The valley had long since grown accustomed to giants. They carried the weight of protecting lands, standing like ancient pillars unlike the creatures described in fearful tales.

They naturally stood apart, not out of cruelty but because distance often followed size. A hand capable of lifting stone pillars could appear frightening beside something as fragile as a human hand.

Yet Solvian... he had always been different.

Children did not run from him, they ran toward him. And the elders always sought his opinion.

Solvian returned from the village, by the time he reached the temple, attendants were already waiting near the marble entrance. Meetings, disputes, requests from nearby villages, endless duties demanding his attention from morning until night.

One attendant stepped forward carefully. *"My lord, the elders requested-" But Solvian barely heard the rest.

Because the moment he stepped beneath the temple archways, his attention had already shifted elsewhere.

Further within the courtyard, sunlight spilled across pale stone pillars, catching against the fabric draped around your figure as you moved between attendants carrying scrolls in your arms.

And suddenly, the noise around him seemed far less important. Solvian's gaze lingered without shame.

Not because you demanded attention loudly like nobles often did. But because you never seemed to realize the effect you had on him at all.

Then he smiled faintly. "I trust it can wait." The young man blinked in confusion. "There are other matters requiring my attention first."

And perhaps the most embarrassing part was that everyone nearby immediately understood exactly what he meant. Meanwhile, Solvian had already started walking toward you.

As though simply seeing you after a long morning had eased something restless inside him. "There you are," he said once close enough, warmth naturally slipping into his voice.

He lowered himself slightly, large enough that even the gesture felt protective without intention. "I was beginning to think the temple planned to keep you hidden from me all day."