chapter thirty seven

Morning light filtered softly through the silk curtains, casting golden patterns on the walls of Selene's room. The warmth of the sun contrasted the coolness that clung to her skin, a lingering reminder of the previous night. She lay still, staring at the ceiling, her heart quiet but her mind far too loud. The terrace. Keith's hands. His lips. The overwhelming way he touched her, like she belonged to him.

Selene touched her neck absentmindedly, the phantom of his breath still warm against her skin. "It meant nothing," she whispered to herself, but the heat rising in her cheeks betrayed the truth. Her body remembered. Her heart, perhaps, did too, though she tried hard to silence it.

A gentle knock came from the door.

"Come in," she called, sitting up and adjusting her nightgown.

Isolde stepped in with her usual gentle demeanor, bowing slightly. "Good morning, my lady. Shall I draw your bath?"

Selene shook her head quickly. "No, I'll do it myself today. Just lay out my attire, please."

Isolde raised an eyebrow but didn't question her mistress's decision. "As you wish, my lady." She went to work, quietly preparing a pale lavender gown with silver embroidery, soft slippers, and a matching hairpin. "I'll wait outside if you need anything."

Once Isolde left, Selene moved slowly, washing and dressing herself with careful precision. Every brush of the comb through her hair seemed to draw up memories she couldn't afford to dwell on. This was just a moment. A mistake… she told herself again, but her heart refused to agree.

When she stepped out of her room, Arabella was already waiting in the corridor, her auburn curls bouncing as she turned to greet her.

"Good morning!" Arabella beamed. "You wouldn't believe how sweet Cedric was last night. After we danced, he brought me a drink and just, oh, Selene, he's completely smitten!"

Selene offered a smile, but it was distant. Her mind was still tethered to a different memory, to the way Keith's golden eyes darkened by possessiveness, to whispered declarations and stolen kisses on a moonlit terrace.

"You're quiet," Arabella said, eyeing her friend. "You didn't even touch your pudding last night, which is very unlike you."

"I'm just tired," Selene lied gently. "The evening was long."

They continued walking toward the main building, Arabella's chatter continued, but none of it settled in Selene's mind. Her thoughts were too heavy, tangled in uncertainty and fear.

And then she saw him.

Keith stood at the corner of the hallway, leaning casually against the wall as though he had been waiting there, clearly for her. His gaze locked onto Selene's the moment she rounded the corner, and her steps faltered.

Selene's breath caught her mind were filled with questions. Why does he have to stand here? Why is he just standing there?

Arabella noticed the change immediately. Selene's fingers gripped the edge of her skirt tighter, and a pink flush bloomed on her cheeks.

Keith straightened and approached slowly, his presence commanding the space. His eyes, like molten gold, bore into hers with an intensity that made her chest tighten. As she moved to pass by him, he brushed her hand with his fingers. The touch was fleeting, and it felt so deliberate that it sent a jolt through her.

Keith touch felt like a claim, and she remembered how is hand claimed and roamed around her body. Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink.

Selene averted her gaze from him, she didn't meet his eyes. She kept her chin high and moved forward, ignoring the fire in her chest.

She reminded herself again and again that "It doesn't mean anything. It was just a moment. We're not… we're not real"

But Keith's eyes followed her with a possessiveness, and Arabella didn't miss it. Her gaze flicked from Selene to Keith and back again, her smile fading slightly. Something in her tightened. She didn't trust Keith, not after everything he'd put Selene through. And she feared that her friend's heart, might not survive another break.

Inside the classroom, the instructor had already begun the lecture on Noble Governance, but Selene barely noticed. She took her seat at the front, her eyes glazed over as her thoughts spiraled.

She didn't hear the opening of scrolls or the droning voice of Professor Voss. She didn't see Arabella glance her way now and then with growing concern.

All she saw was Keith's face in the moonlight. All she heard was his voice, low, dangerous, claiming.

You belong to me.

Her fingers trembled slightly as they gripped her quill, but she didn't write. She simply stared ahead, heart pounding beneath the surface.

She had to remind herself, again and again, that this was just an arrangement. Nothing more.

But the problem was… it didn't feel that way anymore.

And that scared her.