After Sebastian and Aliena had finished dinner, Sebastian sent for a guard to escort her back to her family's quarters. Aliena thanked him once more, but as expected, he ignored her.
She couldn't help wondering why he had been kind enough to let her go without completing her servitude. He was truly strange, one moment, his eyes flickered with emotion, and the next, they were void of anything at all.
The guard escorted her to the wing her family occupied and left her there. Aliena hesitated before entering, dread settling in her chest. She was genuinely afraid of what they might do to her.
"Aliena?" her father called out, approaching from the opposite end of the corridor when he spotted her.
"Father!" Aliena beamed with joy as she rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"How?" he asked, pulling back slightly. "I thought you were meant to be with the Prince." His eyes swept over her, scrutinizing the maid's uniform she still wore.
"He forgave me, Father," she said softly.
"Oh…" Her father looked uncertain, clearly unsure of how to react. He knew the Prince hardly ever forgave anyone.
"Yes, Father."
He nodded slowly, then led her into the room where her stepfamily was gathered. The moment Aliena stepped inside beside him, every pair of eyes turned toward her.
They stared, confused, stunned, and suspicious, each of them wearing puzzled expressions as they tried to understand how she had returned so soon.
Aliena took a steady breath before speaking. "The Prince forgave me," she said calmly, her eyes flicking briefly toward her stepmother and stepsisters.
A moment of stunned silence followed then, almost instantly, her stepfamily's expressions shifted. Smiles appeared as though summoned by force, their voices suddenly warm and welcoming, but only because her father stood beside her.
"How wonderful," her stepmother said sweetly, though her eyes betrayed none of the kindness in her tone.
"Yes, welcome back," Helena and Lydia added, forcing a smile.
Aliena recognized the pretense immediately. If her father hadn't been present, their reactions would have been very different.
Only Hermia stepped forward without hesitation. She smiled brightly and pulled Aliena into a gentle embrace. "I'm really glad you're back," she said sincerely.
The warmth in Hermia's voice eased something tight in Aliena's chest. She returned the smile, grateful beyond words.
After a while, Hermia offered to show her to her room. "I've already put your things in order," she said as they walked down the corridor together.
Aliena's room was neat and simple, yet comforting. Her belongings had been carefully arranged, just as Hermia promised. "Thank you," Aliena said softly. "You didn't have to do all this."
Hermia shrugged lightly. "I wanted to."
Not long after Hermia left, there was a soft knock at the door. Before Aliena could answer, the door opened and her handmaid, Dinna, stepped inside.
"Lady Aliena!" Dinna exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad you're back."
Aliena smiled, relief washing over her. "It's good to see you too."
They chatted for a while, exchanging quiet laughter and small stories, until the weight of the day finally caught up with her. Aliena washed up and changed out of her maid's uniform, slipping into something more elegant and comfortable.
As she looked at her reflection, she felt different, lighter somehow. Though she still had her doubts on a few things, for the first time in a long while, she felt like herself again.
Restlessness soon crept over Aliena, making it impossible for her to stay in her room. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped into the corridor and began to wander the palace halls. The hour was late, and the palace felt different, quieter, dimly lit by flickering torches that cast long shadows along the walls.
She walked aimlessly, her footsteps soft against the polished floor, taking in the familiar yet distant surroundings. It was then that she saw him.
Sebastian was approaching from the opposite end of the corridor, his presence unmistakable even from afar. He walked with his usual composed stride, dark cloak trailing behind him, his expression unreadable. Aliena's heart stuttered.
Instinctively, she slowed, unsure whether to bow, speak, or simply move aside. Her gaze met his, just briefly and for a fleeting moment, she thought he had seen her.
But he didn't stop.
Sebastian passed her as though she wasn't there, his eyes fixed ahead, his face void of recognition. Not a word. Not a glance. Nothing.
Aliena remained where she stood long after he had gone, the echo of his footsteps fading into the distance. She pressed her lips together, unsure why the quiet dismissal stung more than she expected.
Perhaps that was all she was to him after all, someone easily forgotten once she had served her purpose.
Sebastian did not slow his pace as he passed her. He kept his eyes forward, his expression carved from stone, even as he felt her presence like a pull at his senses.
He knew it was her.
He had known the instant she stepped into the corridor.
Every instinct urged him to stop, to acknowledge her, to say something, anything. But he didn't. He couldn't. The moment he allowed himself even the smallest indulgence, the walls he had built would begin to crack.
You are a Prince, he reminded himself sharply. Not a savior.
Yet the thought rang hollow.
Her scent lingered faintly in the air as he walked past, and with it came an unwelcome tightening in his chest. He clenched his jaw, irritated at himself more than anything else. Caring was a weakness. He had learned that lesson long ago.
"You ignored her," a familiar voice murmured from the shadows ahead.
Sebastian halted. "You enjoy stating the obvious, Miles."
Miles stepped forward, his dark cloak melting away from the shadows as though he had always been part of them. His sharp eyes flicked briefly in the direction Aliena had gone before returning to Sebastian.
"You saw her," Miles continued. "And yet you chose to walk past."
Sebastian's lips curled slightly. "That was the point."
Miles studied him for a moment. "And did it work?"
Silence stretched between them.
Sebastian exhaled slowly. "She makes it difficult," he admitted, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them. "I have no reason to concern myself with her, yet she lingers in my thoughts like an unfinished sentence."
Miles raised an eyebrow. "That's new."
Sebastian shot him a warning glance. "Say what you will, but I will not allow myself to become reckless."
Miles nodded thoughtfully. "And yet you spared her. Freed her. Watched her closely enough to notice when she wanders the palace at night."
Sebastian said nothing.
"She reminds you of yourself," Miles said quietly.
Sebastian's eyes darkened. "Do not presume—"
"She does," Miles pressed. "Alone. Unprotected. Enduring cruelty in silence. You survived it by becoming stronger. Perhaps part of you wants the same for her."
For a moment, Sebastian's mask slipped. Something sharp and unreadable flickered in his eyes before vanishing just as quickly.
"I will not involve her in my world," he said coldly. "Especially not with what is coming."
Miles inclined his head slightly. "As you wish."
He stepped back, already blending into the shadows once more. "But be careful, Sebastian. The things we deny ourselves often become the most dangerous."
And with that, Miles disappeared completely, leaving Sebastian alone in the corridor, standing still, haunted by the quiet echo of a girl he had pretended not to see.
Aliena forced herself to keep walking, even after Sebastian had passed her. She told herself it didn't matter, that she shouldn't care but the quiet of the corridor seemed heavier now, pressing in on her from all sides.
She turned down another hallway, slower this time. The torches flickered softly, their light stretching and shrinking along the stone walls.
That was when the feeling came.
She wasn't alone.
The sensation crept over her skin, raising the fine hairs along her arms. It wasn't fear, not exactly, but an awareness, sharp and unmistakable, as though unseen eyes followed her every step.
Aliena glanced over her shoulder. The corridor was empty.
Still, the feeling remained.
Her fingers instinctively brushed the red pendant at her neck. For a brief moment, warmth spread through it, faint but comforting. She frowned slightly, unsure if she had imagined it.
"Hello?" she called softly, her voice echoing back at her.
No answer.
She continued walking, her steps quicker now, heart thudding gently against her ribs. The palace suddenly felt vast, too vast and every shadow seemed deeper than before.
Though she couldn't see anyone, Aliena couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
And somewhere within the darkness, unseen and silent, something, or someone had already noticed her long before she sensed them.
The feeling intensified with every step Aliena took, pressing against her senses until it became impossible to ignore. Her heart raced now, her earlier calm dissolving into unease.
She turned another corner, and suddenly, the torches went out.
Darkness swallowed the corridor whole.
Before she could react, a hand clamped over her mouth, silencing her gasp. Another arm wrapped tightly around her waist, lifting her clean off the ground.
Aliena struggled instinctively, kicking and clawing, but the grip was iron-strong. Cold air rushed past her as she was pulled backward into the shadows.
"Mmm—!" she tried to scream, but the sound was smothered.
Her necklace burned hot against her skin. A sharp pulse of warmth surged through the red pendant, and for a split second, a faint golden glow flickered in her eyes.
"Quickly," a low voice hissed. "Before anyone notices."
Another presence joined the first. Dark figures moved with practiced precision, their forms blending seamlessly into the shadows as if the palace itself concealed them.
Aliena felt a sudden dizziness wash over her, an unnatural heaviness dragging at her limbs. Her vision blurred.
Sebastian—
The thought barely formed before the world tilted violently.
The last thing she felt was the cold stone beneath her fingers slipping away… and then everything went black. She was abducted without anyone knowing.