"What if I go back?" Her voice cracked.
"Then I'll find you," Icarus said without hesitation. "Even if it takes lifetimes."
Her heart squeezed. "Of course, you would," she whispered.
Then, rising on unsteady toes, she kissed his cheek.
It wasn't passion. It wasn't confession. It was something quieter a thank you
"Alright," Icarus said softly, lifting her into his arms. "Let's get you to bed."
And for once, she didn't resist.
Aria murmured something under her breath, her fingers curled tightly around Icarus's tunic. She held on as if he were her anchor in a storm.
Icarus shifted slightly, brushing her hair back from her face. A soft smile touched his lips—until he felt the presence behind him.
He didn't turn. He didn't need to.
"What do you want, Abigel?" he asked quietly.
From the edge of the shadows, Abigel stepped into the faint moonlight. His face was blank, but the fire in his eyes wasn't.
"You should return to your tower," Abigel said.
Icarus chuckled, low and amused. For someone older, Abigel sometimes sounded like a child trying to be a soldier.
"I'll leave," Icarus said, still watching Aria's sleeping face. "As soon as she lets me go."
He looked up then—straight into Abigel's guarded expression.
"But while I'm gone…" his voice turned cold, "make sure that bastard doesn't come near her. Can you at least do that?"
Abigel's hands clenched at his sides.
"You think I would let him touch her?" he asked, his voice tighter than steel.
"Then prove it," Icarus said, standing up slowly. "Keep her safe. Keep him away. She's not just precious, Abigel—she's everything."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then Icarus looked down at Aria one last time and walked past Abigel without another word.
Abigel stood there long after he left, fists still clenched. The soft rise and fall of Aria's breathing the only thing grounding him.
The next day, during the meeting…
"So, what kind of help do you need from us?" Caisson asked, his gaze fixed on Khalid.
"We've been tracking the shadow for quite a long time," Khalid began. "Each time, it leaves behind a curse—and by the time we identify the body, it's already been taken. As we dug deeper, we discovered something chilling: the shadow offers something in return for the vessel."
The room fell silent.
Until now, everyone had believed Selene was the only target.
But now, it seemed someone else—someone from another country—was also being hunted.
"Who is the person being targeted?" Selene asked, her voice sharp.
Before Khalid could respond, the heavy doors creaked open again.
A man stepped in.
Tall, poised, and cloaked in deep violet robes embroidered with the sigils of the Empire, his ginger hair braided with threads of gold shimmered under the candlelight. His aura was sharp, regal—like a blade that had seen too many wars and survived every one of them.
"Apologies for the delay," he said smoothly, his voice carrying both grace and iron.
"Khalid," the man said, shooting him a glance, "I thought you'd at least warn them I was coming."
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Khalid muttered, clearly uncomfortable.
Aria, from her seat near the wall, felt the sudden weight settle over the room. This man wasn't ordinary. No… he was dangerous in a quiet, permanent sort of way.
Kaelen's gaze sharpened. "You…"
"I am General Lioan Darin, Blood Brother to Emperor Rahim of the Empire. And, formerly, the betrothed of Princess Selene." His words dropped like stones in still water.
Silence.
"You gave up that title a long time ago," Selene said coldly, not even flinching.
"I would still like to keep the memories," Lioan said, but his eyes shifted not to Selene—rather, to Kaelen. There was something old and bitter in that look.
"So, Khalid…" Aria spoke up, breaking the tension. "He's your nephew?"
"Yes," Lioan said, now looking at her. "And you… you look exactly like your mother."
Before the weight of that could sink in, Caisson interjected with a pointed sigh. "Can we continue? If this meeting drags on any longer, it'll turn into a battlefield."
"My apologies," Lioan said with a faint bow. "If this was only about me, I'd have let it rest. But the deeper I investigated, the clearer it became—this shadow has ties to me, to Selene, and to others. I believe it's not a simple curse… It's someone who was sealed away long ago."
"Sealed away?" Liam tapped his fingers on the armrest, his expression thoughtful. "There's no record of such an event in any of our histories."
"Not in what was written," Khalid said grimly. "That's why we need access to the Church's oldest vaults. Records that were kept out of royal archives."
"And you'll need permission from both kingdoms for that," Khalid added.
Caisson pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine."
But then Theodore stood. "I have one condition," he said firmly. "I don't want the Church stepping foot in the North. If this must happen, let it happen in the capital. We'll come to them."
Everyone in the room understood his reason—even if it wasn't said aloud. The North had its own secrets.
"Agreed," Caisson said after a moment.
One by one, the others nodded.
But as the meeting drew to a close, Aria could feel the eyes of General Lioan still on her—studying, remembering.
As Aria walked back to her room, she asked quietly under her breath, "System, tell me about Lioan and Khalid."
A mechanical voice replied coldly:{Confidential report. Request denied. GF.}
She stopped in her tracks. "What the hell? Why do you even exist then? You're completely useless," she muttered in frustration.
"Oh, I can be useful," a familiar voice said from ahead.
Khalid.
He stood there, arms folded, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Can't you just leave me alone?" Aria asked, clearly annoyed and tired of the constant interruptions.
"No," Khalid said smoothly, stepping toward her. "In fact, I've been considering kidnapping you. Maybe taking you back with me."
Before he could reach her, a sudden force flung him backward—his back almost slamming into the wall.
Abigel stood in front of Aria, tall and unreadable, his black shadow aura crackling in warning.
"If she asked to be left alone," Abigel said, voice low and cold, "then do as she says."
Aria peeked around him but couldn't even see Khalid's expression anymore—Abigel's broad form shielded her completely.
Khalid straightened, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder. "She'll get used to it eventually. After all, we'll be engaged soon," he added, deliberately goading.
Abigel's fists clenched, and his aura darkened. It whispered murder—literally.
Aria reached out, her small hand curling gently around Abigel's.
"Don't waste your energy on him," she said softly. Then her eyes shifted to Khalid, sharp and certain. "And Khalid—if I'm going to be engaged, I'll be the first one to know."
With that, she tugged Abigel's hand and walked away, leaving Khalid alone in the corridor, the air behind her thick with tension.
"Aria," Abigel said, his voice low and steady, "be careful around him."
She nodded silently, understanding exactly who he meant. Even if Khalid came asking for assistance, there was always a hidden motive—always a deeper agenda.
"But… why have you been around me more lately?" she asked, tilting her head as they walked. "I've been noticing it these past few days."
Abigel let out a quiet breath. "So you never noticed me before?"
She blinked at him.
A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. "Should I list it all? How long you train each day. What time you walk in the garden. When you sneak out at night. How often you talk to yourself. Or maybe… how many times you blush while thinking about him?"
He took a step closer, his voice softer but more intense now.
Was he always like this?
No. Never.
Was he… losing his mind?
Most probably.
"I…" Aria faltered; words caught in her throat.
"Shhh," he whispered, almost teasing. "You don't have to say anything. You can call me a creep if you want. I don't mind."
He chuckled, easing the tension slightly—but the glint in his eyes remained.