A month had passed, and everything had changed.

Eliza no longer simply smiled at Raen, no longer merely obeyed his every word—she lived for him, her every thought consumed by his presence, her every action dictated by an invisible force that bound her to him more completely than any chain ever could.

The ring had changed too. Raen had ensured that.             

One evening, when she had been lost in a dreamy haze, he had spoken quietly with the butler, slipping him the delicate band and instructing him to enhance it—without removing it from her finger, without her even noticing.

The magic had been subtle but absolute. Now, she could ask him things, little things—Where are you, Raen? Are you safe? When will you return?—and he would answer. And though she would forget the question the moment she received the answer, in her heart there was only joy. The knowledge of him, his presence, his safety—it was enough.

Whenever she learned where he was, she would seek him out immediately, never questioning why she needed to find him, never even considering returning to her own estate. There was no logic, no hesitation, only the instinctive pull toward him, as if the world outside of Raen simply ceased to exist.

More than that, she could now pass along information—but only from the butler. If the butler had seen Raen, if Eliza and Raen were too preoccupied to speak, she could deliver the message effortlessly, mechanically. And the moment it left her lips, she would forget. No suspicion, no questions. Just quiet, obedient purpose.

Raen was pleased.

Each night, the butler reported to him in the study, detailing every action Eliza had taken. Her questions, her little notes, the way she had spent her day waiting, longing, loving him in the only way she now knew how. And after the reports, Raen would always seek her out.@@novelbin@@

He would find her, take her hand, walk with her beneath the moonlit sky, feed her with his own hands, bathe her, claim her. She never hesitated, never resisted. Every touch of his fingers, every brush of his lips sent shivers down her spine, but it was not desire—not entirely. It was submission. Absolute, unwavering devotion.

And Raen reveled in it.

She had even learned how to please him better—how to tease him with innocent glances, with soft whispers that carried no true thought but still made his blood burn. When she kissed him now, it was not only out of mindless obedience but with an instinctual, unthinking seduction that had him aching for her.

She had never refused him. She could not refuse him. The words simply did not exist for her anymore.

"I love you, Raen."

"Yes."

"Shall we walk in the garden?"

"Whatever you wish."

These were the only kinds of words she spoke now. Agreement. Devotion. A life lived entirely for him.

And yet, it pleased Raen to let her write.

Her letters were innocent things—"Where is Raen?" "What will we have for breakfast?" "Will you return soon?"—meaningless, fleeting thoughts that faded the moment she handed them over. If they were for the butler, he would answer with quiet reassurance before storing them away to show Raen later. If they were for Raen himself, he would stroke her hair, kiss her cheek, and tell her what she wished to hear.

And then she would forget.

But in those moments, in the flickering candlelight of his study, Raen would read those notes one by one, his lips curling into a smirk as he saw proof of how well the ring worked. How well she worked.

How completely she was his.

That night, after the butler’s report, Raen found her waiting for him in their chambers, her long chestnut hair cascading over her shoulders, her eyes bright with something close to happiness.

"Raen," she whispered, stepping toward him. She reached out, her delicate fingers brushing his chest. "I love you."

His hands slid around her waist, pulling her against him. "I know," he murmured, tilting her chin up so she met his gaze. "And that’s all that matters."

Eliza’s lips parted slightly as his mouth descended upon hers, soft and possessive. She melted into him, her body molding perfectly to his, yielding in every way he desired.

Tomorrow, the war would begin.

Tomorrow, the kingdom would fall into his hands.

But tonight, Eliza was here. Eliza was his.

And she would never, ever leave him.

***

"Raen,

I don’t know why, but every time I see you, my heart feels light, and my mind feels quiet. I love you. I love you more than anything. I don’t think about anything else. I don’t need anything else. If you’re here, I’m happy. If you’re away, I wait. Because I know you’ll return. And when you do, I will be here. Always.

Yours, Eliza."

She never remembered writing it.

But Raen kept it.

Because it was proof that she was exactly where she was meant to be.