Till yesterday, I was treated as nobody.
Now suddenly, everything has changed—just because I did my duty.
But… what about all I've done until now?
Why does it feel like everything is different today?
Am I forgetting something…?
What is it?
✦✦✦
Morning stretched wide and unhurried, spilling across the room in a blaze of soft gold and bruised violet light. The chandelier caught the sun like a prism, scattering red, yellow, and purple shards that danced across the black tablecloth trimmed with gold embroidery.
The air was alive with the scent of fresh bread and butter, the warmth of cooked food curling through the room like an embrace. Beneath it all lingered the faint, clean perfume of rain-soaked earth—sharp, cool, and grounding, as though the storm had just washed the whole world new.
Velza drew in a long breath, the mingled smells settling deep into her chest, quieting something restless in her bones.
"Your highness… why are we eating together again? Shouldn't I eat after you?" She glanced across the table, her voice careful, her hands resting neatly in her lap.
Vaelen swirled the water in his glass, watching the ripples catch the morning light. "Won't even take an act of kindness from me," he muttered, almost to himself.
Velza's brows drew together. "What?"
He looked up. "What?"
"What did you say, your highness?" Her voice was louder now, the question sharper, as though she feared the answer.
Vaelen exhaled through his nose and set the glass down. The faint ring of crystal on wood echoed softly in the quiet room. "I said… it's my way of saying that I apologize for my actions."
Velza blinked once, twice—then her posture faltered. Her hands, perfectly still on her lap until now, curled slightly into the fabric of her trousers. A faint flush crept across her cheeks before she quickly averted her gaze.
The smell of warm butter and spiced tea filled the pause that followed, mingling with the faint crackle of the hearth. Dust motes drifted lazily through the colored light, settling over the table like soft reminders of how still the world had become.
Vaelen tilted his head, just enough to catch her face in the light. He saw it—barely there—the corner of her mouth lifting, the ghost of something that might've been a smile.
It tugged something inside him he didn't have a name for.
"Careful," he said, his tone dry but softer than usual. "Keep that up and I might think you actually like me."
Velza's eyes flicked toward him, startled. For a moment, she almost looked offended—then her shoulders loosened, and she let out the smallest breath of a laugh.
"Don't push it, your highness," she said, but there was no bite in it this time.
Vaelen leaned back slightly, satisfied enough to hide his own grin behind the rim of his glass.
Breakfast ended soon after. Two maids slipped in, silent and efficient, clearing plates and wiping the table until not a crumb was left.
Vaelen stood, stretching faintly before glancing at Velza. "Let's go for a morning walk," he said.
Velza blinked, her head tilting just slightly. "Why ask, your highness? Haven't I gone everywhere you've gone until now?"
"Did you?" His words came out with a sharp edge, more challenge than question.
Velza straightened instinctively, shoulders pulling back. Her fingers twitched near the hilt of her sword before she caught herself and folded her hands behind her back. Her jaw flexed, but she said nothing.
"Let's walk and talk," Vaelen said, already stepping forward before she could reply.
"I recommend you rest, your highness," Velza called after him, her boots scuffing softly against the polished floor as she caught up, her posture snapping back to its usual disciplined precision.
The corridor outside was quiet, bathed in soft morning light filtering through tall windows. The air smelled faintly of damp stone and blooming jasmine from the courtyard beyond. Each of Vaelen's steps echoed with an easy rhythm, but Velza's boots were sharp, measured, a steady counterpoint behind him.
"You don't have to sound so formal all the time," Vaelen said suddenly, glancing over his shoulder at her.
Velza's brow creased. "I am your guard, your highness. It would be improper to—"
"Oh, improper, is it?" His tone turned dry. "So speaking to me like a normal person would bring the kingdom to its knees?"
She exhaled through her nose, somewhere between annoyed and amused. "I don't think you'd survive if everyone spoke to you honestly."
Vaelen smirked, glancing back ahead. "Maybe. But I think I'd like to try."
They turned a corner, passing the open arch that led into the gardens. A breeze carried the smell of wet earth, cool and clean after the night's rain. Vaelen slowed his pace just slightly, letting the fresh air wash over him.
"You're quieter today," he said after a moment.
Velza didn't look at him. "I have nothing to report."
"That's new," he said, kicking a loose pebble across the marble floor. "Usually you're telling me what I can't do."
Her lips quirked at the corner, a fleeting expression gone as soon as it appeared. "Don't tempt me, your highness. There's still a list."
For the first time that morning, Vaelen actually laughed, a low, brief sound that surprised even him.
✦✦✦
The clatter of dishes was soft, almost careful, as Velmira stacked the last of the plates. Morning light spilled across the dining hall, turning the polished floor into a pale mirror. The faint scent of butter and herbs still lingered in the air, mixed with the sharper tang of soap from the maids' buckets.
"Well," Velmira said at last, glancing over her shoulder at Veyra, "now is she part of us?"
Veyra didn't look up right away. She wrung out the damp cloth in her hands, slow and deliberate, water dripping onto the stone with a muted patter. Then she straightened, turning to face Velmira with one brow arched.
"You'll have to wait, Velmira. I know where you're going with this. You wait for orders — and even if the orders come, you won't be the one."
Velmira's lips pressed into a thin line. She set the stack of plates down a little too firmly, the sound sharp in the otherwise quiet hall.
"I'm not talking about that," she said finally, her voice lower, quieter.
Veyra's expression shifted, her posture stiffening ever so slightly. "Then what are you talking about?"
Velmira glanced toward the far wall, where the high cupboards stood locked with dark iron latches. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"The stuff we locked away."
The room seemed to tighten around them, the soft scrape of a chair leg somewhere down the hall suddenly too loud. Dust floated in the still air, catching gold in the sunlight.
Veyra's fingers curled around the edge of the table, knuckles whitening. Her jaw worked once, like she was biting back a dozen answers before settling on silence.
"Finish cleaning," Veyra said at last, her tone clipped. "We'll talk about this later."
Velmira hesitated, her gaze lingering on the locked cupboards one last time before picking up the cloth again. The silence stretched, broken only by the faint squeak of the damp rag against polished wood.
"By the way…" Velmira said suddenly, glancing around the hall, "where's Eira?"
Her eyes darted toward the door, then the far end of the room, almost like she expected their fellow maid to just appear from behind a chair.
"And then you just… vanished on me," Velmira muttered, half under her breath.
"What do you mean?" came a voice right at her ear.
Velmira jumped, nearly dropping the plate in her hands. Veyra was standing right in front of her now, arms folded, expression somewhere between amused and unimpressed.
"I— I thought you left, Veyra!" Velmira stammered, pressing a hand against her chest as though to keep her heart from leaping out.
Veyra tilted her head, one brow raising higher. "I was literally right here."
"Could've fooled me," Velmira grumbled, cheeks pink as she went back to scrubbing the table a little too quickly, as if to hide her fluster.
Veyra's lips twitched — not quite a smile, but close. "You scare yourself more than anyone ever could."
Velmira shot her a glare, though there was no real heat in it. "One day you're going to sneak up like that and get a plate thrown at you."
"Then I'll make sure to duck," Veyra replied dryly, already moving.