After his question, Leila seed to be contemplating hard. Her expression was that of soone contemplating whether to jump into shark-infested waters or stay on land. So, Vyan—the apparent shark—remained silent, giving her space to think.
"Okay," she began, "it's just hypothetical, but let's say, whatever you are up to goes sideways and you get caught. What happens to ?" she questioned, raising her eyebrow. "I can't afford to go down with you. I have a son and a husband to return ho to."
"I can assure you, nothing will happen to you. Even if my highly improbable plan, which you apparently know so much about, does go sideways, and I—heaven forbid—get caught, I won't breathe a word about you. Not even under torture."
Leila humd in that annoying way people do when they are clearly not convinced. "I need so ti to think about it."
"What's there to think about so much?" Vyan prodded. "It's not like you are weighing your options on buying a new land. It's joining hands with —either you are in, or you are not."
Her lips twitched in a half-smile. "Of course, there's sothing to think about. You are, well…" Her eyes swept over him in judgnt, "you. And you're not exactly a saint that I should be getting involved with. You're a freaking national traitor."
Vyan chuckled darkly, enjoying the absurdity of her righteous tone. "Right, right, traitor, villain, scourge of the empire.Whatever, big deal. But how about we lower that voice a notch? Secrets, Countess Darren, are best kept quiet."
Leila gasped and clamped her hands over her mouth.
"Thank you," Vyan said, offering her a tight-lipped smile. "On that note, yes, take so ti to think. Just don't take too long. Ti is of the essence, after all."
Leila nodded, but her sharp eyes didn't lose their edge.
"Oh, and while we are on the subject," Vyan continued, his voice lilting with faux casualness, "I would appreciate it if you, uh, didn't ntion any of my less-than-flattering deeds to Iyana—"
Leila rolled her eyes. "Save it. Iya already told she doesn't wanna hear anything from about what you have done in the past."
That took Vyan by surprise. "What?"
She shrugged and said, "Yep. She only wants to hear it from you."
Vyan's heart lted at Iyana's gesture as a small graced his lips. That woman never ceased to amaze him.
Leila's voice burst through Vyan's bubble like a needle as she spoke up, "I wouldn't be so happy if I were you." She paused dramatically since he looked down at her in confusion. "If you keep procrastinating about telling her all those things about yourself, soone else is bound to spill the tea. You know that, right?"
Vyan's eyes narrowed suspiciously, his stare practically boring into her. "Did you perhaps already spill sothing?"
Leila suddenly found the marble floor fascinating as she crossed her arms defensively. "No…" she replied, but the weakness in her voice betrayed her.
"You did, didn't you?" Vyan's tone was more accusation than question.
She swallowed hard, the guilt written all over her face. "It slipped out before I realized she didn't know… anything about it."
Vyan slapped a hand over his face, groaning as if the weight of the universe had just landed on his shoulders. "Oh, Goddess."
Leila gave him a sheepish look, toying with her sleeves. "I feel like I should apologize, but—technically—it's your fault for waiting so long to tell her."
"I was going to tell her!" Vyan shot back, a little too defensively.
Leila raised an eyebrow, the judgnt in her expression undeniable. "When? After she had babies with you?"
"N-no, of course not!" Vyan sputtered. "I was going to tell her on her birthday—"
"And ruin her entire day?" Leila cut in, giving him a look that scread, Are you serious?
He gave her a flat stare. "Birthday night. After we finished celebrating."
"And then what? If she wanted to leave you, would you just let her?"
"No!" His objection ca out so quickly, it almost sounded panicked. "I would beg her to stay with ."
Leila shot him a skeptical glance, then added, almost to herself, "Wait, aren't you supposed to be prideful? At least, that's how the novel described you."
Vyan rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath. "I have no pride when it cos to Iyana."
Leila's face softened with amusent as she crooned, "Aww, a green flag."
"Huh?" Vyan blinked, confused.
"Nothing," she said, waving him off with a giggle. Then her expression turned more serious as she looked up at him, still leaning over the windowsill. "Anyway, listen. You really need to talk to Iya as soon as possible. Because you never know who else might let sothing slip like I did. And if that happens, you can't imagine the misunderstanding that would follow.
Trust , you don't wanna deal with that kind of drama. So, you better tell her soon, or the next thing you know, she's leaving you for Easton."
Vyan shot her a deadly glare, eyes darkening at the re thought.
"What?" Leila held her hands up defensively. "It's a possibility. She ended up marrying Easton in another tiline, so it could happen again. You'd better keep an eye on that guy."
"She will marry him?" Vyan's voice ca out in disbelief, laced with an edge of irritation.
"In another tiline," Leila emphasized. "But the point is, things could still turn in Easton's favor. So, tread carefully, buddy."
"But Iyana loves ," Vyan replied, almost like he was reminding himself.
Leila shrugged, her tone annoyingly calm. "And you've got a laundry list of, let's say, questionable actions that could make most won sprint in the opposite direction. So, who's the better option? A heartless villain like you or a righteous prince?"
Vyan clenched his jaw.
Leila chuckled at Vyan's silence, clearly enjoying herself. "Thought so. That's exactly the response I expected. So, my advice? Tell Iyana the truth. Beg if you have to.
Heck, cry in front of her if it cos to that. But do it before anyone else gets the chance to poison her mind against you."
Vyan humd thoughtfully, as if contemplating the likelihood of groveling on his knees.
Leila leaned in a bit closer. "I know you're probably scared out of your mind about losing her, but don't waste ti overthinking it. Just take the plunge, Vyan. Have a little faith in her. Who knows? You might not even have to beg.
She might just stay with you without all the theatrics."
Vyan gave her a faint smile, his gaze shifting down to the pink-haired girl. "Turns out you are not that annoying after all."
Leila grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "I'm hoping we can be friends. I have always wanted to be."
"Partners, then?" Vyan countered, raising an eyebrow.
"Friends," she corrected firmly, with a smirk. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, partner status is still up for debate."
Vyan rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine. Friends it is."
Leila gave a satisfied nod. "Good. I'll get going now. And don't forget—crying is always an option." She threw him a wink before walking off, leaving Vyan standing there with an exasperated sigh.
"Right," he muttered to himself and finished his remaining wine, "Like I will manipulate her just because she can't bear to see my tears."
———
Vyan found himself standing in a vast garden under a twilight sky. Soft winds whispered through the flowers, and the scene should have been peaceful—serene, even—but his heart pounded with unease.
Iyana stood before him, her long platinum hair catching the moonlight. Her expression was distant and unreadable. Next to her, Easton was cladded in princely regalia, the crown sparkling on his head.
"Wait, hold on," Vyan called out, his voice shaky as he hurried toward them. "Iyana, what's going on here? You are not actually leaving for him, are you?"
Iyana turned her gaze to him, her violet eyes filled with sothing that made Vyan's stomach twist. Pity. "Vyan, I... I have to."
Easton shot him a fake sympathetic smile. "Don't take it personally, Your Grace. So things just aren't ant to be. Iyana and I are soulmates."
"Oh, please," Vyan scoffed, trying to sound confident though his hands were already trembling. "Iyana, you can't be serious. He doesn't even know your favorite flowers."
Easton rolled his eyes, while Iyana simply smiled softly. "It's not about my favorite flowers, Vyan. There are things more important than that."
"What can be more important than knowing the little things about you?" Vyan demanded, desperation rising in his chest. "Shouldn't it matter more to you who makes you happy? Does Easton make you happier than I do? What is it that Easton can do that I can't?"
"Being an honest person," Easton taunted, and that's when it hit Vyan.
"Is it… about all the things I have done in the past?" Vyan asked, scared.
Iyana sighed, taking a step closer to Easton. "You always promised you would tell the truth, Vyan, but you kept hiding things from . Easton... Easton never lies to ."
Vyan's eyes widened. "Oh, co on! He never spares the ti to even talk to you properly. Where would he get the chance to lie to you?"
Iyana shook her head, turning her back to him. "Goodbye, Vyan. I am sorry."
"No, no, no—wait!" Vyan's voice cracked as he sprinted forward, trying to catch her wrist, but his hand passed through her as if she were nothing but smoke. "Iyana, don't go! I swear, I will tell you everything! You don't need to marry that guy—I will never lie to you ever again! Just... please."
But she kept walking, her figure fading into the mist as Easton followed, his stupid smirk lingering behind like a bad perfu.
Suddenly, sothing made Vyan stop in his tracks.
His chest tightened. He gasped, clutching his throat, but the air wasn't coming.
He dropped to his knees, feeling the ground tremble beneath him as if his whole world was collapsing. The sensations were so vivid that he actually choking.
It felt as though invisible hands were strangling him, gripping him tighter and tighter.
"Iya...na…" he wheezed, barely able to make a sound. His vision darkened, and a cold dread sank into his bones.
With a violent gasp, Vyan shot upright, drenched in sweat. His heart pounded against his ribs as he blinked, struggling to focus on his unfamiliar surroundings. The dream—no, the nightmare—had felt so real and vivid. He could still feel the pain in his ribs.
But as his mind cleared, he rembered where he was. The guest room at the imperial palace, the one Ronan had offered he rest in.
He exhaled shakily, rubbing his hands over his face. "Just a bad dream," he muttered, trying to convince himself.
But then the sensation hit him again—the tightness in his chest, the pressure around his throat.
It ca back.
His breath caught as the strangling feeling intensified. Panic flared in his veins as he realized, fuck, it wasn't a bad dream.
This wasn't just a nightmare lingering in his mind. This was reality. A harsh reality where soone in close proximity was using dark magic—Vyan's Achilles heel.
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