And for the first ti, it wasn’t a lie.
She turned and left the balcony, her steps calm, her expression composed. But beneath that calm, a decision had already solidified stronger than fear, sharper than guilt.
Night had fully fallen by the ti Bianca was finally inside her room.
The door was shut tight. The curtains half drawn. Moonlight slanted across the floor, casting long, silent shadows. Bianca sat on the edge of the bed, her back straight but her shoulders slack as though all the composure she had worn before her family had finally collapsed without resistance.
Her thoughts drifted back to Kosler Castle.
To Ivanka’s calm yet cutting voice. To that smile not the smile of a savior, but of soone who knew she was holding all the control.
"I like people who know what they want... and are brave enough to pay for it."
Bianca clenched her fingers.
She knew what she was doing was dangerous. She knew this step could destroy everything if it failed. But for the first ti in her life, she wasn’t doing it for her family, not for the Austin na she was doing it for herself.
And for one person.
A soft sound ca from the direction of the window.
Almost inaudible, but enough to make Bianca turn sharply.
"Bianca."
The sound of her na made her chest tremble.
She rose, stepped closer, and opened the window a little wider. A shadow slipped inside imdiately with movents she knew all too well light, deft, and cautious.
Adrian.
His hair was slightly disheveled, his clothes plain, his face thinner than the last ti she had seen him. Those eyes the sa eyes that had once looked at her without expectation were now filled with worry.
"You t Lady Kosler?" he asked quietly once he stood inside the room.
Bianca looked at him for a mont. Then a small smile appeared on her face a smile she hadn’t shown anyone all day.
"I did," she answered softly. "And she promised to help us."
Adrian let out a breath of relief, though the crease in his brow didn’t fully ease. "On what condition?" he asked. "It can’t be simple."
Bianca stepped closer. Moonlight brushed her face, revealing a new calm one born of decision, not resignation.
"It won’t be difficult," she said. "As long as we do what she asks."
Adrian studied her. "And Valerie?"
The na hung in the air.
Bianca didn’t avoid it. She lifted her chin, her voice steady. "For ," she said quietly but firmly, "Valerie is nothing."
There was no hatred in her tone only the resolve of soone who had finally stopped asuring herself against another.
Adrian smiled.
Not a smile of complete relief, but one filled with trust.
He took Bianca’s hand, gripping it tightly as if to make sure this was real, that he wasn’t alone in this choice. "You know," he said softly, "whatever happens... I’m staying by your side."
Bianca’s eyes shimred.
She stepped closer until the space between them disappeared. "I wouldn’t do this," she whispered, "if it weren’t for us."
Adrian lowered his head, and this ti Bianca didn’t hesitate.
They kissed not with burning desire, but with sothing deeper, layered with promise and shared fear. A kiss born of the will to endure, not rely to escape.
Outside, the night remained silent.
And inside that room, two people with no power over the world had just decided to challenge it together.
That morning felt unbearably heavy for Valerie.
Not because of the cold castle air, nor because of a restless night—but because the nausea ca again and again, without warning. She hadn’t even managed to sit upright when her chest tightened, and she had to cover her mouth as she hurried to the edge of the bed.
She vomited.
Her body trembled as she finally slumped back weakly, cold sweat dampening her temples. Her breathing was uneven, her vision faintly swimming.
"Lady Valerie," Sera’s voice ca out panicked. She imdiately knelt by the bed, offering a damp cloth. "Should I call a physician?"
Valerie shook her head slowly. Even that small movent felt exhausting."No," she whispered, barely audible.
Lira, standing behind Sera, looked at her with clear concern. "But you look terribly weak," she said honestly. "I don’t think you should endure this without being examined."
Valerie closed her eyes for a mont, drawing in a long breath as if trying to steady herself. There was a discomfort she couldn’t quite explain not only in her stomach, but also in her chest. A strange sensitivity. Easily stirred. Easily unsettled.
"I just..." she stopped, swallowing. "I want sothing."
Sera and Lira straightened at once.
"Just say it, my lady," Sera said quickly.
Valerie opened her eyes. Her gaze was sharp, though the exhaustion was unmistakable.
"Have a ssenger inform the Duke," she said slowly but firmly, "that I want a at-filled roll from the narrow alley in the outer district."
Lira froze. "The... small alley near the old market?"
Valerie nodded.
"My lady," Lira said carefully, "the Duke is at the palace. I’m not sure he’ll have the ti. Perhaps it would be better if we asked a ssenger to buy it for you—"
"I want him to buy it."
Valerie’s voice rose slightly this ti. Not loud but sharp enough to plunge the room into silence.
Sera and Lira exchanged glances, clearly startled. Valerie rarely spoke like that, especially when she was unwell. Normally she would yield, or remain silent. But this morning... sothing was different.
Valerie herself went still after the words left her lips. She closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling slowly.
"I’m sorry," she said a mont later, her voice softening. "I just... really want it. And I want him to be the one who brings it."
It wasn’t about the bread.
She knew that.
It was about reassurance. About presence. About making sure that what she was feeling what her body was going through she wouldn’t have to face alone.
Sera bowed her head. "I will inform the ssenger," she said obediently.
Lira nodded quietly. "We’ll do as you wish."
When they left the room, Valerie leaned back against the pillows once more. Her hand drifted to her abdon, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Strange," she whispered to herself. "You’re making this irritable..."
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