The blue-haired dancer let out a yelp of pain, her eyes wide with fear.
"What the hell, Iyana? What do you think you are doing?" Vyan snapped, his mind reeling with what ghost possessed Iyana. "Let her go!"
"No! How dare she even think about touching you?" Iyana shot back, her voice dripping with anger and venom.
"And what is it to you? I am not your damn possession anymore! You don't get to dictate who I associate with," Vyan retorted, his own anger flaring in his red eyes.
Iyana's hold on the girl slackened at the accusation, and the dancer wasted no time in fleeing for safety. "Vyan… I never saw you as my possession," she blurted out, her words tumbling out before she could stop them.
"Oh, I am sure you did not," Vyan scoffed, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now, if you don't mind, I have business to attend to. So kindly get out of my face."
Iyana wanted to demand what kind of business he had in a place like this, but from the way he was acting, she doubted he would give her a straight answer.
Iyana's mind raced with conflicting thoughts as she watched Vyan, her heart torn between the desire to stay and the need to walk away.
I need to leave him be, she reminded herself firmly, her internal struggle playing out behind her stoic facade.
I shouldn't meddle with his life anymore. I know... I know that!
But as she gazed at him, a flood of memories washed over her, softening the edges of her resolve. He looked so healthy, so vibrant, so... precious.
It had been too long since she had seen him, and the ache of their separation gnawed at her insides.
No! she told herself, shaking her head to dispel the temptation. I need to put up my act. He would be happier hating me, just like he does now.
But even as she fortified her defenses, a small voice whispered in the recesses of her mind, reminding her of the happy bond they once shared, of the deep love that still lingered beneath the surface.
But... she hesitated, her blank eyes betraying her inner turmoil, but for his sake, I must regain my composure. I need to remain the bane of his existence. Otherwise, Father would—
No, never. I will never let that happen to him.
With a final, determined nod, she steeled herself for the inevitable pain of walking away. Her resolve hardened once more, steeling herself against the tug of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
"Forgive me for momentarily forgetting my place," Iyana remarked, her tone laced with bitterness.
"After all, you have been my little plaything for so long, I could not help but feel a pang of jealousy at the mere thought of my toy in someone else's arms." Iyana's words dripped with sarcasm as she tilted her head, a haughty smile curling her lips.
She leaned in close, her voice a soft whisper in his ear as she placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling his closeness even if it was just for a second. "As you well know, I can be rather possessive."
Vyan chuckled darkly, his tone tinged with mockery. "Yes, I guessed it. After all, your possessive tendencies are legendary."
Vyan could not help but recall the time she had threatened her own sister with a knife for daring to speak to him alone in the hallway.
"But let's not forget, it was you who let go of me first," Vyan countered, his voice a low murmur. "I don't belong to you anymore, Iyana. And I never will."
Iyana bit her lip, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features before she composed herself, pulling back with a coy smile.
"You are absolutely right," she replied smoothly. "Someone of your... low stature could never belong to someone like me."
"Exactly, someone like you deserves the throne," Vyan shot back, mirroring her smile with exaggerated politeness. "Now, if you would not mind, o esteemed royalty, kindly leave this low-class individual alone."
"You don't have to repeat yourself twice. I am going. My beloved fiancé is waiting, anyway." With that, Iyana turned around and left, vowing herself not to look back even once.
Because if she did, she might just throw herself into Vyan's arms and let it all fall apart.
While she might be tempted to think it would not be so bad to let everything shatter, she could not risk it—not when his life was on the line.
As Iyana emerged from the shadowy alleys of the red-light district into the soft glow of the setting sun, Easton's worried gaze immediately locked onto her.
His heart raced with relief at finding her, yet the tension in his chest only grew as he approached her and saw the distress etched on her face.
"Iyana, where have you been? I have been searching everywhere for you ever since we parted ways," Easton exclaimed, his voice tinged with concern as he took in the alley she had just left.
"What were you doing in that place? You know it is dangerous. I can think of so many unwarranted rumors spreading about you if somebody saw you coming out from there," he rebuked.
Iyana's steps faltered, her strong facade crumbling like sandcastles against the tide. With trembling limbs, she sank to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks in silent torment.
Easton's heart twisted in anguish at the sight of her pain. In all their time together since childhood, he had never seen her so vulnerable, so broken. It confused him to his core.
"Why are you crying?" Easton asked, his own voice cracking with emotion as he knelt beside her, his heart aching to ease her suffering. "Did someone hurt you in there?"
As the question lingered, he answered himself, "No, that's probably not possible. You are too strong to be hurt by someone. Tell me what really happened, Iyana. I can't understand what's going on."
With a choked sob, Iyana shook her head, her hands covering her face as if to shield herself from the world. "No..." she managed to whisper, her voice barely audible over the racket of the bustling street.
But her silence spoke volumes, echoing with the weight of her unspoken pain.
Feeling utterly helpless, Easton tentatively wrapped his arms around Iyana, offering her the fragile comfort of his embrace.
"You can tell me what happened. I promise, I won't breathe a word of it to anyone."
For a long, agonizing moment, Iyana clung to him in silence, her tears staining the fabric of his regal shirt, her pain radiating from every tremble of her body.
Then, with a shuddering breath, she found the strength to speak, her voice fractured and raw with emotion. "It's just... it's hitting me now, after all this time," she confessed, her words a whispered admission of her deepest sorrow.
"I lost the most important person in my life while trying to protect him. He is not mine anymore, and he never will be."
A haunting flashback seized her, the memory of Vyan's face contorted with rage in the darkness of the cell, his words dripping with venomous hatred and unbridled contempt.
"I thought he would understand me… if I explained everything to him properly. But before I could do so, things got so out of hand. He now hates me so much... that he can't even stand the sight of me," she continued, her voice barely a whisper, as if she were afraid to voice the truth aloud.
"I thought it was fine if he hated me. It would be good for him to move on. I thought I could bear his hatred, but... I don't think I can."
As Easton gently brushed away her tears, his heart ached at the sight of her pain, the emptiness in her eyes a stark reminder of the depths of her despair.
"Do you know, Easton… he is the reason I wanted to continue living? But now, he is the reason I want to kill myself," she uttered, "all because I think his world would be a little fraction happier without me in it."
"Shh," Easton put a finger on her lips to quiet her ominous thoughts, "don't talk like that."
"But it's the truth—"
"It's not. Iyana, I may not have all the answers. Heck, I don't even know who you are talking about, and I honestly don't care," Easton confessed softly, his voice a soothing balm against her anguish. "But don't think killing yourself will solve anything."
"Then, what do I do?" she broke once again.
"I don't know the answer to that, but I do know one thing, and that is, you don't have to face this alone. I will be here for you, every step of the way."
In the absence of any more comforting words, Easton held her close, offering her the solace of his presence in her darkest hour, his silent promise echoing in the embrace: I won't let you be alone.