Chapter 33

Work is the only thing that makes sense right now.

Prince Kaine’s shifting moods, Jasper’s advances, the unspoken weight of everything between us, it’s all too much. The only place I feel steady is in motion, buried in logistics, guard rotations, intel.

So I stay in motion.

I go over everything we’ve collected about Lady Chantarelle again, cross-reference estate land records, and push for any detail we missed. I chase the information like a lifeline, trying to uncover something that will shift the investigation forward and distract me from the mess pressing in on all sides.

In training, I don’t slow down. I throw myself into drills with everything I have. My arms ache from the weight of it. My lungs burn. But it’s good. Physical strain leaves less room for anything else.

Robert watches me, but he keeps his distance. His silence is almost worse than his barbs used to be. I can feel the way his eyes follow my movements across the yard. He doesn’t say a word, but his presence drags behind me like a shadow.

It doesn’t matter. He gave up his right to care when he walked away. I’m not here to entertain his guilt.

I’m here to be a good guard. The best I can be.

The Luna training room feels colder than usual, though the fire crackles in the hearth. Only Bianca and I sit at the long table while the instructor lectures on political alliances of the Western Territories. He speaks passionately, but my attention shifts.

Bianca keeps glancing at me. She’s not even trying to be subtle. That same irritating smirk plays at her lips every time I look up.

When the instructor steps out, Bianca turns toward me fully, her voice honeyed. “I saw you with Jasper the other day.”

I don’t answer.

“Funny,” she continues, “I didn’t think he was the type to settle.”

I sigh and look away. “Is there a reason we’re doing this?”

“Oh, don’t be shy.” Her voice stays light, false. “He’s charming, isn’t he? I suppose for someone like you, attention like that must be... rare.”

My hands tighten in my lap. “I’m not looking.”

“That’s surprising.” She leans in slightly. “Because I’ve seen the way you look at Prince Kaine when you think I’m not watching.”

I meet her eyes now, and her smirk only widens.

“You should stay away from my man,” she says, voice still soft, still sweet. “You don’t want to make things harder for yourself.”

I clench my jaw, saying nothing.

Bianca tilts her head. “Honestly, Jasper might be the best you can do. I’m just trying to help you see that.”

“I don’t want anyone,” I snap, quieter than I feel. “I’m focusing on my career. That’s all.”

She raises a brow. “That’s noble of you.”

I turn back toward the front of the room. The instructor’s footsteps echo in the hall just before he returns. Bianca straightens in her seat like she hadn’t just spent the last two minutes twisting a knife.

Later that day, I run into Jasper again near the east stairwell. I consider turning the other way, but it’s too late. He’s already seen me.

“Twice in one week,” he says, flashing a grin. “You’re going to start thinking I’m following you.”

“Only because you are.”

He laughs, falling into step beside me. His tone is different this time, quieter, less polished.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” he says. “Why the guard? Why not something easier? Something safer?”

I glance at him. “You think I’m not built for this?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I think you chose something that demands everything. I just wonder why.”

I pause for a moment before answering. “I wanted to be strong enough that no one could decide my life for me.”

He doesn’t speak right away. When he does, his voice is gentler.

“And did it work?”

“Some days.”

We continue walking. He doesn’t joke this time, doesn’t push.

“What was it like?” he asks. “Growing up with Bianca?”

I tense, but answer carefully. “Quiet, and not always kind.”

He nods slowly. “I think I get that.”

I glance at him, surprised by the softness in his tone.

Then he looks at me fully. “Do you ever think about what it’d be like to have someone who really sees you?”

The question hangs too long in the air.

Nara bristles instantly.

“He’s baiting you.”

I know, I murmur inwardly.

“He wants something. It’s not just attention anymore.”

I force a short laugh. “Is this where you start reciting poetry?”

Jasper smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Would you be impressed if I did?”

“Not even a little.”

He chuckles, easing off again. “You’re hard to read, Ember.”

“That’s the idea.”

He leaves me alone after that, but his words echo longer than they should.

The records room is quiet when I arrive that evening.

Prince Kaine is already at the table, reviewing a stack of inventory sheets. He acknowledges me with a nod, but nothing more. His coldness is back in full force, like a shield between us.

I sit across from him and take up the next set of travel reports. We work in near silence, the only sounds the scratch of our pens and the shifting of paper. My pulse beats steadily behind my ribs, but I don’t let it show.

His presence still pulls at me. Not as sharply now, with the potion dulling the bond, but enough. Enough that I feel him even when he’s quiet.

Eventually, he looks up. His eyes meet mine, unreadable.

“Jasper’s been around a lot lately.”

I keep my tone light. “He talks a lot. I try to ignore most of it.”

There’s a long pause.

His jaw tightens, just slightly.

“You should,” he says.

I nod and lower my gaze back to the parchment, pretending it doesn’t sting more than it should.