Her gaze finally lifted, meeting his, and he could see the hurt in her eyes. "When I told you how I felt. Before Persephone interrupted."
Hades' sighed at the memory. He had been moments away from responding when Persephone had arrived.
"I remember," he said carefully, "But what does that have to do with this?"
Aurelia's eyes glistened, but she refused to let tears fall. "I heard what you said to her. That I'm just a mortal."
The silence immediately so thick, that you could hear a spoon fall. Hades' breath hitched as he searched her face, realizing his words had cut deeper than he knew.
"Aurelia," he started, his voice thick with regret.
"Is that all I am to you?" she asked, her voice trembling but steady. "Just a mortal? Someone who… doesn't matter?"
Hades' jaw clenched as he reached out, but she recoiled, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
"You misunderstand," he said quickly to rectify. "When I said that to Persephone, it wasn't… it wasn't what you think."
"Then what was it?" she challenged, her voice rising slightly. "Because from where I stood, it felt like you were trying to diminish me. To pretend like what I said… what I feel… doesn't matter."
Hades let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. "Aurelia, I…" He paused, struggling to find the right words. "I said it to protect you. Persephone doesn't care about mortals. If she thought for a second that you were more than that to me, she wouldn't hesitate to hurt you."
Aurelia's expression softened slightly, but the pain in her eyes remained. "And what about me? You couldn't say it to me…. to my face?"
"I didn't want to make you a target," he said sounding a little vulnerable. "But that doesn't mean I don't…" He stopped himself, his words catching in his throat.
Aurelia shook her head, standing abruptly. "You never answered me, Hades. Not then. And even now, you still won't."
He stood as well, his imposing frame towering over her, but his voice was gentle. "If you'd just let me explain—"
"I've heard enough," she whispered, stepping back. "Thank you for dinner, but I think I need some air."
As Aurelia turned to leave, Hades reached out, his hand gently but firmly grasping her wrist. "Don't go," he said.
She stopped but didn't turn to face him. "Why not?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "What's the point Hades?"
Hades hesitated, his grip tightening as though the words he needed to say were almost too difficult to form. "The point is that you don't understand what you're feeling," he said finally.
At that, Aurelia turned, her tear-filled eyes locking onto his. "What I'm feeling?" she repeated. "Don't tell me how I feel, Hades. I know what's in my heart!"
"No, you don't," he countered. "Not entirely. Not when the summoning mark is involved."
Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What does the mark have to do with this?"
Hades sighed deeply, running a hand through his dark hair before meeting her gaze again. "The summoning mark creates a bond, Aurelia. It's designed to forge a connection between the summoner and the summoned. It pulls on emotions and amplifies them, it twists them, makes them feel more intense than they actually are."
Her stomach dropped at his words, a chill spreading through her chest. "So… what I feel for you isn't real?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"It feels real," he admitted. "But that's the mark's trick. It binds the two of us together by feeding on those feelings, weaving them into something stronger than they actually are. It's how the bond sustains itself."
Aurelia shook her head, stepping back as if his words had physically struck her. "So you're saying… none of this is real? That I'm just some puppet in a game the mark created?"
"No," he said quickly, his voice suddenly filled with desperation. "You're not a puppet. You're not…." He stopped himself, closing his eyes briefly as if to steady his thoughts. "What I'm saying is that the mark is manipulating the connection between us. What you feel may not entirely be yours, and what I feel may not entirely be mine."
Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she pressed a hand to her chest trying to hold herself together. "But I told you how I felt. And you… you let me think that it meant something."
Hades' jaw clenched, and he stepped closer, his dark eyes filled with conflict. "It does mean something. But until the mark is gone, I can't trust what I feel…or what you even feel. I won't let either of us become slaves to something we don't fully understand."
Her voice broke as she whispered, "So you don't feel anything for me? At all?"
His silence was answer enough.
Aurelia swallowed hard, her heart shattering under the weight of his words. "Then why do this? Why go through all of this trouble to help me if none of it matters?"
"Because it does matter," he said, his voice firm. "Because you deserve your freedom, and so do I. And if, when the mark is gone, you still feel the same…" He trailed off, his expression unreadable.
"Then what?" she demanded, practically shouting. "You'll finally let yourself feel something? Finally admit that I'm more than just a mortal to you?"
He didn't respond, and the silence between them was deafening.
Aurelia let out a bitter laugh, tears streaming down her face. "You know what? Don't bother answering me." She turned on her heel, her voice breaking as she said, "Goodnight Hades."
Hades didn't stop her this time, watching silently as she left the room.
He exhaled heavily, his fists clenching at his sides as he muttered under his breath, "I'm sorry, Aurelia."