Next morning.
The city was still quiet under the early haze, but the stage in the centre was alive with movement.
From the rooftop, Reyan and Ishvik leaned over the stone railing, watching. Below, women gave instructions—Varyan among them, gesturing with his hands. Workers hurried with wood and drapery, the frame of the stage nearly finished.
"I still can't believe King Aariv died," Reyan said softly.
"I feel sad for the princess," Ishvik replied, eyes fixed on the bustle below. "She's just a girl… becoming a widow before knowing what love really is."
"Yeah… Father said she's in a coma. They're not even sure she'll make it."
"Maybe… maybe it's better if she doesn't wake up."
Reyan turned sharply. "What the—are you out of your mind?"
Ishvik didn't look away. "Think about it. She's young. Doesn't know politics. Orphan. Even they say she's a Panvara. You know how the court treats her."
Reyan blinked, caught off guard. "Still—"
"She won't hold any power, Reyan," Ishvik continued. "She has the title and may wear the crown, but the court won't honour her seal.. And with Aariv gone, she's just... prey. Old king and queen don't support her. Court elders see her as liability. Others see her as a possession."
"She hasn't even buried her husband… and already you talk like that?"
"I'm not saying she deserves it. I just hate seeing any woman used like that," Ishvik said. "She's surrounded by power-hungry men who will toss her around like a ball."
Reyan looked down and said nothing.
"What are you two doing up here?" a voice from the stairs.
Vami, Ishvik's elder sister, her braid swinging as she walked.
"Just watching the stage being set," Reyan said.
She joined them at the ledge.
"Looks like they'll finish soon," Ishvik said.
"Last night, people from Velmira arrived," she said quietly.
Ishvik snapped around. "What? Who told you that?"
"Father," she replied. "King Raviel, Queen Amaraya, and their five children."
Reyan raised a brow. "But they disowned Queen Seriya when she married into Sagnik. Didn't even show up to the Aariv's wedding."
Vami nodded. "They may have disowned her when she eloped and married into Sagnik, but they never ignore a Thalore bloodline death."
Ishvik folded his arms. "Still… strange."
"I heard Father talking to Mother," Vami added. "Late night. He sounded serious."
"What were they talking?" Ishvik asked.
"I couldn't hear much. They were urgent. Angry. Serious."
"Could've been one of their usual fights," Ishvik said.
"Ishvik!" their mother's voice echoed from below.
"Coming," he said, and jogged down the stairs.
Vami didn't move. She kept her eyes forward, her hands gripping the railing.
Reyan moved closer to her. "You heard more, didn't you?"
She didn't speak. Her lips trembled.
"Vami…" he said, gently.
She exhaled shakily. "He's not a trader."
"What?"
"My father. He's not some cloth merchant. He's… something else."
"What are you saying?"
"Last night… I couldn't sleep. I was thirsty. I got up and heard them whispering. I know I shouldn't have… but I listened."
Her voice shook. "My mother was crying. She said, 'We left that life. You promised we left that life.' She kept saying, 'You promised you'd never take another life.'"
Reyan's brows pulled together. "Take another life?"
She nodded. "And Father… he said, 'It's different now. This isn't about power. It's about protecting what's left.'"
Reyan stared at her, heart pounding.
"There was silence after that. Then he said, 'This kingdom is barely holding together. I'm not doing it for them anymore… I'm doing it for my children.'"
She wiped her face with her sleeve, hands trembling.
"I… I didn't even know who he was. All my life, he was just… my father. A merchant, a quiet man. Never raised his voice. Never left the city. And now… he's an assassin?"
Reyan stood still, uncertain of what to say.
"He didn't deny it," she whispered. "I waited for him. At the stairs. I asked him, 'What are you? What did you do before us?' And he just… looked at me. No expression. Just said, 'Nothing you need to worry about. Sleep well.' Then walked away."
Reyan slowly reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't hesitate. She leaned into him, buried her face into his chest.
"I don't want to lose him."
Reyan rested his cheek against her hair, holding her close. "You won't."
"You don't know that."
"I don't," he said. "But I know your father… he doesn't fight unless he has to. And when he does, it's not because he wants glory. It's because someone needs to be protected."
"But he promised he left that life to mother," she murmured.
"Maybe he did," Reyan said. "But something must be bad enough to make him break that promise."
She clutched his shirt. "What if he doesn't come back, Reyan?"
He didn't reply right away. His jaw clenched.
Then quietly, "If he's risking everything… it means what he's protecting matters more than everything."
Her breath hitched.
"He's not doing it for the kingdom. He's doing it for you. For Ishvik. You think he'd step into danger if he didn't believe you were worth more than his safety?"
Her eyes welled.
"You're not alone, Vami. You never were."
She broke down, tears flowing freely as she leaned further into his chest. Reyan tightened his arms around her.
They stood there in quiet. Her shoulders trembled. His hand slowly moved across her back. For a while, the rooftop was theirs. A small, stolen world above the noise.
"Ahem."
They startled.
Ishvik stood on the top step, squinting at them with folded arms and a grin. "You two know what to do when alone, right? Maybe next time, don't do it on a rooftop where half the city can see?"
Vami pulled back quickly, wiping her tears with her hand. Reyan stepped back, too, straightening.
"Relax," Ishvik said, raising a hand. "I'm not telling. Just… don't get caught by Mother. You know how she reacts."
Vami looked away. Reyan scratched the back of his neck.
"You two owe me one," Ishvik added, turning on his heel. "A Big one."
As he started down, his voice said, "Two idiots hugging. Next time I'll knock… on the roof."
And then he disappeared down the stairs, drums began to echo from the palace gates below.