The day passed slowly. Audrey remained in her chamber, trying to stay composed, while Iva stayed close, barely leaving her side.
By evening, the palace came alive with quiet murmurs—servants whispering, nobles moving about, and heavy footsteps echoing through the grand halls.
From one of the upper balconies, Prince Adam stood, his sharp gaze fixed on Audrey's chamber below. He leaned against the pillar, swirling a glass of wine in his hand, lips curled into a faint smirk.
"So fragile… and yet so determined," he muttered.
"I wonder how long you'll last in his cold, dead world."
He turned just as a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You're watching her again."
Adam didn't need to look to know who it was. "Amira."
She stepped forward, her silk gown brushing the floor, her arms crossed as she stopped beside him.
"She's weak," she said, her voice cool. "She doesn't belong here."
"Perhaps," Adam replied, "but Hades is noticing her. Slowly… but it's happening."
Amira's jaw tightened. "No. He loves me. He said it himself. That girl is just a human girl forced into our world."
Adam tilted his head, watching her carefully. "Then you shouldn't worry, should you?"
Amira turned sharply to face him. "What are you planning, Adam?"
He smiled. "Nothing… yet."
But his eyes gleamed darkly.
---
Meanwhile, in the lower garden, Iva wandered alone. She needed air, space—anything to clear her mind. The moment with Audrey's bruised neck kept replaying, and she felt helpless.
As she passed through a vine-covered arch, she found herself drawn once again toward the garden she wasn't supposed to enter.
Lord Raven's garden.
Her steps slowed. Her heart thudded.
She remembered his hands around her throat… and yet something about him still clung to her soul.
"I shouldn't be here," she whispered.
"And yet, you are," a deep voice echoed behind her.
She turned sharply.
There he stood again.
Raven.
His silver eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight, his hair loose around his face.
"I warned you before."
"I'm sorry," Iva said, but didn't move. "I just… I feel like I've met you before. A long time ago."
Raven's eyes flickered, but his expression remained unreadable.
"Leave," he said again, but his voice was lower this time… less threatening.
Iva took a cautious step forward. "Raven. That's your name, right?"
He didn't respond.
"I'm not here to intrude," she whispered. "But… if you really are who I think you are… you promised you'd come back for me."
His eyes widened slightly.
A moment of silence passed between them, heavy and uncertain.
Then Raven stepped closer, slowly, like a predator testing the distance.
"Who… are you?" he asked, his voice unusually soft.
Iva looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes.
"My name is Iva."
And just like that, something shifted in Raven's eyes. A storm of emotions. Confusion. Pain. Recognition.
Before he could speak, a rustling noise made them both turn.
A shadow slipped away through the hedges.
Someone had been watching.