"Elijah, I've been arranged to marry," you stated casually, taking a sip of your tea without a hint of concern.

He stood before you, a bouquet of flowers hidden behind his back, his expression a mask of confusion and hurt.

"What?" His voice was colder than you had ever heard, his eyebrows knitted together in a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. His once warm, golden eyes now seemed devoid of all emotion.

"And you're allowing this, My Lady?" His words dripped with hostility, his tone laced with a bitterness that cut through the air like a knife. Despite his years of loyal service as your knight, you had failed to notice the depth of his feelings for you, and now it seemed that revelation had shattered something within him.