Chapter 27 "Peace?"

Todays song is my new fav "shadow of a man by the one and only lady gaga

 ENJOY

"Look, I don't know what kind of trauma you've been through, but just because someone does something nice doesn't mean they want something in return," I say, my voice softening. I don't want this to turn into another fight.

Alex's sharp gaze falters for a moment.

"What do you want, Alex?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"Why am I here? You know I'm not a spy, not a Pegasus, not some secret weapon—so why am I still here?"

I take a step closer.

"I told you already. You're leverage," he says, but there's something hesitant in his tone.

"Yeah, and I told you that won't work."

"You don't know that."

"Oh, come on, Alex… How long have I been here? A month? And no sign of anything from my kingdom." My voice wavers, and I hate that it does. Saying it out loud makes it real.

A whole month, and no one has tried to bring me back.

I knew this was a possibility, but it still stings.

"No one is coming for me, and you won't get what you want," I say, my voice cracking slightly.

"Shit," he mutters under his breath.

He knows I'm right.

"We still don't know that," he insists.

"Yes, we do. You just don't want to accept it."

I take another step closer, our chests nearly touching now. His breath is steady, controlled, but his eyes are scanning me, searching for something.

"If you don't tell me what you're looking for, I can't help you," I whisper.

His gaze flickers.

"Why would you do that?" His voice is softer than usual, less guarded.

I stare at him, unsure how to answer.

"How do you know my reasons aren't to harm?"

Honestly? I don't. But I have a gut feeling that whatever he's after, it's not about starting something—it's about ending it.

"Woman's instinct," I say with a small smile.

To my surprise, he chuckles. The asshole actually tries to hide it, but I catch the briefest twitch of amusement on his lips.

A silence stretches between us, almost comfortable, before I make the mistake of speaking again.

"You know, I should hate you… but you're kinda hard to hate," I confess.

His brow arches.

"Really?"

Goddammit, Lilith. Why would you say that?

"I didn't mean it like that," I scramble to defend myself, but it only makes me sound worse.

"You sure, princess?" He leans in, dangerously close, his lips just inches from mine.

My face goes up in flames.

"Ever heard of personal space?" I grumble, looking away.

"Nope," he throws back smugly.

"Yeah, well, you should." I shove him lightly.

He takes a step back, still grinning like a damn fool.

"As you say, princess. But let's not forget your thoughts last time."

My eyes widen.

"Shut up! That was an accident!" I nearly screech in embarrassment.

He raises his hands in mock surrender, the devilish smirk never leaving his face.

I huff, crossing my arms, before remembering something.

"So… why did you really come up here?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" He leans against the wall, arms crossed.

"You didn't just walk all the way here to ask why I helped with the ceremony," I press.

"Right. Uh, Lady Adele has dinner served. And, well… I heard you didn't eat much today, so—"

"Don't worry, I'm not hungry," I say quickly.

At that exact moment, my stomach lets out a monstrous growl.

Fucking. Kill. Me.

Alex's gaze drops straight to my stomach, and I immediately slap my hands over it like that'll somehow erase what just happened.

"Liar," he says flatly. "Let's go, princess."

Mortified, I don't even argue. I just follow him.

We walk through the dimly lit castle halls. Last time I was trying to escape, but now? Now I'm following my kidnapper to dinner.

That's some irony right there.

The moonlight spills through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the stone walls. Despite its darkness, the place has a strange beauty to it.

Alex walks a few steps ahead of me, and I find myself studying him. He's—annoying. Bossy. Hardheaded. A complete dick most of the time. Extremely handsome. Mysterious. But under all that, there's something oddly… sweet. He doesn't show it outright, but if you pay close enough attention, it's there. In the way he treats certain people. In the way he—

"I used to wonder what it'd be like over here," I say, breaking the silence.

He glances back at me, curious.

"The kingdom," I clarify. "I've always wondered what it was like."

"Really? And what did you think?"

"Well… everyone says it's a terrifying place, full of violence and death."

"Mhm," he hums, expression unreadable.

"Don't get me wrong—I never really believed that. But books and maps didn't exactly help your kingdom's reputation. I knew the rumors couldn't all be true."

He stops walking.

"And now?" he asks.

"Now what?"

"What do you think? Do you still see us as violent and aggressive?"

I smirk slightly. "Well, I do know some people here who are pretty violent…" I say playfully.

He rolls his eyes.

"But honestly? It's amazing. The people are kind, the city is beautiful—it's nothing like I expected. And I'm glad."

His face is unreadable again.

"You think so?" His voice is quiet, as if he doesn't know whether to believe me.

"Yes," I reply without hesitation.

"Not gonna lie, I'm really looking forward to the Cerberus ceremony," I add, my excitement slipping through.

His brow furrows slightly.

"I've always wanted to see it," I explain.

"Interesting," he murmurs.

I don't know if interesting is good or bad, but I don't push it.

We reach the dining hall, where Ms. Adele is serving what looks like roasted turkey.

She eyes us both.

"What took y'all so long?" she asks, hands on her hips.

"She wouldn't let me in her room," Alex says, sitting down.

"You barged into my room," I counter.

"I knocked."

"What? No, no, you didn't."

"She's lying," Alex says smoothly. "I did."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you—"

"ENOUGH," Adele snaps. "What is wrong with you two? Jesus."

She drops two plates in front of us with an exaggerated eye roll.

I immediately shut up. Not because I'm scared of Alex—but because I'm scared of Adele.

I take a seat next to Alex, not too close, but not on the other side of the table like before.

If I want to find out what he's really after, I need to be careful.

For now, though, I focus on dinner—because knowing Alex, he won't let me live it down if my stomach growls again.

"Now, now, eat up, both of you," Adele demands sweetly.

"Oh, she will. Her stomach made that very clear not long ago," Alex adds, smirking.

This bitch.

Heat rushes to my face. I shoot him a glare before subtly kicking him under the table.

Alex barely reacts, only shifting his gaze toward me with an unreadable expression.

I smirk and take a triumphant bite of turkey. Payback, asshole.

The rest of dinner passes in relative silence, though every now and then, I catch myself glancing at Alex. The worst part? He catches me. Every damn time. And each time, I quickly look away, pretending it didn't happen.

He has a way of making me feel… strange. I hate it. I really do.

Just as I finish my plate, Adele walks in behind me.

"Oh, by the way," she starts casually. "Obrovsky left some books for you, princess."

I blink. "Books?"

Alex and I both turn toward her, equally curious.

"Well, we don't want your training to end, do we?" Adele continues. "So Obrovsky left behind his military books for you to read. No idea what they're for, but at least you can kill some time with them."

I hesitate. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I haven't forgotten what Alex did to Obrovsky, and I'm not sure if this will get him in trouble.

"And with what authority did he do that?" Alex asks, his voice low.

Shit. I knew it. He's mad. Again.

But before I can say anything, Adele crosses her arms and replies, "With my authority."

Well, damn.

For a second, I think Alex is going to argue, but to my surprise, he says nothing.

"Come on," Adele presses. "You have the poor girl stuck in here dying of boredom. This is the least we can do."

Every day, Adele surprises me more. If you look closely, you'd think she's the one actually in charge around here.

I can't help but smile.

Alex exhales through his nose before finally muttering, "Alright, then."

"Really?" I ask, caught off guard by how easily he relents.

"Take it as a thank-you gift for helping with the ceremony," he says, still focused on his food, not even looking at me.

I glance at Adele, my smile widening. "Thank you," I say softly.

She nods, a knowing twinkle in her eye.

I swear, I love that woman. Even if she can scare you to death.