A shadow fell across my crumpled form, blocking out the cold light of the moon. I froze, my sobs caught in my throat.
"Seraphena?" Gideon's deep voice cut through the night, laced with an unfamiliar concern. "What has brought you to such despair?"
I lifted my tear-stained face, meeting his gaze. Those striking blue eyes, usually so cold and distant, now held a flicker of something I couldn't quite name. Worry? Guilt? Or was it merely a trick of the moonlight?
"You, you shouldnt call me that" I choked out, my voice raw and broken. "Im not your wife Prince Gideon. You make me like this."
His brow furrowed, confusion etching lines across his face. "I don't understand."
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Of course you don't. How could you, when your eyes are forever fixed on her?"
"Her?" Gideon's voice dropped, a dangerous edge creeping in. "You speak of Princess Aurelia?"
"Her?" Gideon's voice dropped, a dangerous edge creeping in. "You speak of Princess Aurelia? are you jealous?"
"No" I blurted out, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them. "But It's tearing me apart to see you with her."
Gideon stood motionless, his face unreadable in the shadows. I pushed myself to my knees, reaching out to grasp the hem of his cloak.
"I dont know why, but seeing you with her" I pleaded, my voice barely above a whisper. "My heart, it hurts. Marrying her would be a mistake Prince Gideon. Please."
The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken truths and buried memories. I searched his face for any sign, any hint of the connection I so desperately craved.
But as the moments passed, a cold dread settled in my stomach. Had I made a terrible mistake?
Gideon's eyes, usually an icy blue, darkened to an inky black as he gazed down at me. His face contorted, a war of emotions playing across his features. I held my breath, heart pounding, as he slowly reached out to touch my cheek.
"Seraphena, i know its you" he murmured, his voice low and filled with a pain I couldn't comprehend. "You don't know what you're asking."
His fingers were cold against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. "Then tell me," I whispered.
Gideon's jaw clenched. "My past... it's not something I can simply set aside. The weight of it... it consumes me."
I leaned into his touch, desperate for any connection. "I don't care about your past. I love you as you are, here and now."
He shook his head, a mirthless chuckle escaping his lips. "If only it were that simple. The things I've done, the pact I've made... they bind me in ways you can't understand."
As he spoke, I felt a chill creep into my bones. The garden around us seemed to darken, shadows stretching unnaturally in the moonlight. For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in Gideon's eyes – a flash of hellfire, quickly extinguished.
Realization dawned, cold and cruel. I pulled away from his touch, my heart shattering. "You can never truly be mine, can you?" I asked, my voice hollow.
Gideon's silence was answer enough.
"I can't do this," I said, rising shakily to my feet. "I can't watch you with her, knowing what we could have been. It's too much to bear."
I turn away, my legs trembling as I take my first steps. Each footfall feels like lead, dragging me further from the man I love and deeper into the suffocating darkness of the garden."Seraphena, wait," Gideon's voice calls out, a hint of desperation breaking through his usual stoic facade.
I pause, but don't turn back. "What more is there to say, Prince Gideon?" My words taste bitter on my tongue.
"I..." he falters, and I can picture him running a hand through his golden hair, a rare display of uncertainty. "I never meant to hurt you."
A mirthless laugh escapes my lips. "And yet, here we are."
I continue walking, each step carrying me further into the shadows. The moonlight filters through the leaves, casting eerie patterns on the ground. It feels as though the very garden is conspiring to swallow me whole.
"You don't understand the forces at play," Gideon's voice follows me, laden with regret. "The choices I've made... they weren't mine alone."
I spin around, anger flaring. "Then whose were they, Gideon? The devil's? God's? Or are you just too much of a coward to admit your own role in this tragedy?"
His eyes flash black for a moment, and I catch a glimpse of the darkness that truly resides within him. It should terrify me, but instead, it only deepens my sorrow.
"You have no idea of the depths I've sunk to," he whispers, his voice carrying on the night air. "The price I've paid."
I shake my head, feeling the last remnants of hope drain away. "And I can't pay it for you, Gideon. No matter how much I wish I could."
With those final words, I turn and disappear into the night, my silhouette melting into the darkness. Behind me, I hear Gideon's anguished cry, a sound that will haunt my dreams for years to come.
---------------------
After last night i decided to keep things professional between us, to protect my heart.
My fingers trembled slightly as I smoothed the furs on his bed, arranging them just so. Every detail had to be perfect."Your Grace, is there anything else you require this evening?" I asked softly, keeping my eyes lowered.
The Prince's gaze burned into me, his silence heavy and oppressive. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and cold. "Wine."
I hurried to pour a goblet of deep red wine, selecting his preferred vintage. As I offered it to him, our fingers brushed for the briefest moment. A jolt went through me, and I quickly pulled away.
"Will that be all, Your Grace?"
He regarded me impassively, those striking blue eyes revealing nothing. "You may go."
I curtsied and turned to leave, my heart pounding. What secrets lay behind that icy facade?
As I reached the door, his voice halted me. "Seraphena." I decide to let him call me that. For all i knew maybe that was my name.I turned, "Yes, Your Grace?"
"Take this." He held out a thick woolen cloak. "The castle grows cold at night."
For a moment, I glimpsed something almost like concern in his eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving me to wonder if I had imagined it.
"Thank you, Your Grace," I murmured, accepting the cloak with trembling hands.
As I slipped out into the drafty corridor, I clutched the warm fabric to my chest. What did this small act of kindness mean? Was there still a flicker of humanity left in the Prince's cold heart? Or was I a fool to hope?
The cloak smelled faintly of him - sandalwood and smoke. I breathed it in, allowing myself a moment of foolish fancy before reality came crashing back. He was the Prince, and I was nothing but a servant. Any kindness from him was surely just that - nothing more.
And yet, as I made my way to my cold, lonely chamber, I couldn't quite extinguish the tiny spark of hope that had ignited in my heart.