He blinked in surprise as she went on, "You're still you. And I don't judge people based on how they look or what species they are."

Kael narrowed his eyes skeptically. "That's rich, coming from someone who's judged me to my face dozens of times."

Shiera flushed, glaring at the fire like it owed her an apology. "That's… because you acted like a spoiled, arrogant, weak guy who clung to my sisters like a lifeline!"

Kael gave her an offended look. "I what?"

"You did! Or at least that's how it seemed!" she shot back. "You always got them into danger. My sisters were ambushed three times after the wedding, and I thought it was your fault. I thought you were dragging them into your mess to clear off your damn ancestral debt. How would I know that you are pretending to be weak?"

After a brief pause, Shiera's voice softened, barely above a whisper. "Now, after seeing you battle, I realize… they weren't helping you as I thought. You were the one who was protecting them."

Her eyes met his as she concluded, "It all makes sense now."

Kael didn't say anything, but a slow, tired smile tugged at his lips.

Shiera looked down again, feeling heat crawl up her neck. "Maybe I was wrong about you."

Kael leaned back, stretching his legs, tone dry. "You think?"

Shiera didn't answer that and stayed silent for a while.

And then, Shiera's gaze sharpened.

"Kael," she said suddenly, bringing up another topic and continuing their conversation, "I forgot to ask you. How long did you know… about Alice? Your vampire summon made a sudden entrance just as I was about to be sacrificed, as if she was keeping an eye on me this whole time."

Kael looked up, surprised. Then he sighed and leaned back a little more. "No, not from the start," he admitted. "Honestly, I didn't suspect her when we first met her. She acted too well. But…"

He paused, rubbing the back of his neck as he chose his words. "It was after we found her at the graveyard. That's when Cleo told me something strange. She said the soul inside the statue smelled like Alice."

Shiera's brows furrowed.

Kael continued, "And Cleo doesn't make mistakes when it comes to making judgments. That's when I began to suspect something was off. And when I asked Cleo, she mentioned that Alice was suppressing herself, and she's a Supreme Being. But if she was the enemy, why didn't she attack? That confused me at first."

He shrugged slightly, eyes glinting with frustration. "I started to wonder, was it because of me? Or was it because she is worried about Sith and my Infernal Pegasus? Or is it something else that is holding back?"

Shiera asked quietly, "So you left us… to see what she would do?"

Kael nodded. "I removed myself from the equation, hoping her motives would surface if I wasn't around. Part of me… hoped she wasn't the one. But…"

"She was," Shiera finished bitterly.

"Yeah, she was," Kael echoed in a softer tone. He then let out a deep sigh as he added. "A betrayal from a friend hurts you more than a death from your enemy. I was… sigh…"

Silence settled between them like an old wound as Kael couldn't speak anymore, but then Shiera's voice cut through it again, cool and sharp.

"So," she said, narrowing her eyes, "That means everything you said before… about walking away… about not wanting to be in between us…"

Kael looked at her. "Hmm?"

"Those were your real words, weren't they?"

Kael blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Eh?"

"And here I was," Shiera continued, almost hurt, "hoping you were just pretending. That you were playing a role in pushing her to show her true face. But no. You really meant those words. You stood up to her because you were frustrated by me, not because you were protecting me."

Kael scratched his cheek and looked away, suddenly awkward. "Truth be told," he muttered, "you were acting too much like an immature brat. I had no other choice but to shut you up."

Shiera's jaw dropped slightly. "You…!"

"Hey, I'm being honest!" Kael held up his hands defensively. "You were overestimating yourself way too much. Yeah, you're Tier-8 and all, but all your experience lies in hunting monsters. This was different, fighting someone like Alice, or a Grandlich, or a Death Knight… intelligence entities move differently from brainless monsters."

"You really think I don't know that?"

"Seriously?" Kael looked at her blankly. "You charged headfirst every single time. And this," he waved a hand, "was the fourth time I had to save you. Stuff like that… it builds up. I guess it all came out at the worst time."

Shiera flushed red, biting her lip in a mix of shame and exasperation. Her pride prickled, but so did the edges of humility.

"Still," Kael added, his voice softer, "I didn't mean everything I said. Not exactly like that. I just…"

"Hold on," she interrupted him. "You said this was the fourth time you saved me."

Kael nodded with a faint shrug. "Yeah."

"But that can't be right," she continued, counting on her fingers. "There was today, against Sith… before that, from the pegasus in the dungeon."

She trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she tried to dig into the haze of memory.

Kael didn't answer, just waited, arms crossed, head tilted slightly.

And then it hit her.

"Wait…" her voice lowered, realization blooming in her widening eyes. "The thousand-faced spider… It was you…"

Kael nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said with a nod, tone softer now. "To be honest, it wasn't planned or anything. Or else, I could have saved your friend, too. It's just sheer coincidence. You were just lucky that Laura and I were around. I sensed that you were in trouble. So, I saved you, and then later, killed it."

Shiera looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed as she remembered scolding Kael for being weak, but in reality, she was the one who was truly weak. Shiera couldn't help but clench her fists.

Kael then sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Everyone scolds me for risking my life too often. But if I'm being honest? I wanted to scold you that time."

She turned to him, surprised.

"You're the future Queen of this land, Shiera. You don't get to throw your life around like it's nothing. You're not just some wandering adventurer. The lives of millions will one day rest on your shoulders."

He looked at her, his eyes calm but firm. "You can't afford to think only about your own happiness. I know that Her Majesty won't say anything because I know that she doesn't want to put unnecessary pressure on you, and also, she wants you to have a youth filled with memories of freedom."

The words struck her harder than she expected. There was no anger in his voice. Just frustration… and care. It felt quite genuine, and it is quite strange for her, coming from Kael.

But Kael didn't stop there. He went on saying. "Still, I've always known my place. You hate me. You've made that clear in every conversation. Even if I say something out of concern, you'll just twist it into an insult and throw it back in my face. Probably throw my family into it too."

Shiera flinched slightly.

"Then Laura and the others will defend me. And you'll argue with them. And it'll all become a bloody mess. Again."

Silence hung between them like a blade balanced on a thread.

Shiera looked away, biting her lower lip. "I don't hate you," she muttered.

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"I just…" she inhaled. "I just…"

Shiera's voice became mute for a few seconds of pause before she took a deep breath once again and stared him in the eyes, "I'm… sorry."