Astelion POV
The steady, thrum of Kiono's heartbeat beneath my cheek was the only thing keeping the crushing weight of reality from collapsing on me. I lay flat on his chest, my fingers tracing the faint, fading scars on his shoulder, completely breathing in his scent.
"We have to get going," I murmured, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
"Today is the festival."
"Just a bit longer," he begged, his deep voice gravelly with sleep. He wrapped his arms around me, giving me a big, squeeze that threatened to pull me straight back into the safety of the sheets.
He leaned up and pressed a warm, lingering kiss onto my cheek. Reluctantly, he stood up from the bed, the cool morning air instantly hitting the spaces where his body had just been.
I watched him walk into the bathroom, the distant, soothing sound of rushing water echoing a moment later as he drew a hot bath. Before I could even think about dragging my sore, aching limbs out of the covers, he walked back into the bedroom.
Without a word, he leaned down, picked me up effortlessly in his arms, and carried me into the steam-filled washroom, gently lowering me into the perfectly heated water.
As he moved around the small space, organizing my towels, soaps and adjusting the oils, I couldn't help but admire him.
Stripped of his captain's armor and his rigid military discipline, he was completely breathtaking a man built for war, yet moving with an gentleness just for me. He stood up, wiping his hands on a cloth, and turned to leave me to my privacy.
"You can join me, you know," I said softly, resting my chin on the edge of the tub.
"You don't have to leave."
Kiono paused at the door, a wicked, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as his eyes swept over the water.
"If I join you, my love, we will not end up leaving this house today."
A deep, hot blush instantly rushed up my neck and flooded my cheeks, the vivid memory of his hands and mouth from last night making my breath hitch. He let out a low laugh, clearly enjoying my reaction, and walked out, closing the door behind him.
The smile faded from my face the moment the latch clicked. I sank deeper into the tub, the hot water rising up to my chin as the terrifying reality of the timeline crashed back into my mind. Eina. Cion's daughter. Castel.
"I have to get grandma not to meet Castel at this festival," I whispered out loud to the empty, steaming room, my voice trembling with a desperate, heavy resolve.
"I have to." I slid even deeper, letting the water swallow my hair.
Forty minutes later, I dried off and walked back into the main bedroom. Kiono was already gone likely forced to return early but he hadn't left me empty-handed. Resting on the side table was a fresh bouquet of wild mountain flowers, a plate of warm breakfast, and a small, folded piece of note.
I picked up the note, my fingers trembling slightly as I unfolded it to read his heavy, structured handwriting:
*My Beautiful Fiancé,*
*I had to return to the palace before the council showed themselves, but my heart remains in this room. Yesterday, the thought of losing you tore the world from beneath my feet. I cannot lose you, Astelion. You are mine. I am your shield. Eat, be careful, and watch the skies. I am always looking for you.*
*K,*
A tear slipped down my cheek, blurring the ink just a fraction. I quickly ate the breakfast, and got dressed in my uniform.
I couldn't afford to be late. I marched to the open window, took a deep breath, and leaped directly out into the open sky. Uncoiling my telekinetic currents, I caught the wind, launching myself into the air and flying rapidly toward the valley below.
From high above, the imperial grounds looked like a disturbed anthill. Thousands of people were running around like headless chickens, frantically arranging banners, dragging heavy silk canopies, and positioning guards.
Even from this height, I could smell the mixture of the crowd the sharp, electric scent of excitement blended with the bitter, sour stench of absolute fear. No one was safe under Castel's rule, even on a day of celebration.
I dropped down into the secluded rear courtyard and immediately dashed through the heavy doors into the kitchen.
The moment my boots hit the stone floor, the frantic shouting and the clattering of copper pots died instantly. Everyone froze, turning their heads to look at me as if they were looking at a ghost. The memory of me floating in the air, glowing and chanting in a dead language yesterday, was burned into their minds.
Before the silence could turn hostile, Lilly broke from the back line, sprinting forward and throwing her arms around me in a tight, breathless hug. I held her back, but when she pulled away to look into my eyes, I could see the faint, trembling shadow of fear behind her pupils. She was terrified of what I was.
I squeezed her hand tightly, trying to project a normalcy I didn't possess.
"Come on," Lilly said, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to break the heavy tension in the room.
She took me firmly by the hand, leading the way toward the rear cellars. "Help us lift all these baskets of fruits and wine to take outside. The courtyards are already filling up."
As I lifted a heavy wicker basket, a low, buzzing wave of whispers broke out among the maids and scullery boys behind us. They kept their distance, eyes darting to my hands as if expecting fire to erupt from my palms at any second. They were afraid. They were actively questioning who and what I truly was.
And as I marched toward the sunlit courtyards with the heavy basket in my arms, a cold, sickening dread settled into my stomach. If the servants were looking at me with this much suspicion... I had to wonder if Castel was currently thinking the exact same thing.