**Chapter 17: The Vows They Never Said Out Loud**
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The Wolter estate was quiet, unnervingly so.
Not the kind of quiet that brought peace — but the kind that warned of something buried just beneath the surface. Something unspoken. Something unfinished.
Hana stood at the edge of the glass hallway overlooking the eastern courtyard, where the light from the twin moons spilled like silver milk over the stone. She wasn't thinking about the political chaos Cenric stirred or the underhanded deals crawling in the capital.
She was thinking about *him*.
Sher Wolter. Her husband. The man who could command nations but still forgot to knock when barging into her bath.
He hadn't returned yet. Not since he left for the summit two days ago.
She hated how long two days could feel.
Not because she missed him — or so she told herself — but because every time he was away, the walls of her heart whispered things she didn't want to hear.
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### Memories in the Rain
That night, the rain came suddenly. Hana didn't run from it. Instead, she walked barefoot into the storm, her silk robe clinging to her skin, cold water running down her spine like whispered secrets.
She stopped in the center of the garden, tilting her face toward the heavens.
"Stupid Sher," she muttered. "You left again. And I didn't even get to yell at you properly this time."
She didn't hear the gate open.
Didn't hear the footsteps through puddles.
But she *felt* it — the pull of him, like gravity.
A deep voice broke the silence.
"You always pick rain to look your most dangerous."
Her eyes snapped open.
Sher stood at the edge of the garden, soaked from head to toe, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"You're back," she whispered.
"You were waiting," he replied.
They didn't move. Didn't speak.
Until she said, "Did you win?"
He didn't answer. Just took a step closer, then another — until he was in front of her, water dripping from his hair, his coat clinging to his powerful frame.
"I didn't come back because I won," he murmured, "I came back because I couldn't breathe without you."
Her heart skipped. But her face remained blank.
"Drama king."
"Wife with no heart," he shot back.
She blinked. Then laughed — the kind of laugh that cracked something open.
"I don't say it," she said softly. "You know I don't say it."
"I know," he whispered. "But you *show* it."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out — a small, ancient-looking ring, clearly from the summit's royal vaults.
"It belonged to the original Queen of Valthera. She wore it when she defied the empire to stay with the man she loved."
He gently slipped it onto Hana's finger.
"I won it for you."
Her fingers trembled.
"You're so annoying," she whispered.
He leaned in, forehead resting on hers, the rain curling around them like a blessing.
"I know. And you still chose me."
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### Unspoken Promises
That night, neither spoke the words.
There was no "I love you." No dramatic declarations. No speeches.
But in the quiet, when Sher pulled her against his chest and Hana didn't resist…
When she traced the scar on his hand with her thumb and he kissed the crown of her head…
When she whispered, "Don't leave again without warning," and he replied, "Only if you keep fighting with me every morning…"
Those were their vows.
The kind never said out loud.
But carved into the space between them — fierce, loyal, and eternal.
The ring felt too heavy on her finger — not in weight, but in meaning.
Hana looked down at it, the ancient gemstone shimmering under the rain, and for a brief second, she forgot how to breathe.
Sher watched her quietly. He always did that — watched her too closely without ever saying what he really wanted to. He was a fortress, always keeping the gates locked... except when it came to her.
And even then, he only cracked them open just enough for her to peek inside.
She hated how much that crack affected her.
So, she scowled.
"This is bribery."
"Gift."
"Manipulation."
"Romantic gesture."
"Stupid."
"You're still wearing it," he said smugly.
She folded her arms. "Because I feel sorry for your taste. This ring is too flashy."
He leaned closer, voice dropping a notch. "But it suits you. Trouble should always shine."
Hana's heart *twitched*. Not beat. Twitched.
Her pride wanted to argue. But her lips betrayed her with a smile.
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### **Inside the Estate**
Later, wrapped in a warm robe with her hair half-dried, Hana sat on the couch with her arms crossed, refusing to *look* at Sher, who was lounging across from her like he hadn't just broken back into her heart under moonlight.
"You should sleep," he said softly, watching her with those stormy grey eyes that knew too much.
"I'm not tired."
"You're yawning."
"It's not because I'm sleepy. It's because I'm bored of your face."
He gave a lazy smile. "That's strange. Because you stare at it every chance you get."
She threw a pillow. "In your dreams."
"You *are* in my dreams."
The pillow hit him square in the face.
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### **The Unspoken Truth**
There was something delicate in the way he sat now — like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.
And Hana noticed.
She noticed the way his fingers flexed, the way his throat bobbed, the way his gaze dropped to her hand where the ring still gleamed.
So she said nothing. Just stood and walked past him toward the staircase.
At the bottom step, she paused.
Without looking back, she said quietly, "Sher."
He straightened.
"You'll never say it, will you?"
Silence.
She turned slightly, just enough for him to see her profile.
"That you missed me."
Sher didn't respond. Not immediately.
Then—
"I didn't miss you."
She flinched.
"I *ached* for you."
The words hit her harder than any sweet confession ever could.
She didn't reply. Just walked upstairs without another word.
But when she got to her room and shut the door, she stood against it for a long time… her hand pressed over the ring, and a stupid, hopeless smile on her lips.
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### **Back in the Study**
Sher sat alone now, staring at the empty glass in front of him.
He hadn't told her the rest.
That during the summit, when every ruler in the 22nd-century Empire threatened to remove his title, he thought of Hana.
That when Cenric had whispered in his ear that Hana was a liability, a distraction, a soft spot — Sher's only reply had been a warning:
*"Touch her, and even your bloodline won't remain."*
He didn't say it to impress anyone. He said it because it was the only truth he believed in.
And yet, here in his home — in her home — Sher couldn't say the three simple words.
Because Hana was dangerous.
Not in the way the court feared.
But in the way she made him *feel*.
-
Upstairs, Hana lay in bed with the blanket over her head.
She whispered into the darkness:
"I'm not in love with you, Sher Wolter."
The silence replied:
"I know," it seemed to say. "But I'll wait until you are."
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