"You are here again?" Maria's voice came out sharper than she intended. Not loud. Just… tight.
Drexo smiled, like her tone didn't reach him at all. "I told you," he said, leaning back slightly where he sat, "this is my mountain."
Maria forced a smile. It didn't stay long. "My bad," she said, her voice lighter now, almost careless. "I should have listened the first time."
She turned immediately. Too quickly. Her arms spread out as she moved, sudden and forceful, and the doves scattered at once, wings beating into the air in a flurry of white.
"I have to leave." She didn't wait. Didn't look back. I just started walking..One step. Then another. "I love you, Maria."
Her body stopped. Not gradually, but completely. The words hit her spine like cold water. A shiver ran through her before she could stop it.
Slowly, she turned. Her voice, when it came, was softer. Careful. "You got engaged last night," she said. "You should be saying that to Friya, not me."
Drexo stood now. There was no smile on his face anymore. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I got engaged to her."
A small pause. "But you are the one I want." Another step closer. "I don't love her." Maria's fingers curled slightly at her sides. Her legs felt unsteady.
She didn't like it. Didn't like what his words were doing to her. She turned sharply again, like the movement could shake it off. "If you don't love her," she said, her tone firmer now, "why did you get engaged to her?"
Drexo exhaled. Long. Heavy. "Because I didn't have a choice."
Maria didn't turn back. Not yet. "My father forced me," he continued. "He threatened to execute my aunt, Havana Snidder, if I refused."
That made her pause. Not physically. But something inside her still remained.
She turned this time. Slowly. Her eyes searched his face. And she saw it.
Not pride. Not defiance.
Pain. Real. Unhidden. For a brief moment, something softened in her. A dangerous softness. She almost stepped closer.
Almost. But she stopped herself. Her hands clenched. "That is none of my business," she said, her voice steadier now. "I am engaged to Robert. You are engaged to Friya. We have no reason to talk about love."
She turned again. This time, determined to leave. But she didn't get far.
Drexo moved quickly, closing the distance between them in a few strides. His hand caught hers.
Firm, and warm. She jerked instinctively, trying to pull away. "Let go of me." He didn't. "I know you feel it," he said. "The same way I do."
Maria struggled again, but his grip held. "You can't be so sure," she snapped. "That night was a mistake. I wasn't in my right mind."
Drexo stepped closer. Too close. His other hand found her waist, turning her toward him before she could resist. "Look at me," he said.
She didn't want to. But she did. "Look into my eyes and tell me that," he pressed. "Tell me you feel nothing for me, and I will never come near you again."
The words hung between them. Heavy, and waiting.
Maria stared at him. Her heart began to pound. The words formed inside her.
Clear, and simple.
"I do not love you." She could hear them in her mind. She just needed to say them. But when her lips parted, nothing came out. His eyes held hers.
Steady, and unmoving. And something inside her faltered. Her breath hitched. Her body reacted before her thoughts could catch up.
She felt it. That pull again. Stronger now, and closer. Her gaze dropped briefly.
To his lips. And that was enough. Everything she had tried to hold together slipped.
Drexo saw it. That hesitation. That crack.."Tell me I am alone in this," he said quietly.
Maria tried again. She really did. Her lips parted, but the words refused to come.
Instead, her hands moved. She grabbed him. Pulled him closer. And kissed him. It wasn't gentle.
It wasn't careful..It was everything she had been holding back.
Drexo responded instantly, like he had been waiting for it. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer, leaving no space between them.
The air shifted..Everything else faded. The mountain. The sky. The world below were all gone. There was only this moment.
At some point, Maria pulled back slightly. Just enough to look at him. Her breath was uneven. Her eyes were searching.
"This.. whatever this is," she said softly, "it is wrong." Her voice trembled slightly. "It goes against everything."
She paused and gazed into her eyes.
"It could destroy us." Drexo didn't answer immediately. He just looked at her..Then his hand rose, brushing lightly against her face.
"If being with you destroys me," he said quietly, "then so be it." Something in her expression broke again..She didn't argue. Didn't resist.
She pulled him back.
And they lost themselves again in that closeness, in that reckless, dangerous feeling neither of them wanted to name anymore.
Time blurred. Until, a sound. Faint at first. Then clearer.
Footsteps.
Maria froze. Her body went rigid. Her hands pressed against Drexo's chest. "Stop," she whispered urgently. "Stop."
He didn't hear her. He didn't feel it. Still caught in the moment. Her voice rose slightly, sharper now.
"Drexo, stop!"
Then, a voice. Not far. Calling.
"Drexo!"
Maria's heart slammed against her ribs. "I was told I would find him here, where could he be?"
Friya.
Maria's eyes widened. She pushed against Drexo harder this time, breaking free from him completely. "Friya is here," she said, her voice low but urgent. "She's coming this way."
Drexo blinked. Reality crashed back in all at once. "What?" His body tensed instantly.
All the warmth, the haze was gone..Replaced by something colder. Sharper.
He knew what this meant. If Friya saw them. Not just anger. Not just heartbreak. It would go beyond that.
And the King. The King did not forgive. Not even his own blood.