Inside the carriage, silence lingered heavily between the four of us as the wheels rolled steadily along the stone roads.
Only the soft rattling of the carriage and the distant sounds of horses filled the air.
After several moments, I finally broke the silence.
"Back at your palace, Helexia, no one must know that I became a vampire," I said calmly.
Seraphina tilted her head slightly. "Why?"
I looked at her with a teasing smirk.
"Isn't it obvious, future sister-in-law?"
She immediately rolled her eyes at the nickname, though I caught the faint twitch at the corner of her lips.
I leaned back against my seat before continuing more seriously.
"If humans discover that an actual vampire exists, not one from stories or myths, but a real one. What do you think they would do?" My gaze darkened slightly. "Would they welcome me?"
The carriage fell quiet again.
"Or execute me on the spot?" I finished softly.
"You're right," Seraphina and Cassian answered simultaneously.
For a brief second, the two of them glanced at each other before quickly looking away again.
"And if they discover who you truly are," Lorenzo added calmly, "the divide between humans and vampires would only worsen. You may even be banned from the human world entirely."
"Exactly," I sighed dramatically. "My genius brother speaks wisely for once."
Cassian scoffed quietly while Lorenzo only shook his head in amusement.
I relaxed against the velvet seat, letting my eyes drift toward the passing scenery outside the carriage window.
But somehow…
Something about Seraphina continued bothering me.
It was strange.
Unfamiliar.
There was an energy surrounding her that I had never sensed from anyone else before. It was subtle, almost hidden beneath layers upon layers of control, yet it lingered at the edge of my senses like a whisper.
As though something inside her was quietly waiting to awaken.
My gaze slowly shifted toward her.
To my surprise, she was already looking at me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I smirked.
Seraphina rolled her eyes again, though this time a small smile appeared on her lips before she finally looked away.
And I did the same.
But what happened afterward…
Was something none of us could have possibly expected.