165
~Damon’s POV
The guard began reading. One by one, the nas filled the room. Cooks, cleaners, guards, stable boys, attendants. My eyes flicked with each one, my chest tightening.
When the last na was called, I slamd my hand against the table so hard that the wood cracked. The guard jumped back, his voice catching in his throat.
"Check again!" I roared. "You missed soone. You must have missed soone!"
Another servant hurried forward, flipping through the pages with shaking fingers. "My Lord, please, look, we have not missed anyone. Every na, every duty, it’s all here. There is... There is no Luca."
"No, Luca?" I repeated, my voice low, dangerous. I stepped closer, and they all shrank back. "She doesn’t lie. Do you hear ? She never lies. If she said his na was Luca, then there is a Luca. Sowhere. Hidden. Pretending."
The servants exchanged frightened glances. One dared to whisper, "Perhaps he was not... truly of the palace, my Lord."
I rounded on him so fast he dropped to his knees. "And how, then, did he enter? Who opened the gates? Who let him touch her?"
No one answered. The silence mocked , fueled the fire in my chest.
"Listen to !" I bellowed, my voice echoing off the stone walls. "From this mont, every guard doubles his watch. No one enters, no one leaves without my permission. Search every corner, attic, cellar, and hidden passage. Tear the walls apart if you must. I want every shadow checked. If a man breathes within these walls and hides his na, I will find him. And when I do..." I let my words trail off, but the promise of death hung thick in the air.
I slipped back into Lisa’s room. She was still asleep, curled under the blanket, her hair ssy against the pillow. For a mont, I just stood there, watching her chest rise and fall. Then I lay beside her, the bed sinking under my weight. Sleep pulled in before I could think anymore.
When I opened my eyes again, sunlight had already crept through the curtains, spilling gold across the room. For a mont, I just lay there, listening to the quiet. The palace was never truly silent, but in that mont, it felt like it was. I rubbed my face with my hand, trying to shake off the heaviness of the night. My head still carried the weight of everything that happened, searching, questioning, and finding nothing.
Beside , Lisa stirred. Her body shifted against the sheets, and her lashes fluttered like small wings before her eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few tis, adjusting to the light, and then her gaze fell on .
Her voice ca out soft, still thick with sleep, but the urgency in her tone was clear.
"Did you catch him? Did you find Luca?"
The na hit again like a stone. Luca. Always Luca.
I let out a slow breath, one that felt heavy in my chest. My eyes dropped for a second before I looked back at her.
"No. There’s no one here with that na."
Her brows knitted together imdiately, a deep crease forming between them. I could see disbelief, confusion, maybe even fear in her face.
"But... I heard it clearly," she said, her voice a little stronger now. "Luca. I’m sure that’s his na."
Her certainty pressed against . She wasn’t guessing. She wasn’t doubting. She was sure. And yet everything in the palace records, every servant questioned, every list I checked... nothing. No Luca.
I shifted closer to her, propping my elbow on the mattress so I could face her properly. Her hair was still ssy from sleep, her eyes a little puffy, but she looked so serious it made my chest ache.
"Lisa," I said quietly, careful with my words, "are you sure?"
Her eyes locked on mine, steady and unwavering, and she nodded without hesitation.
"Yes," she whispered. Then louder, firr, "Yes. I wouldn’t forget it. I know what I heard."
I studied her face, searching for any crack, any sign that she might be confused or mistaken. But there was nothing. Only certainty.
"Then listen to ... even if I didn’t find him, I’ll protect you. You don’t need to be afraid."
Her lips parted like she was ready to argue, but I cut in, my voice low and firm, not giving her the chance.
"From today, I’ll assign two guards to stay with you. They’ll watch you. No one will co close."
Her reaction was instant, her eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly, almost desperately.
"No, Damon," she said sharply. "I don’t want that. I don’t want more people whispering about . I don’t want more talks about at all."
I frowned.
"Lisa, it’s not about talks. It’s about your safety."
She pushed herself up halfway, clutching the blanket tight to her chest as though it was her armor. Her tone was sharper now, cutting through the air.
"I said no. I’ll be fine."
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt, a deep wave of frustration rolling inside . I wanted to snap, to tell her she didn’t understand the danger, but I forced myself to swallow it back. My voice ca out lower, rougher.
"Lisa, don’t be stubborn about this. Please. Let protect you."
Her eyes locked on mine, steady, unyielding, holding in place like chains.
"I don’t want guards following around. If you really care, then trust when I say I’ll be fine."
Her words cut deeper than she knew. Trust her. She was asking for sothing that went against everything in . My instincts scread at to argue, to fight her on this, to do what I thought was best. Every muscle in my body was tense, ready to push back.
But then I saw it, the fire in her eyes. And in that mont, I knew that forcing her would break sothing between us.
I stared at her for a long ti, my chest rising and falling with the weight of the battle inside . And slowly, painfully, I let go of the fight, because the truth was... I couldn’t crush that fire.
Finally, I sighed.
"Fine. No guards. But promise this, if you see anything, if you feel anything strange... if you notice any stranger in this palace, you’ll call imdiately. Do you understand?"
Her lips softened into the faintest smile, and she nodded.
"I promise."
Sothing in eased at that. Slowly, I reached out and touched her forehead with my lips, lingering there longer than I should have.
"Good. Now... It’s ti I attend the eting with my brothers."
Her eyes followed as I stood and adjusted my clothes.
As I reached the door, I looked back one last ti.
"Rember what I said, Lisa. Call . Always."
Her quiet "I will" followed out of the room.
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