Gregoria's words circled his skull like vultures. She'd seen through him—through the practised calm, the borrowed confidence.

  He told himself countless times that being his father’s heir was nothing but a title. Yet, every night, before sleep took him, he saw his life solved by the power of it—by becoming High Lord of the Canyons.

  Rezal waved his wand, whispering his new spell. He felt his skin tingling before his body blurred into the air itself.

  The world folded like wet paper. In a blink, he was standing before her door.

  The castle slept save for a few candlelights bleeding into the corridors.

  He knocked three times—as they used to when they were kids—the first two quick, the last with a pause between.

  "Rezal?" Her voice came, warmed him instantly.

  "Need to show you someth—" before he finished, the door opened.

  Inside, the fire burned low, filling the room with the faint scent of smoke and pine resin. Viperyan curled back to her bed in a thick bear skin.

  "Studying?" he asked curiously.

  "Well…" she hesitated, glancing down embarrassed. "About the Souglaves."

  She drew a slow breath, as if expecting him to mock her for it. He did not.

  "Viperyan…" he began, carefully.

  "Don't patronise me," she interrupted, sharper. "My grandmother acted the oppos—"

  "Viperyan. She's a warrior, a protector. You are too. You know what I'm talking about." Rezal sat across her, the bed cracking under his weight.

  "Maybe there's something the Five are hiding." She said, gaze distant.

  Rezal frowned. Viperyan always suspected hidden truths when it came to the five remaining High Lords. The only descendants of the twelve kingdoms before the Age of Chains.

  "You need to stop with this obses—"

  "Do I?" her voice changed, almost like a plea. "If I don't waste my time on that, I'll go insane thinking about…" She looked down, curving inward. "Goddess, I can't tell you. That's how ashamed I am about having my first time with…" She let the book fall from her lap as she drew a deep breath.

  Something twisted behind his ribs. He'd never seen her like this—her fire banked to ash. His hands rubbed together unconsciously.

  "Hey," he tried, forcing a crooked smile. "After your first time it becomes more transactional."

  The words slipped out before he could stop them.

  "Wow," her eyes narrowed. "Care to be my first then? I can't fathom having him as mine." She suggested it as if it was something hideous. But he had to fight the smile curling in his lips.

  "Virgins are a lot of trouble, Viperyan. I'm flattered, but it won't be me." His tone was almost cruel—too protective of himself.

  He heard himself speak and wanted to swallow the words back.

  "Do you truly mean it?" He asked before thought could form. He silently hoped the topic would die.

  But her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red not pink. They'd talked about sex plenty of times, she never had blushed like that.

  "What is wrong with you, Rellum?" Her brows met on her forehead. "Is that your way of saying you're in love with me? Because right now… I'd love to hear that."

  Her words weren't provocative. They were—raw. He hadn't noticed how close they were, his heart pounded so hard he thought she might hear it. It would take less than a second to cross the friend line.

  "I'd... What?" He gathered every shred of self-control he had and pulled away.

  His mouth dried. She was the only certainty in his life—and even that was beginning to blur.

  "I came up with a spell. Didn't want to wait until tomorrow to show you," he broke the awkward moment.

  "Then show me," she replied, eyes brightening with curiosity.

  "I've been studying it for ages." His tone shifted into excitement. "Then it struck me—I might've been trying too hard."

  He drew his wand from the holster beneath his sleeve—a long, slender shaft of dark marble, its surface cracked through with gold hues. The handle curved in a natural, bone-like shape, weathered and pale, as if carved from driftwood. Both tips connected by a wooden ring. "Do you trust me?"

  "With my life, Rez. Why?" She moistened her lips, stealing his focus away.

  "Take it," he said, tossing her a coat.

  "Now I might regret asking you to," she teased about going out in the cold.

  As she stood, Rezal couldn't help but notice how much she had changed—too beautiful. She was slight, her body painfully balanced like something an artist had laboured over and refused to let go. The curve of her hips beneath the fabric, the faint shape of her breasts under the thin gown—he blamed himself for noticing. For wanting to notice.

  The cold wind found her through the window cracklings and when he saw her nipples harden beneath the cloth, he turned away quickly. She probably thought he was giving her privacy, but truthfully, he felt ashamed as if imagining what she looked beneath, was a sin.

  "I'm not naked, Rez." she said, laughing softly.

  Her cheeks bore a natural pink of someone alive as she finished. Her hair, a tangled mess from dressing in a hurry.

  Rezal stepped forward, tucking the only strand of white hair she had, behind her ear.

  "It's better," he murmured. "No one can say I'm walking with a crazy-haired lady."

  "You prick!" she shoved him, playfully.

  He caught her hands before she could slip away.

  "Hold on to me," he instructed. "And please—don't let go, all right?"

  "Don't I need to know where we're going for this to work?" she pressed.

  "Pretty smart, princess," he teased. "But I'm the one performing the spell… Just hold on tight."

  She nodded, and before she could change her mind, Rezal lifted his wand.

  "," he whispered, circling it around them both.

  A thin pulse of dark blue light rippled through the air, curling around their joined bodies like lightning dissolving into smoke.

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  In a flash, their bodies were swallowed by an embrace that dissolved the world around them. In the next millisecond, they were weightless, tumbling through a spinning spiral where up and down ceased to exist, as if they took the form of the wind. His ears popped. Colours bled at the edges of his vision—blue into black into nothing.

  It was far from a pleasant sensation. The air twisted sharply and Rezal felt as if his organs were being crushed by a heavy rock. His stomach lurched at the same time Viperyan's fingers locked around his. She clung tighter with every rotation, eyes shut, face buried near his shoulder as if the motion could devour her.

  Two heartbeats later, the spinning stopped and the world built back into existence.

  Rezal landed cleanly on his feet due to his practice. As he landed, Viperyan crashed into him, falling right on top of him, ungracefully and tangled in her cloak.

  "You could've told me this was going to be the most sickening experience of my life, you son of—" her voice died in her throat as she pushed herself upright, still tangled in her cloak, her eyes caught what stretched before her.

  "Unpleasant or worth it?" he asked with a smirk.

  She didn't answer. Clearly, she couldn't.

  Viperyan stood speechless, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Before them unfolded the crown of the Inverdon mountains—the very peaks visible from her window, the same wild ridges where they'd once chased Raffin and found the Vulgnis.

  Miles and miles away from the castle, the air was the purest—and the coldest. Moonlight spilled over the jagged cliffs, washing the snowy rocks in shades of silver. The wind swept through her hair, carrying her scent—tangerine and honey laced through pine and ice.

  Rezal turned to her quietly, watching her face soften as her eyes reflected the landscape. For the first time in a while, he felt glad—truly glad—that he could give her something that beautiful.

  "How?" she asked, her smile stealing what was left of the moonlight.

  "As I told you, months trying to transport quicker," he said, overwhelmed by her. "I don't know… A feeling about safety, about our kind—"

  He stopped himself. He didn't want to spoil the moment. He knew she didn't share his thoughts. He wanted to remember her just like this—radiant, curious, and alive.

  She abruptly turned and threw herself into his arms.

  "You have no idea how much I needed this!" her breath gently touching his neck.

  Her embrace pulled him close—close enough to not wanting to let her go. His hands found her waist, holding her tighter, willing his mind to stay present, not to drift toward what might come after.

  "Stop saying kind," she heard him. "We're not a kind, Rez."

  "Please, let's not argue. I won't say it anymore." His voice softened. "Shall we go back?"

  "A little longer," she said quickly. "That feeling you had—what was it?"

  "I can tell you tomorrow." he sighed.

  He looked at himself in her eyes. She was smiling genuinely and as much as she wanted to stay, she didn't have enough furs. He felt her body shivering against his.

  "You're cold…" he said.

  "I don't want to leave…" she cried, trying to protest but he grabbed her wrist and the spell cut her short.

  "." He cast the reverse spell and the world folded again once more.

  When it all stilled, they found themselves back in her chamber—both of them crashing onto the bed.

  The cold crept back embracing them, wrapping the room. The fire had gone out.

  "," Rezal waved his wand, forming a flame midair.

  Her sanctuary bloomed. A soft orange glow warmed the stone walls, melting the frost from the edges of the window.

  He brushed the snowflakes from his cloak and made it halfway to the door when she asked.

  "Stay."

  "Neyr…" he breathed, knowing she already won.

  She reached out and pulled him close. His arm slipped around her shoulders, drawing her against his chest. Their gazes locked—the world went quiet. Only the crackle of fire filled the space between them, shadows swaying like dancers across their faces.

  "I'll talk about the transportation spell until you fall asleep," he murmured. "Then I'll leave."

  "Sure…" she whispered. He could already say she was relaxing.

  "Elves use that spell to take objects away. I found it in 'Elves and Gnomes: Behaviour Before the Goddess's Child.' It was all there, but nothing about how to perform the spell."

  "How did you do it then?" Viperyan's eyes were half-lidded but her curiosity didn't waver.

  "First time, I tried without knowing," he said with a dry laugh. "A catastrophe. Tore my whole back apart."

  Her eyes fluttered open. "So that's why you were in the infirmary? Not a bear?"

  He chuckled softly. "Yes. After that disaster, I searched for elves and gnomes but you know how tricky they can be."

  She gave a sleepy smile, barely listening, too comforted by his voice.

  "Can you believe they negotiated?" he went on. "They asked for socks. And dates!" He laughed. "I still send them socks and blueberries. I think… I may have new friends."

  Viperyan didn't answer, her breathing had slowed. Rezal looked down and saw her asleep against his chest. So different from when she was awake—Viperyan resembled pure calmness sleeping, no sound, no movements.

  He told himself he'd leave in a few seconds—but who was he trying to fool?

  Even if Gregoria called him to war right then, he would've broken his oath.

  He rested his head gently atop hers. Within minutes, both had drifted into the same quiet rhythm—into the realm of dreams.

  It was the third time in a week they had fallen asleep together. She had never asked him to stay until that day; it simply happened. They would talk until words faded.

  As usual, Rezal woke first.

  The soft faint gold of dawn light crept through the curtains they'd forgotten to close. The fire still crackled.

  She hadn't moved an inch from the position she'd fallen asleep in. The pale skin of her neck caught the light, glowing like polished ivory.

  , he thought.

  He looked at her a moment longer, wondering if Gregoria's—if he still had time to claim her hand.

  With a soft wave of his wand, he murmured, "." The black leather curtain slid beneath the silk one, cloaking the room in a warm darkness.

  He closed his eyes—just to stall a little more. He knew he wouldn't fall asleep again.

  Gratitude came to him in the stillness. For Inverdon. For Gregoria and Viperyan. For the happiness they gave him there. He could only find this calmness with Viperyan.

  It was easy. She was so easy to be around.

  Though he was the golden boy of Inverdon and had used his charm—his smile to his advantage countless times… he had never met another girl like her.

  None that felt like home.

  Footsteps echoed faintly in the corridor. As the castle slowly awoke, Rezal rubbed his thumb softly across her cheek.

  "Time to wake, princess," He murmured, warmly. "I'd best get back to my room—your grandmother won't be happy to find me here."

  "It's good to have you here," she whispered sleepily, tightening her arms around him.

  "Too peaceful," he admitted quietly. "But I need to speak with your grandmother."

  "Any place away from your uncle is peaceful for you," she muttered.

  Their laughter filled the room. Viperyan was one of the few places he could joke about his own scars.

  "Imagine," he said between laughs, "what people would say if one single maid saw me coming out of your room."

  They both laughed again, knowing the truth—in twenty minutes, every servant in Inverdon would be whispering; in an hour, Sunsdom would know.

  "Well…" he hesitated, unsure if he should continue.

  "What?" she asked, opening her eyes at last.

  "Then probably you wouldn't be forced into marrying one of them," he said finally.

  She opened her eyes and sat in a hurry. Arms crossing over her knees.

  "Lord Rezal of Dom Rellum," she said dramatically, "will I have to beg you to ask for my hand or should I just leave the door open for gossip to spread?" Her fingers twisted in the bedsheet.

  Heat rushed to his face before he could stop it.

  "By the goddess—you're blushing! Don't tell me you're in love with me again!" she teased, laughing over the echo of past night's conversation.

  "Would it be so bad to marry your best friend?" he asked, half in jest, half in truth.

  "It would be amazing!" she smiled, and the ease surprised him.

  He'd expected awkwardness but it wasn't there. Somehow, it still felt natural. Safe.

  She propped herself on her elbows.

  "But married people have to produce heirs, Rellum," she said in mock seriousness, tilting her head. "By my count, that's at least seven children. Hoping one of them's a boy."

  He laughed—maybe harder than he should have.

  "What could be worse, right?" He rose from the bed.

  He closed his eyes briefly, already bracing for her answer—one he didn't want to hear. His pulse thundered in his ears.

  She looked up and found his gaze. Her violet eyes pierced straight into his soul, unbearably sincere. For a moment, silence spoke for them and it screamed louder than any talk.

  , he thought, his pulse hammering.

  "I love you, Rezal." His heart seized. For one perfect, terrible second, the world held its breath. "And I know you love me. Even though it's fraternal I… I…" The silence stretched. Each second without the right word dragged him back into his own skin. "What a shitty life."

  "Don't worry," he forced levity into his tone. "We can always grab a kid off the street and say it's ours."

  "But… Can we do that?" Hope in her voice. He had given her hope.

  He reached for his wand. "Of course not, you twit," he said with a crooked smile. "They'd hunt for violet eyes in the arse of the poor bastard. Where are we going to find a dark-skinned child with violet eyes?"

  "." The sound of her laughter dissolved into the air around him as his body vanished, leaving her room behind.

  The spell tore him through space. He didn't care if it split him apart.

  In seconds, he was exactly where he should've been weeks ago. He wasn't able to say plainly to her what he felt. But he could give her the entire world in his own way.

  He burst into Gregoria's office desperately, not a single knock.

  His chest heaved. Sweat cooled on his temples.

  "I want to marry her," he said breathlessly. "I want to spend the rest of my life with Viperyan—even if it means I'll never touch her as a husband should, or any other woman as a man."

  Auror and Cherstin's sighs didn't matter as his eyes caught Gregoria's from behind her desk, her eyes were empty. In eleven years, he had never seen his queen look so pale.

  "Where's the bloody raven?" He understood her silence.

  "Rezal…" Gregoria's voice trembled.

  "I'll intercept it," he screamed. Hand dropping to his sword hilt, ready for battle if it meant having her.

  "Rezal," Auror cut in, "the crow is long gone."

  "Marry Baaron to their sister!" he shouted. "You can still change it, Gregor—Have you ever truly intended to allow me to marry her?"

  "I'm sorry, Rezal." Her voice broke the air like the snap of a blade. "It's too late."

  Her words landed like a blow to the sternum.

  When he'd finally drawn his sword he found the battle already lost before war even began. She was never going to be his—not fully—and the reality of it felt as if someone had cut his chest open and carved his heart out.

  His knees nearly buckled. He locked them. His eyes fell to the ground, and for the first time he agreed with Gregoria: he was not worthy of her, not if it had taken him this long to see what had been before him all along.