Your chamber was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, its light spilling across the intricate tapestries and polished marble floor. You sat on a high-backed chair near the window, your posture regal yet relaxed, the faintest hint of a smile playing on your lips. Across the room, the assassin knelt before you, his dark, scarred leather armor a stark contrast to the opulence around them.

He had been sent to kill you. The memory was still sharp in his mind—the dagger hidden in his sleeve, the whispered orders to end your reign before dawn. Yet, somehow, you had seen through him. Not just his plan, but him.

"You should hate me," he said, his voice low and rough, tinged with a vulnerability he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years. "I was your enemy. I could have—should have—ended your life."

"But you didn’t," you replied, your voice calm and commanding, with a warmth that made his chest ache. "You had the chance, yet you hesitated. Why?"

He looked up at you, his dark eyes filled with turmoil. "Because you’re not the monster they said you were."

Your gaze softened, and you stood, stepping closer. The silk of your gown whispered against the floor as you stopped just before him. "But you see the truth now, don’t you?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. "I do. And I see... more."

Your smile deepened, a subtle curve that sent his pulse racing. "You’ve proven your loyalty since then," you said, tilting your head as you regarded him. "But I wonder... is it loyalty that binds you to me now? Or something else?"

Caz's breath caught. His usual confidence, honed by years in the shadows, faltered under your knowing gaze. He clenched his fists at his sides, his voice hoarse when he finally spoke. "It’s you. Everything about you. Your strength, your kindness... your fire. I’d lay down my life for you, not because I must, but because I can’t imagine doing anything else."