Theron could not believe what he was seeing.

Of all the men in the world... why was she standing that close to him?

Aveline, of course, had no awareness of Theron at all. She was far too occupied, far too captivated, by the stranger in front of her, who now regarded her with a faint, curious amusement.

Hamilton shifted restlessly inside her pocket, and she absently patted her side to calm him.

"You’re beautiful," she repeated, as if it were something that simply needed to be said.

If no one else had ever told him, then perhaps she should.

This time, the man’s expression changed.

That faint smile, the one that hadn’t quite reached his eyes to begin with, faded completely. His gaze sharpened, turning colder, more assessing, as though he were looking at someone who had just crossed a line without realizing it.

"You don’t like it?" Aveline asked, tilting her head slightly. "But it’s a compliment."

The audacity.

He could hardly believe it.

Her manner of speaking was not of Greenvale. Her accent, and her ease... she wasn’t from here. And yet she dared to address him so casually. To look at him like this. To touch him. To call him beautiful as though...

As though she had not just mistaken him for a woman, when he was a man.

He drew a breath, about to respond... But Aveline pressed her hand against his chest again.

"One moment, please..."

Her voice faltered.

Something twisted low in her stomach. A dull ache spread through her lower back, unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Her fingers instinctively curled against her abdomen, her expression tightening in confusion.

The maid beside them noticed instantly.

"Milady..." she said gently, urgency threading through her calm tone. "You may want to come with me."

Aveline blinked, pulled out of her daze.

The maid gestured subtly and whispered, "You are bleeding."

Aveline followed her gaze.

And then...

Oh.

Her breath caught seeing the thin line of red tracing down her leg.

Her face flushed instantly, heat rushing up her neck as panic set in. She looked around wildly, searching for something...anything, to cover herself with, but her hands were empty.

Her mind raced. She had to get back to her room.

But that meant walking through the hallway. Past people. All the way down... 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

What was she supposed to do?

From a distance, Theron could not see clearly what was happening, but he could sense the shift, the sudden tension, and the fluster in her movements, and even the maid’s urgency.

His instincts surged.

He almost stepped forward, ready to break his cover... And then he saw him.

That man.

Without hesitation, the stranger slipped off the robe he wore and draped it around Aveline, shielding her completely.

Aveline froze.

For a moment, all she could feel was the warmth settling around her shoulders—the soft weight of fabric, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood.

She felt safe and covered.

She slowly looked up.

The man stood before her now, bare-chested, his long, silken hair falling forward to veil part of him, catching the light like strands of silver.

For a brief, suspended second... Even her embarrassment faltered.

Because somehow... he still looked impossibly composed.

Kael appeared at Theron’s side just then, and at once he saw what was happening. More importantly, he saw the look on Theron’s face.

This is not good.

Theron shot him a glance, and Kael moved immediately.

Of all the men in the world, how had the lady ended up in front of this one?

Kael forced himself to keep his breathing steady as he crossed the distance. By the time he reached them, Aveline was still standing there in a dazed, embarrassed haze, wrapped in the stranger’s robe.

"Lord Vantaris," the man said, a faint smirk touching his lips. "She is with you?" His gaze swept over Kael once, dismissive and faintly amused. "I should not have been surprised."

Kael’s expression hardened as his eyes sharpened on him.

"Lord Sylvarien," he said, keeping his tone carefully even. "I apologize on her behalf. I will take the lady with me."

He reached for Aveline’s arm.

She turned toward him, still flushed and bewildered. "You know this beautiful man?" she asked.

Kael’s eyebrow twitched.

He flicked a glance toward Aelion Sylvarien, and his face tightened further. Of all the things he hated, being judged for his appearance was one of the worst. And being called beautiful in Greenvale, where such features were often regarded as an ill omen, could easily be taken as an insult rather than praise.

He was already bracing for Aelion’s temper. That man had a notoriously short fuse, and no one could predict when he might reach for a dagger.

"Forgive the lady’s insolence, Lord Sylvarien," Kael said, drawing Aveline a little closer in the hope of steering the situation away before it spiraled further. "I will take care of—"

"Get in."

Aelion’s voice cut through his words, smooth and unbothered.

He did not even look at Kael again. His attention remained on Aveline, as though the rest of them had already ceased to matter.

"Use my room to change," he said.

Then he turned and walked away, calm and unhurried, as if he had no intention of lingering long enough to deepen her embarrassment or hear Kael continue.

A servant of his opened the nearby door, and Aveline was quietly ushered inside. The door shut behind her. A maid soon arrived with what she needed, and she changed in silence.

When she finally stepped back out, Aelion was gone.

Only Kael remained.

She looked around once, then at him. Something in her expression softened, not much, but enough to show she was searching for the right words.

She wanted to thank him.

He had glared at her earlier, yes, but he had also helped her when she truly needed it. That much she would not forget.

"He is gone," Kael said. "Are you feeling better? Should I get you anything?"

Only after she had gone into the room had he realized what the emergency had been. He had not expected Aelion Sylvarien to help anyone, let alone a woman he had just met, but perhaps the man had simply been in a merciful mood.

Still, Kael could feel it.

That sharp, burning glare on the back of his neck.

Theron was not pleased.

Not at all.

But what exactly was he supposed to do about that?

"Who is he?" Aveline asked.

Kael looked at her, his eyes turning sharp. "Someone you should keep away. He’s... unstable," he said.

Aveline blinked. "Unstable? How?"

Kael let out a deep breath.