Lyra stood a few steps behind him, unmoving. The corridor was quiet, the distant echoes of the castle barely reaching them, yet her presence filled the space entirely.
Her eyes locked onto his. Sharp and burning with anger. There was no warmth in them.
Only something dark… something restrained.
Kaelen frowned slightly, confusion flickering across his face as he took a step toward her.
"Lyra…" he called gently. "Are you alright?"
The question hung in the air for half a second.
A hollow laugh slipped from her lips.
"How can I be alright?"
The words were soft, but they cut deeper than a shout.
Kaelen stilled, his brows drawing together. "Then tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."
Lyra's gaze didn't waver.
Instead, it hardened.
"So you can fix it?" she asked, her voice rising now, edged with something sharp. "So you can pretend to care now?"
"Lyra—"
"No." The word came out firm.
She took a step closer, closing the distance between them, her presence suddenly overwhelming.
"You don't get to stand there and act concerned," she continued, her voice trembling not with fear, but with barely restrained anger. "Not after everything."
Kaelen's jaw tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
"I waited for you," she said, her voice quieter now, but heavier.
"Did you even know that I was waiting?"
Silence followed.
"I waited… and waited," she went on, her eyes searching his face for something—anything. "Yesterday was supposed to matter."
She paused for a second.
"We got engaged, Kaelen."
The words lingered between them, heavy with expectation.
"And it was my eighteenth birthday."
Kaelen's expression shifted, just slightly.
But not enough not for her.
Lyra let out a shaky breath, her composure slipping for just a second before the anger returned twice as strong. "And where were you?" she demanded.
He didn't answer.
Her lips parted in disbelief.
"You where not with me," she continued. "Not even for a moment."
Her gaze sharpened. "You were with her."
The accusation landed like a strike.
Kaelen's shoulders stiffened.
"The healer's daughter," Lyra said, her voice laced with quiet venom.
"You spent your time with her… as if she matters more."
"I was taking care of her," Kaelen replied, his tone controlled.
Lyra laughed again but there was no humor in it.
"Of course you were taking care of her," she said softly.
She stepped closer until only a breath separated them.
"She has a family to take care of her," Lyra continued, her voice low, dangerous. "People who can take care of her."
Her eyes locked into his. "So why is it always you?"
Kaelen didn't answer immediately.
Lyra's expression shifted, something darker flickering beneath the surface.
"You look at her differently, like you have fallen for her" she said, quieter now.
"Lyra, that's not...."
"Don't lie to me."The words came out sharp, cutting him off completely.
"I've known you long enough to see it," she continued. "The way you speak to her, the way you look at her, the way you stand near her… like you're protecting her."
Kaelen exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair, tension finally showing through the cracks of his composure.
"You're reading too much into this," he said.
"Am I?"Lyra tilted her head slightly, studying him.
"Then look at me and tell me she means nothing to you."
Silence, Just for a second. But it was the wrong second.
Lyra saw it. And something inside her… snapped.
Her expression went still. Too still.
"I see," she murmured.
The anger didn't disappear.
It changed, it became more controlled and dangerous.
"You know what hurts the most?" she said quietly.
"It's not that you chose her."
Her eyes met his again calm now, but burning underneath.
"It's that you didn't even try to choose me."
Kaelen's chest tightened. "Lyra..."
But she was already stepping back. Putting distance between them.
And then for a moment Lyra didn't step back this time. She stood still, her gaze fixed on Kaelen no longer just angry, but wounded in a way he had never seen before.
"You know what's worse?" she said quietly.
Kaelen frowned. "Lyra...."
"We've been friends since we were children," she continued, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay composed. "We played together… grew up together, at some point we only had each other."
Her eyes searched his, as if hoping just for once he would understand without her having to say it.
"And not ever…" she whispered, "not once have you ever looked at me the way you look at her."
Kaelen froze. The words caught him completely off guard.
"It hurts," Lyra went on, her voice breaking now. "It hurts knowing… that I love you." Silence fell between them.
Kaelen opened his mouth, then closed it again, struggling to find the right words.
"I thought we were friends," he said finally.
The moment the words left him, everything changed.
Lyra stared at him, disbelief flashing across her face.
Then she laughed.
A broken, hollow sound, filled with something close to pain.
"You thought we were friends?" she repeated, tears gathering in her eyes. "You really didn't see it?"
She shook her head slowly, her laughter fading.
"Of course you didn't," she said softly. "You never cared enough to notice."
"That's not true," Kaelen stepped forward, his voice firm but strained. "Lyra, I..."
But she was already retreating. One step, then another.
"No," she said quickly, her voice unsteady. "Don't… don't try to explain it now."
"Lyra....."
She turned and ran before he could reach her.
"Lyra!"
Kaelen moved to follow, urgency finally breaking through his calm.
"My lord." He stopped abruptly.
A soldier stood before him, bowing slightly. "The new recruits are waiting for you."
The words felt distant, almost meaningless.
Kaelen's gaze shifted past the soldier, back to the empty corridor where Lyra had disappeared.
For a moment, he hesitated. Then his expression hardened.
"…I'm coming," he said.
But even as he turned away, his mind lingered on her voice, on her tears and on the words he couldn't take back.
The training grounds were already lined with new recruits by the time he arrived.
They stood in uneven rows, some trying to appear confident, others failing to hide their nerves.
Kaelen walked past them slowly, his hands behind his back, his expression unreadable.
His presence alone was enough to straighten their posture.
He stopped in front of the line. His gaze moved from one face to another.
Darin stood among the recruits, trying to look serious, though the tension in his shoulders gave him away.
For a split second, Kaelen's composure slipped. Not visibly but slightly enough.
Darin opened his mouth slightly like he was about to say something.
Kaelen already knew what it would be.
Elara.
For a brief moment, Kaelen almost stepped forward. Almost asked.
But he didn't. His jaw tightened slightly.
And just as quickly the moment passed.
He looked away.
"Welcome to the royal guard," Kaelen said, his voice steady again. "From this point on, you answer to discipline, not comfort."
Darin straightened immediately. The rest of the recruits followed.
But even as Kaelen continued speaking
a part of him remained elsewhere.
Back in that quiet place with her.