Lyanna's thoughts spun endlessly, caught in the echo of Rosielle's words. They circled in her mind like leaves in a restless wind, brushing at every corner of her consciousness. Every syllable seemed to press, teasing and prodding at her heart.
Vaelith, sensing the weight of the moment, spoke in a calm yet deliberate tone:
"Why such insistence over my mask? That is a matter of my own concern."
Rosielle's lips curved into a soft, teasing smile. A hint of playful envy laced her voice as she replied,
"I thought so… You hide from certain people. Truly, you do not yet understand all that lies here."
Vaelith frowned, confusion knitting his brow. Her words were fragments of a puzzle, deliberately enigmatic.
Inside Lyanna, a quiet thought rose sharply:
"You… have seen his face?"
The suddenness of her question left Vaelith frozen, his gaze caught between curiosity and caution.
Rosielle spoke again, slightly louder, firm with certainty:
"Yes… far more than you realize."
Lyanna interrupted gently, cutting through the quiet tension:
"Not entirely… It seems the mask shields what might otherwise seem… imperfect."
Rosielle chuckled softly, a sound like wind drifting through an empty hall.
"Even more beautiful than one could imagine. He is fortunate to witness it."
Vaelith's jaw tightened. A shadow of irritation flickered across his features.
"Why speak to her so? Lyanna has asked me before… I thought nothing, and no one else should either."
Lyanna pondered silently, her mind tracing unspoken threads,
Even from imagination alone, Vaelith glimpses something far more beautiful than one might deserve… yet he watches, and hides it.
Rosielle's tone softened, yet firm:
"It's for her own good… to understand the mistakes and find a way forward."
Lyanna lowered her head, quiet, reflective. She had always cared deeply for people, quietly and fully but showing it directly was a different matter. A small hint of it seemed odd in the eyes of others. Even the faintest gesture of emotion felt fragile, exposed, and prone to misunderstanding.
Her soft voice broke the silence:
"Miss Rosielle… I'll be careful. I promise."
Rosielle chuckled lightly, the sound echoing in the empty chamber.
"Come, Lyanna. I will take you to your room for the night."
The moment Lyanna stepped into the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to something that seemed almost unreal an aura of beauty that rooted her to the spot. She could not look away.
At the far corner of the room, a painting hung on the wall, yet it was more than just ink and canvas it was alive in its essence. Lyanna's gaze lingered, and in that instant, her heart seemed to sink into a weightless, uncharted sea of wonder.
So beautiful… she thought,
her mind wandering. The figure seems almost alive. Pale skin glows softly, like moonlight on glass. Hair shimmers between silver and lilac. Eyes… violet and gold, like the first light of dawn over hidden mountains. Every brushstroke feels tender, deliberate… like someone poured love into it.
She couldn't look away.
Every detail pulled her inthe soft folds of the gown, the faint mist curling around the figure, the way the petals seemed to drift in the painted air. It was breathtaking, yet gentle, serene.
Rosielle's voice broke the spell, soft but teasing.
"You've been staring so long…This… was made with love, every detail crafted carefully."
Lyanna's curiosity pushed her to ask:
"It is… breathtaking. Crafted as if with love in every line...
Miss Rosielle… may I know who created this?"
Rosielle paused, a faint, mysterious smile crossing her lips.
" Varen Thorne.... Perhaps… love alone can create such beauty. "
"Tomorrow," Rosielle said softly, her voice calm yet commanding,
"we'll go to meet the one who made it. So for now… get some rest. At dawn, our journey begins."
She then smiled faintly a teasing glint in her eyes.
"And besides, you're already weak inside. If you don't rest, you might just collapse halfway there."
Lyanna glanced at her, opening her mouth to reply
but before a word escaped, Rosielle had already left the room.
Outside, the hallway was silent. the soft petals of roses swirled through the palace air, and Rrisu, the creature born of Rosielle's magic, hovered lightly, completing the ethereal scene.
Rosielle paused by the door, her expression shifting, her eyes dimming into quiet thought.
Something unknown flickered across her face as if her mind was wandering somewhere far away.
And in that silence, Vaelith's presence lingered in her memory.
Without hesitation, she turned.
The hem of her cloak brushed softly against the floor as she began walking
straight toward Vaelith's room.
Inside, Vaelith sat quietly beside the bed
Rosielle quietly stepped into the room.
There, beside the bed, Vaelith sat without his mask his expression heavy, eyes distant, lost in thought.
For a long moment, Rosielle watched him in silence. The man before her looked almost unrecognizable the calm, unbending figure now shadowed by doubt.
She took a few steps closer, her tone soft yet edged with amusement,
"So, the great Vaelith sits unmasked… I see my suspicions were right. You wore that mask for someone specific, didn't you? That strange girl… Lyanna."
Vaelith said nothing. His gaze stayed fixed on the floor.
Rosielle tilted her head, her voice rising slightly, teasing yet sharp.
"So it's true, then. You only wear that mask around her. Seems the great Vaelith still doesn't understand the truth of this place… or himself."
At that, Vaelith's calm cracked. He looked up at her,
"Lack of understanding?" he asked, his tone low. "What do you mean by that?"
Rosielle smiled faintly a quiet, knowing curve of her lips.
"I'll answer your question," she whispered, "but first, answer mine."
She stepped closer . Her gaze deepened, almost searching through him.
"Tell me, Vaelith… you wish to protect Lyanna, don't you? But why? Why risk yourself even when it means ignoring your own chains?"
Her words hung heavy in the air.
Vaelith exhaled slowly, voice trembling with something raw ,
"Yes… I want to save her," he said quietly.
"Because I can't let anyone else be trapped in the same darkness I am.
If freeing her means I must remain bound then so be it. I'd rather carry my own cage than let someone else suffer in my place."
Rosielle listened without interrupting her expression unreadable, eyes soft yet calculating.
"So that's all?"
she said at last, almost to herself.
"You want to save her simply because you don't wish her to suffer… no other reason?"
Then her tone shifted lighter, but strangely distant.
"If that's truly your heart's desire… then go to her without the mask.
You fear she'll be bound by your curse if she sees your face, don't you?
But that's only a lie you tell yourself."
She leaned closer, her whisper almost cold.
"If your wish is pure if your heart truly rejects the curse then no chain will ever touch her. Everything depends…
on how long you can control what's inside you."
Her words faded into silence.
Vaelith heard Rosielle's words, but no answer passed his lips. He seemed utterly stunned, as if the world itself had shifted into an unfamiliar, disorienting shape. Thoughts swirled relentlessly in his mind, each one heavier than the last. Inside him, everything
the clarity he had clung to, the faint hope he had nurtured now floated like ash on a silent wind.
The very hope he had leaned on to soothe himself all this time felt as though it had crumbled to dust. Nothing made sense anymore ..some part of him could not accept what was unfolding.
"No… Father…"
From a distance, I watched, frozen, unable to speak a single word.
I was still a child then. Always caught in moments too big to grasp, my voice trapped behind my own fear.
"Brother… Brother…" I whispered to the empty room. "Father… why won't he come out?"
When I grew a little older, I began to understand
but somehow, everything felt different…
as if the world had twisted quietly when no one was looking.
Something had changed something I couldn't explain.
Father rushed to the door, panic flickering in his eyes.
He shouted his son's name, once, twice no answer.
He hit the door, harder and harder, until finally he slammed his shoulder against it.
The wooden frame cracked open with a heavy sound.
And what waited beyond that door…
left us both frozen in silence ..
On the other side, a massive, muscular man swung a huge, jagged stone with brutal force. The moment the stone struck, it shattered like brittle crystal, fragments scattering in every direction. A slight additional push, and the shards dissolved instantly, as if they were nothing more than liquid.
Far off, toward the edge of the clearing, the work seemed complete.
The man spoke.
His gray trousers hung loosely, the lines of his torso and broad shoulders exposed, the play of muscle and shadow hinting at the raw force beneath.
Every movement radiated power, and the minimal covering only emphasized his strength, leaving little to the imagination.
From behind him, Rrisu appeared silently. The sight of the small, magical creature brought a strange, almost mischievous smile to the man's lips.
Rrisu, moving gracefully through a narrow doorway, unfurled a delicate rose petal and vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared.