"Please, brother… don't do this," Kaive pleaded, his voice low. His golden eyes flicked to Olessia, whose tears trembled at the edge of her lashes, threatening to spill. The air was filled with tension.
Ziven's expression shifted as shock flashing across his features, quickly replaced by fury. His jaw clenched, and his fists tightening until his knuckles turned white. The silence in the room was suffocating.
He shot Olessia a glare so sharp it felt like a curse before he spun on his heel, his boots striking the floor hard as he stormed out, leaving a trail of rage behind him.
"Ziven," Kaive called, following him closely, but Ziven already ignored the summons as if it were wind. They crossed mosaicked halls and quiet courtyards until they reached Ziven's study on the far side of the palace.
The door closed behind them with a soft, decisive click. Inside, Ziven began to pace like a caged storm, each step measured and sharp.
Kaive watched the taut set of his brother's shoulders and the hard line of his jaw and understood without words the source of that fury: Ziven had said the word 'please' for a stranger, and pride bruised, and stormed within him.
"This is the same girl I warned you about, little brother," Ziven said, voice low and cold, eyes fixed on Kaive as if burning a memory into him.
"I told you to send her away, far away, where she could not shadow our halls nor taunt our wall, and yet she lingers here under our roof." He jabbed a finger at Kaive, filled as accusation.
"I want that girl gone from this palace, from this kingdom, to whatever place she chooses. This instant, do not fail me again." His voice brooked no argument, Kaive's chest tightened with reluctant slow obedience.
Kaive shook his head slowly, frustration tightening his jaw. "You don't get it, brother," he said, his voice softer now but laced with defiance.
"I feel a… connection with this girl. Something different, something I can't explain." The moment the word connection left his lips, Ziven's expression darkened.
He turned sharply with blazing eyes. "Don't you dare speak of that nonsense," he snapped. "A connection? With her?" He scoffed, his tone sounded bittered.
"We both know you've never felt a connection with any woman in your entire life, Kaive. Don't start now over a stranger." He added.
"I know what I'm talking about, big brother," Kaive said, standing his ground even as Ziven's glare hardened.
Ziven scoffed, his tone dripping with anger. "That suspicious woman had the audacity to speak rudely to my fiancée after bumping into her... and then refused to apologize."
His jaw clenched, and his voice rising with barely restrained anger. That was when Kaive realized that Lady Eirene must have been the one to report the incident. The realization made his stomach twist.
He knew how quickly Eirene could twist a story, and worse, how much Ziven trusted her word over anyone else's.
Kaive had been secretly keeping Olessia hidden in his private wing of the palace, defying Ziven's direct orders to send the mysterious black-haired woman away.
Something about her stopped him... a strange pull he couldn't fight. She had only been there a few days, yet to him, it felt like she'd always belonged, like the walls themselves had known her far longer.
"I'm not sending her back, big brother," Kaive said firmly, the finality in his tone slicing through the tension of the study.
Before Ziven could reply, Kaive turned on his heel and strode out, his boots echoing down the marble corridor. He didn't care about the consequences anymore, he just needed to see her.
***** *****
When he entered the dimly lit room, Olessia tried to sit up but failed, her arms trembling violently. Her body hadn't stopped shaking since Ziven's cold, piercing gaze had met hers. The memory of his presence still lingered in the room, It was suffocating. She was terrified, and she knew it.
She knew whatever discussion the two brothers had didn't end well... the look on Kaive's face said it all. His usual facade was gone, replaced by a storm she couldn't name.
He stepped fully into the room, the air shifting with his presence, and sat beside the bed. His gaze dropped to her bandaged hand, lingering there for a moment before rising to meet her eyes.
There was no warmth, only confusion, pain, and disappointment. Whatever it was, it made her chest tighten. She couldn't tell if he pitied her or blamed her.
Kaive's jaw clenched as he exhaled sharply, the sound filled with disbelief. He rose from the chair, pacing once before turning back to her. His hand raked through his hair, frustration flashing in his eyes.
"Are you a mental patient?" he snapped finally, his voice sounding rough. "I gave you a knife and a fork to dare you to stab me... and instead you cut yourself?" His tone cracked between anger and concern, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the table beside her. Trying, and yet failing to understand her madness.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. The weight of his voice pressed heavy against her chest. Her fingers twitched on the sheets, gripping the fabric tightly as he moved closer.
She tried to steady her breathing, but it came shallow, and uneven. When his shadow fell across her, she flinched instinctively, her shoulders curling inwardly.
"Nevertheless," he said quietly, almost too calm, "we had a deal. If you had the courage to fulfill your wish, which is to stab me... you could've been free. But you couldn't." His eyes burned into hers as he leaned closer.
"Now," he murmured, with his voice low and final, "you are my full-time prisoner. You'll do as I say, when I say it. And your freedom…" his gaze flicked to her trembling hands, "…depends entirely on how well you obey." She lowered her head, her heart pounding like that of a trapped bird.