CHAPTER 198: SECRETS IN THE AIR

[Lavinia’s Pov—Dawnspire Wing—Rose Garden—continuation]

The silence stretched like a blade between us. My nails pressed into his throat, and a fine line of red bloomed where his skin surrendered to me.

Caelum didn’t flinch. He didn’t beg. He didn’t even raise a hand to stop me. Instead, that damned smirk of his curved wider—mocking, daring.

"I see..." his voice slithered out, smooth, low, and dangerous. "So the little princess enjoys playing with sharp edges."

I tilted my head, letting my crimson gaze bore into his. A slow smile spread across my lips.

"Play?" I scoffed softly, tightening my grip around his neck until his breath hitched. "That’s what children do, Caelum. I don’t play—I end things. And you see..." my smile sharpened. "I have very little patience for people who act in shadows behind me."

His eyes glimmered with something unreadable before he chuckled. Chuckled—while my hand still threatened to crush his windpipe. The sound curled in the air like smoke.

"Ah, how delightful," he murmured, catching my wrist with both his hands.

Instead of pulling me away, he brought my blood-stained nails to his lips, pressing a mocking kiss against my skin as if performing some twisted courtly gesture.

"You are becoming far more dangerous than His Majesty himself," his smirk deepened. "Perhaps the hidden emperor ought to stay hidden... for his own safety."

I yanked my hand free, my smile never wavering. "NO."

His brows knit. "No?"

I glided back to my chair, settling in with deliberate grace. Crossing one leg over the other, I leaned back like a queen on her throne and smirked.

"He better come out," I whispered, my voice like velvet laced with poison. My gaze flicked back to him, sharp as a dagger. "Because if I find him myself... I won’t kill him quickly. No, I’ll keep him breathing—long enough to die a little every single day. And I’ll enjoy watching it."

Caelum’s gaze remained fixed.

"You see..." I smirked, my finger tapping the table in a slow, deliberate rhythm, each sound like a ticking clock before execution. "I love watching traitors suffer beneath my hands. The way they break, the way their pride rots away—ah, it’s... exquisite."

The air thickened, heavy, tense. His stare clung to me, unblinking, unrelenting. For the first time, I could feel it—the words had pierced deeper than I intended. His smile was gone. The tension in the air shifted... as though my words had reached directly to the hidden emperor. Someone hiding beneath that mask.

And then—

"What’s going on here?"

Osric’s voice shattered the silence as he stepped inside.

Caelum’s lips curved once more, his mask sliding back into place with practiced ease. "Ah... Lord Osric," he drawled smoothly, like nothing had happened. "It’s been far too long."

Osric’s sharp eyes flickered between us, suspicion clear in the furrow of his brows. "...Yes. It has."

Caelum rose, brushing invisible dust from his clothes, his smirk still intact but his movements stiff. "I should leave," he said lightly. "It’s been too long since I’ve practiced my sword."

He turned on his heel. I didn’t see his face as he walked away... but I saw his fist. Clenched so tight, the veins stood out pale against his skin.

"Hmmm... suspicious," I muttered to myself.

"What?" Osric asked, brow arched.

I tore my gaze from Caelum’s retreating figure and looked at Osric instead, my crimson eyes gleaming. Then I turned back toward the door where Caelum had vanished, tilting my head like a predator tracking prey.

"Did you see it?" I asked softly, almost lazily.

Osric frowned. "See what?"

I leaned back in my chair, one leg crossing over the other in deliberate grace, nails tapping the armrest in a slow, teasing rhythm.

"His fist," I whispered, savoring the words. "He clenched it so tightly... as if my words crawled under his skin. As if I stabbed something deeper than flesh."

Osric’s frown deepened. "I don’t know what you’re saying, Lavi, but I did see his neck. He was bleeding. What happened?"

I sighed dramatically, stretching my arms before rising from the chair and heading toward my chambers. "It was nothing; I just grabbed his throat... and squeezed until he remembered his place."

Osric snapped, "You did what?"

"Grab his throat and squeeze," I said casually.

Osric flinched, hurrying beside me in panic. "Did he do something to you?"

"No," I said sweetly, almost mocking. "He just asked a stupid question—’what if he’s the hidden emperor’—so I showed him what happens when someone speaks nonsense in front of me."

He stared at me, speechless, then without warning took my hand and turned it over, his thumb brushing the faint red marks on my fingers. "Did your fingers hurt?" he asked quietly.

I blinked at him, startled by the quiet intensity in his gaze, before a soft laugh escaped me. My heart swelled, melting at the earnestness reflected in those storm-brown eyes. Without thinking, I slipped into his arms, wrapping myself around him tightly, greedily, as though he were the only warmth I needed in the world.

"My, my..." I murmured against him, lips curling into a teasing smile. "My man is so impossibly, devastatingly cute."

Color rushed to his cheeks, a brilliant flush that betrayed his usual composure. His arms lingered in hesitation, trembling as though fighting themselves—before he finally gave in and held me back, strong and protective.

"We’re outside, Lavi," he muttered, voice hushed yet sharp with worry. "People might see. It could... cause trouble."

I rested my head against his chest, inhaling his scent, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat under my ear. The world seemed still in that moment, everything narrowing down to his warmth and that rhythm. My lips curved into a sultry, defiant smile.

"This," I whispered, possessive and daring, "is my place. Who would dare cause trouble here?"

His expression stayed stoic, but the weight of his reply pressed cold against my skin.

"His Majesty," he said simply. "The Emperor."

I froze, the words sinking deep, forcing a tiny shiver through me. My smile faltered, though I quickly forced it back into place—a sharp, brittle thing, masking the crack in my chest.

Then I pulled back with a sharp little smile, pretending his words hadn’t rattled me. "I should return to my chamber. You can go back too."

He nodded, though his eyes lingered on me.

"But what about Marshi?" he asked suddenly.

I blinked and turned my gaze toward the corner, where Marshi sat sulking in a koi pond like a wronged noble, tail drooping as though carrying the weight of the world.

I groaned. "Marshi... come out."

The big beast didn’t even twitch.

I sighed, exasperated, and decided to unleash my ultimate weapon. "Oh, Osric..." I said loudly, projecting my voice like an actress on stage. "Did you know the royal chef prepared roasted duck, spicy meat, and apple pie for dinner tonight?"

Instantly, Marshi’s ears shot up like banners in the wind. His head popped out, tail flicking with military precision, and he trotted over as if he’d just received a royal summons to battle. His expression still tried to look offended, but his paws betrayed him with every eager step.

Even Solena, who sighed from Osric’s shoulder looked at me like she is saying, "Hopeless glutton..."

Osric chuckled, bowing to me. "I shall take my leave now, Princess."

I nodded before crouching down to pat Marshi’s head. My voice softened, teasing but warm. "Don’t pout anymore... I’ll sneak you extra meat tonight."

Marshi’s tail wagged so hard it looked ready to take flight. His earlier sulkiness vanished faster than Osric’s smile whenever I teased him.

***

[Lavinia’s Chamber—Midnight]

The moon was high when I found myself leaning against the rail of my balcony, nightdress fluttering in the cool breeze. The night air kissed my face, refreshing yet sharp, as though reminding me to stay awake.

Behind me, Marshi lay curled on the bed, snoring softly. His chest rose and fell in rhythm—either he’d finally calmed down after his sulk or he was simply exhausted from spending the entire day in water like an overgrown duckling.

I envied him, in a way. To sleep so soundly, free of thoughts. My mind, however, refused me such mercy.

Osric’s sudden distance today—his eyes, hollow in a way I’d never seen before. Rey and Papa, their strangely easy connection, as if they shared words I was not privy to. And Caelum... Caelum’s odd behavior, circling me like a storm I couldn’t read.

It felt as though invisible threads were tightening around me, spun by the very people closest to me. Like they are all hiding something from me.

I leaned forward, resting my chin against my hand, eyes narrowing at the horizon where the empire slept.

"Looks like," I murmured, "I’ll have to dig into my own people’s secrets first."