Transmigrated Into a Cannon Fodder Phoenix, Stuck With the Ice Dragon-Chapter 69: You Drive Me Insane

"Don’t..." I said, my voice trembling but sharp enough to cut through the air.

The fruit knife in my hand glimmered faintly under the light as I pointed it toward him. "Don’t come any closer... or else I’ll kill myself."

Lucian froze.

The pale, almost panicked look that crossed his face was nothing like the calm, untouchable man I’d known. His hands lifted slowly, palms open, as though approaching a wild creature that might bolt at any sound.

"Seraphina," he said quietly, his voice low and measured. "Put it down."

I shook my head, the edge of the blade trembling with my grip. "You—You don’t get to tell me what to do. Not after everything."

"I’m not here to hurt you," he said carefully, taking half a step forward.

"Don’t move!" I snapped, tightening my grip until my knuckles went white. "You don’t understand, Lucian... you never did!"

"I’m trying to," he said, his tone still maddeningly calm, though I saw it... the flicker of fear beneath his steady voice.

"Liar," I whispered, my voice cracking. "You only want the flame... not me."

The moment the words left my mouth, Lucian’s entire body went still... his breath, his eyes, even the faint frost that had been spreading under his feet. Everything just... stopped.

Maya’s voice echoed in my head, clear as if she was standing right beside me.

’My data might be slightly inaccurate, but the difference is minimal. I’m ninety-eight percent certain he’s already in love with you, Miss Vale...’

I had laughed when she said it, I laughed because it sounded like one of her heartless calculations.

But then she’d added something else.

’If you don’t believe me, test it. Harm yourself. Don’t worry... your flame is nearly fully awakened. It will protect you from self-inflicted damage.’

So I did.

Because for once, I wanted proof. Not of his feelings but of the truth.

Now, standing here with a knife pointed toward my own wrist, I realized how insane it sounded to test love through pain. But wasn’t that what this world always demanded? Sacrifice. Flame. Proof through suffering.

Lucian’s voice finally broke through, low and rough. "Seraphina, put it down."

I tightened my grip on the knife, my pulse hammering in my ears. "What would you do if I’m dead?" I asked, my voice trembling but loud enough to echo through the room. "Go find another phoenix with the same flame as mine?"

He didn’t answer.

That silence... It said too much.

My chest burned, the frustration clawing up my throat. "That’s what I thought," I whispered.

And before I could stop myself, I lifted the knife higher, pressing it against my neck.

Lucian’s eyes widened instantly, the calm on his face shattering. "Seraphina—"

"Don’t move," I hissed, though my voice cracked on the last word. "You said you wanted the flame, right? Let’s see if it still burns when I’m gone—"

I didn’t even finish.

In one breath, one heartbeat, frost shot across the air. It raced from his hand to mine, biting cold, sealing the knife in an instant. The blade froze solid, glittering between my fingers before shattering into harmless shards that fell to the floor.

The shock of it made me stumble back, my hand still half-raised, ice clinging to my skin. Lucian was already there, close enough for me to see the raw panic behind his eyes, the kind he couldn’t hide anymore.

"Are you insane?" he growled, his voice breaking through his own restraint. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

I met his gaze, my voice small but shaking. "You stopped me fast enough... that’s all that matters to you, right? Keeping your flame safe."

"I’m keeping you safe!" he shouted, the words raw, tearing out of him. "Screw the flame!"

The sound of his voice hit me harder than the ice ever could. The desperation in his tone was clear.

He took a step forward, his chest rising and falling fast, his eyes blazing with something I couldn’t name. "You think I give a damn about the flame right now? You were about to—" his voice broke for a second, "You were about to die right in front of me."

I froze, the ice still clinging to my skin.

Lucian raked a hand through his hair, his tone rougher now. "Do you even understand what that would’ve done to me?"

Lucian’s chest rose sharply, his breath uneven — frost and heat mixing in the air between us. His eyes locked on mine, wild and unguarded, every ounce of control he’d kept until now completely gone.

Before I could move, before I could even breathe, he closed the distance.

His hands came up to my face, cold at first from the ice still lingering on his skin, but trembling against my cheeks.

"Don’t ever," he breathed, his forehead nearly touching mine, "do that again."

Then, slowly, his hands dropped from my face. The tension in his shoulders broke, and his head fell forward until his forehead rested against mine. His breath came ragged, hot against my skin, a faint tremor running through him.

"I couldn’t lose you too..." he murmured, voice rough, almost hoarse.

Before I could answer, he leaned closer... not to kiss me, not to demand anything but just to breathe. His head found my shoulder, heavy, tired. The weight of him there made my chest ache in a way I couldn’t name.

For once, Lucian Drake, the man who could command frost itself, who never bent to anyone looked breakable.

"Why couldn’t you read my eyes," he whispered, his voice muffled against me, "my words, my gestures..." His breath hitched, the faintest shiver running through him. "You drive me insane, Seraphina..."

His words melted into the silence, and I could feel his restraint trembling beneath my hands like the fragile edge of ice before it cracks. For a moment, all I could do was stand there, frozen between anger and something dangerously close to forgiveness.

Because hearing him like this... so raw and unguarded. It hurt worse than every lie I’d told myself about him.