The hallway was quiet now. Every single soul was gone, leaving only her standing. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away.

Was she stupid? Gullible? Foolish? Or was she all of it? How could she fall for Maya's trick? It was one of the oldest tricks of time, and she fell for it? Of course, Maya would harbor some anger towards her; after all, Matilda is now in the dungeon because of her.

Her legs felt weak, and she struggled to walk, her heart pounding hard in her chest. She could see them, their eyes mocking her, pointing fingers at her, their tongues wagging against her. But they weren't there anymore. They were all gone, and it was just her standing.

Adina inhaled deeply, and began to walk.

Her steps felt hollow, like the floor might collapse beneath her at any moment. She didn't know where she was going—just away. Away from the stares. From him. From the burn in her throat and the ache in her chest.

Eventually, her feet carried her to the overgrown garden behind the west wing. It was a place forgotten by most and made it the perfect quiet spot. She had stumbled upon it during kitchen duty.

Now, she sat on the edge of the fountain, the air cold, and the bruises around her neck throbbed with every breath.

Adina exhaled, remembering how livid Thorne had been. The way he stared at her like she was dirt beneath his feet. He looked at her with so much disgust, it made her sick.

She leaned back and shut her eyes, letting herself breathe for the first time in hours. She didn't know how long she stayed there, away from everyone. When she opened her eyes again, the sun had set.

She reached for the small cloth tucked in her apron, dipped it in water, and pressed it to her skin, flinching.

"You really are no good at asking for help, are you?" a familiar voice broke the silence.

Adina looked up to see Lord Levi walking towards her. She quickly got up, head bowed, and hands clasped tight. "My Lord."

"Don't get up on my behalf. Sit," he said, his voice as firm as an order.

When she looked away, the smile on his face dropped, his gaze fixed on the finger marks on her neck. His jaw clenched hard.

"I heard about what happened," he began, stepping closer to her.

Adina stiffened. It had been hours, but the maids were probably still talking about it. "Everyone's heard," she mumbled.

Levi didn't respond right away. He only stared at her deeply, something unreadable in his gaze. "May I?" he asked, his voice softer than necessary.

Adina blinked in confusion until he gently reached toward her neck.

She flinched, her hand flew up, pulling her hair to the side to cover the mark. His mate's bite. The one no one could see, or she'd be in bigger trouble.

His brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing. He simply lowered his hand and took a breath, pulling something from the small pouch at his hip.

"Here, I brought you something to help with the bruising. When I heard something happened, I thought to bring this along. It's helped me countless times."

"You get hurt a lot?" Adina blurted out before she could stop.

Levi smiled, "Not exactly hurt, but I do get injured a lot, and my wolf—" he paused, shaking his head. "Another time."

Adina nodded quietly, watching as he undid the cap of the bottle, dousing it in some wool. "You don't have to do this," she muttered.

"I wanted to," he crouched a little, now eye-level with her. "Someone has to."

She tensed up, his fingers were warm as he gently dabbed the wool onto her wrist, avoiding her neck out of respect. Adina's throat clogged up, and she wanted to cry again, but she was tired of feeling so sorry for herself. The constant crying, the ache in her chest.

Would she ever get a break from it, or was she bound to be this weak?

"You know, something drew me to you that day at the farm," Levi's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She blinked, glancing at him, but his gaze was on her wrist.

"What did?"

Levi glanced at her, "Your posture. Gods, it was so bad. You were bending in such an abnormal way, I couldn't just watch someone ruin their spine."

Adina blinked, shocked. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this.

"My posture?" she asked again.

Levi hummed, looking at her, the smile on his face long gone. "Yeah, your posture did, but your name intrigued me even more."

At this, Adina was even more confused. She had always hated her name growing up, especially since the situation surrounding her birth was disturbing. It was one of those she locked up deep inside, never to be remembered. And now, she still didn't feel affectionate towards it. After all, it was just a name. But to hear that someone, a Lord, was intrigued by her name was surprising.

"You know, there's just one person I can think of whose name was Adina. That Adina was actually a founding member."

"A founding member?"

"Yeah, that Adina, though, had powers. She was a powerful seer, which was why I asked what you were hiding that day. I wondered if you had powers too."

At this, Adina burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. The story sounded so fake, and she was sure Lord Levi only said it to make her feel better.

"Somehow, only you seem to remember this power-casting Adina but not the others in Obsidian?"

Levi shrugged casually, "I tend to fixate on things most people don't."

He then looked at her, really looked at her, and the smile on her face waned off. "You don't have some hidden powers, do you?"

Adina chuckled, shaking her head. "I wish I did."

Levi smiled at her response, but the gleam in his eyes didn't quite fade. "Mm. A shame. You're just plain Adina."

Adina smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I am," she murmured, rubbing her hands as the air slowly became colder.

Her eyes widened dramatically when she saw Levi unwrapping the coat he had on and draped it on her shoulders.

"Come on," he began, pulling her up. "You've spent too long outside. You'll freeze."

Adina hesitated. She wasn't sure where to go. Was she still allowed in Thorne's wing, or should she go back to the slave quarters? She didn't want to, though. She could already hear their voices, mocking and insulting. It would be better to go back to the king's wing.

"I'll walk you," Levi said, and she looked at him, remembering how annoyed Thorne had gotten that day he saw Levi in his wing.

Would it be okay, or would she just be stirring up more problems for herself?

As though he could hear her thoughts, Levi stepped forward. "Stop worrying so much. I swear, you'd grow lines on your face." He paused. "If the king sees me, I'll tell him I only came back for the remaining of my clothes. Besides, I'm family. He can't lash out too much."

Adina smiled and nodded. She'd be selfish just this once. She didn't want to subject herself to the stares and nasty comments. She'd rather walk with Lord Levi.