The corridor felt longer than it should have.
Each step away from Darius's study was a step back into a space I had thought was mine, but which now felt borrowed. The air was cooler out here, less charged, but the weight of his final look followed me, a silent, heavy cloak.
I don't want to see you entertaining his attention.
The words echoed, not with anger, but with a chilling finality. It wasn't a request. It was a line drawn in the sand, a declaration of territory that was less about Richard Halverin and more about me. About us. Or whatever this fragile, dangerous thing between us was becoming.
I reached my chambers and pushed the door open, expecting the familiar comfort of solitude. Instead, I found Evelyne standing by the window, her back to me, examining the moonlight on the eastern gardens. She hadn't been announced. She was simply... there.
