the tension that coiled in my chest. "She really had to go that far?" I asked, my tone even but laced with the cold edge I knew she’d recognize.

"Yes, your majesty," Mrs. Miller replied steadily. "I thought it would help put her at ease."

My gaze sharpened on her, calculating. "Ease, yes. But let’s not forget the centuries of blood spilled between our kind and hers. ’It’s lovely meeting a werewolf’—don’t oversell it. I need this convincing, not cloying."

Mrs. Miller straightened, her expression reserved. She was a professional, and I expected her to act like one. "Understood, your majesty."