The castle walls still smelled of smoke and blood. The battle was over, but the scars it left behind were not so easily erased.
Isolde stood in the great hall, arms wrapped tightly around herself, watching the remaining soldiers tend to their wounds. The fight for Eldoria was far from over, but tonight… tonight was a moment of fragile peace.
Her heart ached.
For weeks—months—she had believed in Cedric. She had seen him as a man struggling between duty and desire, a man trying to find his place in the shadows of power.
She had thought she could love him.
But now, watching him stand apart from the others, staring at his own bloodstained hands as if trying to scrub away his sins, she realized the truth.
Cedric was broken. And not in the way that made a person reach for healing. No, he was the kind of broken that dragged others down with him.
And Isolde was tired of drowning.
A Heart Divided
Tobias found her by the castle balcony.
"Isolde?" His voice was soft, but there was something firm in it, something she had never heard from him before.
She turned, blinking back tears.
He looked… different.
The usual mischief in his eyes was gone. In its place was something solid. Something she realized—too late—she had always overlooked.
"Tobias," she whispered.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," he said, stepping closer. "The fight's not over yet. Magnus might still have men hiding in the city."
She almost laughed.
Always protecting her. Always looking out for her while she wasted her time chasing a dream that was never meant to be.
Her gaze flickered past him to Cedric, who still stood near the grand staircase, his shoulders slumped.
Regret twisted in her chest.
"Tobias, I—"
She hesitated.
She didn't want to hurt him.
Didn't want to tell him how she had once imagined a future with Cedric, how she had clung to a false hope that Cedric might change.
She didn't have to say it.
Tobias already knew.
A small, wry smile tugged at his lips. "You loved him, didn't you?"
Her throat tightened.
"No," she said quickly. Too quickly.
Tobias just watched her, waiting.
Her shoulders shook.
"I thought I did," she admitted. "But I was wrong. I was so wrong."
And then—
The dam broke.
She started crying, her breath coming in short, painful gasps.
Tobias didn't speak. He just opened his arms.
And she fell into them.
The Weight of the Past
Cedric watched.
His fingers curled into fists.
He had betrayed Magnus. He had finally done something right. But at what cost?
Lucian would never trust him. The kingdom still saw him as a traitor.
And Isolde…
He had seen the way she looked at him before. Like he was worth saving.
But now?
Now she looked at Tobias.
Cedric turned away, stepping into the shadows.
He had made his choice.
And he would carry it alone.
A Love Unspoken
Tobias held Isolde long after her tears had stopped.
His hands rested against her back, warm and steady.
Isolde felt… safe.
For the first time in forever.
Slowly, she pulled back, her breath catching as she realized how close they were.
His eyes searched hers.
She swallowed.
"I've been a fool," she murmured.
Tobias chuckled. "Well, we all have our moments."
She smiled, despite everything.
Then—
He brushed a tear from her cheek.
Her heart stuttered.
For so long, she had wanted passion. Fire. The kind of love that left scars.
But this?
This was steady.
This was real.
She wasn't sure what it meant.
Not yet.
But as she leaned into him, letting her forehead rest against his, she knew one thing—
She wasn't looking for Cedric's love anymore.
Because maybe—just maybe—she had already found something better.