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The first light of dawn crept through the tall glass windows of the Gremory estate, painting the garden in pale gold. Dew clung to every petal, and the faint rustle of leaves drifted in from the open balcony.
Rias stirred beneath the sheets, blinking against the soft glow. Her crimson hair spilled across the pillow like silk, warm against the contrast of Kaelthar's arm loosely draped around her waist. For a while, she didn't move. She simply listened—to his breathing, steady and unhurried, to the faint rhythm of his heartbeat against her back.
It was strange, she thought, how peaceful everything felt. No contracts, no expectations, no future to chase—just the two of them and the quiet morning.
She turned slightly, her voice low. "You're awake, aren't you?"
Kaelthar smiled without opening his eyes. "You always ask that after you've already caught me thinking."
Rias grinned and lightly tapped his chest. "I can feel your heartbeat. You think too loud."
He opened his eyes then, those molten-gold irises catching the morning light. "And what do you think I'm thinking about?"
"Judging by that smile," she teased, "probably yourself."
He chuckled, the sound quiet but deep. "Maybe. Or maybe I was thinking how radiant you look in the morning."
Rias groaned, hiding her face in the pillow. "You're impossible."
"I've been called worse," he said, his fingers brushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "But you're not denying it."
She peeked up at him, cheeks faintly red. "You make it very hard to argue with you."
"Good," he murmured, leaning closer. "I like winning."
Their eyes met for a long moment. No words—just warmth, breath, and something deeper that didn't need to be spoken. The world outside could have burned, and neither would have noticed.
Finally, Rias sat up, drawing the sheet around her shoulders. The sunlight caught her hair like a halo. "If my brother senses the energy from last night, he's going to lecture me for a week."
Kaelthar smirked, stretching lazily. "He'll survive. You're an adult, Rias. You make your own choices."
"That's not the point," she said, though her tone softened. "He's protective, even if he hides it behind that smug smile."
Kaelthar tilted his head. "And your parents?"
Rias hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Mother will tease me to death. Father…" She exhaled. "He'll pretend not to know. But he'll know."
Kaelthar leaned forward, his hand brushing the back of her neck. "Let him. I'm not hiding what I feel for you."
Her lips parted slightly, caught off guard by the honesty in his tone. "You say it like it's so simple."
"It is," he said quietly. "The world's complicated enough. Feelings shouldn't be."
Rias looked at him for a long time before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his lips—brief but real, the kind that said more than words could.
Then she rose, pulling on a silk robe and tying it loosely around her waist. "You should get dressed before someone walks in."
Kaelthar smirked. "Afraid your parents will think I corrupted their daughter?"
"Kaelthar," she warned, trying to suppress a smile.
He stood and moved beside her, his presence filling the room without effort. "Rias," he said softly, "for what it's worth… I don't regret a thing."
Her heart skipped at the weight in his voice. She reached out, brushing his fingers once before turning away. "Neither do I."
Down the hall, the morning air was filled with the aroma of tea and parchment. Venelana sat in the sunroom beside the open window, dressed elegantly as ever, her poise unshaken even in private. She looked up as Zeoticus entered, a cup in his hand and a thoughtful expression shadowing his face.
"You're up early," she said lightly. "Couldn't sleep?"
Zeoticus sighed, setting his cup down on the small table between them. "You could say that. Something felt… off last night."
Venelana raised an eyebrow. "Off? Or simply different?"
He gave her a long look. "You felt it too."
"Of course," she said, her tone soft but knowing. "The mansion's wards trembled for a heartbeat. I thought for a moment a spell had been cast."
Zeoticus folded his arms. "It wasn't a spell. It was Kaelthar's energy. Even suppressed, it leaked through the air like a wave."
Venelana's smile deepened, her eyes half-lidded. "And yet, you're still trying to understand it."
"Wouldn't you?" he countered. "That man… his aura isn't demonic. It's deeper, older. Like something that shouldn't exist in this realm."
She nodded slowly. "I agree. But look at Rias this morning." Her lips curved. "She glows, Zeoticus. I haven't seen her that happy in years."
"That's what worries me," he admitted. "Her happiness is real, but if his power ever turned against her—"
Venelana leaned back, interrupting gently. "If. You're letting fear cloud reason. You've seen the way he looks at her. That isn't lust or ambition. It's… devotion."
He frowned. "Devotion can still destroy, if it's too strong."
Venelana smiled faintly, swirling her tea. "And yet you were the same once. Reckless. Dangerous. Ready to burn the world for me."
Zeoticus paused, caught off guard by the memory. "And you tamed me."
She chuckled softly. "No. I just made sure you burned in the right direction."
For a moment, silence stretched between them—comfortable, weighted with understanding.
Finally, Venelana looked toward the garden through the window. "You can't protect her from everything. She's chosen her path."
Zeoticus followed her gaze, eyes narrowing slightly as he spotted two figures walking along the path beyond the hedges—Rias and Kaelthar, side by side, laughing quietly. The way they moved together was effortless, as if they'd known each other for ages.
He sighed, resigned. "I still don't trust him."
"You don't have to," Venelana said gently. "Just watch. You'll see soon enough whether he's a danger… or a blessing."
Zeoticus didn't respond. His eyes lingered on Kaelthar, the faint golden glint in the man's eyes visible even from a distance. There was something ancient there—untamed, eternal.
And yet, when Rias looked at him, Kaelthar's expression softened into something entirely human.
Zeoticus turned away. "If he ever hurts her—"
Venelana smiled knowingly. "He won't. And if he does…" She sipped her tea. "I'll deal with him myself."
Outside, the morning breeze carried laughter through the garden. Rias leaned against Kaelthar's shoulder, eyes half-closed as he brushed a hand through her hair.
"Do you think they know?" she whispered.
He smiled. "Your mother? Definitely. Your father? He's pretending not to."
Rias sighed. "Wonderful."
Kaelthar chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Let them think what they want. We'll show them with time."
Her fingers intertwined with his. "Promise me something," she said quietly.
He looked down. "Anything."
"No matter what happens next… don't disappear."
Kaelthar smiled, his voice a soft vow. "I couldn't, even if I tried."
The wind stirred the roses around them, scattering crimson petals across the path like echoes of the night before.
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