The Nightbloom estate had never been this silent.
Not when the Duke roared.Not when Ren slammed his fists into the wall.Not even when Aero stormed off, eyes wild, voice breaking.
But Aurelia?
She just stood there.Cold. Shivering.Her leg still aching from the fall.Her soul aching from something deeper.
"You disobeyed me," her father said once they were behind closed doors. "You snuck out. You put yourself at risk."
She didn't answer. Her eyes were hollow.
"He was there," the Duke said, quieter now. "The devil's boy. Him."
Still, she said nothing.
"Speak."
She looked up, and for the first time, he saw it—Defiance.Small. Flickering.But it was there.
"I wanted to know what was missing," she whispered. "Now I do."
"What did he tell you?" the Duke growled.
"Nothing," she replied. "But my soul remembered him… before my mind did."
The Duke froze.
Ren flinched.
Aero… cursed under his breath.
"You don't know what you're saying," the Duke snapped.
"I do," she said, louder now. "And I want the truth."
Silence.
Crushing. Suffocating.
Until the Duke turned and said coldly:
"You are forbidden from leaving this estate. From this moment on, a guard will watch you. If you disobey again, I'll have Tessa sedate you."
Her heart cracked.
"Tessa wouldn't—"
"She obeys me, not you."
Aurelia's lip trembled. "Why are you afraid of him?"
"I'm not," the Duke spat. "I'm afraid of what he awakens."
And with that, he left.
Later That Night…
Ren sat by her door, slumped like a kicked pup. "I should've stopped you," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Ria."
She didn't respond.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy.
"You still like lemon drops?"
She took it. Didn't eat it. But her fingers didn't let go.
From across the hall, Aero watched — arms crossed, jaw clenched.
"Stop babying her," he muttered. "She almost died chasing a stranger."
Ren shot him a look. "He saved her."
"So?" Aero barked. "What happens when he stops saving her and starts taking her? He's not a knight. He's his father's son."
"He's more than that," Aurelia whispered.
They both stared at her.
"You don't know him," Aero growled.
"Neither do you," she replied. "But I will."
Aero looked like he was about to explode.
Ren stood up. "Let it go, Aero."
But Aero just stormed off.
Meanwhile… in the Devil's Domain
He stood on the balcony, moonlight staining his bare chest. Black tattoos shimmered down his spine, like serpents curled in secrets.
"She's awake now," he said to the wind. "Good."
A voice from the shadows: "You weren't supposed to interfere."
He turned slowly.
And smirked.
"I don't follow rules," he said. "I break them."