After finishing his work, Draven returned to Ember, who was sitting quietly on the swing in the garden, staring ahead blankly.

"Still worried about your brother?" came the familiar voice of her mate.

It pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to look at him. "With someone like Lady Cornelia healing him, do I even need to worry? I was just… enjoying the peace here."

Draven could tell she wasn't being entirely honest. Something was troubling her — but instead of pressing, he said, "That's true. She'll be here soon to check on him again. Do you want to be there?"

"No need to disturb her while she's treating her patient," Ember replied. "I met my brother before coming here."

He hummed in response. "Want to take a stroll?"

She stepped down from the swing. "Along the riverside."

Draven held her hand, and together they walked toward the boundary of the palace, where the river flowed gently, surrounding the palace like a natural moat.

As they strolled along the water's edge, Draven asked, "What did you do today?"

"Nothing much," she said. "I went to check on Morpheus' nest, then spent time in the study reading, had a meal, visited my brother, and then came to the garden." She recited it like it was just another ordinary day.

"How's the nest?" Draven asked.

"It's beautiful and mesmerizing," she replied, a soft smile forming on her lips. "I can even go there on my own now. There's a bridge connected to the balcony."

Draven hummed in approval. "He's thoughtful — and he probably knew you wouldn't be patient enough to wait for him and might try to climb the tree on your own, putting yourself in danger."

Ember frowned. "Both of you are the same. Always pointing out my mistakes and my clumsiness. But this is how I am."

"And we like you just the way you are," he said with a small smile. "Now tell me… what's truly on your mind? Something's troubling my sweet mate."

She sighed. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"I don't want you to get upset."

"I won't."

She stopped walking, prompting Draven to stop as well. She turned to face him, guilt flickering in her gaze.

"I should've discussed it with you earlier," she admitted. "But… I ended up making the decision on my own."

He simply waited for her to say it.

"I asked Morpheus to take me to this month's full moon festival…" she began, but the rest of the sentence caught in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to say the next part — that she was planning to mate with Morpheus.

"And he denied?" Draven asked, trying his best to keep his composure.

"Hmm," she nodded, looking away. Her voice was heavy with emotion. "I just want to get it over with… once and for all. So we can all live together in peace. I'm trying, but he doesn't want to cooperate." Her voice broke. "Why can't he understand that it's not easy for me either…"

Finally, the tears she had been holding in slipped down her cheeks.

Draven gently pulled her into his arms, letting her release the emotions she had kept inside.

"When he said no… I felt hurt," she sobbed quietly. "I don't know what else to do for him… I just don't want him to suffer because of me…"

"You're not wrong," Draven said softly, caressing her back with slow, comforting strokes. "You're just doing what's best for all of us. Don't worry — he'll come around. He'll come to you on his own."

"Will he?" she whispered, still unsure.

"Hmm," Draven hummed in reassurance, wiping her tears with his thumb.

Once she had calmed down a little, he gently shifted the conversation.

Thanks for reading—brought to you by *.

"Have you given any thought to meeting your family again? Now that you know the truth about them?"

She shook her head. "First, I need to take care of this family of mine. Once we're okay… I'll think about it."

"As you wish."

----

Cornelia arrived at the palace just before sunset to check on Rhian.

Erlos directed her toward Rhian's chamber, where the young man was resting in bed.

"Prince Rhian, Lady Cornelia is here to check on you," Erlos announced politely.

The moment he heard her name, the image of a beautiful red-haired woman flashed in Rhian's mind. He quickly sat up in bed and said, "Let her in."

Erlos exited, and Cornelia entered the chamber, her expression as serious and composed as ever — as if she were there strictly on business.

Rhian looked at her, intending to apologize for how he'd behaved after waking up… but before he could speak, she said curtly, "I need to check your pulse."

Without protest, Rhian offered his hand. Cornelia sat down in the chair beside his bed and gently took his wrist, closing her eyes as she focused.

Rhian, meanwhile, found himself staring at her face — graceful, distant, and effortlessly beautiful. How can someone be so aloof and strict, yet so pleasing to the eyes? And on top of that, she was perfect at her work.

Cornelia opened her eyes — only to find the human staring at her.

Completely unaffected, she released his wrist as if his gaze held no meaning to her. "I need to check the wound," she said plainly.

Rhian gave a small nod.

"Turn around," she instructed.

He shifted slightly, and the next moment he felt his shirt being lifted — but when he glanced at the mirror in front of him, he saw she was still standing a few steps away.

She used magic, he realized.

She walked closer, and then her cold fingers touched the wound to inspect it.

Rhian flinched — not from pain, but from the chill of her touch. 'Why is her hands so cold?'

"The potion is working well. In a few more days, you'll be strong enough to return to your world," Cornelia commented, her tone clipped and businesslike.

But to Rhian, it carried a different message — an impatience for him to leave this kingdom as soon as possible.

She truly couldn't stand the presence of a human.

Looking at her through the mirror, Rhian asked, "You don't seem to like my presence here."

"I'm glad you're aware of it," she replied coolly, and in the same breath, a vial appeared in her palm.

"Why do you hate humans so much?" he asked.

She opened the vial to pour the magical potion over the wound, which still carried traces of black magic.

"Didn't you see it yourself that night — when the humans attacked our king and his mate?"

"Not all humans are like that…" he tried to reason.

"Only if you knew," she replied, then poured the potion on his wound, causing him to hiss in pain.

"It'll hurt — it's countering the dark magic in the wound," she said, unfazed.

Rhian clenched his jaw, trying to suppress his reaction. "If you hadn't said that, I'd almost believe you were doing it intentionally."

"You wouldn't be wrong to think that either," she replied without a flicker of remorse.

He turned his face to look at her. "I did nothing… but you hate me just because I'm human."

"Do I need be any more clear?" she said coldly, and with a flick of her magic, the vial vanished and his shirt was pulled back down.

"What if I say I don't hate your kind… and that I apologize for how I acted the first day — after I woke up?" he asked.

"Don't bother. Hatred or an apology from a human means nothing to me," she said dismissively. Another vial appeared in her hand. "This one is for you to drink."

Such a cold and emotionless woman, Rhian thought. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "If I refuse, will you make me drink it by force — like you did that day?"

She didn't even blink. "You already know the answer."

He took the vial from her hand and drank it in one go. "Happy?"

She didn't respond. Without another word, she turned to leave.

"Lady… just know that not all humans are the same. I am certainly not like them," Rhian called after her.

"Good for you," she said coolly as she walked out.

Rhian stared at the door after she left. This woman! Does she have even an ounce of emotions inside her?