CHAPTER 372: LIGHT AND SHADOW

Vincent/Vaelthor~

We left the palace grounds through a small gate that led to the outer town—a lively cluster of cobblestone streets and pastel shops. The air was thick with the scent of fresh bread and something sweet I couldn’t name. Children ran past us, their laughter echoing through the square. It was loud, chaotic, and strangely alive.

Katrina waved to almost everyone. "They’re used to seeing me around," she said cheerfully. "Mom says I should mingle more with the people, not just sit in meetings and training. So I sneak out here a lot."

"You sneak out?" I raised an eyebrow. "You mean like you did last night?"

"Exactly," she said proudly. "Don’t look so shocked. Even royalty needs adventure."

Adventure. I swallowed a smile. She had no idea what that word meant to me.

"Besides," she said with a playful glint in her eyes, "if I hadn’t snuck out yesterday, how else would I have found such a gorgeous mate?"

Her teasing smirk was impossible to resist, and I couldn’t help but laugh. The sound of it seemed to delight her—her eyes lit up, bright and full of warmth, as if my laughter alone had made her day.

We stopped at a small café built with red brick and ivy climbing the walls. The air smelled like roasted beans and honeyed pastries. Inside, people talked in warm tones, clinking cups and sharing laughter. I had never seen anything like it.

"Table for two, please," Katrina said, and the server smiled with a small bow before leading us to a seat near the window.

I followed, trying to keep my expression neutral while my senses exploded with new sensations. The hum of chatter, the soft piano music, the aroma—so rich it almost made me dizzy. Back home, food was something you hunted, something you fought for. Here, it was... art.

"What do you recommend?" I asked, scanning the small book the server gave me like I knew what I was doing. It’s not like I could read or anything, anyway.

"Hmm..." She tapped her chin. "You strike me as a strong coffee type. Maybe a caramel brew with dark chocolate scones?"

"I’ll take whatever you’re having," I said, handing the book back before she could notice my confusion. I didn’t even know what a ’brew’ was supposed to taste like.

Her eyes softened. "You trust me that much already?"

I chuckled lightly. "Against my better judgment."

When the drinks arrived, the rich, steaming liquid hit my nose like a wave. I took a sip—and nearly choked. It was both bitter and sweet, scalding and smooth. I coughed, setting it down quickly.

Katrina burst into laughter. "Oh gods, Vincent, did you just—"

"It’s hotter than I expected," I muttered, glaring at the innocent-looking cup. "Your mortal beverages are lethal."

To be honest, I was more than shocked—I was rattled to my core. Demons weren’t supposed to feel heat. Fire was our element, our companion. I could plunge my hand into open flames and feel nothing, not even a flicker of warmth. But this... this was different. The heat bit into my tongue, sharp and real, like the world had suddenly decided to remind me I wasn’t as untouchable as I thought. It didn’t make sense, and that made it worse.

"They’re called hot drinks for a reason," Katrina said between giggles. Her laughter was genuine, ringing through the café like bells. People turned to look, some smiling at her brightness. And I—demon, son of darkness—found myself smiling too.

She leaned forward, chin resting on her hand. "You’re adorable when you pretend to be composed."

I arched a brow. "Adorable isn’t usually how people describe me."

"Then they don’t look close enough."

My heart stumbled. I looked away, pretending to focus on the window, on the people outside. She didn’t know what she was saying. She couldn’t. I was her enemy. Her family’s enemy. Yet everything in me screamed to protect her, to hold onto this moment before it shattered.

After the café, she dragged me through the marketplace. Everywhere we went, she greeted people, sampled food, laughed easily. I followed behind like a shadow—watching her light touch everything it passed.

At one stall, she stopped to admire a row of glowing crystals. "These are celestial stones," she explained, lifting one to the sunlight. "They react to a person’s aura. Here, hold it."

"I don’t think that’s—"

"Come on," she insisted, pressing it into my palm.

The crystal flared instantly—black and red, swirling like smoke trapped in glass. The vendor gasped. Katrina’s brows furrowed in confusion. "That’s... unusual," she said softly. "It’s never reacted that way before."

Panic flickered in my chest, but I forced a lazy smirk. "Guess I’m one of a kind."

She laughed again, the tension fading. "That, you are."

But inside, I was screaming. The stone had sensed me—the demon beneath the mask. I slid my hand into my pocket quickly, hiding the tremor that threatened to betray me.

By midday, we reached a quiet hill overlooking the lake beyond the town. The breeze was cool, carrying the scent of flowers and faint salt. Katrina sat on the grass, tugging me down beside her.

"See that?" she said, her voice soft but carrying easily over the rhythmic crash of the waves. She lifted a finger toward the distant line where the water kissed the sky, the horizon painted in shades of gold and violet. "That’s where I used to go when the world felt too heavy—when it felt like no one really saw me."

Her eyes lingered on the horizon, a wistful smile tugging at her lips. "My brother... he was always the golden one. The heir. The perfect warrior everyone admired." She let out a quiet, almost bitter laugh. "And I was proud of him—still am. He’s my best friend, and he’s always loved me fiercely. But..." Her voice faltered as the wind played with her hair, brushing it across her face. "Sometimes, it felt like I was just a shadow standing beside his light. No matter what I did, no one ever looked past him to see me."

She exhaled slowly, her gaze distant. "That spot out there—it was the only place I could breathe, where it didn’t matter who I was or wasn’t."

Shadow. The word stabbed through me.

I looked at her, really looked. For all her brightness, there was loneliness in her eyes—a quiet ache that mirrored my own. "You’re not anyone’s shadow, Katrina," I said quietly. "You burn too bright for that."

Her cheeks flushed, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence between us wasn’t heavy—it was fragile, intimate.

Then she turned, her hand brushing mine. "Vincent... can I ask you something?"

"Anything," I lied.

"Do you ever feel like you’re... fighting yourself? Like there’s a part of you that wants something your mind says you shouldn’t?"

Her words cut too deep. I swallowed hard, searching for an answer that wouldn’t destroy us both. "Every day," I admitted. "Sometimes I think that part of me will win."

She smiled softly. "Maybe it’s not about winning. Maybe it’s about balance. Darkness and light—they need each other."

I almost laughed at the irony. "You really believe that?"

"I do. I think that’s why we’re mates. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met, Vincent. There’s something in you... it feels ancient, powerful. But it doesn’t scare me. It feels right."

Her hand slid into mine again, and this time I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. The mate bond thrummed between us—electric, agonizingly real. My pulse synced with hers, our breaths aligning.

She leaned closer, her voice barely a whisper. "You make me feel... safe."

If only she knew.

Safe was the last thing I was.

Her face tilted up toward mine, sunlight catching in her hair. I could see every freckle, every spark in her blue eyes. I wanted to kiss her, to give in completely, but the image of my mother flashed before my eyes. The pain she must have gone through. The curse that sealed my father away.

I turned away sharply, standing before I could do something irreversible. "We should head back. It’s getting late."

Katrina blinked, hurt flickering across her face. "Did I... say something wrong?"

"No," I said too quickly. "It’s not you. It’s me."

The oldest, truest lie.

She rose slowly, brushing the grass from her skirt. "You’re strange, Vincent. One moment, you look at me like I’m your whole world. The next, it’s like you’re a thousand miles away."

I forced a small, strained smile. "Maybe I am."

She sighed but took my hand again anyway. "Then I’ll keep bringing you back."

On the walk home, she hummed softly beside me, her fingers laced through mine. Every note of that song etched itself into the hollow parts of me I thought were long gone.

When we reached the palace gates, she turned to me. "Thank you for today. I had fun."

"So did I," I murmured, though the word fun felt too small for what I’d felt—terror, wonder, guilt, desire.

She rose on her toes, kissed my cheek lightly, and whispered, "Let go inside, my dark mystery."

I nodded with a smile and let her lead the way. The sun dipped behind the towers, and for the first time in years, I realized how much I hated the dark.

Because now... the dark was me.

And she was everything I could never have.