The silence of the night wrapped around the military quarters like a cloak, heavy and solemn. Most of the troops had retired, the halls dimd and still, save for the occasional flicker of torchlight dancing on the stone walls. Iyana closed the last of her files with a soft thud, her fingers briefly pausing over the edge of the folder. The hour was late, and she was finally ready to leave.
Just as she left her office, she heard footsteps behind her.
"Commander."
She turned to find Elijah standing there, his eyes bright despite the hour.
"Sorry to stop you on your way ho. I wanted to thank you," he said, his voice steady but carrying a trace of honest emotion. "For choosing as vice-commander. I didn't think you would. I thought… Terrence would be the one you picked."
Iyana's gaze held his, unreadable for a mont before she responded, "You earned it."
Her tone was cool, decisive—devoid of flattery, but not without sincerity.
And she was sincere. For once, her mornings could begin a little slower. She could arrive at nine—like today—instead of dragging herself in before seven, or worse, by five. That ant more quiet mornings. More ti with Vyan. Just a bit more normalcy in her whirlwind of responsibilities.
"I weighed both of you carefully," she continued. "Terrence has potential and the raw skill. But he still needs refining. And I don't have ti to polish soone right now. You've already been sharpened by experience. Besides, you were passed over once for this position, when I was appointed. Yet you never let that cloud your work. You stayed loyal, consistent, and you never questioned my decisions."
The man's throat worked as he tried to find words, but she gently moved the conversation forward.
"I'll be expecting you to take on more now," she added. "I'll be a little busier these days. I wish I could take a few days off, but… it's too soon. I just joined as the commander."
Elijah frowned lightly, then shook his head. "You should take the ti off. With all due respect, you deserve it more than anybody else. If you're tired, take it. I can hold the fort."
She almost scoffed—but not out of disrespect. It was more a sound of quiet exasperation. "There's too much happening across the empire. Things I can't ignore. And even if I did take ti off… the person I'd want to spend it with is just as tied up as I am, if not more."
Elijah's lips tugged into a subtle smile. "Then when things settle, you and His Grace should go on a vacation for a while. Just leave the main scene."
Iyana's gaze flicked to him, impassive. "You're very sure I was referring to him."
"There's only one person you love more than your duties, Commander. It wasn't that hard to figure out," Elijah replied simply.
A smile almost took over her face, but she didn't let it appear. She didn't need to smile to be understood, didn't need to soften to be respected. It was more efficient to maintain her demonic superior persona.
"Keep your focus on your new duties, Vice-Commander. I'll see you tomorrow."
She turned around and left, her coat trailing behind her like a shadow. And once she had stepped out of the military quarters, she looked up at the sky and smiled at the thought of the one person whom she truly did love more than her duties—with whom she could just be Iyana. Not a commander. Not the daughter of a fallen marquess. Not a noble lady.
Just a normal blissful girl.
———
The manor's front doors creaked open, letting in the soft rustle of the night breeze as Iyana stepped inside. The scent of polished wood and fresh flowers welcod her. Her boots clicked lightly against the marble floor as Benedict bowed in greeting.
"Welco back, my lady," he said with a gentle smile. "Master Vyan is in Master Aster's room. He's been there for quite a few hours."
Her brows knit slightly. Again?
She gave a polite nod, but her mind had already begun to wander. Vyan often retreated to Aster's room when he was overwheld—sotis to vent, sotis to simply sit in silence near the only living piece of the brother he once thought he lost. It wasn't uncommon, but it always worried her when he lingered too long. When the weight in his heart got too loud.
With quiet steps, she made her way down the corridor, the manor hushed around her. Just as she reached the familiar door, it opened—and there he was.
"Vee."
She didn't hesitate. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, burying her face in his chest. The warmth of him, the sll of firewood and rain—him. "Were you coming to find because you sensed ?" she murmured, hopeful.
But he didn't return the embrace.
He simply let out a low hum.
Iyana slowly tilted her head up, eyes narrowing in a soft pout. "What's with this cold welco?" she asked, voice playful but tinged with concern. "What's got you brooding again? Tell —what's bothering you now?"
For a mont, he said nothing.
Then, in a voice quieter than usual, edged with restraint, he said, "Let's walk. In the garden."
That wasn't good.
Her heart sank slightly, her fingers curling against his shirt as an unease blood in her chest. Sothing's wrong.
But she didn't press.
She just nodded, silently walking beside him. Although they walked side by side in the garden, the silence between them was thick and unspoken, both their steps in sync but the distance between them felt far too vast.
It was a strange kind of tension—one that didn't involve anger, but sothing much quieter.
"Vee," she began, her voice soft but persistent, "what's wrong? You're worrying . Co on, just say sothing, anything."
Vyan mumbled sothing low enough for the wind to swallow it, and she frowned, leaning slightly toward him.
"What? I didn't catch that."
He sighed and mumbled again, too soft for her to hear. His voice was distant—off.
"Repeat that," she pressed, narrowing her eyes.
He hesitated for a beat, then let out a reluctant, "You have kids with Easton."
Iyana stopped in her tracks. "What?"
Vyan gave her a deadpan look. "You married him and had his kids."
The words hung in the air like an awkward joke she wasn't sure she understood. "When did that happen?" she asked, blinking in disbelief. "Vee, did you dream that up or sothing?"
He shook his head, sighing heavily. "Nope. You did so for real."
Iyana stared at him, the confusion written all over her face. It took a mont before realization flickered. Oh. That's what he ant.
She threw her hands in the air. "Are you for real right now? That wasn't even !"
Vyan, still as serious as ever, nodded slightly. "It was you. Just in your past life."
Iyana blinked, completely unamused, and placed a hand on her hip. "Oh, so now you're conveniently turning it into a past life thing instead of an alternate tiline? Really?"
Vyan grumbled sothing incoherent under his breath. "It doesn't matter. What matters is, you married sobody else, and you had his children."
Iyana let out an exasperated huff. "I can't believe you're jealous about sothing like that. You're making it sound like I cheated on you!"
Vyan pouted, folding his arms across his chest. "You did, though. In another life."
She raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "Alright then, Vee. Who's to say there isn't an alternate tiline where you married soone else? How's that sound?"
As she said it, a small, irrational twinge of jealousy blossod in her chest—the thought of him with soone else. She imdiately squashed it down, but the flicker of jealousy still lingered.
Vyan stood a little straighter. "It's impossible. I would never." He said it with such finality that it almost made Iyana want to laugh.
"Really?" she teased, poking him lightly in the side. "You can only say that because we don't know about it. What if there's an alternate tiline where you married soone else, hmm?"
Vyan turned his face away. "Well, if that was really the case and you ever found out, you would murder ," he muttered under his breath.
"Hey! I'd never hurt you." Then, after a beat, she added casually, "That girl? Sure. She'd be dead in a ditch. But you? Never."
Vyan didn't even flinch. Still cold. Still mad. Still annoyingly gorgeous. Still hers.
Her possessiveness was no secret. Everyone in this empire knew, you don't touch what belongs to Iyana.
"Wow," she said, his voice a flat drawl, "you really are upset. And here I thought this was a joke."
She could use force on everybody. Drag them by the hair to make them agree with her. But not Vyan. She wouldn't hurt a single strand of his beautiful hair. So it was a real dilemma when he was mad.
She let out a tired sigh and moved to stand in front of him. Enough was enough. "Okay, no more dramatics. Look at ."
He didn't.
So, she cupped his face gently in both hands and tilted his head down to et her eyes. "Aww, my baby," she cooed in her softest, most saccharine voice, "don't you know you're the only one for ? Who could I even love if not you? That novel-Iyana? She isn't . I could never, ever even look at another man. Let alone marry or bear their kids. Ew."
Iyana would rather dig her own grave—neatly, with a golden shovel—than let anyone hear her use this tone. But sohow, this man had the terrifying superpower of turning her into a walking embarrassnt. Honestly, if anyone overheard her, she'd consider spontaneous combustion a valid exit strategy.
"You're the only one whose kids I'd wanna have. Of course, given the fact that you don't like kids, I don't know how to deal with that yet. But either it's yours kid or nobody else's. I can guarantee you that," she persisted.
Nothing.
"Seriously, love," she said, a little more desperate now, "how am I supposed to convince you? I an—how do you expect to explain to my brain-dead past-life version that she picked the wrong guy? Goodness, I hate her. I wish I could go back and shake her and scream, 'That's not the right one, dumbass! It's Vyan!'"
Still. No. Reaction.
She stared up at him, feeling her patience drain like sand in an hourglass. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to be sweet and reassuring when you're pouting like this? You are impossible. I'm out of lines here, Vee."
But then—
She paused.
His lips were twitching.
"Wait a minute," she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "have you been playing this entire ti?"
And that's when he broke.
A laugh exploded from him—sharp, deep, and stupidly beautiful. His eyes lit up with mischief as he threw his head back, and that rare, unfiltered joy poured out of him.
Iyana gaped. "Vyan Blake Ashstone! How dare you?!"
He grinned—grinned—and then bolted.
"You little— Bold of you to assu you can outrun !" she shouted, already chasing after him.
Vyan's laughter echoed through the garden as he weaved past flowerbeds and under trellises. "I regret nothing!"
"You'd better regret it!" she yelled. "I was worried, you idiot!"
But then she stopped.
He didn't hear footsteps behind him anymore.
Just a faint sniffle.
He slowed down and turned around quickly—his grin fading fast—only to find her standing there, fists clenched at her sides, tears spilling down her cheeks.
His heart dropped.
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