As Aldric led her down the corridor toward one of the lesser-used antechambers, Aurelia kept her gaze forward.
"Do you remember the garden maze?" Aldric asked suddenly.
"The one behind the eastern wall?"
He nodded. "You got lost in it once. Screamed until Father tore through the hedges with his bare hands."
She smiled faintly. "I remember."
"You were six. You swore the hedges had teeth."
"They did," she said dryly, "or at least thorns sharp enough to convince a six-year-old."
Aldric chuckled softly. "I miss those days. Before all the masks. Before we lost mother and father turned distant."
Aurelia turned to look at him. "Did you ever resent me? For the way things changed?"
He paused, then shook his head. "Never. I only resented that I couldn't protect you."
Silence passed between them. Then, Aurelia spoke the words that had been buried deep within her chest.
"If Father dissolves the engagement... if he casts me off officially... what will become of me?"
Aldric's expression hardened. "Nothing will be decided today. And even if he does something foolish, you won't be alone. Not while I breathe."
Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she didn't trust herself to speak.
When she finally did, her voice was quiet but sure. "Then stay with me. When I face him."
He nodded. "Always."
Aurelia nodded, her face shadowed beneath the hood of her velvet cloak. She walked beside him, silent but tense, her every step echoing with uncertainty. Her hands trembled slightly, and Aldric's heart twisted at the sight.
He led her through a side passage that bypassed the main halls, away from the prying eyes and hushed whispers of the servants. Once inside his chamber, he pulled out a cushioned chair beside the hearth and gently guided her into it.
"Sit. I'll fetch something to warm you."
She lowered herself onto the chair without a word. The fire in the hearth crackled softly, casting golden shadows across her scarred face. Aldric rang a small bell. Moments later, a maid entered.
"Bring hot milk tea," he instructed. "With cinnamon and honey. And some of the berry pastries if we have any left."
The maid bowed and disappeared.
Turning back to Aurelia, Aldric crouched beside her, studying her features. The disfigurement that marred her once-beautiful face....a jagged scar that curved from her temple to the corner of her lips, the faint burns that puckered her skin..could never hide the gentleness in her eyes. Not from him.
"You're shaking," he said softly.
"I can't stop thinking about it," she replied, voice low. "I couldn't. Not after what Calista said."
Aldric clenched his jaw at the mention of their sister.
"She should never have told you like that," he muttered. "She finds joy in cruelty."
Aurelia gave a hollow smile. "It's nothing I haven't heard before."
He stood, pacing briefly before stopping in front of her again. " About the letter from the North?"
She looked up, startled. "Yes?"
He nodded. "I was in the study earlier this morning. I overheard some of their conversation. Father didn't say much, but the northern envoys are adamant."
"So it's true," she whispered. Her fingers tightened on her lap.
Before he could answer, the maid returned with a tray. Aldric took it himself, dismissing her with a nod. He poured a steaming cup of milk tea and handed it to Aurelia.
"Here," he said. "Drink. It'll help."
She accepted it with both hands, sipping slowly. The warmth spread through her fingers and down to her chest, calming her slightly.
Aldric sat across from her, watching. "I don't think Father will agree to their terms."
Aurelia looked up sharply. "Do you mean that? Or are you just trying to comfort me?"
"Both," he said honestly. "But mostly, I believe it. Father wants something from this union...something he hasn't gotten yet. He's not the kind of man to surrender his leverage easily."
She looked down, staring into her cup. "What could he possibly want from the North? The Flameborne and the Winterbourne... we're not allies. Not truly."
"We serve and worship different gods, have different traditions and so many things that makes us different from each other".
Aldric leaned back. "That's the part that troubles me. Even mother was from the North, It's as if he wants something from there. He's kept his intentions close. But I suspect there's more than politics at play."
Silence fell for a moment, broken only by the pop of the fire.
"Aldric," she said finally, voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think Neris... do you think he'll hate me now?"
His throat tightened. "No. I don't."
"But I'm hideous," she said bitterly. Her fingers grazed the scarred line down her cheek. "Since the curse... no one looks at me without pity or disgust. Even Father. Especially him."
"You are not hideous," Aldric said firmly. "Your face may have changed, but your spirit hasn't. That's what matters."
"You're the only one who says that."
"Then let me say it louder."
Tears welled in her eyes. Gwen, who stood quietly by the door, took a small step forward, her own eyes glassy.
"Lady Aurelia," Gwen said gently, "you still have a heart capable of love. That's something more precious than beauty."
Aurelia's lips trembled. She looked away, blinking rapidly.
"I know people will think me selfish," she whispered. "To still want him. To still hope to be married to him... despite looking like this."
Aldric shook his head. "No. Hoping for love isn't selfish. Loving him, even now, doesn't make you cruel. It makes you brave."
She laughed, a quiet, broken sound. "Brave? Is that what I am? I feel like a coward. I can barely step outside my tower without hiding my face."
"And yet you did," he pointed out. "You came down those stairs and walked the halls of Emberhold. That takes courage, Aurelia."
Her tears finally spilled, and she covered her face with one hand. The cup rattled in the other.
"I'm scared," she admitted. "If he rejects me... if Father agrees to annul the engagement... I don't know what I'll do. I don't know who I'll be."
Aldric leaned forward and gently took the cup from her hand, setting it aside. Then he reached across and took her hand in his.
"You'll still be Aurelia," he said quietly. "You'll still be my sister. You'll still be the girl who used to sing to birds at dawn, who taught herself to paint with ash and charcoal after the fire, who made Gwen laugh when she lost her mother."
Gwen sniffled. "She still does."
Aurelia looked between them, her tears falling freely now.
"I miss Mama," she whispered. "She would've known what to do."
"I miss her too," Aldric said softly. "But I think... she would've told you not to give up. To fight for the love you believe in."
They sat in silence after that, the only sounds the quiet murmur of the fire and Aurelia's soft weeping. Aldric let her cry. He didn't interrupt. He simply stayed, holding her hand, letting her grief pour out after years of being locked away.
When she finally quieted, her head lowered in exhaustion, Aldric stood.
"Rest here a while. I'll speak to Father when he's done. And I'll find out exactly what was said."
Aurelia looked up. "Will you tell me everything? Even if it's bad?"
He nodded. "Always."
She smiled faintly. "Thank you, Aldric. You're the only one who sees me."
"Then I must keep seeing you, until the rest of the world opens its eyes."
He turned to leave but paused by the door.
"I believe in you, Aurelia," he said. "And I believe that Neris will too."
Then he stepped out, leaving her and Gwen by the fire, both wrapped in silence and flickering hope.