Kyel and Lucina stepped quietly out of the room.
Lucina sighed, "I should go now."
Kyel nodded. "Alright… I'll inform Hans. He'll prepare a room for you at the palace."
Lucina smiled faintly. "Okay."
Just as they were about to leave, a soft but sharp voice cut through the silence from behind them.
Eva's voice.
"What are you doing here?"
Both Kyel and Lucina froze like statues. Slowly, Kyel turned, his face stiff.
"Princess… what are you—"
Eva's eyes were half-closed, her tone sharp yet drowsy. "What are you doing, you rat? Get out of my house."
Lucina blinked, completely confused. "Rat…?"
Kyel coughed awkwardly. "Ah… she's… sleepwalking again."
Lucina frowned. "Sister walks in her sleep? Since when?"
Kyel rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know… but it's been happening more often lately."
Without wasting another moment, Kyel gently scooped Eva into his arms.
"I should take her back to bed."
He carried her gently and laid her down, tugging the blanket up to her chin.
Lucina crossed her arms. "And if she does this while you're not here… what then?"
Kyel answered firmly, "I leave my wolves behind to guard her."
"You should have told me earlier." Lucina stepped closer, her eyes glowing faintly.
"Move."
She raised her hand above Eva's brow. A soft shimmer of magic glowed, wrapping around Eva like a silver veil.
"There. All done."
Kyel blinked. "What did you do?"
Lucina smiled softly. "I placed a spell—she won't sleepwalk anymore."
"Really?"
"Really."
Lucina's eyes then fell on Eva's hand. She leaned down and muttered ancient words, her breath brushing over the wedding ring. The band pulsed faintly with light.
"It's done too."
Kyel frowned. "What's done?"
"A gift for my sister-in-law. I placed a protection spell on her wedding ring. It's strong—no one can break it. It will always shield her."
Kyel's eyes softened. "But you could break it, right?"
Lucina shook her head. "No. Not even I can undo it. No matter how powerful the magic is, that barrier will never fall."
Kyel lowered his gaze. "Thank you."
Lucina waved a hand. "Don't thank me. I did it for her." Her expression turned earnest.
"I really liked her, Eyan. She's too nice… and now, I'll work harder to find a way to erase the Dragon King.
"Next time, I want to meet her as Luca."
Kyel's voice grew low. "Yes. Please find it. I… I want to tell her the truth as soon as possible."
"Understood."
Lucian straightened and muttered, "Then I should go."
He started to walk—but his elbow caught a nearby table. Books toppled to the floor with a loud thud-thud-thud.
Eva stirred, blinking awake. "What… happened?"
Kyel and Lucian froze instantly.
Eva's gaze sharpened as she looked between them. "What are you two doing? Why are you still awake?"
Lucian stumbled over his words. "I—I couldn't fall asleep, so I went to take some fresh air with Kyel."
Kyel nodded quickly. "Yes."
Eva let out a soft sigh, sitting up. "Oh… come here, both of you, and sleep."
Lucian hesitated. "I—I can't."
Eva frowned. "Why?"
"Because… I'm not used to sharing a bed. I always sleep alone," Lucian admitted.
Eva's eyes softened. "Then you should have told me before. Did I make you uncomfortable?"
Lucian shook his head. "No… Sister."
Eva smiled faintly. "Okay. Then you sleep here."
She swung her legs off the bed and stood, stretching lightly. "Kyel, let's go back to our room. Lucian can sleep alone."
Kyel and Lucian exchanged a glance, both secretly relieved and happy.
Kyel nodded. "Ok…"
Eva gave Lucian a soft look. "Lucian… I have something to tell you. We shall talk about it in the morning."
"Ok…" Lucian replied quietly.
"Good night." Eva left the room.
Lucian turned toward Kyel, voice low. "What do I do now?"
Kyel grinned faintly, hiding his happiness. "Just stay here till morning."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "You look happy."
Kyel quickly looked away, cheeks warming.
Lucian chuckled. "Are you that happy to sleep next to your wife?"
Kyel muttered, "You wouldn't understand. You're single."
"All right… go back to your room, you love-sick brat," Lucian teased, shaking his head.
Kyel smiled softly. "Ok."
Lucian leaned in, wagging a finger. "And remember to keep your voices dow—"
WHUMP!
A pillow smacked Lucian square in the face, sending her tumbling backward onto the bed.
Kyel's cheeks burned as he snapped, "Shut up!"
From the bed, Lucian lifted her head, laughter escaping despite herself. "Ok, fine. I'll stop teasing."
Kyel huffed and left the room, still blushing, a small smile tugging at his lips.
---
The next morning, Eva stirred awake, sunlight filtering gently through the curtains.
Her eyes widened suddenly. "Oh no… I forgot about Lucian!"
She sprang from the bed, hurrying down the hallway.
Kyel and Lucian were already up; the aroma of cooking filled the air. Kyel stood by the stove, flipping pancakes with practiced ease.
He paused as he heard her footsteps.
"Good morning," Eva greeted breathlessly.
"Good morning," Kyel replied, smiling.
"Good morning, sister," Lucian chimed in cheerfully.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Eva asked, slightly out of breath.
"You were sleeping so soundly," Kyel said, shrugging.
"What are you making?" she asked, her eyes scanning the table.
"Pancakes," Kyel replied, "and some scrambled eggs. Go take a bath—the breakfast will be ready by the time you finish."
"Okay," Eva nodded, hurrying toward the bathroom.
The three of them sat around the table, enjoying the breakfast Kyel had prepared.
Lucian took a bite and smiled. "It's so good! Kyel, you really cook well."
She reached out dramatically, grabbing Kyel's hand. "Let me kiss your hands!"
Kyel immediately slapped her hand away. "Stay away from me."
Lucian side-eyed him, clearly unimpressed.
Eva laughed, shaking her head. "You two really do act like siblings… always fighting."
"Yes, we do," Lucian admitted with a mischievous grin, turning to Kyel. "Right, brother?"
Kyel smirked but rolled his eyes. "We do—but most of the time, I just want to kill her."
"Same here," Lucian said casually, shrugging.
Eva giggled. "I could watch you two fight all day."
Kyel stood, gathering the plates. "I'll wash the dishes," he said, disappearing into the kitchen.
Lucian turned to Eva with a curious look. "Sister… last night, you said you wanted to talk about something this morning?"
"Oh, that…" Eva trailed off, glancing at Kyel, who was washing the dishes. She smiled to herself. "Let me send Kyel away first."
"Honey, I'll wash the dishes. Can you go to the market and buy a bouquet of flowers?"
Kyel froze mid-scrub. "Flowers… for who?"
"For Lucian," Eva said softly, her eyes warm. "I want to give her something before she leaves."
Kyel blinked, then gave a small nod. "Okay… got it."
Once he left, Eva turned to Lucian with a soft smile. "Now… come here. Let's talk."
---
Kyel returned a short while later, holding a carefully wrapped bouquet.
"I'm back," he announced cheerfully.
But the room felt strangely tense. Eva and Lucian were sitting close together, their expressions serious, as if caught in a private, weighty conversation.
"Oh… Kyel, you're back," Eva said, her voice slightly forced, trying to mask the mood.
Kyel glanced between them. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Eva replied quickly.
Lucian lowered her head, her eyes red and glistening.
Kyel frowned. "What's wrong with her?"
Lucian forced a small, shaky smile. "Nothing."
Kyel tilted his head, confused, sensing there was more to the story.
Eva reached out and took the flowers from him. "Give me this."
"Lucian. Here… it's for you."
Lucian's hands trembled slightly as she accepted the bouquet.
She remained silent, her gaze fixed on the flowers before looking up at Kyel.
"Kyel… can I hug sister-in-law? Just once?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling.
Kyel immediately started, "No—"
But Lucian's eyes were pleading, brimming with a quiet sorrow that made it clear this wasn't playful or teasing. She simply needed the embrace.
Kyel sighed softly, a lump forming in his throat. "Okay…"
Lucian stepped forward and hugged Eva tightly. Her heart felt heavy, Leaning close, she whispered in Eva's ear, knowing Kyel couldn't hear:
"Sister… I will always remember what we talked about."
Eva nodded softly. "Okay."
After a moment, they parted.
"Please… come back again," Eva said gently.
"I will, sister," Lucian replied. She gave a small smile before straightening. "Then I should take my leave."
Eva nodded silently.
"Kyel… I'll see you soon," Lucian added.
"Okay," Kyel replied, still watching her leave, a knot of worry forming in his chest.
Once the door closed, Kyel stared after Luca Did something happen? Why did Luca leave like that? he wondered, unease creeping in.
Eva leaned closer, brushing his arm gently. "Kyel… you should go to work too."
"Oh, right. I'll be late," he murmured, shaking himself from the thought.
Before leaving, he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "Bye, princess."
"Bye," Eva replied, smiling softly, though her heart felt heavy.