The wind brushed softly against the treetops, rustling the leaves like whispered secrets. Afternoon sunlight dappled the courtyard, painting golden patches across the stone paths and worn benches. Students moved in lazy clusters, their laughter echoing faintly across the university grounds. It was a beautiful day—too beautiful.
And yet, hidden beneath the shadow of a wide acacia tree, stood someone who did not belong to this warmth.
Dressed in all black, from cap to boots, she blended seamlessly into the background. Her long coat flared slightly with each breeze. A facemask hid the curve of her lips. Sunglasses veiled her gaze. She was invisible—but entirely present.
Her posture was rigid, a stillness born of deep, repressed fury. She had been standing there for the past hour, unmoving, unblinking. The entire time, her gaze had been locked on one pair of students sitting under the sun.
Zac Aaron and Januz.
She watched them like a hawk, sharp and silent. Her breath was slow. Measured. Controlled.
A few feet away, Zac leaned in to point at something on the laptop screen, his brow furrowed, lips moving animatedly. Januz chuckled in response, his expression soft and serene. They looked relaxed. At peace. Unaware that every second of their closeness was being burned into the mind of someone who wanted nothing more than to rip it all apart.
The woman's fists clenched in her coat pockets.
Januz looked so… happy.
Too happy.
She tilted her head slightly, as if trying to understand how such a thing was possible. How could he smile like that? After everything?
After what he stole?
A memory flickered in her mind—hazy and fragmented.
Rain. Screams. A metal crash. Blood on marble floors.
They all thought she had died that day.
They were wrong.
She had survived—just not as the person they remembered. That girl had been shattered. Broken. And what rose in her place was someone new. Someone sharper. Stronger. Colder.
Her tongue ran along the edge of her teeth as she whispered to herself, almost like a prayer:
"You were supposed to be gone."
Her voice was low. Raw. Laced with disbelief and rage.
Her fingers twitched inside her gloves. She took a slow, quiet breath, then looked away from the scene.
No.
She had seen enough.
They were finishing their project. Laughing. Talking. Januz probably thought he had escaped the palace, the pressure, the past. He probably thought he was free.
How delusional.
She stepped back into the shade, her silhouette swallowed by the leaves. A passing student nearly brushed her shoulder but didn't even notice her presence. Her invisibility was a weapon—and she wore it well.
Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled out her phone. The screen flickered to life, showing no signal.
"Of course not," she muttered, sliding it back into her pocket.
She would not call. Not yet.
No.
First… she had to wait.
She needed the perfect moment.
Let him keep believing he was safe.
Let him keep laughing.
The pain would taste even sweeter once it all fell apart.
---
Hours later, the campus had begun to quiet. Most students had left, the once vibrant courtyard now painted in gold and crimson hues of dusk. Januz and Zac had disappeared as well—no doubt off to grab food, or maybe even to celebrate their finished project.
The woman emerged from her hiding place and crossed the lawn, her boots crunching over dead leaves. Her movements were slow, measured, like a predator approaching old territory.
She stood in front of the bench they had used, staring at the impression left in the cushions.
How dare he smile so openly?
How dare he live so freely?
She lowered herself onto the bench, crossing her legs. Her gloved fingers traced the wood beneath her.
She remembered when they were young—when things were simpler.
Before the fire.
Before the accident.
Before him.
Before Januz took everything.
She looked up at the sky. The first star blinked to life above, shimmering faintly.
"Mother loved you more," she whispered.
The truth stung, but it always had.
"I was supposed to stand beside her. I was the one who was born first. I was the one with the better mind. The one with the stronger voice. But you—" she spat the word like venom. "You were always the favorite."
She stood again, pacing slowly around the bench like a ghost haunting a familiar memory.
"And now you're here. Smiling. Playing student. Flirting with strangers."
Her breath grew ragged. Her voice trembled with restrained fury.
"Did you forget the palace? The responsibility? Did you forget me?"
She paused, looking down at the empty space beside the bench where Zac had sat.
He looked at Januz like he was the universe.
She narrowed her eyes.
"You won't keep it for long. I promise you that."
She turned to leave. As the sky grew darker, the stars above flickered brighter—as if mocking her.
She glanced up at the constellations.
How poetic. Even the stars still watched over him.
But not for much longer.
Her footsteps faded into the night.
Her voice, quiet and cold, drifted behind her like smoke.
"Wait and see… I will take everything you're taking from me."