Nheera continued to watch him in silence, her gaze fixed on his face as she tried, once again, to decipher the thoughts lurking behind his dark, impenetrable eyes. It was a futile effort. She had never quite been able to read him, no matter how closely she looked. "You can’t possibly believe that I was responsible."

Aeron let out another scoff, this one more derisive than the last.

"I believe that you are not as oblivious to the situation as you pretend to be. But as for you being responsible for it..." He paused, studying her, his gaze raking over her with scrutiny. "I find that highly unlikely. You didn’t see the level of destruction those people caused. It was vile and grotesque, far beyond anything the likes of you are capable of."

His expression hardened. "And I would have sworn the same of someone like Davien Rycoff, yet I found one of his dead soldiers at the compound. Either I am completely wrong, and Davien is indeed the perpetrator, or we have another enemy on our hands, someone far more vicious and bloodthirsty than even you. Any idea who it could possibly be?"

His gaze sharpened, intense and unrelenting, as though he meant to flay her open with it alone.

"If I knew anything, I would have said something long before now," she replied evenly. "There is no reason for me to keep it to myself."

"Are you certain?" he asked, his tone turning dangerous. "It wouldn’t be the first time you have tried to go against me. I overlooked it before, but I have no goodwill left in me now. So if this is, in any way, connected to you... do not let me find out. For your sake."

***

Elka noticed the other presence on the terrace only a second before he spoke.

"If my mother was so desperate for a new attendant, she should have employed one. And if she wanted you specifically, she could have simply thrown money at your father’s feet and acquired you as a lady-in-waiting." Hairan’s voice came from behind her, thick with bitterness and disdain. "I see no reason why she went through all that trouble to have me marry you. For what? So you can cling to her side all the time like a persistent leech? You are embarrassing yourself. It is frankly painful to watch." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Elka drew in a slow breath before she turned to face him.

"Is that all you came here to tell me?"

She knew his words were meant to hurt, to provoke some visible reaction from her but they failed. Her own family had hurled far harsher insults at her over the years. Compared to those, this barely brushed against the hardened walls she had built around her heart, walls forged through years of quiet endurance and survival under her father’s cruelty.

Hairan had barely spared her a glance since the night of their wedding, and she had foolishly hoped it would remain that way. But life had never been kind enough to grant her such simple mercies. Expecting anything better had been her first mistake.

Hairan continued speaking as though she had said nothing at all. He slurred his words slightly, a clear sign he’d had one drink too many. The worst parts of her father had always surfaced in his drunkenness, and she doubted Hairan would be any different.

"Was this your plan all along?" he demanded, his voice rising with anger. "To get close to my mother while you claw your way up?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she replied calmly, lowering her gaze just enough to appear timid, even as her brows drew together.

But again, he ignored her.

"You walk around here as though you belong. You don’t." His lip curled. "And your plan won’t work. My mother uses people and discards them faster than anyone can keep track of. You will be the next one she throws aside once you are no longer useful. I will take pleasure in it when the time comes. Then you will finally learn your place. Your purpose begins and ends with your usefulness to others. You are nothing more than a means to an end... even to your own father."

"Isn’t it a bit too early in the day to be getting this inebriated, brother?" The voice cut cleanly through the tension.

Elka’s gaze shifted past Hairan, and she found Azul standing a few paces behind him, his posture relaxed, though the faint smirk on his face carried a quiet challenge.

"Learn to mind your own business," Hairan snapped, glancing over his shoulder, irritation flaring instantly. "You are not needed here."

But Azul didn’t move. If anything, the smirk deepened. "That is hardly the right way to speak to a lady."

"I will speak to my wife however I please," Hairan sneered, his voice sharp with irritation. He looked every bit like a huffing bull, broad shoulders tense and breath heavy, as though it took only a word to send him charging.

"Oh, she is your wife now, is she?" Azul replied, his tone laced with mockery as he tilted his head ever so slightly. "Strange how you only seem to remember that when it suits you."

Hairan’s jaw tightened at the jab, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes. He knew better than to continue, arguing with Azul was like throwing words into a void, each one only feeding the man’s amusement while fraying his own temper further.

"Speaking to you will always be a waste of my time," he bit out coldly. And with that, he turned sharply and stormed off. His retreating footsteps were heavy as he disappeared from the terrace, leaving Elka and Azul alone in the lingering tension.

Azul shifted slightly, his posture easing as his gaze drifted toward her. His lips parted, as though he meant to say something, perhaps to apologize for what had just transpired but before a single word could escape him, Elka was already moving. She hurried away, skirts gathered lightly in her hands.