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The lanterns glowed softly in the corridors, casting long shadows against the walls of Chloe's manor. The cool evening air drifted in through an open window, carrying the scent of lavender from the gardens.
Riella stood in the quiet hallway, absently adjusting a flower vase near the stairwell. She hadn't heard anyone arrive—but when she turned around, her heart jumped.
Dimitri was there.
He stood at the end of the hall, half-shadowed by the flickering light. His dark coat clung to him like a second skin, and his gaze was sharp—focused, but unreadable.
"General," Riella said stiffly, surprised but composed.
"Riella," he said with a slight nod. His voice was calm, but not cold.
They stared at each other in silence, the tension of the last few weeks folding between them like an invisible sheet.
"I didn't know you were visiting," she said, arms crossing loosely. "Chloe didn't mention it."
"She didn't know," he said. "I didn't come for her."
Her brows lifted slightly, confused. "Then—"
"I wanted to check on you," he said simply. "After the festival."
Her shoulders eased a little. "That's unexpected... kind of you."
He approached slowly, keeping a respectful distance. "You looked… uneasy. Like you were trying to enjoy something you couldn't fully touch."
Riella looked away. "There's a lot on my mind. Things I don't understand. Things that feel too close."
Dimitri hesitated, then asked, "Do you feel unsafe here?"
She paused, meeting his eyes again. "No. Just… watched. Like something is always behind me. Even when I'm alone."
His jaw tensed slightly, but he didn't speak for a moment. Then, almost too gently: "Do you remember anything... from when you were younger? Before Angela?"
Riella blinked. "No. Nothing before her."
A long silence stretched between them.
"You wore a necklace at the festival," he said. "Where is it now?"
She instinctively touched her collarbone, surprised at his observation. "It's in my room. I don't wear it all the time."
He nodded, eyes dropping for a second—thoughtful. "It suits you."
There was a silence again, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable.
Before she could respond, footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway.
"I should go," Dimitri said quietly.
She nodded. "You probably should."
He turned to leave, but paused briefly. "You remind me of someone."
Riella's eyes searched his. "Who?"
He gave her a look that almost seemed… mournful. "Someone I failed."
And with that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Riella alone, the soft scent of lavender still clinging to the air.
Scene: Dimitri's POV
Dimitri stepped out into the cold evening air, the manor's soft glow shrinking behind him as he walked toward the gate. The silence outside was a stark contrast to the storm in his chest.
He had spoken too much. Or perhaps, not enough.
Every moment with her made it harder to keep the truth buried. Her voice—her eyes—they tugged at memories he had spent years trying to forget. Her mother's pleading voice echoed in his mind: "Protect her. No matter what it costs."
And it had cost him everything.
His gloved hand closed into a fist as he paused beneath a withering sycamore tree. He hated this feeling—the weight of guilt, the silent war between duty and desire. He had made promises. He had broken some. And yet, here she was—alive, beautiful, unaware of the bloodshed tied to her name.
The necklace. Her name. Calister.
He could never say it aloud. Not yet.
Dimitri drew in a slow breath and leaned against the tree, looking up at the moonlit sky. Somewhere in the distance, Kael was likely preparing for some council duty or playing cards with estate guards. Kael—the twin who didn't carry this burden. The one who smiled easily, who knew joy. Who didn't see Riella and remember a child wrapped in smoke and fire.
But Dimitri saw it. Every time.
He closed his eyes, trying to still the whirlwind inside him.
"She doesn't know," he whispered to himself. "And she can't."
Not until he was certain the past wouldn't claim her again.
With a final breath, he pushed off the tree and disappeared into the dark, as silently as he had arrived—just a shadow guarding a secret too powerful to reveal.