“No, I have been doing it all for stability and for the future.”
“Whose future?”
His gaze didn’t waver. “Ours.”
“Why? You don’t even know if I’ll stay or choose you,” I whispered.
“I know.”
He stepped closer, but not enough to crowd me.
“You think this makes you noble?”
“No.”
I looked away first as the city lights blurred slightly around us.
“I feel safe here,” I admitted before I could stop myself.
The words hung in the air like betrayal, but his expression didn’t change, even if something else in his eyes did. I could see a sort of satisfaction fill them because I knew he was the one who had made sure of it. Every time Kliment tried to light the match, he quietly extinguished it. Every time tension rose too high, he redirected it. He had chosen damage control over pride and restraint over blood. And I had assigned him the role of villain so neatly. It had been easier that way.
“You should hate me,” I said.
“Do you?”
“I did.”
“And now?”
I hesitated. Now felt like standing at the edge of something irreversible.
“If I call Iosif now,” I said slowly, “it won’t be a rescue anymore but a call to destruction, and they will come straight for you and tear this city apart.
My hands trembled slightly. “I thought I was waiting for them, but I am not sure anymore,” I whispered.
“Do you finally care about me?” he asked quietly.
I didn’t answer because both of us already knew what the answer really was. I did care. It was still not enough to forgive or forget, but it was enough to make me hesitate before answering. It was enough to weigh out the consequences and see beyond pride. He didn’t move any closer or try to touch me but simply stood there, steady as ever.
“I left our conversation mid-way earlier. The masquerade tomorrow, would you like to go with me?” he asked, breaking the silence.
The shift in topic should have felt jarring, but it didn’t.
“Yes,” I said.
His expression shifted, subtle and restrained.
“Why?” he asked.
Because I want to see who we are outside of this cage. Because I want to know if the pull I felt that night was real. Because I want to stand beside you in public and see what that feels like. Because I’m not as certain of my hatred anymore. But I didn’t say any of that.
“I want to see the room,” I replied instead. “Without war in it.”
His gaze held mine.
“Then we’ll go.”
“And this isn’t a strategy?”
