Page 15

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when I dragged myself out of bed, grumbling about princely demands I’d rather not attend. But here I was, trudging to the palace like a good little noble, ready to “assist” with security arrangements I knew nothing about.

After last night I knew it was useless for me to avoid him.

As I entered the grand foyer, my eyes swept over the opulent marble floors and gilded columns, looking for golden curls.

“Lady Ilyana,” a smooth voice called out. “I’m pleased you’ve decided to grace us with your presence.”

I turned to see Prince Anderic striding towards me, looking deliciousl- ahem infuriatingly — handsome in his royal blue doublet. My heart did a little flip, but I squashed the feeling ruthlessly.

“Your Highness,” I curtsied, the picture of demure nobility. “I’m here as requested. Though I must admit, I’m not entirely sure how I can be of assistance in matters of security.”

A smile played at the corners of his lips. “Of course, you wouldn’t know anything about security, my lady. I simply desired the company of a pretty face while I made my rounds.”

I blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. He was back to his usual self. Where was the passionate man from last night? Had I imagined the whole encounter?

“I see,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. “Well, I’m happy to provide aesthetic value to your day, Your Highness.”

He chuckled, offering me his arm. “Shall we begin our tour then?”

As we walked through the palace corridors, I found myself hyper-aware of his proximity. The warmth of his arm beneath my hand, the faint scent of sandalwood that clung to him. It was maddening.

We discussed the placement of guards, potential weak points in the castle’s defenses, and a hundred other mundane details. All the while, I waited for him to bring up our kiss, to acknowledge the electricity that had sparked between us.

But he didn’t.

He was the perfect gentleman, polite and charming, but utterly devoid of the heat I’d felt last night. It was infuriating.

“Is something troubling you, Lady Ilyana?” Anderic asked, breaking into my thoughts. “You seem… distracted.”

I plastered on a smile. “Not at all, Your Highness. I’m simply in awe of the complexity involved in planning such an event.”

He nodded. “It is quite the undertaking. But with your assistance, I’m sure it will be a resounding success.”

As we continued our tour, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated. Had I imagined the whole thing? The intensity in his eyes, the passion in his kiss?

Or was this all part of some game he was playing?

I stole a glance at his profile, admiring the strong line of his jaw and the curve of his lips. Those lips that had been on mine just hours ago…

“Lady Ilyana?” Anderic’s voice cut through my reverie. “You’re staring. Do I have something on my face?”

Before I could formulate a suitably sarcastic response to Anderic’s question about his face, a commotion erupted from somewhere ahead of us. The sound of raised voices and hurried footsteps echoed through the marble halls.

“What’s going on?” I asked, turning to Anderic with a raised eyebrow.

He frowned, his golden brows knitting together. “It seems the Elentharian delegation is departing.”

“Oh?” I kept my voice carefully neutral. “Is Lord Callum leaving as well?”

Anderic’s gaze sharpened, pinning me in place. “Yes, he is. Why do you ask?”

I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. “No reason. Just curious.”

But my mind was racing. It seemed about right for the delegation to leave, though I didn’t remember much about it from the past, but Callum?

I knew better. He wouldn’t truly depart; he’d go into hiding to continue his nefarious plan— stealing the method of Aetherian steel.

But this time I wouldn’t be helping him.

God knows what he’ll do now. And it wasn’t my problem anymore.

But I knew exactly where he’d be holed up.

The question was, how much should I reveal to Anderic?

“You know something,” Anderic said, his voice low and intent. It wasn’t a question.

I licked my lips, buying time. “Don’t you think it’s a bit… suspicious that Prince Callum personally came here for negotiations? When he, or any other Elentharian royal, has never bothered to do so before?”

Anderic nodded slowly. “What do you know, Ilyana?”

“Nothing concrete,” I said quickly. “I’m just… analyzing the situation based on what I know.”

“Mm-hmm,” Anderic hummed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Go on.”

I took a deep breath. “You should make sure Prince Callum hasn’t come here for something else. And that he actually leaves today.”

“You mean have him followed?”

“If that’s what it takes,” I said with a shrug.

A small smirk played at the corners of Anderic’s mouth. “Don’t worry, my men have been tailing him since he entered Aetheria.”

We rounded a corner, coming upon the grand entrance hall. Chancellor Darian stood at the bottom of the sweeping staircase, engaged in a conversation with Lord Callum and the rest of the Elentharian convoy.

“Why is Chancellor Darian seeing them off?” I asked, frowning at the unexpected sight. Didn’t he hate the Elentharians? One would think he would avoid them as much as possible since, as a chancellor, he didn’t really need to do this.

Anderic’s voice was dry as dust. “He’s the Chancellor. It’s his job.”

Whatever.

I watched as Darian clasped Callum’s arm, talking very amicably as if he never hated them. Maybe Callum was using Lord Darian this time?

Not my problem.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” I murmured, more to myself than to Anderic.

Before I could think further, a familiar voice called out behind me.

“There you are!”

I turned to find Sebastian striding towards us, looking every inch the noble official in his crisp uniform. My eyes widened in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out.

Seb’s lips quirked into a sardonic smile. “Well, nice to meet you too, sister. It’s been ‘such’ a long time since we last met.”

I swallowed hard, trying not to wilt under the intensity of his gaze. I’d managed to dodge him yesterday, but apparently, my luck had run out. The last thing I wanted was to discuss whatever was happening between Anderic and me with my overprotective brother.

Not to mention it was embarrassing too.

“But to answer your question,” Seb continued, his tone deceptively light, “as of yesterday, I’m back in the capital.”

“Weren’t you posted in Tiberix?” I asked, frowning.

“Sebastian has been promoted,” Anderic interjected smoothly. “And we have a meeting to attend.” He turned to me, his golden eyes unreadable. “You should return to your apartment, Ilyana. Lennox will escort you.”

I opened my mouth to refuse, but the twin looks of determination on Seb and Anderic’s faces told me it would be futile. With no room for argument, I nodded reluctantly.

Overprotective assholes.

As they turned to leave, Seb squeezed my shoulder, a silent promise of a conversation to come. I suppressed a shudder, dreading the interrogation that surely awaited me.

Lennox materialized at my side, his face an impassive mask as he gestured for me to follow him.

We would be walking since I refused to use a carriage.

As we walked down the cobblestone streets, I couldn’t help but steal glances at Lennox’s stoic profile.

The man was as expressive as a brick wall and just about as talkative.

The silence stretched between us, thick and awkward—at least for me.

Lennox seemed perfectly content to march along without uttering a single word.

I remembered how terrifying he’d been in my previous life, chasing me down when I tried to escape after everything was revealed.

Even before that, the few times we’d crossed paths, he’d always glowered at me like I was something unpleasant he’d stepped on.

Now, though? He didn’t seem to hate me anymore, but he certainly wasn’t warming up to me either.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “So, Lennox,” I drawled, “got anything you’d like to say?”

“No,” he replied curtly.

I smirked. “Well, you just did.”

He remained silent, his face impassive.

“Alright, how about this—I’ll ask questions, and you can answer with a simple yes or no. Sound good?”

When he didn’t reply, I took his silence as agreement. “What do you know about the gold smuggling and Magnus case?”

“No,” Lennox said flatly.

I peered at him, choosing my words carefully. “No as in you don’t know, or no as in you’re not allowed to tell me?”

He nodded at the latter, and I sighed dramatically. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to ask His Royal Goldiness myself.”

To my utter shock, Lennox snorted. I whirled around, eyes wide. “And he smiles!”

Lennox’s face quickly returned to its usual blank expression, but it was too late. I’d seen it, and I wasn’t about to let him live it down.

“You like the name, don’t you?” I pressed, grinning. “No use hiding it now. I saw that smile.”

Finally, Lennox relented, speaking slowly. “Well, everything about Prince Anderic is very… golden.”

I chuckled, savoring this rare moment of camaraderie, almost forgetting his terrifying look from my past. As we neared my apartment, a nagging question bubbled up. I couldn’t help but ask. “Lennox, do you hate me?”

He stopped abruptly, fixing me with an unreadable stare. “Why would you think that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Every time we met before, you used to glare at me like I’d insulted your mother.”

“I don’t have a mother.”

Shit . “I- I didn’t mean it like that.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t worry, she’s not dead. She divorced my father to be with her lover.”

I looked at him. He looked at me. I didn’t even know how to react.

Lennox resumed walking, his stride measured. “Yes, I used to hate you.”

“But now?”

“Now I don’t,” he replied simply.

“But you don’t like me either, do you?” I pressed.

He shrugged. “There’s nothing to like about you.”