Drystan's mind had been consumed with unease for days.
Sadiki's strange behavior gnawed at him relentlessly, making it impossible for him to focus on anything else.
The way Sadiki had become distant and absent, as though his thoughts were somewhere far beyond the walls of the castle, tormented Drystan.
His lover, once so engaged, was now staring off into space with a blank, haunted expression. Other times, he caught Sadiki staring at Prince Eirik, his gaze lingering longer than it should.
And when Drystan confronted him about it, asking directly if there were lingering feelings for the Prince, Sadiki had denied it, every single time.
But the denials felt hollow, incomplete. The truth lay hidden somewhere, that much Drystan could feel, but Sadiki refused to share it with him, locking Drystan out of whatever plagued his heart.
