The morning air was crisp, the stream whispering softly as it wound between mossy stones. Birds sang high above, and for the first time in weeks, Hadez felt at peace. Or at least, he would have—if not for the girl sitting on the fallen log.
Seraphina tilted her head as he approached, a sly smile tugging at her lips.
"You walk very loudly for someone sneaking through the woods."
He blinked. "I wasn't sneaking."
"Oh?" Her eyes glittered with mischief. "Then why do you look guilty, blacksmith?"
Heat rose in his neck. "Because I thought you'd vanished for good. And now, finding you again feels… impossible."
Her smile softened. "Impossible things happen more often than you think."
Hadez shifted awkwardly, folding his arms. "You shouldn't be out here alone. Anyone could—"
"Anyone?" she interrupted, lifting her brows. "And what exactly could you do to protect me if danger came?"
He gave her a flat look. "I just stopped a thief twice my size with one hand."
She laughed, the sound bright against the quiet forest. "Yes, I remember. You nearly broke his wrist in half."
"Nearly?" Hadez smirked, and for once, the weight of his thoughts lifted. "If I'd wanted to, I could've finished the job."
"Oh, dangerous and proud," she teased, pretending to fan herself. "Should I be frightened, then?"
"Of me?" He shook his head. "Never."
Their eyes met, the playfulness giving way to a silence that stretched too long. Seraphina looked away first, biting her lip as though to hide a smile.
"You stare too much," she said softly.
"Do I?" Hadez asked, startled.
"Yes." She turned back to him, her emerald eyes dancing. "It's very improper."
His lips twitched. "Then tell me to stop."
She held his gaze a heartbeat longer before whispering, "I don't think I want to."
The words stole his breath. The forest seemed to hush around them, the stream's murmur the only sound between their racing hearts.
Finally, Seraphina broke the silence with a laugh, light but slightly nervous. "Careful, blacksmith. You speak to me as though I am not a princess."
"Do you want me to call you that here?" Hadez asked quietly.
She hesitated, then shook her head. "No. Here, I am only Seraphina. No titles. No chains."
Hadez's mouth curved into the faintest smile. "Then here, I'm not an apprentice. I'm just Hadez."
She studied him for a moment, then extended her hand as though sealing an agreement. "Then it's settled. Seraphina and Hadez. No crowns. No forges."
He took her hand. For a brief second, it was only that—warmth against warmth, two lives touching.
But the second stretched, lingered, and neither of them pulled away.
When the distant sound of armored boots reached them, Seraphina quickly withdrew, drawing her hood low. "I must go before they find me," she whispered.
"Will you come back?" Hadez asked, his voice rougher than he meant it to be.
Her eyes softened. "If fate is kind… yes."
She slipped into the trees, vanishing like a shadow.
Hadez stood at the stream's edge, his hand still tingling where hers had been. For the first time in his life, he did not feel like a nobody. He felt seen.
And he wanted more.