Page 24

Gone was his usual smirk, his teasing remarks.

Instead, he’d simply check if I’d eaten, his sharp eyes scanning my plate.

If I hadn’t finished my meal, he would fix me with a stern glare, arms crossed, silently daring me to test his patience.

And if I so much as hesitated, that glare would remain until I begrudgingly took another bite.

Only then would he return to his paperwork, as if he hadn’t just won some silent battle of wills.

By the third day, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Are you planning to ignore me forever?” I blurted out, my voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

Anderic’s head snapped up, his blue eyes unreadable. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of surprise in his gaze. But then his expression smoothed over, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

“I wasn’t aware you required constant entertainment, Lady Ilyana,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. “Shall I fetch a court jester for your amusement?”

Oh, he’s mad.

I knew he was still angry—furious even—about what had happened. But instead of expressing it in words, he was hovering like an overbearing nursemaid, monitoring my meals, standing guard as if I might disappear again.

My gaze flickered to the journal on my bedside table, my new goals scrawled in fresh ink. Anderic had unknowingly become an integral part of them.

“That depends. Are you volunteering?” I quipped, hoping to lighten the tension.

Big mistake.

Anderic’s eyes flashed dangerously as he stood, slamming his palms on the desk. “Do you think this is a joke, Ilyana? You nearly died!”

I flinched, more from the intensity of his gaze than his words. The usual playful glint in his blue eyes was replaced by a storm of fury and… was that fear?

“What were you thinking, going to the Red Cross gang alone?” He continued, his voice rising. “You should have come to me with any information you had! Do you have any idea what could have happened if we hadn’t found you in time?”

I opened my mouth to retort, but Anderic wasn’t finished.

“You’re not invincible, Ilyana! You can’t just throw yourself into danger without a thought for the consequences. What if they had killed you? What if—” His voice cracked, and he turned away, running his hands through his golden curls.

The room fell silent save for Anderic’s ragged breathing. I sat there, stunned by his outburst. In all our interactions, I’d never seen him lose control like this.

When he spoke again, his voice was low, almost a whisper. “I couldn’t lose you.”

My heart skipped a beat. The raw emotion in those four words left me breathless. I watched as Anderic paced the room, his agitation evident at every step. His fingers raked through his hair again, messing up the perfect curls.

I wanted to say something—anything—to ease the tension, but words failed me. What could I possibly say to that?

Before I could gather my thoughts, Anderic strode towards the door. He paused with his hand on the handle, still not meeting my gaze.

“I need some air,” he muttered.

As he yanked the door open, I caught a glimpse of Lennox standing guard outside. Anderic’s voice carried back to me as he addressed the captain.

“Keep an eye on her, Lennox. Make sure she doesn’t do anything… reckless.”

And then he was gone, leaving me alone with the echo of his words and the lingering scent of his cologne.

I stared at the closed door, my mind reeling. What just happened? The usually composed prince had practically come undone before my eyes. And all because…what? Because he was worried about me?

I wouldn’t fool myself into believing he felt nothing for me—damn it, we both knew there was something between us. But my misplaced pride and stubborn sense of self-preservation kept me from saying aloud what I already knew in my heart.

But try as I might, I couldn’t shake the memory of his voice breaking as he said, “I couldn’t lose you.” The raw emotion in those words seemed too genuine to be faked.

I wished he would just say it—whatever he was feeling. But then, wouldn’t that make me a hypocrite? I was doing the exact same thing.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. When did my life become so complicated? Oh, right. The moment I let myself have feelings for a man. Again . Brilliant move, Ilyana.

Not just any man, but the golden lunatic of Aetheria. Prince Anderic.

The door creaked open, interrupting my internal pity party. Lennox stepped inside, his stoic face betraying nothing as he took up his post near the door.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of fabric as I shifted in bed. I could feel Lennox’s gaze on me, probably judging my pathetic state.

I kept my gaze stubbornly on the intricate patterns of the bedspread, tracing them with my finger as if they held the answers to the universe. Or at least to the enigma that was Prince Anderic.

After what felt like an eternity, Lennox sighed. “He’s worried about you, you know.”

I looked up, startled. Lennox? Voluntarily speaking? Will wonders never cease today?

“Prince Anderic,” Lennox continued, his voice low. “I’ve never seen him act like this before. When your maid came that night with news of your capture…” He shook his head, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. “He nearly lost it.”

My heart skipped a beat. I tried to school my features into neutrality, but Lennox’s piercing gaze told me I was failing miserably.

“He’s… never cared for anyone but his goals before. If sacrificing one person meant achieving the greater good, he’d do it without hesitation.” Lennox snorted. “Cold, calculating bastard.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. It seemed even the stoic captain had his moments of candor.

Lennox’s eyes met mine, his gaze intense. “But for you? He didn’t care about anything else. So give him some space. I’m sure he’s feeling these emotions for the first time too.”

My heart thundered in my chest, and I felt heat creep up my neck. Damn it, Ilyana, get a grip.

Unless Anderic said those words directly to me, I had no right to feel like this. No right to let my heart twist over something unspoken.

Heat crept up my neck, spreading across my cheeks. I quickly wiped at my eyes, realizing belatedly that they were damp. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, my voice betraying me with a slight quaver. “What Prince Anderic does or doesn’t do is of no concern to me.”

Lennox’s lips twitched. “Right,” Lennox drawled, his tone dripping with disbelief. Without another word, he returned to his post by the door.

The room lapsed back into silence, but this time it felt charged with unspoken truths. I fidgeted with my blanket, stealing glances at the door, hoping to see a flash of golden curls.

But Anderic didn’t return.

As the hours ticked by, my anxiety grew. Where was he? What if something had happened? What if—

A messenger arrived, whispering something to Lennox. The captain’s face remained impassive as he nodded, dismissing the messenger.

“Prince Anderic won’t be back tonight,” Lennox informed me. “He’s been called away on urgent business. I’m to guard you in his stead.”

My heart sank. Of course, he did. He was a prince, after all. He had responsibilities and a kingdom to run. He couldn’t spend all his time babysitting a reckless woman.

So why did it feel like I’d been punched in the gut?

I nodded, trying to ignore the pang of disappointment in my chest. It doesn’t matter, I told myself sternly. You have more important things to worry about than some prince’s mood swings.

I needed to plan how to deal with Gareth.