The evening air was thick with the scent of roses and burning incense. Eleana stood in the grand halls of Victor's estate, her mind clouded with doubt and confusion. She had been summoned here after her parents finalized the wedding arrangements, and Victor had insisted on speaking with her alone.
Sitting beside her on a lavish sofa, Victor exuded a calm, reassuring presence. His hands were warm as they clasped hers, his golden eyes filled with what seemed to be nothing but sincerity.
"You seem troubled, my love," he said gently, his voice smooth as silk. "Is it because of what Leon told you?"
Eleana hesitated before nodding. "He told me you're not who you seem to be. That you've done something to my parents… and that I shouldn't trust you."
Victor sighed deeply, as if wounded by the very thought. He brought her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles. "I feared this would happen. Leon is… not who you think he is."
Eleana's breath hitched. "What do you mean?"
Victor leaned in closer, his gaze locking onto hers. "Leon's mission has never been to protect you, Eleana. It has always been about power."
She frowned. "That's not true. Leon has been by my side for years—"
"And why do you think that is?" Victor interrupted smoothly. "You are special, Eleana. Your soul is unique, rare. Leon's presence in your life is no accident. He is trying to pass a celestial test—one that, if he succeeds, will grant him full command over celestial forces. But to do that, he must win your heart."
Eleana shook her head, struggling to process his words. "No… Leon wouldn't use me like that."
Victor exhaled slowly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear with a tender touch. "I understand that you care for him, but you must open your eyes. If he truly cared for you, why did he leave you unprotected? Why is he not here now?"
Eleana's lips parted, but no words came out. He was right. Leon had always sworn to protect her, yet he had vanished just when she needed him most.
"Leon was assigned to other duties, wasn't he?" Victor continued. "Convenient, don't you think? Almost as if he abandoned you when things got difficult."
Eleana swallowed hard. "But if that's true, why would he lie to me? Why tell me to stay away from you?"
Victor sighed, cupping her face in his hands. "Because he wants to make you doubt me. He wants to turn you against me before you realize the truth. I am the only one who has been honest with you, the only one who truly wants to protect you."
A tear slipped down Eleana's cheek. Her heart warred against her mind, but Victor's words wrapped around her like a comforting embrace.
"I don't know what to think anymore," she whispered.
Victor smiled softly, wiping the tear away. "Trust me, my love. I would never deceive you."
Eleana lowered her gaze, her doubts slowly giving way to acceptance.
Meanwhile…
Leon stood in the celestial chambers, his hands bound by golden chains. His superiors watched him with cold expressions, their judgment already passed.
"You have failed in your mission," one of the celestial elders declared. "You allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment, and now the girl is lost."
Leon clenched his jaw. "You don't understand. Victor manipulated everything! He had this planned from the start—he is using dark magic to influence her and her family."
"The heavens do not interfere with mortal choices," another elder stated. "Eleana is making her choice. If she chooses Victor, then you must accept the consequences."
Leon gritted his teeth, frustration boiling inside him. They were playing right into Victor's hands. He had been removed from Eleana's life, stripped of his role as her guardian, and reassigned to meaningless tasks—just as Victor had planned.
But Leon wasn't going to let this end here.
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. If the heavens would not intervene, he would.
"Release me," he said firmly.
The elders exchanged glances. "You are no longer Eleana's protector. The matter is beyond your authority."
Leon's wings flared with celestial light. "Then I will fight without your authority."
The chains shattered in an instant, and before the elders could react, Leon disappeared in a flash of light.
He was going back to Eleana.
The Final Night Before the Wedding
Eleana's parents were overjoyed, bustling around the estate as they made final preparations. The ceremony was set for the next day, and Eleana was beginning to accept her fate.
Victor had won.
Or so he thought.
As he stood in the grand hall, gazing at the elegant decorations and listening to Eleana's parents gush about the marriage, a slow smile crept onto his face.
"Everything is going perfectly," he murmured to himself. "Tomorrow, Eleana will be mine, and Leon's failure will be complete."
But a sudden shift in the air made him pause. A flicker of light—so faint it was almost imperceptible—danced in the far corner of the hall.
Victor's smirk faltered.
Something was coming.
Something he had not foreseen.
And for the first time in years, a sliver of doubt crept into his heart.
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