His eyes softened.
That soft, genuine expression that made him look like the boy from his story instead of the emperor who commanded armies. Vulnerable in ways I rarely saw. Open in ways that made my chest feel tight.
I kept my hand over his mouth.
Not pressing hard. Just resting there. Protecting something he'd almost shared but shouldn't have to. Letting him know without words that his secrets were safe, that I wouldn't take more than he wanted to give.
His eyes searched mine.
Looking for something. Maybe sincerity. Maybe confirmation that I meant it. Maybe just trying to understand why I'd stopped him when most people would've demanded to know, would've used vulnerability as leverage.
Then he smiled against my palm.
Slow. Deliberate. That shift from grateful to something else entirely. Something that made my stomach flip and my pulse quicken and my brain start sending warning signals that I'd seen this expression before and it never ended well for my composure.
