I wasn't supposed to be awake.
Lilian thought I had fallen asleep after lunch. She had kissed my forehead, adjusted my blanket, and dimmed the curtains just enough to let soft afternoon light filter in.
But I wasn't sleeping.
I lay still in my crib, eyes closed, breathing slow — the way I'd practiced.
Footsteps approached the doorway.
Light ones.
Nolan.
I didn't move.
He hesitated outside my room. I could almost picture him there, shifting his weight, debating whether to come in.
Then another set of footsteps approached — heavier.
The Duke.
"I need to speak with you," the Duke said quietly.
My pulse slowed deliberately.
This was important.
They didn't leave immediately. Instead, they stepped just beyond the doorway, voices lowered but still close enough for my sharper-than-childlike mind to catch.
"I saw someone near the east gardens," Nolan said.
My fingers twitched under the blanket.
So he told him.
The Duke's tone remained even. "And you understand why you must not speak of it."
"Yes." A pause. Then, more firmly, "But I want to know what to do if it happens again."
Silence.
The kind that meant the Duke was studying him.
"And why," the Duke asked, "would that be your concern?"
Another pause.
This one heavier.
"…Because she doesn't know," Nolan said.
My breath nearly faltered.
"She's just a child. She doesn't understand what's dangerous. If something happens when no one is around—" His voice tightened. "I'll be there."
The Duke did not answer immediately.
"I don't want her scared," Nolan continued, quieter now. "So I won't say anything. But I'll watch."
There it was.
Not childish jealousy.Not curiosity.
A decision.
The Duke finally spoke.
"You are not to act recklessly."
"I won't."
"You are not to confront anyone alone."
"I won't."
"And you will report anything unusual to me immediately."
"…Yes, Father."
A long silence followed.
Then the Duke said something softer. Almost imperceptible.
"Very well."
Footsteps moved away.
I kept my breathing even until the hallway fell silent.
Only then did I open my eyes.
The ceiling above me looked the same as always.
But something inside me had shifted.
He chose to protect me.
Not because he was ordered to.Not because he understood everything.But because he decided to.
A slow warmth spread through my chest — unfamiliar and inconvenient.
In my past life, I had handled everything alone. Trusted very few. Relied on no one.
But here—
There was a boy standing in a hallway, squaring his shoulders against dangers he didn't even fully comprehend.
For me.
I rolled onto my side and stared at the door.
Nolan.
You really are reckless.
But… thank you.
Meanwhile, in his study, the Duke began issuing quiet instructions.
Additional perimeter wards were reinforced.Rotations of night guards adjusted.Magical detection threads woven into the estate's foundation — subtle, layered, untraceable.
He would not allow unknown variables near his daughter again.
And now, he had another consideration.
His son.
Because Nolan had just stepped onto a path he could no longer pretend not to see.
And the Duke would make certain that if Nolan insisted on standing beside Ariya—
He would be strong enough to survive it.