Masks of Ice and Fire
That night, I sat alone in the prince's chambers, draped in robes too soft and too heavy for someone who once wore armor and blood. The palace was silent, yet I couldn't rest. Every flicker of candlelight cast his shadow Khalid's across my thoughts.
He hadn't recognized me.
At least… I didn't think he did.
He had looked at me strangely, yes. But I was in a new body, speaking with a colder tongue, carrying the weight of a crown that wasn't mine. There was no way he could know.
And yet… there was something in his gaze. That slight pause. That faint tilt of his head, as if trying to read past the mask.
Was it guilt?
Or something else?
The following days were a blur of royal duties. Audiences. Strategy meetings. Nobles vying for favor. I played my part, mimicking the poise and tone of a crown prince I'd never known. Every move had to be perfect. One slip, and everything could fall apart.
And Khalid? He was always there.
As Duke of the Southern Borderlands, he now served directly under the royal court. He stood in my presence like a loyal subject, respectful and silent, his sharp eyes betraying nothing.
But I saw it.
Every time our eyes met, something flickered between us familiarity... heat... unspoken things neither of us dared name.
---
One afternoon, after court, he followed me into the royal gardens.
"Your Highness," he said smoothly, walking just behind me, "I hope I'm not intruding."
"You are," I replied without turning. "But you came anyway."
A quiet chuckle. "You've become... different, since your illness. Less patient. More blunt."
"Perhaps near-death made me realize how tiresome masks can be."
He walked beside me now, matching my pace. His presence was suffocating and magnetic all at once. I hated how natural it felt to have him beside me. I hated how much I'd missed it.
"You were more fragile before," he murmured.
"Do you prefer me fragile?" I asked, tone sharp.
He stopped walking. I did too.
Our eyes met.
"I prefer truth," he said softly. "And lately, you seem like a man who's hiding something."
My breath caught. But I forced a cold smile.
"Everyone's hiding something, Duke Caelum. Even you."
He tilted his head, amused. "Is that suspicion, Your Highness? Or curiosity?"
"Both."
There was a beat of silence. Wind stirred the snow-blossoms. Then he bowed slightly and stepped back.
"Then I'll enjoy peeling the layers away one by one."
As he disappeared down the path, I clenched my fists.
I came here to uncover his secrets.
But it felt like he was starting to unravel mine.