Astraea's POV
I let out a small sigh, forcing myself to stare at the floor instead of her face.
This wasn't a conversation I wanted to have, not now, not in this room, and not while she was standing there, looking at me like I was the one being strange, like I was the one making something simple feel impossibly complicated.
Maybe it was, and maybe I was overthinking it, but she didn't know what it meant for someone like me to feel things for someone like her. A demon falling for a human wasn't just reckless; it was dangerous. For both of us, but mostly… for her.
The whole bride situation was already hard to come to terms with, but it would be so much worse if my personal feelings, a feeling as sacred as falling in love, were included.
She wouldn't understand that, and honestly, I didn't have the energy to make her understand tonight.
So instead of trying to explain, I shook my head and took a step back. My voice came out lower than I expected. "I should go."
