Kaelos stood in the hallway, his shoulders stiff, a crumpled piece of paper trembling between his fingers.
The palace buzzed with its usual morning activity—servants shuffling trays, courtiers murmuring—but it all faded into the background.
His attention was fixed on what had just happened, a simple palace girl had tripped near him, scattering a tray of bread across the polished floors.
Before scurrying off, she'd slipped the folded note into his hand like a secret.
He recognised the handwriting instantly.
Athena.
He scanned the corridor. It was empty. Then opened the note with a sharp breath.
Meet me at our special place. Let us talk. — Athena
A hollow ache settled in his chest. His mind pulled back to their last exchange—a day before now, but the words still lingered.
"You'll lie with her, wake with her, and every time you smile in public, they'll think it's for her."
She hadn't shouted. She hadn't begged. But her voice had been raw. Kaelos had said nothing in return—because there had been nothing to say.
And now she was here. Asking for an audience.
He turned toward the garden with a single step—then froze.
"What are you doing standing here?"
Elara's voice broke cleanly through his thoughts.
She stood at the end of the corridor, her arms crossed, her expression firm.
"I'm thinking," Kaelos said tightly.
"And what are you thinking?" Her tone was clipped. "Because your face says more than thinking.
"Not now, Elara." He scoffed. Hoping to end the conversation before it even began.
"Not now?" Her voice rose. "There is never a 'now' with you, Kaelos. No matter how many times we speak, how many I try to get through to you. You're always so distant. You disappear. You sulk. And every time I try to reach you, you vanish further."
Kaelos turned sharply. "Have you ever thought that maybe I'm not good at this? Being this husband you so much desire. I didn't ask for a wife. A marriage that means nothing but unity. I didn't wish for you to be here nor for I to be forever bound with you."
"Kaelos." She began softly. "Your words are hurtful." She said.
"But they are the truth. I did not want any of this." He barked.
"And you think I did?" She fired back at him.
Their words snapped like cold branches.
"Every time you walk through this palace like the world has betrayed you," Elara said. "But I am the one enduring it. I am the one lying awake each night wondering what my husband is doing."
Kaelos turned, his hand clenched around the paper.
"Kaelos I am talking to you, where are you going?" she asked.
"I am stepping out for a moment." He muttered. Trying to escape the moment and the suffocating weight of it all.
"No," Elara said. Her voice was cold and unrelenting. "You will not leave."
Kaelos tilted his head, not expecting that from her.
"I do not need your permission to leave." He said slowly. He was already getting irritated.
"It's the second day of our marriage," Elara said sharply. "And you haven't once slept in our bed. Now you want to go out. At dawn? After everything, you still think you can just walk away."
The words struck him but he masked it well. "Who are you going to see?"
Elara asked.
Kaelos's gaze dropped to the paper in his hand. Elara's eyes narrowed as she spotted it.
But Kaelos didn't answer.
In a swift moment, she stepped forward and tore the note from his hand before he could stop her. Her eyes scanned the words. Her fingers trembled. Her pulse pounded. Her heart sank.
When she looked up, her voice was quiet but resolute.
"Athena," she said. "Is that who you're running to?"
"It's none of your business," Kaelos says frustrated.
"Well, that is where you're wrong. I am your wife, Kaelos. And this is my business now. Whether you like it or not."
Kaelos didn't respond. Guilt flashed on his face but he quickly masked it with defiance.
"You will sleep in our room tonight," Elara said bluntly.
Kaelos gave a dry laugh, faxed by her sudden strength. "And what if I don't Elara? What if I don't want to lie next to you?
Elara held his gaze. "Then you will bring her to our bed," she said. "Let me watch you disgrace us both. At least then I'll know the truth."
He stared at her as if slapped. The fire in her eyes burned into him, leaving marks no one else could see.
This is ridiculous." He said, running a hand through his hair. "Let me ask you something, Elara, what's the worst that could happen if I do not heed your words?"
A flicker of pain passed through Elara's eyes but she did not let it show.
"Would you like to try me, my lord?" She said, locking eyes with him.
"I shall see you Elara." He said walking away.
"You know Ashgi said love would be our ruin. And you are probing her right Kaelos. You would throw away peace and dignity — everything for a woman who would put a strain on this union.
"Enough," Kaelos said. In a fit of rage, he turned around and put his hands over her mouth.
"You would save yourself my wrath by not mentioning the name of that witch in this palace. Do you hear me?"
Elara nodded quickly, her chest heaving with each breath she took.
Finally, he yanked the note from her fingers, crumpling it in his palm.
Without another word, he turned sharply on his heel and walked away—his footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Leaving her standing alone.
_____
The garden pavilion was dimly lit by the fading sun.
Ivy curled along the marble, and the air carried the faintest scent of jasmine.
Athena stood near the fountain, her dark gown shifting like water around her legs. Her arms wrapped around herself as if the cold was more than just a breeze.
She didn't move as Kaelos approached. He walked slowly and his boots barely made a sound against the stone.
"You came," she said smiling.
"I wasn't sure I would."
"You always say that," she replied, "but here you are."
"That doesn't mean it's easy," Kaelos said faintly.
"No," she said, turning fully to face him now. Her gown caught the wind, midnight blue, hugging her like a second skin. "Only that I still matter enough to make you feel torn. Or do I not, My Lord?"
Kaelos looked away, his jaw tight. "You know I care about you."
"Do you?" she stepped forward. "Because it's starting to feel like I'm just the shadow you visit when the lights in your palace burn too bright."
"That's not fair," Kaelos said immediately.
"Fair?" she echoed, her voice rising. "You stood in front of me and promised you'd find a way. That you'd speak to your father, that you'd—" She broke off, swallowing hard. "And then the wedding bells rang. And you haven't even looked for me."
"Athena…"
She held up a hand. "Don't give me your pity. I don't want it."
He took a step toward her. Their eyes met, and for a second, everything fell away—the obligations, the throne, the cold bed waiting for him upstairs.
"I miss you," Athena whispered. "Every night, I wonder if you miss me too. If you think about the way I used to sneak into your chambers. About how you'd say my name like it was a secret."
Kaelos didn't answer. Instead, he stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from her cheeks. She leaned into his touch, her breath trembling.
"Say you still want me." She whispered.
His lips were already descending toward hers before the thought had finished forming in his mind.
Their mouths met, slowly at first, then deeper and familiar. Her hands clutched the front of his tunic, pulling him into her. He didn't resist. He couldn't.
Kaelos pressed her back gently against one of the marble columns, their shadows dancing on the stone. Her fingers moved to the clasps at his collar, undoing them slowly, reverently—as if every inch of skin she uncovered was holy.
His breath caught when she reached his waist, fingers playing with the hem of his trousers.
And then— a loud caw cut through the night.
A black raven swooped down, its wings slicing through the air like a blade. It circled them once before landing atop the garden wall.
It let out a harsh, unnatural sound that felt almost… human.
Its eyes glowed red, its head tilted as if watching.
Kaelos jerked back, his breath gone. For a moment, the garden around him seemed darker. Colder.
And suddenly, Athena's touch felt like chains.
He broke away like he'd been scalded.
"Kaelos?" Athena reached for him. "What's wrong?"
"I can't stay." He gasped.
Athena turned to where his eyes were focused. "It's just a bird." She whispered breathlessly, reaching for him again.
But Kaelos had already stepped back. He looked again at the raven. It didn't fly away. It just stared straight ahead. Watching.
Kaloes backed away further, his breathing hard. Something shifted inside him. Something heavy and cold.
"I have to go." He said. His voice was rough and distant. His gaze did not leave the sight before him.
"Kaelos—" Athena said softly.
He didn't answer, his tunic was still half open.
The raven cawed once more, loud and ragged, before taking off into the dark, vanishing into the trees beyond the wall.
"Forgive me, Athena," Kaelos said. Leaving Athena alone in the shadows.
______
Back in their chambers, Elara sat at the mirror, her hair now loose and falling down her back. She brushed a thin layer of oil down her neck. Her nightgown shimmered like pale moonlight. Her bare shoulders glowed in the candlelight.
Kaelos entered quietly. Still shaken, but trying to mask it.
"You came," she said, catching his eyes in the mirror.
"You didn't give me much of a choice." He muttered.
"There's always a choice, Kaelos."
He didn't answer. She stood slowly and turned to face him.
Kaelos took a deep breath. "I am sorry, for the way I startled you today. I did not mean to. When you mentioned Ashgi I —"
Elara put her hands to his lips. "It is alright. You are forgiven."
Kaelos nodded slowly.
"You didn't lie with her, did you?" Elara finally asked.
"No." He said bluntly.
"Good. Because I won't be made a fool."
Kaelos looked down. "I wasn't going to stay, you know?"
"But you went." She said quickly.
They stood there, neither of them speaking. The silence was heavy, but it wasn't empty.
"I don't care if you hate me Kaelos, I don't care if you love someone else," Elara said softly. "But if we are to endure this marriage in front of others, you will not humiliate me."
"I never planned to." He said, raising a brow.
"Very well then. Sleep here tonight," she whispered. "Start there."
Kaelos undressed in silence. When he lay beside her, they didn't speak. They didn't touch.
They stared at the ceiling, the space between them still tense. But for the first time — for Elara, the bed no longer felt so cold.