A tangle of promises

Just as Amelia turned around, the door swung open with a sharp creak.

Ceaser stepped inside, his presence commanding as always, his piercing blue eyes locking onto her. He shrugged off his coat with a graceful ease, draping it over the back of a chair before turning his full attention to her. His expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of curiosity-or perhaps mild irritation-lurking in his gaze.

"What are you doing?" His voice was as cool as ever, edged with suspicion.

Amelia flinched, her fingers tightening around the empty cup in her hands. Caught red-handed.

"Uh..." She scrambled for an excuse but found none.

Silence stretched between them like a taut string. Ceaser's eyes dropped to the cup in her hands, his gaze darkening slightly.

"You drank my coffee?" His tone was flat, but there was an undeniable undercurrent of disbelief.

Amelia pursed her lips, stubbornly turning away as if ignoring him would erase the evidence. "Ignore him. Ignore him," she repeated in her mind.

She sauntered toward the couch with forced nonchalance, plopping down with her arms crossed over her chest. Her posture screamed defiance, but her heart was hammering.

Ceaser frowned, studying her with quiet intensity. "What happened to you now?"

She stubbornly turned her head to the other side, refusing to acknowledge him.

His patience thinned. "If you're going to stay silent, then just leave. I have work to do." His voice was sharp, dismissive, as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience.

That was the last straw.

"You-!" Amelia's cheeks puffed up in frustration. She turned to face him fully, her crystal-blue eyes shimmering with unspoken emotions. "How can you be so cold-hearted?!"

Ceaser blinked, looking genuinely bewildered. "What did I do?"

"You promised to take me with you, but you didn't!"

"You were sleeping." His response was as blunt as ever.

"You could've woken me up!"

"Not my problem."

Amelia's eyes watered as she inhaled shakily. "I knew it..." she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. A wobbly sniffle escaped her lips as she lowered her gaze.

Ceaser stiffened slightly. He had expected her usual theatrics, but there was something different this time. Something real.

"I knew this was just a political marriage," she continued, her fingers curling into the fabric of her dress. "But... I just wanted to get to know you better." She hesitated before lifting her eyes to meet his. "I was hoping we could at least be friends."

A heavy silence fell between them.

Ceaser stared at her, expression unreadable. His hands twitched at his sides as if he wanted to say something, but no words came.

Amelia exhaled shakily, forcing a weak smile. "You're so cruel."

Ceaser let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine... I'm sorry."

She scoffed, lifting her gaze to him. "I don't want your half-hearted sorry."

Ceaser arched a brow. "Then what do you want?"

"I wanna go out with you!" she blurted out.

A beat of silence.

Ceaser blinked. "What?"

She immediately backpedaled, heat rushing to her cheeks. "I-I mean, I want to spend time with you," she corrected, looking away nervously.

Ceaser sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. Tomorrow."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah, whatever."

She narrowed her gaze suspiciously. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Ceaser exhaled, clearly exhausted by the conversation. "I'll bring you."

Amelia pouted but grinned nonetheless. "I don't trust you."

Ceaser let out a deep breath. "You're such a pain in the ass."

"Yeah, my servants tell me that sometimes," she replied cheekily, sticking her tongue out at him.

Ceaser stared at her for a long moment before reaching into his pocket. His fingers brushed against something small, something familiar. With a quiet sigh, he pulled it out-a delicate silver necklace with a crescent moon pendant.

Amelia's breath hitched. The way the soft candlelight reflected off the silver made it look almost magical.

"Woah... it's so pretty," she murmured, entranced.

Ceaser's lips twitched slightly-not quite a smile, but something close.

He extended the necklace toward her. "Take this."

She blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"Give it back when I fulfill my promise."

She hesitated, staring at the pendant before carefully taking it into her hands. The cool metal felt strangely warm against her skin.

"Are you sure?"

"It's okay." His voice was softer now, almost... gentle.

She studied him, her brows furrowing. "It's something special to you, isn't it?"

Ceaser hesitated, his fingers twitching slightly. "Yeah."

"Did someone give it to you?" she asked cautiously.

His gaze darkened just a fraction. "Just keep it safe."

Amelia frowned, an odd irritation bubbling inside her. Was it a past lover's? Why wouldn't he tell her?

Still, she chose not to push further. Instead, she fastened the necklace around her neck, letting the pendant rest against her collarbone.

Ceaser eyed her carefully. "Just give it back safely after tomorrow."

She toyed with the pendant between her fingers before nodding.

"If you say so."

A small, satisfied smile played on her lips as she looked down at the necklace, completely unaware of the way Ceaser was watching her-his expression unreadable, yet undeniably soft.