Aveline did not move. Kael’s words still hung in the air, sharp and unyielding.

Someone you should keep away.

She frowned slightly, her fingers tightening around the edge of the robe that she was holding in her arms. It carried that faint sandalwood scent that was warm and unfamiliar... lingering. She could have left it in his room, but that didn’t seem... appropriate. She thought having it would give her a chance to thank him properly.

"He didn’t seem dangerous," she said.

No one who looked that beautiful would be dangerous. Evil had a way of doing something to the appearance of the ones with corrupted hearts and souls, and it spilled over.

That person... was not evil.

But... dangerous? Could he be? He helped her, though, without even asking.

That was when Kael laughed. His laugh was not loud or even full. It was just a quiet, humorless breath that didn’t reach his eyes.

"That is precisely the problem."

Aveline blinked.

Before she could ask what he meant, measured and unhurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Kael went still.

Aveline turned... And there he was again.

Aelion Sylvarien.

He had changed.

The loose robe was replaced with something paler, more structured, the fabric falling cleanly along his frame as though it had been tailored to the very idea of him. The softness from before was gone. That silver embroidered coat added a dangerous edge to him.

What remained was... sharper, colder, and deliberate.

His gaze swept past Kael as though he did not exist.

It landed on Aveline.

And stayed there.

Aveline felt something shift in the air, subtle but unmistakable. Not quite pressure. Not quite danger. But something made her spine straighten without understanding why.

"You left before I could thank you," she said, before she could stop herself.

Kael closed his eyes.

Aelion tilted his head slightly, studying her as though she had just said something mildly interesting. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I did," he replied.

His voice was softer now. Quieter. He didn’t sound kind. Just... controlled.

Aveline hesitated, then gathered the robe a little closer around herself.

"You didn’t take this back," she added, holding the edge of it up slightly, as if that explained why she was still standing here talking to him.

There was a pause.

"Keep it."

Aelion’s deep voice carried an easy charm.

Kael’s eyes snapped open.

Aveline blinked. "What?"

"I said," Aelion repeated, his gaze never leaving hers, "keep it."

There was no emphasis. No insistence. And yet, it did not sound like something that could be refused.

Kael stepped forward at once. "Lord Sylvarien, that is unnecessary. We will return it—"

"Will you?" Aelion asked mildly.

The question cut through him. He was not loud; he didn’t sound aggressive, but it landed.

Kael’s jaw tightened.

Aveline, meanwhile, looked between them, her confusion deepening. "It’s just a robe," she said. "Why are you both acting like—"

"Because it is not," Kael said sharply.

The words slipped out before he could stop them. Aveline turned to him, startled. Kael exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face.

"...It is not something given lightly," he corrected, more carefully this time.

Aveline looked down at the robe again. What was that about a robe? It didn’t even look that expensive.

She then looked back at Aelion.

"You’re making this unnecessarily complicated," she said, frowning slightly. "You helped me. I’ll return the favor one day. That’s all."

There was silence all around. Kael was stunned. Why was she giving out promises like they meant nothing?

Aelion stared at her. And for the first time, truly looked at her, as though weighing something.

"...Return the favor?" he repeated.

Aveline nodded, completely serious.

"Yes."

A beat passed.

Then... Aelion smiled.

The smile wasn’t the warm kind that reached the eyes. He wasn’t even amused. His smile made something in Kael’s chest tighten. Aveline watched them both and she still didn’t understand why the situation was even tense.

"Careful," Aelion said softly.

Aveline tilted her head. "About what?"

His gaze held hers. "Debts," he said, "have a way of binding people... in ways they do not expect."

Aveline opened her mouth. IT WAS JUST A ROBE!!! But before she said anything...

"Aveline."

The voice came from behind them, low, controlled, and far more dangerous than anything said so far.

Kael froze.

Aveline’s breath caught.

She turned slowly.

Theron stood at the far end of the corridor, his gaze fixed on her without a single flicker of hesitation.

Then, slowly, almost deliberately, his eyes lowered to the robe in her hand.

"Return Lord Sylvarien’s robe, Aveline," he said, already walking toward her. "Does it seem too warm to part with?"

Aveline pouted.

He had disappeared for an entire day, left her to fend for herself, and now he came back only to make a scene over a robe?

It was not as though she had asked for it.

And what was so important about this robe anyway, that everyone was acting so strangely over it?

She opened her mouth to argue, but before she could speak, Aelion’s voice cut in.

"Is it not the Pride of Greenvale?" he asked, his tone sharpening into something faintly mocking. "What are you doing here when there is a feast in your honor at the Royal Palace?"

Kael stiffened.

For one brief, dangerous moment, it felt as though the truth might slip out. The truth of Theron’s identity as the crown prince. One careless word, and the entire thing could unravel. Kael gave a quick glance at Theron and he looked like he would burn the place if it was not settled quickly. And he knew how Aveline could be infuriating.

To dissipate the tension, he should be the one to act first. So Kael reacted before thought could catch up.

He snatched the robe from Aveline’s hand and pressed it into Aelion’s with a rushed apology, then grabbed Aveline by the wrist and tried to pull her away.

Aveline stumbled, completely bewildered, still looking over at Theron as though she had not even registered Kael’s grip on her arm.

Kael had barely managed two steps when Aelion moved.

With a sharp motion, he flung the robe back over Aveline’s head, reached out, and seized her other wrist.

Aveline froze.

And just like that, she was trapped between them.

Kael pulling one way.

Aelion pulling the other.

Her arms stretched awkwardly between their grips as she looked from one man to the other, more confused by the second than the first.

And Theron...

For some reason she couldn’t comprehend, Theron was glaring at her.

What is wrong with these men?