Oh God… I can't believe he actually got to me.
I scolded myself inwardly, heat rising to my face.
Dylan leaned back as if nothing had happened.
"Eat up," he said casually before walking back to his seat.
I stared at his retreating figure.
His back looked rigid and masculine, every movement calm and controlled. No wonder he carried himself like a king. I couldn't help but envy that kind of confidence.
He sat down gracefully, picked up his cup, and took a slow sip.
"You should eat more," he said. "You might actually end up dead this time around."
"That's what I signed up for the moment I decided to come with you," I replied, stuffing a mouthful of food into my mouth.
After breakfast, Dylan took me on a stroll around the village.
This part of the world was truly fascinating. If only Jane were here too… and if there wasn't a demon invasion threatening everyone's lives.
The village market was alive with laughter, bargaining voices, and the rich scent of roasted corn drifting through the warm morning air. Villagers moved about in colorful fabrics, their footsteps stirring dust along the narrow paths.
"Buy your pendant! Buy your pendant!"
A middle-aged woman called out loudly from the corner of the street.
I slowed, my eyes landing on the little stall she stood behind.
It was filled with necklaces, charms, and tiny trinkets, each one hanging neatly on wooden racks. I found myself staring at a collection of sachet charms.
"Do you want one?" Dylan asked from behind me.
"Nope. I'll pass," I said, walking away with him following after me.
We passed a flower shop, then a shoe stall, and a spice merchant—
Then I stopped.
Something had caught my eye.
A small wooden stall sat tucked between a spice seller and a woman selling woven baskets, almost hidden in the crowd. Hanging from it were delicate necklaces that glimmered faintly under the morning sun.
But one in particular made my breath hitch.
It was a pendant shaped like two crescent moons facing each other, joined at the center by a tiny crystal stone.
I reached toward it almost unconsciously.
"This one is beautiful," I murmured.
Dylan stepped beside me, his gaze falling on the old pendant I was reaching for.
"Do you want the pendant, miss?" the woman asked with a knowing smile.
"Can I see that one over there?" I asked, pointing to the necklace hanging from the rack.
She carefully took it down and placed it in my hand.
"You really have an eye, miss," she said warmly.
Dylan scoffed.
"Who would want to buy such an old pendant?" he mocked.
To my surprise, the woman didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled.
"That is not just an old pendant," she said. "That necklace was never made for those who only admire beauty."
Her eyes gleamed.
"It was made for those brave enough to love."
I blinked.
"What do you mean?"
The woman's gaze drifted past me and then briefly settled on Dylan, as though she were seeing something beyond the present.
Then she began.
"Long before your time," the old woman said, "when the lands were still divided by blood and pride, there were two kingdoms—Aureth and Velmora."
"At first, they were one people. One land. One throne. But greed split brothers apart, and what was once a single kingdom became two bitter enemies. A river marked the boundary between them, and for generations, no one crossed it without hatred in their hearts."
"The people of Aureth wore gold and believed themselves children of the sun. The people of Velmora wore silver and swore loyalty to the moon. They traded insults, then weapons, then graves."
My fingers tightened around the pendant.
The woman continued.
"Then came Prince Caelan of Aureth… and Lady Seris of Velmora."
"They met where the river curved into the forest—by accident at first. He was hunting. She was gathering moon lilies. They should have walked away. They should have remembered their fathers' war."
"But some hearts do not ask permission before they choose."
"They met again. And again."
"Soon, the prince of the sun kingdom and the daughter of the moon kingdom were in love."
I glanced at Dylan. I couldn't tell if he believed the story. Then again, he was far older than the woman herself.
The old woman's voice softened.
"They hid their love beneath the trees, beneath starlight, beneath prayers they knew their people would never answer kindly. But war does not sleep forever. Their secret was discovered."
"Her family called her cursed."
"His people called him weak."
"They were forbidden from seeing each other. Guards watched the river. The kingdoms sharpened their swords, each blaming the other for the shame."
I swallowed.
"So what happened?" I asked softly.
The woman smiled, but there was sadness in it.
"On the night before war broke out, Seris came to Caelan with a gift."
"She wore a silver chain around her neck, and on it hung a pendant crafted by the oldest jeweler in Velmora—a pendant of two half-moons joined as one."
"She removed it and placed it in his hand."
Then the old woman lowered her voice, as though reciting words too old to die.
"If they divide our lands, let them.
If they divide our names, let them.
But let no hand in this world divide what the gods themselves have joined."
A strange chill ran down my spine.
"She broke the pendant into two pieces," the woman continued. "One half she kept. The other she gave to him."
"And that night… instead of choosing war…"
"She chose him."
My breath caught.
"They fled?" I whispered.
The woman nodded.
"They crossed the river together under moonlight, leaving behind crowns, titles, and every chain that was not love."
"Some say they disappeared into the northern valleys and built a quiet life where no banners flew."
"Some say the kingdoms, ashamed that two children had shown them more courage than their armies, finally ended the war years later."
"But what survived, even after the kingdoms faded into dust, was the necklace."
She touched the pendant in my hand.
"Since then, it has been said that when a woman wears the Lovers' Pendant, she does not simply wear silver."
"She wears a promise."
"A promise that true love—no matter how delayed, how forbidden, or how lost—will find the courage to cross every border meant to keep it away."
Silence settled between us.
The sounds of the market suddenly felt far away.
I stared at the pendant in my palm as though it had grown warm.
When I looked up, Dylan was watching me—his expression unreadable, though the faintest smile tugged at his lips, like he was amused by how quickly I had fallen for the story.
I turned to him, lifting the pendant.
"Can I have it?" I asked sweetly.
"No."
My jaw dropped.
"But you wanted to get me something a while ago!" I complained.
"The story isn't true," he said flatly. "And who said I'd buy a pendant for you to give to your future lover?"
My heart did a strange little flip.
Before I could respond, he turned and started walking away.
I stood there for a second, stunned.
Then I gave the woman an awkward smile, silently apologizing dropping the piece of pendant before hurrying after the unreasonable man who had already walked a good distance ahead.