Akhile did not walk to the foyer. Rather, she almost ran.
The estate corridors felt different when she moved with purpose. The motion sensors brightened sequentially as she passed by, illuminating the polished floors and framed portraits of the Redcliff patriarchy.
At the base of the grand staircase, Norman stood, exactly as she remembered him.
His one hand rested casually on the carved bannister, while the other tucked into the pocket of his dark coat. He was speaking to one of the maids in an easy, familiar tone.
"…and if the west irrigation system is still acting up, please tell maintenance to stop it from recalibrating and replace it," he was saying. "Our father always overcomplicated the plumbing."
Tobias gave a small, knowing smile. "Master Norman."
Norman turned.
He saw her. And the ease in his posture shifted to warmth.
"There you are, Cora," he said.
Akhile slowed her pace only at the last second, suddenly aware of the security cameras embedded discreetly into the archways. But they didn't matter. Let it be.
Norman walked towards her and closed the distance. He bowed. "Princess."
He didn't embrace her fully, but his hands came to rest lightly on her shoulders, the feeling grounding and familiar.
"You look different," he said quietly.
She forced a laugh. "That's worrying, isn't it?"
"Not in appearance. No. You are beautiful, like always." His eyes searched her face carefully.
The word settled between them.
Tobias excused himself without comment and left them to their own.
Norman stepped back. "Sorry about the bowing and all, I have to be proper towards you when we have an audience."
"I know," said Akhile. Her smile was more obvious, her emotions betraying her.
"I hope I haven't disrupted you from your evening routine. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm around."
Akhile chuckled. "Evening routine? My goodness, I'm only 22."
"You've been hiding in your wing," he said. "I expected you'd explore more."
"You sound like you've been keeping track."
"I grew up here," he replied lightly. "I know which lights flicker and which elevators stall. You can't disappear in this place, even if that were your wish."
She glanced around on impulse. "I'm aware."
So, he knew about the surveillance. Of course, he knew.
"How is the estate system treating you?"
"It greets me every morning and bids me good night when it's time to sleep."
He smiled faintly. "Nathaniel upgraded it last year. Our father liked control, but Nathaniel prefers confinement."
"And you?" she asked.
"I like knowing where the emergency exits are."
That made her laugh properly.
He gestured toward the courtyard doors. "Walk with me?"
They stepped outside.
Akhile turned to him and said, "You should know that I have been prompted to go back inside. The air is bad."
Norman gave her a warm smile but carried on walking.
The maroon sky stretched overhead, and the brief daylight had been muted. The courtyard hedges were a stark contrast to the industrial skyline beyond the estate walls.
Norman moved through the space without hesitation. He knew which stone tiles warmed first under artificial light. He paused near a fountain that had long since been converted into a fishpond.
"They replaced the garden swing, which was here where this pond is," he said. "My mother used to love spending time alone here."
This was the first time Akhile had heard him or Nathaniel mention a mother. It was always Neilelis Redcliff, or father this and father that.
"But the pond is also great. Because the fish aren't real. It's all just a hologram, so nothing can ever die here."
"What was her name?"
He glanced at her again. "Nancy, Nancy Redcliff. She died when I was 5."
"I'm so sorry to hear that."
"Thank you. I don't remember her that well, just that she liked the garden swing." Norman cleared his throat. "So what do you think about this place? Have you settled in well?"
"This place is…it will take some getting used to."
"You don't sound impressed."
"I'm not."
He leaned back against the stone edge, folding his arms.
"You don't have to be," he said. "It's not your kingdom. The Meadowlands are a paradise."
The word kingdom made her remember where she truly belongs.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
He fell quiet for a moment. He didn't want to say anything that might be wrong.
"We have some inspections coming up next month at the facility," he said. "The Board wants the agricultural extraction data analysed before the regulators arrive."
Of course. It was never just a visit…a surprise visit.
"So you came for work," she said.
"I always come for work." His voice softened slightly. "But this time around, I chose to see you first."
Something in her chest loosened.
He continued, "We are making breakthroughs with the peach extracts too. I came to assist Nathaniel with that side of the business. A new intervention to cure cancer, our primary mandate…cancer."
"You say that like it's not so complicated."
He laughed quietly. "They are just medicinal compounds, Princess."
She gave him a look.
"Cora," he corrected himself easily.
They fell into a small silence. It felt good, easy, like a comforting weighted blanket.
Below them, a transport bus glided across the skyline. The city never stopped moving.
"How are they treating you?" he asked at last.
She considered the question carefully.
"There's no room for games, I'll put it like that."
"That sounds like Nathaniel."
"He placed me in a Board meeting this morning."
Norman's brows lifted slightly. "Already?"
"He wanted me to endorse his new expansion model."
"And did you?"
"I hesitated. He was pissed."
He nodded once, slow and thoughtful. "That would irritate him."
"Good."
Norman studied her face again.
"It's not that simple," he said. "He believes what he's building is for the good of the people. He's not careless."
"He forgets to protect his workers, though. Can you imagine 12-hour shifts every day of the year? No rest?" she said quietly.
Norman didn't react with outrage. He didn't defend his brother either.
"My brother is the kind that accelerates everything in life," Norman said. "I like to take things step by step."
She frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means I spend months testing compounds before I decide it's a viable hit. He scales things first and corrects mid-process."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It's effective though."
She looked at him sharply.
"You agree with him?"
"I agree with the science behind it and the intentions," he said evenly. "Not always with the method."
That honesty disarmed her more than agreement would have.
"You're not as separate from this as I thought," she said.
"I never was, Cora."
The wind shifted slightly, carrying the faint metallic scent of the poor quality air.
She exhaled slowly.
"I feel like I'm being absorbed," she admitted. "Like the longer I stay here, the more I become…complacent. My values will change."
Norman straightened his posture.
"Then don't be absorbed. Two ideals can coexist. You just have to find the compromise," he said softly.
"It's not that easy."
"It never is."
Their hands brushed accidentally against the stone ledge. Neither one of them pulled away immediately.
The wind brushed his red hair along, in the same direction, his orange eyes more defined and warmer. Akhile's eyes gravitated towards his lips, they looked…soft, and gentle.
"Do you have to marry him?" he asked, his gaze stuck on their hands.
The question hung in the air. The betrothal was set in stone. The blood moon was in 6 months.
"Our survival as we know it depends on this union," she replied.
"That wasn't my question."
She turned to face him fully. His expression was stern, he was concerned. He was searching for something, like an entrance into a closed house.
Before she could answer, the estate doors behind them opened softly.
Akhile glanced over her shoulder.
A staff member crossed the threshold, unaware of the tension between them.
Norman stepped back slightly, restoring distance.
"I'll be here for three days," he said. "You can always ask Tobias to show you where my apartment wing is."
"Of course," she thought. This was his home too.
He moved toward the corridor that led to this apartment without hesitation. Halfway down the path, he paused.
"Cora," he said without turning.
She waited.
"You shouldn't let this place change you. Promise me."
He continued walking.
Akhile remained in the courtyard, watching the maroon sky dim into a navy night sky.
For the first time since arriving at Neillis Redcliff Industrial, she didn't feel strange about being monitored.
And that was far more dangerous.