The knock came soft.
Three measured taps against wood.
Kel already knew who stood beyond it.
He opened the door slowly.
Reina stood there.
Moonlight from the corridor window fell across her shoulders, outlining her silhouette in silver. Her hair rested loosely over one side, slightly disheveled from the wind earlier. Her expression was calm—
Too calm.
In her hand—
The letter.
Kel's eyes moved instinctively.
First to her face.
Then to the parchment.
Then back to her eyes.
He knew.
She would not open it without asking.
That was who she was.
But her gaze—
Her gaze already carried questions she did not dare voice.
For a brief second—
He hoped she would simply return it.
Smile.
Say goodnight.
Leave.
But fate had never favored avoidance.
She held the letter forward slightly.
"You slipped it on the floor."
Kel accepted it.
"I see."
A pause.
"Thank you."
He expected her to leave then.
She did not.
She remained standing at his doorway.
Her fingers clasped loosely together in front of her.
Her eyes—
Still on the letter in his hand.
She asked quietly:
"Is it related to the work we're starting tomorrow?"
Kel lowered his gaze faintly.
"Yes."
Silence thickened.
The corridor outside seemed to retreat.
Reina swallowed once.
Then asked the question he had hoped she would not.
"Would you tell me what is written on that letter?"
Sairen's voice stirred within him.
"This is the moment."
Kel did not respond inwardly.
He looked at Reina gently.
"You really want to know?"
Her voice did not tremble.
"Yes."
"So I can prepare myself."
Prepare.
The word cut deeper than she intended.
Kel considered lying.
Delaying.
Softening.
But he saw it clearly—
If he withheld truth—
She would not sleep tonight.
If he told her—
She would not sleep tonight.
There was no painless path.
He exhaled slowly.
Then extended the letter back toward her.
"Read it yourself."
Her fingers tightened faintly as she took it.
She stepped slightly into the room without being asked.
Kel closed the door behind her quietly.
She broke the seal.
Her eyes scanned the first line.
Then the second.
Then—
She stopped.
The words were simple.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
Target: Reina Asheville.Commissioned by: Head of House Asheville.
Her uncle.
The man who replaced her father.
The man who offered her as a bargaining piece.
The man who cast her mother and brother out.
The letter slipped slightly in her grasp.
Her hands began to tremble.
Not violently.
But enough.
Her breath grew shallow.
For a moment—
She did not cry.
She simply stared.
As though her mind refused to accept ink as reality.
Then her knees gave way.
Kel moved instantly.
Catching her before she fell fully.
He guided her gently toward the bed.
Lowered her down carefully.
The letter slipped from her hand and fell to the floor between them.
Her shoulders shook once.
Twice.
Then—
She moved suddenly.
Instinctively.
Burying her face against his chest.
Her hands clutched at his coat.
Tightly.
As if anchoring herself against something that threatened to sweep her away.
Her voice broke in uneven fragments.
"I— I must look ridiculous…"
"No…"
"You cannot see me like this…"
"You must not…"
She pressed her face deeper into him.
As though hiding would erase vulnerability.
Kel's hands hovered for a second.
Unsure.
Then settled.
One hand gently at her back.
The other resting lightly against her shoulder.
Sairen whispered softly inside him.
"Hold her."
He did.
Reina's breathing came in uneven waves.
Tears soaked into the fabric of his shirt.
She did not wail.
She did not scream.
She wept quietly.
And that quiet was heavier than any sound.
Her voice trembled faintly against his chest.
"He… he tried to kill me."
The realization, spoken aloud, broke something inside her.
Kel's jaw tightened.
"Yes."
She shook her head slightly.
"I thought he hated me."
"But not…"
"Not like this."
He did not interrupt.
She continued, words spilling unevenly.
"I trained…"
"I endured…"
"I thought if I became stronger…"
"If I returned…"
"Maybe he would acknowledge me."
A bitter laugh escaped her throat.
"He didn't even wait."
Her hands tightened further.
"Was I… such a threat?"
Kel's voice was steady.
"Yes."
She froze slightly at that.
"What?"
"You are."
Her head shifted faintly.
He felt her breath slow a fraction.
"You are a legitimate heir."
"You carry the name."
"And you have the strength."
He paused.
"He was afraid."
Reina's shoulders trembled again.
"I don't want to cry."
She said it like an apology.
Kel gently placed his fingers beneath her chin.
Carefully lifting her face.
She resisted at first.
Then allowed it.
Her eyes were red.
Wet.
Lashes clumped with tears.
Breathing still uneven.
He looked at her fully.
"You don't look ridiculous."
Her lips parted slightly.
He added quietly—
"You look cute when crying."
For a moment—
She blinked in disbelief.
"What?"
Her voice cracked faintly.
He didn't smile mockingly.
It was sincere.
Her face—flushed, tear-streaked, vulnerable—did not repel him.
It struck him.
In a way he did not fully understand.
Sairen murmured gently.
"You're soft."
Kel ignored her.
Reina let out a small, broken laugh between tears.
"That's not something you say at a time like this."
"Why not?"
Her eyes searched his.
He did not look away.
She inhaled shakily.
"You're strange."
"Probably."
She wiped at her face with the back of her hand.
Then stopped.
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like…"
Her voice faltered.
"Like I'm fragile."
He answered quietly.
"You're not."
A pause.
"But you're allowed to break."
That—
That shattered her composure more than the letter had.
She leaned forward again.
But this time not hiding.
Just resting against him.
Sairen spoke softly within him.
"She needs stability."
"I know."
"And you?"
He did not answer.
Reina's breathing gradually slowed.
Tears lessened.
She spoke faintly after some time.
"I will kill him."
The words were quiet.
Cold.
Kel's fingers brushed lightly against her hair.
"No."
She stiffened.
"What?"
"You won't."
"Why?"
"Because that's not your path."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"You don't think I can?"
"I know you can."
"Then why—"
"Because you deserve more than revenge."
Silence.
The moonlight from the window traced across the floor.
The letter lay still near the bed.
She looked at it.
Then back at him.
"What are we going to do?"
Kel's gaze remained steady.
"We take back what is yours."
Not rage.
Not destruction.
Reclamation.
Her breathing steadied further.
"You said you needed me for tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Was it for this?"
"Yes."
A faint flicker returned to her eyes.
Resolve.
He saw it form.
Piece by piece.
"You should have told me sooner."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you?"
He hesitated.
Sairen whispered quietly.
"Be honest."
Kel looked at Reina.
"Because I wanted you to have one peaceful day."
Her expression softened.
"You're foolish."
"Yes."
A small silence settled between them.
Heavy.
But not suffocating.
She leaned back slightly.
Still close.
But steadier.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not lying."
He nodded once.
And in that quiet room—
Between tears and moonlight—
Something shifted.
Not fragile.
Not broken.
But forged.
The truth had entered.
It hurt.
But it did not destroy.
And as Reina steadied herself against his chest—
Kel understood something he had avoided.
Some wounds could not be shielded away.
They had to be faced.
Together.