The gardens of Ravencroft Castle had always been quiet, but tonight, they seemed almost enchanted. Moonlight spilled like silver paint across the cobblestone path, the cool air tinged with the scent of night jasmine and old secrets. A thousand stars blinked overhead, and somewhere in the distance, the gentle trickle of the fountain murmured lullabies to the night.
Lucien walked in silence, his cloak trailing behind him, his boots crunching softly over gravel. He didn't know why he'd come here—maybe for peace, or maybe because his thoughts had grown too loud to bear within stone walls.
And then he saw him.
Eiran stood by the marble fountain, bathed in moonlight. He wasn't wearing his usual princely attire, but something simpler—dark trousers, a linen shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked startlingly human like this, and somehow even more unreachable.
Lucien stopped, not wanting to break the spell of the moment.
Eiran turned before Lucien could call his name.
"You walk like a ghost," the prince murmured, a small smile touching his lips. "Should I be concerned?"
Lucien offered a smirk in return. "Only if you're afraid of the past."
Eiran's expression flickered—something between curiosity and something gentler. "And are you?"
"Terrified," Lucien said honestly. "But I'm more afraid of the future I left unchallenged."
A quiet settled between them as Lucien approached and stood beside him. The fountain gurgled beside them, the air rich with the perfume of flowers and the tension of unspoken truths.
Lucien exhaled. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Everything I knew about this world came from the story I read, and now… it feels like I've stepped off the pages."
Eiran looked at him, searching his face. "And who are you now, Lucien Ravencroft?"
Lucien smiled sadly. "Someone trying not to be the villain."
Eiran's gaze softened. "You're doing a terrible job at it."
Lucien's brow lifted. "Oh?"
"There's no war," Eiran said. "No betrayal. No bloodshed. And… I can't remember the last time you looked at me like you wanted me dead."
Lucien turned away. "That's because I don't."
Silence. Then Eiran spoke again, his voice lower. "So what do you want when you look at me?"
Lucien didn't answer immediately. He couldn't. There were a thousand things he could say, none of them safe. But his heart ached with all the truths he hadn't yet dared to voice.
"I want you to see me," he finally whispered. "Not the villain. Not the duke. Just… me."
Eiran was quiet for a long time.
"I do see you," he said at last. "And it's confusing as hell."
Lucien laughed softly, the sound tinged with something fragile. "Trust me, I confuse myself too."
There was a pause, and then Eiran said, "Come with me."
Lucien blinked. "Where?"
Eiran didn't answer. He just started walking, barefoot now, his shoes held in one hand. Lucien hesitated, then followed.
They wandered past hedgerows and trellises, through a grove of whispering willow trees, until they reached a clearing at the edge of the estate—a place hidden from both castle and court.
Here, the stars looked closer. The grass was cool beneath their feet, and fireflies danced between the tall reeds.
Eiran sat, folding his legs beneath him. Lucien hesitated, then joined him.
For a while, they said nothing. They simply looked up at the stars.
"I used to come here as a child," Eiran said finally. "Before the wars. Before the weight of crowns and duty. I would lie here for hours and imagine I was someone else."
Lucien turned to him, his voice gentle. "And who did you imagine?"
Eiran chuckled. "Sometimes a bard. Sometimes a pirate. Once, a baker."
Lucien smiled. "A very dangerous baker, no doubt."
"You have no idea," Eiran murmured, and they both laughed.
The laughter faded into quiet, but the silence was easy now—like the first breath after drowning.
Then Eiran's voice dropped, softer than before. "I want to believe you, Lucien. I want to believe this change is real."
Lucien turned to him. "It is. I don't have all the answers, but I know what I feel. And I feel… different when I'm with you."
Eiran's expression was unreadable. "And what do you feel now?"
Lucien looked at him, really looked, and this time, he didn't hold back.
"Hope," he said simply. "Something I didn't think I'd feel again."
Eiran's breath caught, but he didn't pull away.
Lucien reached out, his fingers brushing Eiran's knuckles—tentative, asking.
And Eiran didn't move.
He stayed.
As the fireflies danced around them and the stars held their silent vigil, something shifted—quiet and powerful. Not a declaration. Not yet.
But the beginning of something undeniable.
Something real.
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To be continued...