Chapter 73: Reunited.
The corridor had become impossibly quiet.
Not because the palace itself had fallen silent. Somewhere beyond the carved walls, guards continued their patrols while servants prepared for another day beneath the eternal glow of enchanted lanterns.
Yet around the two of them...
Everything else seemed to fade.
Florence remained perfectly still, her wrist resting lightly within Kaelion’s hand.
His grip wasn’t forceful, If anything, it was remarkably gentle.
Gentle enough that she could pull away whenever she wished yet she didn’t.
She simply stood there, staring at him while her heart hammered painfully against her ribs.
Seven years!!!
Seven years of avoiding this moment.
Seven years of pretending that nothing had ever happened.
And with one quiet question....
"Are you not tired of pretending?"
Every wall she had spent years building began to crack....or maybe she used a glass wall for him.
Kaelion watched the conflict unfold across her face.
She always believed she hid her emotions well but she never did atleast not from him.
He had learned the smallest changes in her expressions long before either of them realized what they meant to one another.
The slight tightening around her eyes whenever she worried.
The way she bit the inside of her cheek whenever she wanted to say something but chose silence instead.
The tiny tremble now running through her fingers.
She was frightened.
Not of him.
Of what would happen if she finally stopped running.
Slowly, Florence lowered her gaze.
"I don’t know what you mean." Her answer was soft and almost inaudible.
Kaelion released a quiet laugh.
Not because he found her amusing.
Because hearing that answer after seven years somehow still hurts.
"You do."
His voice remained calm.
"You’ve always known."
Florence swallowed.
"No..."
"You’ve avoided every hallway I walked through." He said cutting her off as he continued.
"You always found reasons to leave whenever I arrived."
"You stopped looking at me."
Each sentence landed gently.
None carried accusation.
Only the truth.
"I thought perhaps I imagined it at first."
A faint smile appeared upon his face.
"It took me three years to realize you were actually hiding from me."
Florence closed her eyes.
Because he was right.
Every word.
Every single one.
"I wasn’t hiding."
"No?"
Kaelion tilted his head slightly.
"Then why is it that after seven years, this is the first proper conversation we’ve had?"
Silence.
Again.
Florence hated silence.
Because silence never allowed lies to survive.
She slowly withdrew her hand from his not abruptly or angrily.
Simply because she feared what would happen if she continued feeling the warmth of his touch.
"You deserve someone better."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Kaelion stared at her.
Then sighed.
"No."
She frowned.
"You don’t get to decide that for me."
Florence looked away.
"I already did."
"Seven years ago."
The sentence settled heavily between them.
"I remember."
His voice remained unbelievably gentle.
"I remember every word."
"I remember standing beneath the western gardens wondering why my heart felt lighter simply because you had agreed to meet me."
A quiet smile crossed his lips.
"I remember believing you were going to say yes."
Florence felt tears threaten to gather.
She fought them immediately.
"I remember you apologizing before you rejected me."
"And I remember thinking..."
He stopped.
Then laughed quietly at himself.
"...that perhaps if I simply waited long enough, whatever burden you carried would eventually become lighter."
His smile slowly disappeared.
"I kept waiting."
Another silence followed.
"I waited one year."
"Then two."
"Then five."
His eyes met hers once more.
"And after seven years..."
His voice softened.
"...I realized I don’t like waiting anymore."
Florence’s heart stopped.
Because for the first time...
She heard resignation.
Not anger just acceptance.
She took one trembling step toward him.
"Kaelion..."
He smiled politely.
The polite smile hurt more than anything else.
"I told myself I would ask you one last question if fate ever forced us into the same place."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"So answer me honestly."
"No duties."
"No excuses."
"No pretending."
His voice became almost a whisper.
"Did you ever love me?"
Florence’s composure shattered.
Completely.
A tear escaped before she realized she was crying.
She laughed weakly.
A broken little laugh.
"That..."
Another tear followed.
"...was always the problem."
Kaelion frowned.
"I loved you before you confessed."
Her shoulders trembled.
"I loved you after I rejected you."
"I loved you every day I spent avoiding you."
She covered her face briefly.
"I thought if I stayed away long enough..."
"...you would forget me."
Kaelion stared at her.
Unable to speak.
Unable to move.
Florence slowly lowered her hands again.
"My lady entrusted Saline to me."
"Not simply as another servant."
"As family."
"I promised I would protect her."
"Before everything else."
"My own happiness included."
She laughed bitterly.
"And then..."
"...you appeared."
"I wanted both."
"I couldn’t have both."
"So I chose the promise instead."
Another tear slid down her cheek.
"And every single day since then..."
"...I’ve regretted hurting you."
Kaelion stood motionless.
For several long seconds.
Then...
Very slowly...
He reached forward.
This time not for her hand.
For her face.
His thumb brushed away the tear resting beneath her eye.
"So all this time..."
He smiled sadly.
"...you’ve been suffering alone."
Florence nodded once.
"I thought it would become easier."
"Did it?"
She laughed through her tears.
"No."
He shook his head.
"You foolish woman."
She blinked.
"I never asked you to choose."
"I would’ve waited."
"I did wait."
His forehead rested gently against hers.
"You didn’t have to carry everything by yourself...I would be there for you."
Florence closed her eyes.
The warmth she had denied herself for seven years surrounded her.
She had longed for this.
Even though she had never truly possessed it before.
"I still love you."
Kaelion whispered it so quietly the words almost disappeared.
"I never stopped."
Florence’s lips parted.
"I know."
"And?"
She smiled through her tears.
"So do I."
The answer barely left her mouth before Kaelion kissed her.
Not desperately.
Tenderly.
As though afraid she might disappear if he held her too tightly.
Florence melted into him almost immediately.
One hand rose to grip the front of his robe while the other rested lightly against his shoulder.
Seven years.
Seven years of longing.
Seven years of silence.
Seven years of pretending.
And somehow...
One kiss erased none of it instead, it made every lost year feel painfully real.
When they finally separated, both remained close enough that their foreheads still touched.
Neither seemed interested in letting go.
Unfortunately...
Someone cleared their throat.
Twice.
Florence froze.
Kaelion sighed.
Both turned simultaneously.
Standing several meters away were two very familiar young women.
Lilian covered her mouth with both hands.
Saline blinked.
Then blinked again.
Neither spoke.
For approximately three seconds.
Then Lilian squealed.
"I KNEW IT!"
Florence wished the ground would open.
Saline’s green eyes sparkled with delight.
"So this is why Commander Kaelion has been smiling today."
"I wasn’t smiling."
"You absolutely were."
"I wasn’t."
"You are literally smiling now."
Kaelion immediately stopped smiling.
Lilian burst into laughter.
Florence buried her face against his shoulder.
"I am never recovering from this."
"No," Saline agreed cheerfully...she had gotten up in the middle of the night to go get water when she met Lilian and on their way they saw them, at first she was still muddled from the sleep but now she was wide awake....but sadly they had to leave the new couples alone.
The following morning...
The palace gardens echoed with birdsong.
Sunlight filtered through silver leaves while morning dew shimmered across flowerbeds.
Saline and Lilian stood side by side looking remarkably innocent.
Kaelion stood opposite them.
Arms folded.
Expression calm.
Far too calm and strict than the one he used for her Aunt last night which was unfair right now.
The girls exchanged nervous glances.
"You two left the kingdom."
Silence.
"You crossed the barrier."
More silence.
"You entered the human world."
Lilian slowly raised one finger.
"We came back?"
Kaelion looked at her.
She immediately lowered the finger.
"...Wrong time?"
"Very."
Saline offered an awkward smile.
"We’re sorry."
Kaelion sighed.
The anger he’d prepared vanished almost immediately.
They looked genuinely remorseful.
"I could report this."
"We know."
"The Queen could forbid either of you from leaving the palace."
"We know."
"You frightened me when I found out yesterday."
Both girls lowered their heads.
"We’re sorry."
The sincerity in their voices left little room for continued scolding.
Kaelion pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I won’t cover for you again."
"We understand."
"And you will never leave the kingdom without permission again."
This time both answered immediately.
"We promise."
He studied them carefully.
Then nodded once.
"Good."
The tension dissolved instantly.
Lilian threw both hands into the air.
"We didn’t die from his gaze!"
Saline laughed.
Kaelion regretted forgiving them so quickly.
Only slightly.
Elsewhere...
Far beyond the hidden borders of the Elven Kingdom...
A vampire stood before the same cave once again.
The scent lingered.
Temptingly close.
Yet impossible to reach.
Days had passed.
Nothing.
No movement or sign of her
No glimpse of emerald eyes.
Xandros leaned lazily against an ancient tree, arms folded as he stared at the silent cave entrance.
His patience had never been particularly impressive.
Now it was being tested.
Thoroughly.
A faint smirk slowly curved his lips.
"So..."
He spoke to the empty forest.
"This girl..."
His grey eyes drifted toward the hidden entrance one more time.
"...is teaching me exactly how unpleasant waiting can be."
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