The silence returned, thick and still, settling like dust between them.
Caelia trailed after Caelum quietly, unsure what exactly she was supposed to do now. She wasn't even sure he meant for her to walk behind him, she was simply moving, acting on instinct.
That instinct betrayed her the moment he halted mid-stride.
He didn't turn to face her.
In a voice that could chip ice, Caelum asked, "Why are you following me?"
Caelia's steps froze.
"I... thought you wanted me to help with the sorting."
"Is that what you came here for?" he asked without looking back. "To help shelve books?"
She swallowed. "No. I...I just wanted to read."
Caelum turned then, slowly, his silver eyes catching the soft glow of the floating chandeliers above. His gaze was unreadable, glinting with something close to amusement. Or maybe curiosity. Or both.
"You entered a place clearly marked private," he said. "You disrupted the order I built with my own hands. And now you follow me like some frightened kitten."
"I'm not frightened," Caelia said, straightening.
"No?" Caelum arched a brow. "You should be."
That made her pause. "Are you going to punish me?"
"Should I?"
She tilted her head, meeting his gaze. "You're the prince."
He stepped closer then, closing the gap between them until she could see the faint gold flecks in his pale eyes. "That's not an answer."
Her lips parted, but the words caught in her throat.
Caelum stared at her for a second longer, then turned and walked away with the whisper of a smirk playing on his lips.
He returned to his seat across the polished obsidian table, where documents and maps still lay untouched. Jorik sat nearby, though his eyes had been on them the whole time.
Caelum reclined in the velvet-backed chair, rolling his shoulders like a predator settling back into stillness.
Jorik leaned forward, voice low. "I don't mean to overstep, but... why are you so different with her?"
Caelum didn't look at him. He simply shifted a paper aside and said, "She didn't flinch when we met the first time."
Jorik blinked. "That's it?"
A pause. Then Caelum added, almost as an afterthought, "Also... she's cute."
The air left Jorik's lungs in one stunned laugh. "Wait. What?"
Caelum didn't repeat himself.
Jorik stared at him like he'd grown two heads. "You just called a maid, cute. The same Caelum who silences rooms by blinking. The same Caelum who hasn't smiled since the drought of 470 A.E."
Still, Caelum didn't respond.
Jorik gawked a moment longer before slowly rising to his feet. "I need to go... process this. Somewhere private. Like Lord Varek's chambers."
Caelum waved him off without lifting his head, already immersed in a scroll again.
The stars had begun to rise outside the stained-glass windows, casting twilight shadows along the library floor. Most of the chandeliers had dimmed, and silence wrapped the space once again like a velvet curtain.
Caelia had remained tucked in one of the side alcoves, curled up on a reading couch, surrounded by books she never even dreamed existed. Her heart had settled since earlier, but her mind kept going back to Caelum, how he looked at her, how he didn't yell, how he said stay.
She didn't notice his approach until the soft, nearly soundless footfall paused beside her.
She looked up, and there he was again.
Caelum leaned against the edge of the arched bookcase, arms crossed, watching her.
She jumped slightly. "Your Highness."
"I thought you left," he said.
"I thought I should finish what I came here for," she replied, trying not to look too startled.
"Most people don't return to the lion's den willingly."
"You told me to stay."
A faint grin twitched on his lips. "You follow orders well."
Caelia raised a brow. "Is that a compliment?"
He shrugged, stepping closer. "You're... full of surprises."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It's not." He moved even closer, until the scent of leather, spice, and ink reached her. His voice lowered. "Though I should warn you. People who surprise me tend to change things."
"I wasn't trying to change anything," she said softly.
"And yet," Caelum murmured, lifting a hand as if to brush a stray thread from her shoulder, then stopping, hovering just inches away. His voice dropped another octave. "Here you are. In my sanctuary."
Caelia's breath caught. "I didn't mean to intrude."
"And yet..." he echoed, his eyes on her mouth now.
Caelia's heart pounded. "Are you going to kick me out?"
"I should."
"But?"
Caelum leaned forward, barely a breath between them now. "But... I'm curious what happens if I don't."
His smirk deepened as he slowly straightened and turned away, disappearing between the shelves.
Caelia was left blinking, breathless, her skin tingling with something she didn't have a name for yet.