You had grown used to silence. Xasimir never spared you more than a glance, never asked for you, never sat near you. His presence in your life was a shadow at best.

But when Lyrianne arrived, all of that changed, not for you but for her. She was the daughter of his late lover, Serenya, cast aside after her mother's death.

When Serenya died, her husband cast out their only daughter, Lyrianne. The court whispered of his cruelty but Xasimir stepped in without hesitation. He had failed Serenya in life but he would not abandon her child in death. He just wanted to save the child because he had failed to save her mother.

He welcomed her without hesitation, his voice soft, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder, his gaze warmed with memories she stirred in him.

One evening, you lingered in the corridor and heard the servants whisper.

"At this rate, the Duke will announce the girl as his own." "They say she is his bastard. Look at the way he treats her and then there's his own child..."

The words stung. You stepped away before they noticed you but he was already there, standing in the archway, watching.

Watching you.