King Nyxen’s gaze bore into August, who finally looked away, unable to withstand the weight of his father’s disappointment.

"For once, could you have acted with honor instead of dragging others into your petty vendettas?" Nyxen reprimanded him.

"Father, shouldn’t you be concerned for me?" August countered, his voice dripping with bitterness. "We haven’t seen each other in years, yet you only care for Damian, the very man responsible for my banishment. Do you have any idea how much I suffered in exile, alone?"

He turned his sneering gaze to Damian. "Go find your wife instead of whining to my father. The deed is done."

King Nyxen stared at his son, stunned by the depth of the malice that had festered in his heart. It was clear now that August’s primary motivation was nothing but vengeance.

"You will go, Damian," Nyxen stated, turning to the Duke. "I will remain here until she is found. I do not believe she has traveled far from Varos; she is likely somewhere hidden, somewhere off the beaten path where few dare to tread."

Damian furrowed his brow, offered a stiff nod to the King, and retreated from the room.

"Take a seat," Nyxen commanded.

August lowered himself into the chair opposite his father.

"I did not banish you because of Damian. I did it because you attempted to poison the Queen. Do not deny it. I have confirmed evidence. Do you truly believe I would cast out my own flesh and blood based on the whims of my brother’s son? You were notorious, yes, but I never imagined you capable of something so unforgivable," King Nyxen said, his gaze fixed piercingly on his son.

He took a long, steadying breath. "And you would have been executed had I allowed you to remain. The court would have demanded your life. I did not want that; you carry my blood, August. I hoped you would learn from your mistakes, but it is clear you have remained on the same dark path. You held no value for the chance I gave you."

"Father, you should have let them execute me," August retorted, his voice dripping with bitterness. "All my life, I have been labeled as nothing more than your illegitimate son. My mother wasn’t even afforded the dignity of being your concubine. I hold no standing, no influence in the capital. And you are forgetting something, Father, the Queen started it. She hurt me first."

Nyxen frowned at him.

"And you took the anger out on Damian. He claimed Liliana and you were quite close. What’ has exactly have you hidden from me?" asked the King.

"Father, you abandoned me long ago. So, there’s no use of asking me such questions," August argued. "I won’t answer you."

~~~~~

Damian abandoned the horse, opting instead for the rugged capability of his motorcar. As he navigated the winding, neglected tracks leading toward the coastline, his mind replayed a fleeting conversation, a memory of Eilika speaking of the sea.

’It is my secret place,’ she had murmured once. ’When the world gets too loud, the waves are the only things that listen. It is the only place quiet enough to hear oneself think.’

The road grew treacherous, riddled with deep ruts and overgrown foliage that scraped harsh, metallic shrieks against the sides of the car. It was clear the path hadn’t been maintained in years, a forgotten stretch of earth leading to an equally desolate horizon.

"This place is so dark. Why would she come here of all places?" Damian muttered, his breath hitching as anxiety clawed at his throat.

They had scoured every corner of Varos, every villa, every garden, every house, and found nothing. The city had offered no answers, leaving this desolate, forgotten stretch of coastline as his final thread of hope.

He slammed on the brakes as the track met the dunes, the road narrowing into little more than a rutted dirt path.

He climbed out, the cool air stinging his face. His hand instinctively dropped to the pistol at his side, his grip tightening as he peered into the oppressive gloom, his senses straining against the thunderous crash of the waves.

Then, he heard a sound of horse’s neighing. As he crested the dune, the expansive beach opened up, illuminated only by the firelight and the vast, star-strewn sky. Eilika sat huddled on the sand, and the horse was seated a few meters away from her, eating the grass she collected from the nearby forest.

Damian didn’t care about the exhaustion tearing at his limbs. He sprinted toward her, his boots sinking into the grit. "Eilika!" He shouted her name.

She snapped her head around, her eyes widening as she recognized him. She scrambled to her feet, but her instinct betrayed her; as he surged closer, she took a shaky, involuntary step backward.

Damian closed the distance instantly. He caught her, his hands gripping her shoulders to steady her before sliding up to cradle her neck. He held her there, inches away, searching for answers in her terrified gaze.

"Who told you that you had the right to leave that divorce agreement?" he demanded. "You swore those vows just the day before yesterday! You promised me your world. You asked for two months, Eilika, you told me you would make me forget everything, that you would heal the darkness! Why are you here?"

Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, reflecting the orange glow of the fire. She trembled under his touch, her breath coming in shallow hitches.

"H-how did you come here?" she stammered, her hands hovering near his chest. "What about your medicine? Damian, please... did you take it?"

"Why don’t you answer me first?" he roared, shaking her slightly, though his touch remained fiercely possessive. "You chose to leave me. You chose to abandon Roman. Do you have any idea how close I came to losing my sanity, scouring the city for you?"

He stared into her eyes, pleading for her to see that nothing mattered, not the divorce, not the sacrifice, if she wasn’t by his side.

"It was necessary," Eilika whispered, her voice fracturing as hot tears carved paths through the dust on her cheeks. "I had to ensure you took those doses. Roman needs you more than he needs me. And you don’t even love me, Damian. It never truly mattered whether I stayed by your side or not."

Damian felt as though he’d been struck by lightning. It was true, he hadn’t given her his heart in the way poetry described, but the thought of her absence left him feeling hollowed out.

"Roman needs you too," Damian groaned, his voice cracking. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing the distance until their breaths mingled in the cold sea air.

"He needs his mother. Do you have any idea how it felt to look into his eyes and have no answer when he asked where his Mama was? I felt like I was suffocating. I cannot let you go, Eilika. I won’t."

She didn’t yield, her obsession with his safety overriding her own sorrow. "Did you take it? The last dose of the Frost Lily antidote, did you actually take it?"

"Yes," Damian rasped, his hands tightening on her shoulders, refusing to let her pull away. "I took it exactly as directed. And the moment the medicine settled, August slammed that divorce parchment in my face, gloating about how you were ’free’ of a man who didn’t care."

Eilika pulled away, her eyes widening as the realization dawned—August had never intended to keep his end of the bargain.

"Let’s go home," Damian urged.

"No, I need to fulfill—"

"The promise is over," Damian cut her off, his voice absolute. He reached into his overcoat, withdrew the divorce parchment, and cast it into the flames. As the paper curled and turned to ash, he added, "And August... I will make him pay for every moment of this."

He took her wrist, his grip firm and grounding. "Never make a sacrifice like this again. Varos will never find a Duchess your equal. If I am to fall, let it be; but you must live. You are the only one who can protect my son, my family, and my people. Promise me, Eilika."

She shook her head, tears spilling over. "I can’t. I love you, Damian. You are my husband. How could I ever stand by and watch you fade away? I chose this path only because I wanted you to live."

Damian pulled her into a hug, his hand resting on the back of her head. She sobbed, her hands clutching his overcoat.

"You are an important part of my life, Eilika. Don’t ever think of living me. I can’t live without you. This much I know," Damian asserted. "Everyone in my family needs you. If you’re there, things will always go better."

Unbeknownst to him, in that moment, he planted a kiss on the top of her forehead, telling her that he would always be her husband till his last breath.