Kael moved through the corridor like a ghost.
Each step echoed louder than it should have, swallowed by silence so thick it felt alive.
When he reached the door to his room, he stopped.
His fingers hovered over the handle—hesitant, wary.
Then he pushed it open.
Darkness.
Complete and suffocating.
He froze at the threshold.
"Selene?"
His voice cracked, brittle as old glass.
No answer.
A chill coiled around his spine, sinking deep into his bones.
Something wasn't right.
Calm down.
Calm the fuck down.
He stepped in slowly, hands outstretched, blindly searching for the mana torch.
Nothing.
His foot caught on something.
He stumbled—and crashed to the ground.
Silence.
Then—
A sound.
So faint it was almost a trick of the mind.
Sobbing.
Soft.
Shattered.
Human.
His blood ran cold.
He crawled toward the sound, pulse thundering in his ears.
"Selene… listen to me," he whispered, voice hoarse with desperation.
"You've misunderstood."
"The princess… that was politics.
Nothing more.
An alliance, not affection.
There's nothing between us.
Nothing."
Still no reply.
Only tears.
"I get it," came her voice at last—shaky, muffled in the dark.
"You'll never love me. I'm just… the daughter of a traitor. A slave."
She sniffed, trembling.
"She's everything I'm not. Whole. Royal. Perfect for you."
The words hit like knives—quiet, precise, cruel because they were true in her mind.
Kael reached out again, hands brushing against her shoulders.
Warm. Fragile. Real.
He pulled her into his arms.
Not gently.
Desperately.
Like he feared she'd shatter into dust if he didn't hold tight enough.
"Don't say that," he murmured.
"Please."
His voice dropped lower, firmer—like it was carrying more weight than the room could hold.
"I love you, Selene."
She stilled.
Drew back, just enough to see his face in the dark.
"Really?" she whispered, terrified to believe him.
His hand moved, brushing her damp cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm not good with feelings," he said.
"But this? You? I'm sure."
"I, Kael Drenlor… only love you."
A breathless pause.
Then she smiled—a small, trembling, real smile.
"I love you too."
And in the dark, they kissed.
No fire.
No urgency.
Just quiet, aching tenderness—two broken souls trying to glue each other back together.
For the first time in a long time… something felt right.
Kael let his forehead rest against hers.
His breath was soft, content.
But then—
"…Let's run away," Selene whispered.
His eyes opened. "What?"
"You and me," she breathed. "Tonight. We leave this place. This war. These lies."
"Selene…" He spoke gently, as if trying not to crush her with reality.
"I can't. Not yet. There's too much I still have to do."
She lowered her gaze.
Nodded, slow and thoughtful.
For a moment, it seemed like that was the end of it.
But then—
"Then let's kill her."
The words were so soft, so casual, that it took him a moment to register them.
"…What?"
Her eyes rose to meet his.
Calm. Cold. Unblinking.
"If she's gone… there's no one in our way.
No politics. No pretense. Just us."
Kael stared at her.
Not in fear.
Just… stunned.
The timid girl in chains was gone.
And in her place was something sharper.
Darker.
More his.
He didn't recoil.
He didn't chastise her.
Instead, he exhaled slowly and gave her the faintest smile.
"…She's still useful to me," he murmured.
"For now."
Selene nodded, like she'd expected that answer.
Then they sat together, shoulder to shoulder, bathed in silence and shadow.
And they laughed.
It wasn't joyful.
It wasn't kind.
It was low.
Twisted.
Inhuman.
And in that moment, the darkness felt like home.
Just as the laughter between them faded into quiet, Kael suddenly remembered.
The spell.
The one he'd tucked away long ago, buried in the depths of his space ring, saved for a moment just like this.
He turned to Selene, heartbeat stuttering.
"I… I want to give you something," he said, voice quieter than usual—lower, raw.
She blinked.
"What?"
Kael reached into his ring and slowly pulled out the scroll, its edges frayed, the paper faintly glowing under the moonlight.
"This," he said, offering it to her like it was a piece of his soul.
"I've been through hell, Selene.
Near-death experiences.
Close calls. At one point, I didn't think I'd survive.
But through all of it, I… I held on. Just so I could give you this."
His voice cracked.
"I love you, Selene.
And this… this is my proof."
Selene stared at the scroll as if it were made of starlight.
Her hands trembled as she accepted it.
Tears spilled from her eyes—warm, grateful.
She was overwhelmed.
If only she knew Kael had not fought tooth and nail for this scroll.
In fact, he hadn't lifted so much as a pinky.
If she had known, she might've dropped dead from cardiac arrest right there.
Still, she muttered between tears,
"Thank you, Kael. Thank you so much."
She gently unrolled the scroll.
A sliver of moonlight lit up the ink.
Her eyes skimmed the contents.
And then—
Her expression changed.
The tears stopped.
Her face turned blank.
Kael didn't notice.
He was too busy mentally congratulating himself for being the best fake-romantic boyfriend the world had ever seen.
Then Selene asked, softly—
"Kael?"
"Mm?"
"This spell… you got it yourself?"
Kael blinked, the hairs on his neck rising.
"…Yeah," he said slowly. "Just for you."
"You're not… hiding anything from me, right?"
He froze for a fraction of a second.
What the hell?
Still, he recovered quickly.
"Selene,"he said, stepping closer, placing a hand on her shoulder,
"I love you more than anything.
Why would I ever hide anything from you?"
Silence.
Then—
"Stop lying, liar."
Kael's breath caught.
"This spell… I gave it to the Devil to release me from that cursed place.
It's my spell—all along!
Heck, I used it just yesterday to kill those three maids!!"
Silence.
Utter silence.
The kind that makes even ghosts uncomfortable.