Edric felt the realization settle over him like a blade slowly sinking into flesh.

His idiot son had lied to him. Not about something trivial. Not about some reckless whim or harmless secret. But about the single most important detail of all.

The girl Kael had brought into this mansion was not merely some mysterious woman from Aurelmont. She was someone the Crown Prince himself intended to protect.

Jusging by how quick he appeared... she might be someone close to his heart.

Suddenly, everything made sense in the most humiliating way possible.

Even the King had once remarked that Kael would obey no one except the Crown Prince. If Kael had hidden something this carefully, then of course it had been done for Theron’s sake.

And Edric... Edric had walked straight into disaster with his own hands.

But that girl...

His gaze flickered briefly toward the ruined corridor, toward the cracked earth and the lingering traces of power still hanging in the air.

What exactly had Kael brought into his home?

She showed signs of being a shadow-bender, but she had appeared to have earth-bended too. No one... Not one in centuries had the ability to bend more htan one element, not without the help of carved runes. As if her bending elements were surprising, her doing it without a single rune or even a ripple of stress on her...

She was not someone simple. No classification he knew could explain her.

"Your Highness..." Edric lowered his head further, the weight of his mistake pressing heavily against his shoulders.

Theron looked at him without warmth. Without anger, even. Somehow, that made it worse.

"Once again," Theron said calmly, "the Caelvaris family proves itself to be the most capable family in the kingdom."

The words were delivered without emotion, as though he were merely stating a fact. Yet they landed like a public execution.

Edric felt his pride crack under the quiet contempt hidden beneath the praise of another family who had managed to sneak into his unsneakable mansion.

Then Theron’s gaze shifted.

It landed on Kael.

"So quick to protect yourself," he said coldly. "I thought your fealty meant something."

Kael’s breath caught.

The next moment, he dropped to his knees.

In all the chaos, he had nearly forgotten the vow he had made in the forest. The oath of fealty he had offered Aveline after witnessing her power again and again—after deciding that someone capable of such terrifying strength was worthy of allegiance.

But Theron was right.

When danger came, Kael had shielded himself first. The shame of it burned through him instantly.

Theron said nothing more. He turned and began walking away, leaving silence heavy in his wake.

There was no need for further punishment. Not after this. The rebuke had already cut deep enough.

Still, despite everything, one thought lingered foremost in his mind.

Somewhere nearby was a very angry little hare.

And he had the distinct feeling that calming her down would prove far more difficult than killing bounty hunters.

-----

Aveline strode through the mansion with long, furious steps, determined to leave before anyone could stop her.

She did not want to stay here another second.

Back in Aurelmont, she had endured pain she could not even put into words. Then Theron had appeared, and for a few precious days, she had experienced something she had known only once before in her life—care.

Real care.

The kind her mother used to give her.

Food always waiting before she even realized she was hungry. Warm blankets. Quiet comfort. Somehow, whenever she fell asleep, she would wake changed into a soft nightgown, tucked properly into bed as though someone had carefully looked after her while she rested.

With him, she had never needed to ask for anything.

But here... Just one day in this mansion was enough to leave her miserable.

The place was beautiful, yes. Elegant. Peaceful. And unbearably lonely. Deep down, she knew why.

The one person she wanted beside her refused to stay beside her. Because he had a beloved.

The thought twisted painfully inside her chest, and she quickened her pace. She hated this feeling of being pushed aside, lied to, tested, and avoided like she was some burden too troublesome to hold onto.

And yet...

A stubborn part of her still waited for him to come after her.

When he didn’t appear immediately, disappointment began creeping in, ugly and familiar. Maybe he had left again. Like he always did.

But then... she heard footsteps behind her.

Aveline didn’t even need to turn around to know it was him.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Theron asked quietly, even from several steps away.

Aveline pouted instantly.

"I’m fine," she replied flatly. "You don’t need to trouble yourself."

Her voice sounded indifferent, but her heart was pounding absurdly hard... harder than it had during the attack itself.

Behind her, Theron let out a low breath. She was furious.

And somehow, despite everything, the sight of her stomping away like an offended little creature almost made him smile. He watched her pace increase until she was nearly marching down the corridor.

So he walked faster to catch up.

"Did you eat breakfast yet?" he asked.

If she was angry, the first thing he needed to do was feed her. His poor little hare could endure danger, pain, even loneliness, but hunger always made her miserable.

Aveline’s lips trembled.

She was hungry.

No one had offered her breakfast. No one had even checked on her. She hadn’t eaten dinner the night before either, and no one had bothered to wake her.

Only Theron ever noticed things like that. Only Theron cared enough to make sure she ate. With him, she had never missed a meal.

She stopped abruptly and turned toward him.

"Give me some money," she demanded. "I’ll find a job myself and pay you back."

Depending on people was clearly a mistake. She needed to stand on her own feet, take care of herself, stop expecting kindness that would eventually disappear.

Theron slowed as he approached her fully now.

She tried to hide it, but he could see the hurt sitting quietly behind her eyes, and the sight of it unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

Maybe leaving her with others had truly been a mistake.

"I’ll get you something to eat," he said softly.

Aveline snorted in annoyance and turned away again.

It wasn’t as though she planned to steal his money and run. Why was it so difficult for him to simply trust her with a little coin?