For a heartbeat, Kael thought he'd imagined it, her leaning forward slightly, her gaze fixed on him like he'd just said something that mattered.
Unfortunately, the weight in her eyes told him very clearly:
He had, in fact, said something that mattered.
«Kael…» she repeated softly.
Abort mission. Pull back. Fake a cough. Pretend you were talking about the stew. Or… I don't know… invent a cousin named «You» and say you loved them from first glance. Anything.
But her expression wasn't one he could joke away. There was no judgment there, no mocking tilt of her lips, just a quiet kind of searching, as though she was weighing something important.
«You know,» she began slowly, «we haven't even known each other for a month.»
Kael nodded, cautiously. «True.»
«And the only time we've met has been breakfast… or dinner. Always here.»
«…Also true.»
She smiled faintly, but her voice stayed steady. «But I've realized something in that short time. You're… a good person. You never looked at me with the kind of eyes other men do just because of my appearance. And you don't talk to me like I'm just… decoration.»
Kael stayed very still. Good person. Yes. Keep that image. Do not ruin it by explaining how close you came to breaking a man's fingers in the corner of the room just now.
Her gaze softened. «I knew you were interested, I'm not blind. I just… didn't think you'd have the courage to act on it.»
Correction: didn't «act» on it, reflex-brained my way into it.
«And…» she hesitated, looking down briefly before meeting his eyes again. «…I don't mind if it's you. I do have interest in you, too.»
Kael blinked. «…You do?»
She nodded. «But there's something you should know. I only want a serious relationship. Not something short, just to enjoy a few moments of life and then throw it away. If you want something with marriage in mind, even if that's years from now, I'm okay with that. If not… I'm sorry, but I'd refuse.»
Silence stretched between them for a beat. The soft clink of cutlery from other tables seemed suddenly very far away.
Okay. Here's the part where normal men would say something smooth. What have you got? …Oh right, nothing.
Kael took a slow breath, forcing his voice to stay steady. «Liora… I do want to be close to you. I want to spend my days with you. Forever, if I can.»
Her eyes searched his, quiet, patient.
«But…» He exhaled. «I can't promise that what I feel right now is the exact kind of love you're talking about. It's my first time feeling… anything like this toward someone. So I don't know if it's what people call true love, or if it's something else. I just know I want to be with you.»
For a long moment, she didn't answer. Then her lips curved into the smallest smile, like the kind you give someone who's trying their best in unfamiliar territory.
«That's… honest,» she said quietly.
Kael gave a faint, wry smile back. «It's all I can give you right now.»
Inside, his thoughts were less poetic. And all I can give you without adding «by the way, I might have to shadow-assassinate three cultists before dessert.»
From the corner of his vision, the tall man at the other table adjusted his posture again. Kael's fingers itched.
Later, he told himself. Handle this first. Then you can go back to planning their untimely disappearance.
For a moment, the air between them felt like it was holding its breath.
Liora's eyes stayed on him, bright, warm, unwavering.
Then, she spoke.
«Well… since you know you want to stay by my side, and you're honest enough to tell me you might not be feeling 'true love' instead of lying just to get me… then I assume you take me, and our relationship, seriously.»
Kael blinked. «I…»
Her lips curved into a smile, no, not just a smile. A radiant, blinding thing that could've made a storm forget how to thunder. «So… let's do this. Let's date.»
The warmth in her tone was so genuine, it made the noisy restaurant around them fade to nothing. She said it like the world had suddenly turned into a heaven made just for her, and she was the happiest soul alive.
Kael froze.
His brain stalled for several overlapping reasons:
First, her smile. It wasn't fair. It hit like sunlight straight to the chest, dazzling enough to make him forget every sharp-edged thought in his head.
Second, the words themselves. He had been bracing for uncertainty, for negotiation, maybe even for her to tell him she'd think about it. Not this. Not an outright yes wrapped in unshakable confidence.
And third, the mother-f***ing tall man at the cultists' table.
Because at that exact moment, as if the bastard had been waiting for it, he smiled.
Not the polite smile of someone witnessing a sweet moment. No, this one was crooked, too wide, eyes sharp with something wrong. The kind of smile predators get when they see prey straying too far from the herd.
It was almost comical how fast Kael's pulse went from what is happening? to I am going to paint the walls with your insides.
Still, he kept his composure. Outwardly. Mostly.
He turned back to Liora, feeling the heat in his face as he forced his voice steady.
«I… am thankful. Truly. To be accepted by someone like you. And I promise, » his voice dropped, softer, more certain, «, I'll make sure you're the happiest you can be. I'll never let you regret this decision.»
She flushed faintly at that, but didn't look away.
«And…» he added, letting a small smile tug at his lips, «how about we start with a night date? Right now.»
Her expression brightened further, he didn't even know it could, but she nodded. «I'd like that.»
«Good,» he said, and stood, placing a few bills on the table. Then a few more, because apparently his brain had decided overpaying is better than lingering here while I'm this distracted.
«I'll take care of it,» he told her, heading toward the counter. He paid for both their meals, ignoring her half-hearted protest. The cook gave him a grin that was entirely too knowing.
«Take care of her,» the man said.
«I intend to,» Kael replied, and meant every word.
When he turned back, Liora was already by the door, adjusting her coat. He walked her out into the cool night air, the city's lanterns painting the cobblestone streets in warm gold.
Behind them, he heard chairs scrape.
The cultists were standing.
Coins clinked onto their table, payment for their meal, and the three of them began walking out, their footsteps deliberate.
Kael didn't even need to glance over his shoulder to know they'd be following. In fact, that was exactly what he wanted.
Because asking Liora out now hadn't just been about making the date happen. It was bait.
And they'd bitten.
«Where to?» Liora asked, falling into step beside him.
«How about the market district?» Kael said easily. «The shops should still have some stalls open.»
She tilted her head. «At night? It's not usually busy then.»
«Exactly,» he said with a smile. «Fewer people. Easier to browse.»
And easier to separate you from the problem shadows tailing us.
They walked at a casual pace, the rhythm of their steps steady on the cobblestones. Kael kept his tone light, asking her about her favorite street vendors and whether she'd ever tried the roasted chestnuts sold near the eastern gate. She answered with small laughs and thoughtful pauses, unaware of the three shapes that followed a short distance behind.
He noticed their spacing. The tall man hung back just enough to avoid being obvious, while the limping one stayed slightly ahead on the opposite side of the street, classic flanking distance. The hooded woman kept to the shadows, her mana faint but still tinged with that oily Void residue he'd felt earlier.
The streets grew quieter as they moved deeper into the market district. Stalls here were few, most closed for the night, their shutters drawn tight. A few lanterns flickered along the way, casting long shadows that reached across the cobblestones like dark fingers.
Perfect.
Liora glanced around. «You weren't kidding about it being quiet here.»
Kael smiled faintly. «Good for a first date, don't you think? No interruptions.»
Unless you count the three corpses-to-be walking behind us.
They stopped briefly at a stall selling candied fruit. Liora picked one skewered pear, biting into it with a happy hum. Kael bought one too, more for show than appetite, and leaned lightly against the counter as they chatted.
The cultists didn't stop walking. They drifted past, pretending to browse a cart of carved trinkets across the street. Kael didn't miss the way the tall man's gaze slid toward Liora when she laughed.
Inside, Kael's voice was all sarcasm. Yes. Laugh while you can. Memorize it. Because it's the last time you'll hear it.
But outwardly, he chuckled at something she said about a regular who'd once ordered soup without soup in it.
They walked on, further from the heart of the district. The air cooled more here, the space between stalls growing wider. Ahead, the street narrowed into a quiet lane where only a few shuttered shopfronts lined the walls.
Kael's hand brushed Liora's lightly as they turned. She didn't pull away.
Behind them, the footsteps kept pace.