CHAPTER 190: HANDS CLAIMED, HEARTS REVEALED

[Talvan’s Estate—Same Day]

Eleania SLAMMED her door with enough force to rattle the walls. Her cloak flew across the bed, forgotten, as she spun on her heels, eyes blazing like twin fires.

"ARRRGHHH!!!" she shrieked, voice sharp and venomous. "THAT WRETCHED, INSOLENT PRINCESS!!!"

Her fists clenched so tight the knuckles turned white, trembling with fury. She could still see it—the way their hands had touched, Osric’s fingers wrapped around that... that crown princess’s hand.

"How dare... HOW DARE SHE—" Her voice cracked, each syllable a growl. "She had the audacity... the sheer, unbearable audacity—to claim him!"

Her lips twisted into a snarl. "’My man’—ha! MINE! That man has always been MINE! ONLY MINE!"

In a violent burst, she grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into jagged pieces, spraying the floor with porcelain shards and dirt. Her dark eyes gleamed with obsession and hate. "THEN HOW... HOW DARE SHE—CLAIM HIM AS HERS?!"

She sank to her knees, fists clenched, nails digging into the carpet. "I will END her. That wretched girl. I will destroy her—completely. Piece by piece. I will show Osric—SHOW HIM—that she is not the one he should be holding. It should... it MUST be ME!"

Her chest heaved as jealousy twisted through her. The image of them together burned in her mind. "He will see... she is nothing compared to ME. I will make him forget her. I will make her regret every moment she dared... dared to touch him!"

Her gaze hardened, a dangerous glint in her dark eyes. "Yes... I will rise above her. Take what is RIGHTFULLY MINE. And Osric... my Osric... you will know... only I am yours."

***

[Osric’s Pov—Imperial Palace—Dungeon]

"AAARGGHH!!"

The coachman shrieked, hands trapped beneath my boot. Lavinia stood beside me, arms folded, eyes cold as marble, watching silently.

"My lord... please... spare me," the coachman whimpered, voice quivering with terror. "I—I’ve only done what I was paid for!"

I tightened my grip, pressing my boot down further. "And... tell me, then," I said, my voice low and dangerous, the dungeon walls swallowing my words, "who... who is the one that paid you?"

"I... I don’t know, my lord... but... it was a noble... a young woman of high rank..."

Lavinia’s voice cut through the tension like steel. Calm, sharp, and commanding: "And... you didn’t see... her face? That noble woman’s face?"

The coachman’s jaw quivered as he shook his head violently. "I... I didn’t, Your Highness... she... she wore a cloak... and hid her face so well... I... I couldn’t see—"

I drew my sword with a fluid motion, the blade catching the dim torchlight, slithering through the shadows like a threat in its own right. "Seems... seems to me you still won’t speak the truth," I murmured, voice icy and deliberate.

Panic overtook him like a tidal wave. "I—I am telling the truth, my lord! I swear! I didn’t... I didn’t see her face!"

Lavinia sighed softly, an almost imperceptible roll of her eyes. "Aldric... give him the best treatment. And make sure... this time, he tells us the truth," she said, her tone calm yet laced with authority that brooked no argument.

Aldric inclined his head and began stepping forward.

"I... I am having a headache," Lavinia murmured, turning on her heel and walking away with a measured, almost lazy elegance that masked the fire burning in her veins.

I watched her retreat, every step precise and purposeful. My chest tightened—not with worry, not with fear—but with that familiar surge of needing to be near her.

I turned back to Aldric and Damien. "Handle it from here," I said, voice controlled, each word deliberate, edged with the command of a man who does not tolerate failure.

They nodded silently, understanding the weight behind the words.

And then... I followed Lavinia, the cold stone floor echoing my boots as I kept pace with her—shadow to her shadow, protector to her relentless, untouchable force.

***

[Imperial Palace—Hallway—Later]

As Lavinia’s steps echoed softly down the cold hallway, I quickened my pace and called after her, voice low but urgent.

"Lavi..."

She stopped mid-step, turning gracefully to face me. For a moment, worry still flickered in her crimson eyes, a twitch of her brow, before it melted into that calm, radiant smile that always made my chest tighten.

"I thought... you’d still be interrogating him," she said, tilting her head slightly, a teasing lilt in her tone.

I stepped closer, brushing a stray lock of her golden hair behind her ear.

"Nothing," I said softly, letting the words linger. "Nothing is more important than you, Lavi. And...trust me Aldric and Damien? They seem... very thorough. I’m sure they can handle torturing the truth out of a man far better than I could."

She let out a quiet, amused chuckle, the kind that tugged at something deep inside me. "Then you should go back... you must be tired too."

I couldn’t look away. My gaze lingered on her, drawn into the depths of her crimson eyes.

She... she was breathtaking. Every thought, every breath seemed to pause in her presence. And after... what had happened outside, after our first hug, something inside me surged, reckless and bold.

I reached out and pulled her into my arms again. Not a mere touch—this was deliberate, grounding, possessive.

"Let me... drop you to your chamber first," I murmured, my voice rougher than I intended.

She didn’t resist. Surprising even me, she relaxed against me, resting her head lightly on my chest.

"Thank you," she whispered, voice soft, almost vulnerable.

The warmth of her words—and the closeness of her—made my pulse thunder in my ears. I felt the urge to bend down and press my lips to her temple, to breathe her in... but no.

I had to restrain myself. If I kissed her now, she’d probably glare at me and call me a pervert—or worse, laugh at me with that teasing, "I-told-you-so" smile.

So I released my hold slightly, still keeping a protective arm around her. "Shall we... go then?" I asked, voice low, threading quiet humor into the words to mask the storm of feeling inside me.

She nodded, her hair brushing against my chest, and linked her hands through mine as we began walking down the long hallway toward the Dawnspire Wing.

The torches flickered, casting dancing shadows on the walls, but all I could see, all I could feel, was her—warm, soft, and impossibly close. The air between us hummed with something unspoken, a delicate tension laced with daring, and yet... perfectly, undeniably ours.

"Do you... always pull ladies into your arms?" she murmured teasingly, lifting her gaze just enough to meet mine.

"Only the ones I’ve... decided are mine," I whispered back, letting a small smirk tug at my lips.

***

[Dawnspire Wing—Later]

After Lavinia reached her chamber, the first thing she saw was a blur of soft fur and a wagging tail. Marshi bounded toward her and leapt into her arms, his little tail twitching furiously as if scolding her for being late.

Lavi let out a gentle laugh and hugged him close, while I stood at the door, watching them with a smile tugging at my lips.

"I should leave," I said softly.

She looked at me, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, and nodded. "Have... sweet dreams, Osric."

Those words, simple as they were, warmed me more than they should have. I smiled, dipped my head slightly in farewell, and closed the door behind me.

The hallway was quiet, bathed in silver moonlight streaming through the arched windows. It was peaceful—at least until a rush of wind brushed past my ear. Solena swooped down from the rafters and landed firmly on my shoulder, feathers ruffling in irritation.

I chuckled. "You’re angry again, aren’t you?"

She gave a sharp, indignant screech, her beak nudging at my cheek. It almost sounded like, ’You’re late again.’

"I know, I know." I rubbed the top of her head, smoothing her feathers. "I had to deal with those idiots, remember? They don’t exactly confess easily."

But when I caught a glint in her dark eye, I narrowed mine suspiciously. "You didn’t... happen to steal anything from Lavinia’s wardrobe, did you?"

Solena froze, blinked, and looked deliberately away.

I groaned. "Great. I guess I really do have a divine thief on my shoulder."

She jabbed me in the temple with her beak in sharp protest, and I couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright, alright, I’ll stop calling you that."

My smile faded, though, when a memory surfaced—an unwelcome one.

"You know," I murmured, my voice dropping low, "I met her today. Eleania."

At the sound of that name, Solena tilted her head, curious.

"Eleania..." I repeated, almost tasting the bitterness of it. "The woman I married... in my last life."

Solena blinked, her wings shifting restlessly, but she stayed silent, as if sensing the heaviness in my tone.

I exhaled slowly, turning toward the window where the pale moon hung like a silent witness. "But...," I whispered. "I won’t make the same mistake again, Solena. Not this time."

My fist clenched at my side, my voice firm and unwavering. "This time, I will protect my true love. Lavinia... she’s the one I won’t let go. I won’t allow Eleania—or anyone—to harm her. I won’t let her life be snuffed out tragically, not like before. Not like her last life."

And then...

"...What did you just say?"

The voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the quiet like a blade.

I froze. Slowly, I turned my head—and my heart jolted when I saw him.

His Majesty, the Emperor, stood at the far end of the corridor, his presence like a storm barely contained. His eyes burned with anger and something far more dangerous: realization.

"Y-Your Majesty—"

I didn’t even finish. In a blur of movement, he was upon me. His hand closed around my throat like iron, lifting me slightly off the ground. The pressure stole the air from my lungs.

"Did you just say... last life?" His voice was low, venomous, and trembling with fury.

"Your... Majesty—" I choked out, clawing at his wrist.

He tightened his grip.

"ANSWER ME!" he thundered, his anger echoing through the stone corridor. "Did you remember the past life?"

My heart stopped. Don’t tell me... his majesty recalls the past life too.