"Then whom do you intend to marry?" Xarion’s voice rose, sharp with fury. "That woman—the wife of a condemned traitor? The cast-off of the Valehart household?"

Rhaegar narrowed his eyes slightly, though his gaze remained steady.

"She is no traitor’s wife," he said. "Her father’s case was a miscarriage of justice."

"And what of the Valehart family?" his father let out a cold, derisive laugh. "She was the wife of the disgraced Dorian Valehart—that is an undeniable fact."

"Valehart is dead. She now stands a free woman."

Xarion strode forward until he stood directly before his son, towering over him like a looming storm.

"Rhaegar, mark my words well. This marriage alliance is not yours to discard at whim. Do you understand what the Tanmin family represents? Isabella’s aunt is none other than the reigning Empress. To break this engagement is to shame the Tanmin house, to slight the Empress herself—to strike, in effect, at the dignity of the Emperor!"

Rhaegar did not answer.

"If you desire that woman," Xarion continued, his voice turning cold as honed steel, "then take her. Marry Isabella as agreed, and keep the other hidden away as a mistress—no one will interfere. But if you would cast aside this alliance for her sake, then you grind the honor of our house into the dust!"

At last, Rhaegar raised his head.

His voice fell, measured and resolute—each word spoken as though carved in stone.

"Your son will wed her. Properly. With full rites and honor—borne in a grand procession, through the gates of our house, as my rightful wife."

"Good... good!" Xarion staggered a step back, overcome with anger, a cough tearing from his chest. "Then hear me well—NEVER. Such a thing will never come to pass. Unless..."

He paused, his expression hardening. "Unless you cast yourself out of this house as well."

Rhaegar looked at him head-on.

He said nothing.

Then, slowly, he rose to his feet and turned away.

"Stop!"

Rhaegar did not halt.

"If you dare take another step beyond that door, do not ever return!"

For the briefest moment, his steps faltered.

He stood at the threshold, his back to his father.

"Father," he said calmly, "since the day I was born, I have lived for king and country, for duty and for family. Now... I would claim once in my life to live for myself."

And with that, he walked out.

Behind him, a teacup struck the doorframe with violent force, shattering into fragments that scattered across the floor.

***

News travels swifter than the wind.

By the next dawn, word of Rhaegar’s intent to dissolve his betrothal had swept through the capital like wildfire. In its wake came whispers—then rumors—then venomous tales about Caelith, each more elaborate than the last, as though those who spoke had witnessed it all with their own eyes.

"They say that Caelith is a seductress—a fox spirit in human guise—who has ensnared Lord Rhaegar utterly and without remorse."

"Of course. Why else would the Valehart family cast her aside? Surely she took another lover. No man will take a mistress if he’s happy with his wife."

"I’ve heard she lives in that old estate in the southern quarter, dressing herself in gaudy finery every day—just to lure men in and take advantage of them..."

On her way to the atelier, Caelith was struck by a bundle of rotting vegetable leaves hurled from the roadside.

She tried to evade it but it was too late.

The soggy leaves hit her shoulder, foul juice splattering across her cheek.

"Shameless woman!"

She did not even pause to wipe it away. Step by step, she continued forward.

Behind her, laughter erupted—sharp, mocking, merciless.

She did not turn back.

***

Within the Ostenton Brocade Atelier, beneath the shaded corridor, several embroiderers were speaking in hushed tones. The moment they saw her enter, their voices died at once. Their eyes followed her in silence, thinly veiled disdain flickering in their gaze.

Caelith passed by them without so much as a glance.

She opened the door to her chamber, sat before her embroidery frame, and took up her needle and thread.

Her hands trembled. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She drew in a slow breath, forcing herself to steady them.

One stitch. Two. Three.

A mistake.

She unraveled it and began again.

Another error.

She stared at the tangled threads before her, and for the briefest moment, a sting rose behind her eyes.

"Lady Caelith."

A voice came softly from the doorway.

She looked up.

There stood Lucas, bearing a plate of delicate pastries in his hands.

"Did you meet with trouble on your way here?" he asked, his voice calm and even, as though speaking of nothing of importance.

Caelith said nothing.

Lucas stepped inside, unhurried, and set the plate of pastries gently upon the table, the faint aroma of sweetness drifting into the quiet room.

"From this day forward, when your work is done, I shall escort you home."

"There is no need..."

"I will see you home." His words cut across hers—not harshly, yet with a firmness rarely seen in him. "The tongues of others, I cannot silence. But at the very least, I can spare you some measure of suffering."

Caelith looked at him, her lips trembling.

And in that fleeting moment, something stirred within her chest—an ache, soft and unbidden, like the first tremor of rain against still water.

"Lord Lucas," she said, calling his name at last.

"Mm?"

"You... need not be so kind to me."

He met her gaze. For a few heartbeats, he did not speak.

The sunlight, slanting through the lattice window, fell between them—quiet, golden, and still—as though even time itself had chosen to linger, waiting upon his answer.

"You once saved my father," he said quietly. "If I show kindness to the one who preserved his life, what fault is there in that?"

Having spoken thus, Lucas did not linger. He turned and made to leave without another word.

At the threshold, he paused.

He did not turn back.

"Lady Caelith," he said, his voice low yet steady, "pay no heed to the words of those people. I know well—you are not as they claim."

The door closed softly behind him, the sound lingering in the stillness like the final note of a fading chord.