Change Is Coming (4)

Solara had been in the Drexsic Manor multiple times before, but something about this visit unsettled her in a way she couldn't quite put into words.

It wasn't just the manor's looming architecture, with its high ceilings and vast halls that seemed to swallow sound whole. It wasn't even the stifling atmosphere of nobility, something she had been raised to endure since childhood. No, it was something far more insidious.

It was the way the attendants moved.

Each step measured. Each gesture precise. They were well-trained, of course—they served one of the most powerful families in the empire, so it was expected. But Solara had never seen servants so… anxious.

She had attempted small talk with a maid earlier that morning, a simple greeting while she was being escorted through the halls. The girl had stiffened like she had been struck, her hands tightening around the silver tray she carried. She had forced out a polite reply, but her eyes darted towards the nearest corridor as if ensuring no one was watching.

The conversation had lasted less than ten seconds before the maid bowed quickly and excused herself, practically fleeing down the hall.

Solara had tried again later, with a different attendant, this time a footman. The moment she addressed him, he visibly tensed. His answer was clipped, his expression unreadable, and then—just like the maid—he excused himself abruptly.

It wasn't normal.

It was as if they were being watched.

That thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.

She sighed, shaking her head. Her visit to the Drexsic Manor wasn't one of genuine concern or personal desire. She had been sent here to finalize the engagement—the arranged marriage between her and Vryne El Drexsic. Her family wanted an official bond with the powerful Drexsic lineage, and she was the piece they had placed on the board.

For years, she had told herself that the engagement wasn't a complete loss. After all, Vryne was once a man she had admired.

When they first met, three years ago, he had seemed like the perfect nobleman—poised, intelligent, respectful. A young heir devoted to his family and responsibilities. He had been the kind of man she could see herself respecting, maybe even coming to care for.

But that illusion had shattered the moment their engagement was announced.

Behind closed doors, Vryne was nothing like his public image.

He was possessive, demanding, and cruel. The moment she rejected his advances, his temper flared, and he took pleasure in asserting control over her in every way he could. When she had struck him after one of his forceful attempts at affection, he had made sure she regretted it.

Blackmail. Lies. Sabotage.

He spread whispers in noble circles, small rumors that tainted her reputation. He twisted the words she spoke to her friends, making them believe she had spoken ill of them. One by one, they turned their backs on her. The rival knights who once saw her as a worthy opponent now sneered in disdain. Her chances of becoming a Martial Magic Knight—a title she had worked tirelessly for—were sabotaged by his influence.

And her family? They had stopped seeing her as an asset the moment her reputation was tarnished.

She hated him. She despised him with everything in her.

Yet now, as she walked the halls of the Drexsic Manor, she felt something she had never associated with Vryne before.

Uncertainty.

Something was wrong.

She had expected the same treatment upon her arrival—cold smiles, veiled threats, the ever-present reminder that he owned her in ways she could never escape. But he had been different.

Distant.

Indifferent.

He treated her as if she were no different from the manor's attendants—acknowledged, but ultimately unimportant. The first time he had looked her in the eyes during this visit, she had seen something there that she couldn't decipher.

Resignation?

No.

That wasn't like him.

The memory of their conversation in the garden lingered in her mind. He had looked as if he wanted to say something to her, something important. But then, at the last second, he had stopped himself.

Why?

She shook the thought away as she reached the corridor leading to his quarters. The walk was familiar, each step pulling her deeper into memories of past visits. She knew these halls like the back of her hand, yet for the first time, they felt unfamiliar.

And then she saw him.

Vryne stood outside his bedroom, his back partially turned as he gazed out the large window overlooking the estate. The soft glow of the lanterns cast shadows across his figure, giving him an almost ghostly presence.

Her grip instinctively brushed over the handle of the blade at her waist.

When he turned his head toward her, she expected the usual smirk, the look that always sent her temper flaring.

Instead, he simply lifted a hand in a small wave.

Her brows furrowed.

That wasn't like him.

She hesitated before stepping closer, stopping just a foot away. The air between them was thick with silence.

She was the first to break it.

"What do you want?" she asked, irritation lacing her voice.

Vryne turned fully to face her, his expression unreadable. He studied her for a moment before nodding to himself, as if confirming something in his mind.

That only annoyed her further. "Are you going to answer me or—"

"I think we should call off the engagement," he said.

The words hit her harder than she expected.

She blinked. "What?"