Riella stood still as Kael walked away, the sharpness of his parting words lingering in her chest like a feather brushing against old doubts. Who was this man really? There was something quiet but watchful in the way he looked at her—and more curiously, at Amelia.
A few minutes later, Amelia returned with a glass of lemonade, cheeks flushed and hair slightly mussed by the breeze.
"He's… something," she said, not quite looking at Riella.
Riella narrowed her eyes. "Something good?"
"I didn't say that," Amelia replied quickly, but there was a nervous flutter in her voice that made Riella's lips twitch with a knowing smirk.
Later That Afternoon: Kael Returns Briefly
They were lounging in Chloe's garden, a quiet afternoon haze settling over them, when the manor gates creaked open. Kael had returned—unexpectedly—with a folded letter for Chloe. His arrival wasn't loud, but it was impossible to ignore. His dark coat shifted as he walked, his presence drawing glances from even the housemaids passing by.
"I didn't know he was coming back," Amelia whispered.
"Neither did Chloe," Riella answered, eyes narrowing slightly.
Kael paused when he saw the girls. "Thought I'd left something," he said simply, placing a small leather pouch on the table beside Chloe's tea set.
Amelia offered him a polite nod. "You must really like this place."
Kael's lips tilted slightly. "Not the place."
Amelia blinked.
He turned toward Riella. "Just curious. That's all."
He didn't explain further—didn't need to. Then, just as quietly as he arrived, Kael left again.
---
The breeze had settled, and the manor's garden returned to its usual calm after Kael's sudden appearance. Riella picked up a petal that had fallen onto her lap, twirling it slowly between her fingers.
Amelia stared ahead, pretending to admire the sky, but her fingers tapped nervously on her teacup.
"You like him," Riella said, not looking at her.
"I don't," Amelia replied too fast.
Riella chuckled softly. "You've never been a good liar."
Amelia turned to face her, sighing dramatically. "Okay, fine. He's… different. He doesn't try too hard to be charming. He doesn't even try at all, and that's annoying."
Riella raised an eyebrow. "You think being mysterious is annoying? Or attractive?"
"Both," Amelia said, then groaned. "I barely know him. He barely talks!"
"But you notice when he does," Riella said with a knowing smile. "That says enough."
Amelia leaned back against the bench. "And what about you? He kept looking at you."
Riella shrugged. "Let him look. I don't think he sees what he's looking for."
Amelia watched her for a moment. "That bothers you?"
Riella hesitated. "No. I just don't like being observed like I'm part of some puzzle he's already halfway solved."
They sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the rustling of leaves and the faint laughter from the manor in the distance.
---
Scene: Kael's POV
Kael adjusted the reins of his horse, trotting slowly through the trees that bordered the manor. He hadn't planned to return, not so soon, but something unsettled him. Something—or someone—gnawed at the back of his mind.
Riella.
There was something in her eyes. The color was strange—green, but not quite. It reminded him of old stories, the kind his father used to read to him in whispers after dark, stories of forgotten empires and cursed beauty.
She didn't seem dangerous. But she didn't seem ordinary either.
Then there was Amelia.
He hadn't meant to notice her. But her smile lingered longer than it should have, and when she called his name, it didn't feel like a courtesy—it felt personal.
Kael sighed and looked up at the sky. "What am I even doing?" he muttered to himself.
He tugged the reins, urging the horse forward. He needed answers. But for now, distance was safer.
---