The question came too late—like a messenger arriving after the family business had already been settled. A spark stirred within me—something close to anger, yet deeper, quieter. It was disappointment, enduring and cold. Had he truly failed to see my feelings, or had he never cared to look?
It no longer mattered.
I would not carry resentment any longer. My path would follow my own decisions, and my heart would walk its course without him.
In a tone softened by controlled authority, Darian reached out through our secure channel first. Liora, Selara struggles to manage her affairs alone. She has no family here. In this territory, I am her only ally.
His words cut sharper than he intended. He seemed to forget that, in truth, I too had only him ever since we swore our loyalty before the Don and the family council.
“I understand,” I replied quietly through the link. “She’s endured a great deal.”
Liora, what do you mean by that? Why do you sound so—
“I said I understand,” I repeated, my tone stripped of warmth, edged with steel. “Is that not sufficient?”
Must you answer me so sharply?
“Then what would you have me say?” I asked, frustration threading my words like a fine blade.
For a long moment, the channel went silent. The absence of his voice felt heavy, like tension hanging over a meeting before a deal gone wrong. At last, he muttered, Do as you please, before severing the connection.
How ironic. Once, when I asked why he visited Selara’s quarters in the eastern district, he called me meddlesome. When I pressed to know when he would return from her side, he accused me of clinging too tightly. And now, even my attempt to understand him drew his ire.
With a quiet exhale, I set the documents aside. Worrying would not repair the growing divide between us. There were still ledgers to balance and reports to finalize before the Don’s inspection.
When the night watch concluded, I remained behind, sweeping the hall and extinguishing the lamps. Returning to Darian’s quarters felt unnecessary, almost burdensome.
By the time I arrived at my own suite, Darian had already departed for his duties with the enforcers. I washed with water from the basin and lay upon the divan, hoping for rest. Yet just as sleep began to claim me, the sharp chime of the signal bell at my desk cut the quiet. Darian’s message had found me.