The flicker of the candle was the only sound between them.
Outside, the storm softened, but inside Liora's heart, a storm still raged.
Kael lay there, half-conscious, eyes half-open — yet those silver eyes saw her in a way that made her skin crawl.
As if he wasn't seeing "Elara the healer," but the woman he'd watched die under a blood moon.
"You should rest, Your Highness," she said, forcing calm. "You lost a lot of blood."
He didn't answer. Instead, his gaze moved over her face — slow, deliberate, unsettling.
"Your voice…" he murmured. "I've heard it before."
Liora's fingers tightened on the hem of her cloak.
Her mind screamed at her to look away, to hide her trembling hands. He can't remember. He can't.
She managed a faint smile.
"You must be mistaken. I'm just a healer."
Kael's lips curved faintly, but his tone turned sharp.
"No. You said my name before I told you. And your hands—"
His eyes darted to her wrist, where faint silver light shimmered beneath her skin.
"That glow… it's the same as—"
"It's nothing," she interrupted, stepping back. "Residual magic from the herbs. You need sleep."
But when she turned away, he caught her wrist — firm but not cruel.
The sudden contact sent a shiver through her entire body.
The air between them pulsed, heavy with old memories neither wanted to face.
"Tell me who you are," he whispered. "Because when you touched me… I saw you standing under a red moon, crying my name."
Her throat tightened.
Her mind flashed to that final night — the wine, the poison, the betrayal.
"Then you saw a ghost, Your Highness," she said quietly, slipping her hand free. "Because that woman died a long time ago."
She walked out before he could say another word.
Her heart pounded with each step, her mind racing.
He remembers the feeling of that night. The moon's curse hasn't faded.
In the corridor, a shadow detached itself from the wall — a man in a black cloak, eyes gleaming gold.
"So, the Moon Bride lives again," he murmured.
"And the prince remembers too soon…"
Before Liora could react, the stranger vanished into the storm, leaving behind a single silver feather that glowed like moonlight.