CHAPTER 24: HER QUESTIONS

The room was warm and cozy, lit by a soft flame from a lantern. Ashen and Lumina sat together on a separate couch, not saying a word.

They just finished their dinner and decided to get fresh air.

Lumina, who was blindfolded, tilted her head to listen to Ashen’s breathing. She was getting used to this man and she could explain why.

"You are quiet," she whispered. Ashen looked at her, noticing how the firelight made her face look soft and beautiful.

He rubbed his thumb against his knuckle, then spoke in a calm, low voice.

"Well... there is nothing to say." Then lean closer to her.

"You asked to know about my family..." She nodded, turning slightly toward him. "If I am to live among dragons, I should know who guards the fire."

He almost smiled at that but his eyes grew distant the moment his lips started moving against.

"Aurelia was born in the Frost Ember Season, what we call the Time of Silver Flame. She is the second daughter of my parents. It was a celebration that lasted for days. The nobles named her Flameborn. "

"She sounds powerful," Lumina murmured.

"She is," he admitted. "She trained with the flame casters, studied in the High Roost for six years. She earned her sword before she turned thirteen. She rides drakes... she speaks three tongues of fire. Father says she could have been King, had she been born a man."

"And what does she think of you?" Lumina asked carefully.

Ashen’s lips pressed together. "She tolerates me. That’s the most I can say. Aurelia follows our mother in heart and mind."

He didn’t have to explain. Lumina could feel the weight in his voice. He was trying to believe the fact that his siblings still have little feelings for him.

"And Prince Adam?" she asked, her question was followed by a long pause.

"Adam was born in the Crimson Rain, he is the firstborn. He came with thunder. Our people say the sky wept fire that day. They saw it as a sign. He has always been strong, always chosen. He leads the palace guard, trains the armies, and speaks at council meetings. The King listens to him more than anyone else. He is everything I am not."

"That is not true," Lumina said softly. "You may not be loud like thunder, but you burn just as bright."

Ashen turned to her fully now, something unreadable in his eyes.

She tilted her head again. "Do you trust any of them?"

"I trust Ero," he said without hesitation.

She smiled faintly. "I already know that. Who else?"

Ashen went quiet again. His fingers tapped once on the table near him.

"I used to trust Aurelia when I was a boy. Before she stopped looking at me like her brother... and started seeing me as a burden."

He stood slowly, moving toward the small window slit. "If it weren’t for Ero, I might have lost my mind a long time ago."

Lumina heard the tremble in the stone beneath his steps. She stood too, walking toward him carefully until her hand reached out and brushed his arm.

"You are not alone, Ashen," she said. " I am here now... even if I cannot see, I will stand with you."

He looked down at her, at her soft blindfolded eyes and the calm strength that lived in her stillness.

His voice dropped to a whisper. "Why do you care so much?"

Lumina turned slightly in his direction, her hands still wrapped around her warm cup. "Well... you are going to be my husband. Who else should I care about if not you?"

Ashen smirked faintly, but his eyes didn’t soften. "You were chosen by the Crown Prince who turns out to be my greatest enemy. Why should I trust you?"

Lumina paused mid-sip, the words settling heavily in the air. Then she tilted her head toward him, a small crease forming between her brows. "What does that mean?"

"I don’t have a good relationship with my brother," he said, his tone flat. "And all of a sudden, he brings a wife... a wife meant for me."

She smiled at that, lips curling with quiet amusement as she recalled his first words to her. "So that’s why you told me never to get in your way and to live my life however I wished?"

Ashen’s gaze snapped toward her, surprised she remembered.

"You don’t have to look so stunned," she murmured. "It was your very first sentence." A small painful smile tugged on her lip recalling what had happened in the Celestial realm before she left.

"Since I can’t use my sight I might as well use my hearing so well more than anyone."

He looked away, a small, reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "A marriage without my consent... and they expect me to just accept it and trust them?"

Lumina didn’t answer right away. Then her head tilted slightly again. "I heard there are three sons of Drakonis... yet you have only spoken of two."

Ashen stilled, his body tensing. He looked at her warily. "Have you been keeping tabs on us?"

"Well, I was going to get married to you when I know nothing about you." she repl," she replied.

He rolled his eyes and stood right taking in a deep breath like the weight of something heavier pressing on his shoulders.

"Let’s not play games then," he muttered. "The eldest son of Drakonis... Alexis." He said the name as though it tasted bitter.

"He’s never spoken of," He said softly. "So how did you know about him?" Ashen asked.

Lumina smirked, recalling her aunt had told her, who else gave her deep and important information aside from her.

Ashen sighed, his jaw tightening. "He’s... sick... very very sick. No one is allowed to see him. Only the King and Queen."

"Why?" Her curiosity slipped out too quickly.

Ashen rose abruptly, the heat of his presence brushing against her as he stepped away.

"This should be the last time you speak of my eldest brother," he said sharply. "It’s not a topic for wandering tongues. Asking the wrong questions in this palace can lead to death."