I didn't go straight back to my chambers. Instead, I walked to the small balcony off the main corridor, the one that looked out over the moonlit gardens. The night air was cold, but I barely felt it. My mind was on fire, the story Thomas had told me replaying over and over. Julian. The duel. The cold, calculated revenge. It wasn't just a story. It was a blueprint. A map of Darius's soul.
I heard his footsteps before I saw him. They were soft, deliberate, the sound of a man who was always in control of his surroundings. He stopped a few feet behind me, his presence a heavy weight in the darkness.
"It's late," he said, his voice a low, quiet rumble. "You should be in bed."
"I could say the same for you," I replied, not turning around. "Don't you have a kingdom to run?"
"I do," he said. "And a husband to manage."
I finally turned to face him. He was standing in the shadows, his face partially obscured, but I could see the intensity in his eyes. He wasn't angry. He was... curious.
