•Silverhowl Kingdom — Capital City•
[Ace's POV]
I held her for a long moment. Longer than I should have, with half the city watching. But I couldn't make myself let go. Not yet.
When I finally pulled back, my eyes caught on something.
Her hair.
It pinned carefully into the blonde strands beside her temple—was a small red hairpin. Delicate. Simple.
I had bought it at the music festival. Days ago. Before the journey. Before the book. Before everything.
"You kept it," I said.
Ovelia's hand flew to her hair, her fingers brushing the pin. Her cheeks darkened. "Of course I kept it."
"You wear it."
"Yes." Her voice was quiet, almost embarrassed. "I—" She stopped. Swallowed. "It reminds me of you. When you're not here."
Something in my chest tightened. Not painfully. The opposite.
I reached up and touched the pin, my fingertip brushing against the silver. "It suits you."
Her smile—that soft, unguarded smile she only ever gave me—made the whole city worth returning to.
