“May I come in?”

The voice from the other side of the door was cultured, almost velvet-edged, yet it held a core of steel that sent an immediate chill down my spine. Beside me, Cassius didn’t just go tense; he became a statue carved from granite, the energy in the room instantly condensing around him.

“Come in,” I managed, the words tight in my throat. I fought to keep my voice from trembling, to smooth the sudden wave of sheer terror that threatened to escape.

The door swung inward, revealing a slender man whose presence seemed to suck the warmth from the air. He was graced with long, snow-white hair that cascaded over his shoulders, a stark and beautiful contrast to the most extraordinary eyes I had ever seen. They were the piercing, placid blue of a winter sky, and they held no warmth at all. A frantic bird began to batter against my ribs, the panicked rhythm thudding in the base of my throat.

Kaelen. My mind didn’t just shriek his name; it recoiled from it. What is he doing here? Did he see us?

A fine tremor started in my hands, and I dug my fingernails into the thick fabric of my dress, balling it into my fists. I forced a breath into my lungs, schooling my features into a mask of placid inquiry. In my previous life, I had never spoken a single word to him—only ever caught fleeting, unnerving glances of him from afar. He was my father’s shadow, his most trusted and lethally efficient instrument.

“How may I help you?” I asked, my voice a surprisingly level blade in the tense air.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Thalia.” His voice was as disarmingly soft as his features, a silken delivery for the sharp, analytical gaze that swept over me. A cold dread prickled my skin, and every hair on my arms stood on end. He knows, my mind screamed. He knows we left the palace.

His attention then shifted, a predator catching a new scent on the wind. “I heard there was an elf,” he murmured, his gaze finally landing on Cassius.

Even with Kaelen’s unnerving presence, Cassius stood a full head taller, his posture radiating a regal authority that was an unspoken challenge. He reached back and shut the door, the soft click echoing in the heavy silence. He didn’t just look at Kaelen; he dissected him with an ancient, unwavering stare.

Kaelen closed the distance between them, his movements fluid and confident. “I was merely curious,” he began, his tone deceptively light. “One hears stories, of course. Legends. I wanted to meet a member of a fabled race, to comprehend what it must feel like to persist for centuries.” His gaze, now sharp and calculating, drifted to the swirling curse mark on Cassius’s arm. “And, I admit, I was curious to see just how useless it has rendered you.”

A low growl, the sound of stones grinding together, rumbled in Cassius’s chest. “You see me standing before you. Is that not answer enough?” His voice was deep, resonant, and I saw a dangerous glint ignite in his eyes—the cold fire of a king long denied his throne.

Sensing he had overstepped, Kaelen placed a hand over his heart in a mockery of respect and offered a slight bow. “More than enough,” he conceded smoothly.

“Good,” Cassius said, taking a deliberate step forward, invading Kaelen’s personal space with suffocating pressure. “Now it is my turn.”

“Yes?” Kaelen asked, a flicker of unease finally breaking through his polished veneer.

“What is a proud son of the Elven lands doing leashed to a human as despicable as that king?” Cassius nearly spat the words, his contempt a palpable force in the room.

The question struck its mark. Kaelen flinched as if struck, the color draining from his face. His composure shattered, and he took an involuntary step back, his gaze falling to the floor.

“Look at me,” Cassius commanded, his voice dropping to a low, imperative tone that permitted no disobedience. Kaelen’s hand twitched at his side. “And answer the question.”

Slowly, hesitantly, Kaelen raised his head. The arrogant confidence had vanished, leaving him looking smaller, his shoulders hunched as he met Cassius’s unwavering stare.

“I am merely serving the one who saved me,” Kaelen answered, his voice thin and brittle.

“A debt that was paid in full long ago,” Cassius stated, his tone flat and final. “It is time you moved on. Unless, of course, some other cage keeps you here.”

At the insinuation, Kaelen’s posture snapped straight, his fear ignited into defensive fury. “I serve King Zylas because he is a good man! A visionary leader!”

Cassius’s gaze flickered to me for a fraction of a second, a silent message that he was dropping the subject for my sake. He turned his full, chilling attention back to Kaelen. “The choice is yours,” he said coolly. “But you are an elf. You should start acting like one.”

“I am better than you will ever be,” Kaelen snarled, his voice raw with wounded pride. “Do not dare tell me how to live. Coming here was a mistake. You are every bit as useless as the stories say.”

He spun on his heel and wrenched the door open with such force that it slammed against the stone wall. Amelia stood in the doorway, her hand raised as if to knock, her expression placid. She said nothing, merely dipping her head in a respectful acknowledgment before gracefully stepping aside. Kaelen stormed past her without a word. Amelia then entered, closing the door softly behind her, her wide eyes taking in the toxic, lingering tension.

The moment the latch clicked, the breath I had been holding escaped me in a ragged sigh. My hands, still clenched, finally uncurled, leaving painful red crescents in my palms. I had never seen Cassius so openly hostile, so utterly dominant.

“Are you alright?” I asked, my voice quiet in the suddenly cavernous room.

“I am fine,” he answered, though his jaw remained a tight, hard line. “His core is dark. I sensed it before he entered. There was no reasoning with him, but the honor of our people demanded I try.”

“So,” Amelia interjected, her calm voice cutting through the residual tension. “Am I to understand that was the king’s shadow is paying a social call?”

I managed a weak smile. “Apparently. He must have just returned and let his curiosity get the better of him.”

“We are of the same kind,” Cassius added, his voice a low rumble. “It is not surprising he would seek me out.”

Amelia and I shared a worried glance. This was precisely the complication we could not afford.

As if reading my thoughts, Amelia’s expression hardened. “I can manage palace gossip,” she said firmly. “You focus on Elderain. Do not concern yourself with this.”

“She is right,” Cassius agreed. “And do not worry about Kaelen. After that display, his pride will not allow him to return.”

“What brought you back so quickly?” I asked Amelia, my own pulse finally beginning to slow.

“I heard whispers that Kaelen had returned and was on his way to your room,” she explained, her gaze still flicking toward the door. “I came to ensure you were safe.”

“We’re fine,” I reassured her, though my mind was still reeling. “He’s gone.”

But even as I said it, a thought, staggering and impossible, took root in my mind. Kaelen is an elf. I had known him, feared him, for years in my past life and had never once suspected. The sheer improbability of it, the depth of the deception, sent a cold spike of profound unease through my entire being. This was not just a complication. It was a sign—a chilling premonition that something was coming, and soon.