Gardens and Solitude"

I slowly woke up, a heavy sensation enveloping my head as memories and chaos from the library mixed together. That moment when I lost control of my power, and the faces surrounding me... Falyn, Dimitrius, and Charles. But the strangest thing was their presence together.

I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in an elegant room inside the Marquis's mansion. Amelia was standing beside me, looking at me with concern.

"My lady, are you alright? You fainted in the library. The Crown Prince carried you here himself, and Marquis Falyn called for the doctor."

I was more confused by her words. "Charles was in the library? Why? And what was Duke Ravenskarr doing there as well?"

But my body was too exhausted to think, so I surrendered to my heavy breaths and closed my eyes for a moment.

"My lady?" Amelia's concerned voice interrupted my thoughts. "I brought you some soup. You need to eat something to regain your strength."

"There's no need to worry, Amelia, I'm fine."

But before I could say more, the door suddenly opened with force, and Charles, the Crown Prince, appeared.

He was wearing his military uniform, black with golden threads, and his dark brown eyes were filled with worry. For a moment, I froze in place, then realized I was still in my nightwear, my hair in a messy state. A wave of embarrassment surged in my face, and I pulled the blanket to hide myself.

"My lady..." Amelia began, but stopped when Charles subtly signaled her to leave.

"No, Amelia, don't go!" I muttered nervously, but Amelia left with a light nod, leaving the room in awkward silence.

Charles approached me with quiet steps, sitting beside the bed. He reached for the soup and held it as though the situation was entirely normal.

"Sira, eat the soup. You need to regain your strength."

I looked at him in surprise, wanting to say something, but my tongue failed me. The Crown Prince himself was asking me to eat soup? And offering to feed me?

"Your Highness... you don't have to do that..." I whispered softly.

He didn't respond, but placed the spoon in front of my lips with a warm smile, as if telling me refusal was not an option.

But before I could understand what was happening, he set the bowl aside, and gently pulled the blanket off me.

"What are you doing?!" I whispered in panic, but before I could pull away, he gently pulled me into his arms.

I froze in place, my entire body flushed with embarrassment. "Your Highness... please... this is inappropriate... someone might see us!"

He laughed lightly and pulled me closer into his embrace. "Sira, in this empire, no one dares speak of the Crown Prince's actions. As for the future... don't worry, because you will be my Crown Princess."

My heart raced, and I looked up at him in shock. "What? My Crown Princess?"

"Yes, Sira." He answered calmly, his dark brown eyes locking with mine. "You are my Empress, the only one I want by my side."

Time seemed to stop for a moment. Was this... a confession?

I remained frozen in his arms, my heart pounding so loudly I felt it might echo. His voice still echoed in my ears: "You are my Empress, the only one I want by my side."

But those words, instead of comforting me, created a whirlwind of confusion and questions inside me. How could someone who barely knew me say such a thing? I slowly lifted my head, looking into his deep brown eyes, which hadn't left my face for a moment.

"Your Highness..." I started hesitantly, my throat dry. "Why... why are you saying this? Why are you acting this way toward me? You barely know me..."

He raised an eyebrow slightly as if surprised by the question, but soon a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Do I need a long time to know what I want?"

But his words didn't calm me. There was something inside me screaming, warning me.

"But you don't truly know me... maybe you're acting this way because... because of my power? Is that the reason?" I blurted out, as if I feared the answer.

His expression changed slightly, as if my words had stirred something inside him. "Sira, do you think I see you as just a source of power?"

"I don't know!" I cried, looking away, feeling my tears gathering in my eyes. "Everything is strange to me... you, this place, this body, everything. I feel like I'm stuck in a place where I don't belong... I just want to know what you want from me."

He was silent for a moment, then gently cupped my face and forced me to look at him. "Sira, I don't just see power in you, and I don't see just a girl with extraordinary abilities. I see someone who makes me want to protect this world, someone who makes me challenge anything. Not because you're strong, but because it's you."

Tears started to fall down my cheeks, but his words left me in a state of shock and confusion. Could his feelings be real? Or was I just yearning to hear something that made me feel like I belonged?

"But..." I tried to object, but he placed a finger on my lips, stopping me from continuing.

"Don't pressure yourself now, Sira. Take your time to think. But know this—I won't back down. I'm here, and I will stay here, for you."

Before I could respond to Charles' words or even grasp their meaning, the door suddenly swung open with force, and Marquis Falyn entered with firm steps, his shoes echoing in the room. His bright silver eyes gleamed like cold steel, radiating a mysterious look filled with repressed anger.

Falyn looked at the scene before him—Charles sitting next to me, me in his arms. My heart skipped a beat, and I swallowed hard. There was something in Falyn's gaze that made me feel like I was committing a sin.

"It seems I've come at the wrong time." His deep voice was calm, but his tone carried an indirect reproach.

I looked at Falyn in confusion, while Charles showed no sign of discomfort, instead meeting his gaze with a confident smile, as if the situation was entirely under his control.

"Falyn, my dear friend." Charles began with a faint smile, but it was far from friendly. "Didn't they teach you about door etiquette before entering? Or is proper decorum not part of Marquis Draconia's expertise?"

Falyn ignored the sarcasm, his silver eyes turning into sharp daggers directed at me. "Sira, are you alright? Did he force you to do something?"

I gasped quietly, wanting to respond, but Charles beat me to it, laughing lightly, though it sounded more like a predator's laugh. "Sira doesn't need your protection, Falyn. I'm here to take care of her, as you see."

Falyn stepped closer, until the distance between them was almost nonexistent. His silver eyes never left Charles' face, and in a cold voice, he said, "Care? Is this how you show your concern—by embarrassing her in front of everyone and imposing yourself on her?"

Charles slowly rose from his seat, his expression turning serious. "Watch your words, Falyn. Remember your place. What happens here is none of your business."

Falyn didn't retreat; instead, he bent slightly to get closer to Charles, whispering in a low but firm voice: "When it comes to her, it's my business. If you think I'll stand by while you play with her feelings, you're mistaken."

I felt as if the room had filled with a heavy energy. The tension between them was almost palpable, as if an explosion was about to happen at any moment.

"Enough!" I suddenly shouted, my voice trembling. I had barely mustered the courage. "I'm here. Stop talking as if I'm invisible!"

Both of them turned to me, their expressions completely different. Falyn looked concerned and calm, while Charles wore a faint expression of possessiveness and restrained anger.

"I'm not a doll for you to fight over," I said as steadily as I could. "I need time to understand what's happening. I don't need more conflicts."

Falen took a step back and nodded lightly. "Of course, Sira. Take your time."

As for Charles, he looked at Falyn warily before moving closer to me again. "I'll leave you to rest now, but remember—you're not alone."

Both of them left, leaving me in the room, but the mystery surrounding the situation was heavier than ever. I felt trapped between two forces I couldn't predict.

---

The room was drowning in heavy silence, and the candlelight flickered faintly on the walls, as if it was crying over what had happened. I stood still, my eyes moving between the cold furniture around me, but nothing gave me comfort. I felt the need for something, perhaps for this silence to disappear, or perhaps for me to disappear from this place altogether. But there was no escape.

"What's happening to me?" I muttered to myself, feeling the cold edge of the blanket surrounding me, as if I wished for warmth no one could see. But nothing could ease the deep feeling of loneliness. The room was empty of everyone, as if the place itself was punishing me for what had happened.

Their footsteps still echoed in my ears, as if they hadn't left at all. Charles, that prince I thought I knew, but he was just a part of a complex game, a game whose rules I couldn't understand. Marquis Falyn, the man who had said words I didn't want to hear, but I couldn't escape from them.

And here I am, alone. Like a bird in a narrow cage, unable to escape the prison of my thoughts. I couldn't sleep, because sleep means escape, and escape means there is no safe place for me.

"Did I deserve this?" I wondered. Maybe if I had done something differently, everything could have changed. But I have no ability to go back now. Everything is as it is, nothing but the heavy silence surrounding me, and I run in a closed loop of my thoughts.

At that moment, I felt something strange creeping into my chest, a feeling I never thought I would experience here, in this cold place. A deep sadness, perhaps because there was no longer anyone who cared.

"In the garden"

---

The night had slowly passed, and the garden air wrapped me in a cold touch, but I needed this. I needed to get away from the closed walls of that mansion, where I lived in invisible isolation. My steps were light, as if I were running from something bigger than me, something deep that followed me in every corner.

As I wandered among the tall trees, I stopped when my eyes fell on a figure standing near the fountain in the garden. It was the Duke, Dimitrius Ravenscar. I don't know how his image appeared in my mind, but I hadn't expected to meet him here.

His red eyes were gleaming in the dim light, and his black hair flowing over his shoulders seemed to hide dark secrets. He stood there, calm, as if everything around him meant nothing.

I couldn't stop myself. I took steady steps forward, with questions flooding inside me.

"What are you doing here in the Marquis Draconia's mansion?" I asked him, even though I knew he was not someone who followed rules. Dimitrius was always in places others disliked, quietly creating chaos, as if it were part of his nature.

"That's what I heard from Amelia when I asked her about Duke Ravenscar."

He looked at me for a long moment, as if his red eyes were searching inside me. Then, his voice came cold, almost indifferent.

"You don't belong to this place, Serafina," he said, and those words were heavier than I expected.

"Why do you hate me?" I suddenly asked him, without thinking. I didn't know why those words came out, but they came from deep inside me. I was looking for an answer, something that could explain what I felt for him. I couldn't understand him, and I couldn't escape the gravity my heart felt for him.

Dimitrius smiled a strange smile, one that wasn't friendly, but held something dark.

"It's not hatred, Serafina. It's just indifference." His words were as cold as his eyes. Then, he added in a very quiet voice: "But I can't deny that there's something about you that piques my curiosity."

I felt my heart beat faster, and his gaze stirred me more than it should.

"Is that why?" I whispered. But there was something else, something I couldn't name, that connected me to him in a strange way