Elowen's Pov
The door closed behind me with a sound far louder than it should have been.
I stood there for a moment, heart pounding, half expecting it to open again. Half expecting him. The thought alone made my stomach twist.
Cassian's presence lingered everywhere in this palace, heavy and watchful, like a shadow that did not need light to exist.
"I don't know what I am doing," I thought. "And I am afraid of what happens if he finds me."
Still, my feet moved.
The corridors at night felt different from the ones I had walked earlier. The torches burned lower, their flames quieter, casting long, uneven shadows across stone that had seen too many secrets to count. Guards stood at measured intervals, their gazes flicking toward me with surprise before quickly dropping.
No one stopped me. That unsettled me more than if they had.
I walked without a destination, only away. Away from the chamber. Away from the bed. Away from the certainty that fear would swallow me whole if I stayed still.
"This is foolish," I told myself. "You are the queen to be. You should not be wandering like this."
Yet something in me refused to turn back.
The sound of voices reached me before I saw them.
Laughter, low and unguarded, drifting from an alcove near a tall arched window. I slowed instinctively, my pulse spiking. I considered retreating, but then one of them spoke, his tone light, amused, and unmistakably foreign.
Curiosity won.
Two men stood near the window, goblets in hand, their cloaks loosened as though the weight of the ceremony had finally been shrugged off. They turned when they noticed me, surprise flashing across their faces before being replaced with something warmer. Respectful.
One of them bowed first. "My princess."
The other followed, a half-second later. "Forgive us. We did not expect to meet you wandering alone."
"I could say the same," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt.
They exchanged a glance, then smiled.
"I am Prince Alaric of Thornevale," the first said, dark-haired and broad in an easy, unthreatening way. "And this is Prince Rowan of Eredyn."
"A pleasure," Rowan added, inclining his head. He had lighter hair and eyes that missed very little.
"You stayed after the wedding ?" I asked.
"We did," Alaric admitted. "The celebration seemed… unfinished."
"And," Rowan added with a grin, "we were curious about the bride who vanished before the night truly began."
I stiffened, then relaxed when I realized there was no judgment in his tone. Only interest.
"I was tired," I said carefully.
"Understandable," Alaric said. "These unions are more exhausting than battles, I find."
That earned a quiet laugh from me before I could stop it. It felt strange. The sound of it.
They spoke of their kingdoms then, of long journeys and political expectations, of how little choice any of them truly had in the paths laid before them.
The conversation flowed easily, surprising me. They listened when I spoke. Really listened. Not as courtiers waiting for their turn, but as men curious about the person before them.
I found myself smiling. Relaxing.
"And you, Your Majesty," Rowan said gently. "Are you happy?"
The question caught me off guard.
"I am… adjusting," I said..
Alaric nodded as if that were answer enough. "That may be the most honest reply we have heard all evening."
For a brief moment, the palace felt less suffocating. Less sharp.
But fear never left me entirely.
Every sound echoed too loudly. Every passing shadow made my shoulders tense. I was keenly aware of whose castle this was. Of who ruled it. Of what might happen if my absence were noticed.
"I should return," I said finally.
Rowan stepped aside at once. "Of course."
"It was an honour," Alaric added.
As I walked away, my heart lighter and heavier all at once, one thought lingered, quiet but insistent.
And that uncertainty followed me back into the darkened halls, where choice and consequence waited hand in hand.
I wasn't sure if talking to these men would upset my husband.
"My husband," I said to myself. it had a nice ring to it.
Stepping back into my chambers, I was taken aback by the sight before me.