Rukas stood there, his hand still offered, waiting. His gaze, however, had changed. No longer amused, it now studied her carefully, like a man flipping through the pages of a book he hadn't quite expected to enjoy, but now couldn't put down.
Seven's fingers lightly brushed against his.
"I'm… Seven," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just Seven."
He gave a faint nod. "A name like that doesn't need anything else. It carries itself."
She blushed and looked away, a small smile betraying her attempt to stay composed.
And then -
"Rukas!" a voice called from across the inn's lawn, distant but insistent.
He flinched, just a flicker of irritation in his eyes.
"Nelson," he muttered under his breath, the name landing like a bitter aftertaste. Always showing up at the worst possible moment.
But Rukas didn't turn. Instead, with a flick of his fingers, elegant, almost careless, he moved them through the air as though shooing away a fly.
And everything become silent, completely.
The lanterns froze mid-flicker. A couple who had been laughing behind them were frozen in place, their mouths half-open, like living statues. Even the wind seemed to forget how to move.
Seven's smile faded.
She looked around, blinking, trying to understand. Then she looked back at Rukas.
"Didn't feel like being interrupted," he said softly, as if it were the most natural explanation in the world.
"But… what did you do?" she asked, her voice beginning to tremble.
"Just paused the moment," he replied gently. "We don't get many of them in a lifetime, do we?"
And that's when it truly hit her.
He hadn't quieted a few voices. He had quieted the world.
Her chest tightened. She took a slow step back.
This wasn't illusion or stagecraft.
This was real power - raw, effortless, unsettling.
She could barely breathe. Her fingers clenched the fabric of her dress.
"Who… who are you?" she asked, her voice a whisper swallowed by fear.
The question hung in the still air like the toll of a distant bell.
Rukas's smile didn't fade, but his eyes changed again - darker now, unreadable. He took a breath as if considering how much truth to offer.
And then he stepped forward, ever so slightly, his shadow folding into hers.
"Would you believe me," he said, his voice a low hum against the night.
"Would you believe me... if I told you the truth would scare you more than my silence?" He stepped forward and Seven stepped back, cautious and fearful.
"Would you believe me," he continued, voice dipping into a husky tone, laced with a thread of mystery, "if I said I've been searching for you long before you even knew I existed?"
Seven, who had already witnessed the raw power this man carried so effortlessly, dared not make a single foolish move that might provoke him.
The fear of the unknown had seeped into her very bones.
Beneath her dress, her legs trembled, but she refused to show her weakness.
She gathered herself, stitched her courage together, and carefully asked:
"Why?"
Her voice barely held steady.
"Why have you been searching for me? Do you... do you want to harm me?"
Rukas, sensing the tension rippling through her, answered without hesitation, honest, steady, almost solemn:
"No. I don't want to harm you.
I swear it," he said.
"I will never harm you. No one will, not as long as I breathe.
Because I'm going to protect you, little star... if you allow me to."
Seven stared at him, her mind reeling.
"Why?" she asked again, dumbfounded, the word falling from her lips like a stone into a still lake.
"Why would you want to protect me?"
Rukas's gaze softened, almost unbearably.
"Because you are someone who must be protected," he said simply. "You are so much more important than you know. You are worth everything this universe has to offer."
The words hit her like a hammer. Hard and strong.
"And who am I, in full honesty?" he continued, voice low but steady. "I am Rukas Carlov. Prince of Eldngard.
One of the most powerful fae in all the realms."
He smiled, and it was both beautiful and terrifying, like a knife wrapped in silk.
"This is what I am," he said. "A fae. One who can control time, mind... and even more"
He cut himself off, as if deciding she'd had enough shocks for one night.
Seven's knees felt weak.
This had to be a dream.
Maybe she drank something strange at the party, maybe she was hallucinating.
But then -
She felt the hard, wild thud of her heart.
Felt the sweat slick against her temples.
Felt the taut, vibrating tension in her muscles.
No.
This wasn't some drunken dream.
It was real. It was all too real.
This was actually happening.
Logic screamed at her not to trust him, to run, to hide.
How could she trust a man who claimed to be so powerful?
How could she trust that he wouldn't hurt her, a girl who couldn't even properly defend herself?
But deep inside, a quieter voice whispered -
'You already know him.'
Her heart, traitorous and stubborn, wanted to trust him.
Wanted to believe.
The feeling that he was... safe.
Taking a shaky breath, Seven whispered,
"You won't hurt me... right?" , needing to hear him say it, to be absolutely sure.
Rukas's face softened even more, his answer was immediate.
"No," he said firmly. "You're safe with me."
To prove it, he stepped back, lifting both hands in the air in a gesture of surrender.
He stayed still, keeping a respectful distance, his presence calm, non-threatening.
"You can ask me anything," Rukas added. "I'll tell you everything you want to know. You deserve the truth. I know I rushed things tonight... I didn't mean to scare you."
Seven opened her mouth to speak but no words came.
There were too many questions.
Too much she didn't understand.
Seeing her struggle, Rukas smiled gently, a glint of fondness flickering in his gold-hazel eyes.
"You look tired," he said. "And overwhelmed.
He stepped back further, respectful of her space.
"Don't worry. You have time — time to think, to feel, to choose."
He tilted his head slightly, that teasing edge returning just enough to make her heart lurch.
"And whenever you need me," he said, "whenever you want to talk... just come to your window. Whisper my name."
He grinned with mischief.
"No need to shout. A whisper will do." He winked at her.
Seven could only stare, heart aching with too many things she couldn't name.
"Good night, little star," Rukas murmured.
And just like that, with a flick of his fingers,
the world resumed.
Lanterns swung gently in the night breeze.
The hum of conversation returned to the air.
The leaves trembled again, whispering their old songs.
Rukas, too, was gone.
Vanished like a dream she wasn't sure she'd ever really had.
And Seven was left alone, clutching the secret he had given her, while the night pressed close around her like a held breath.