LOGINIris's POVGabriel stayed beside me long after that young man had disappeared among the trees.As if he thought I might vanish too the moment he took his eyes off me.I tried to go back to my book, but he wouldn't even let me pretend everything was normal.His fingers traced slow circles over my hand. He watched my face, then leaned closer every few minutes, as though he needed to make sure I was still really there.Eventually, I closed the book with a quiet sigh of frustration."I'm going back inside."He looked up at me immediately."I'll come with you."I closed my eyes for a second.Of course.I stood from the bench, taking a slow breath as I tried to ignore how impossibly close he always stayed.We walked through the garden toward the palace. Gabriel remained right beside me, close enough that our arms brushed every few steps.He didn't say a word.But he didn't let me get even a single inch away from him, either.When we reached the main entrance, I stopped and turned to him."I
Iris's POVThree weeks had passed since that day.There was no real peace in the palace. Everything was in constant motion.Servants hurried through the halls, fabrics were being carried from room to room, flowers were arranged, and letters arrived, were read, discarded, and replaced by new ones.Everything revolved around one word I could no longer escape.Marriage.I heard it everywhere. In every conversation, with every step I took, even when no one actually said it out loud.Ha... well.I didn't have the energy to argue anymore.Mostly because Gabriel never gave me the chance to think in peace.He was everywhere I went.When I opened my eyes in the morning, he was sitting beside me.At noon, whenever I tried to walk around the palace, he followed right behind me.And at night, he wouldn't leave until I was actually asleep.He had even started making small decisions for me without asking.If I wanted to go to the hallway, he'd say, "I'll come with you."If I wanted to get some wate
Gabriel's POVShe said it.I hate you.The words wouldn't leave my head.They landed on my heart like burning embers, followed by a pain so sharp it stole the air from my lungs.Not you..."Anyone but you, Iris...""You're not allowed to hate me. You're not allowed to... damn it!"I looked at her.She was crying.Then her eyes closed.I stood frozen for only a second.She wouldn't look at me.She wouldn't speak.Only tears.Only silence.I rushed toward her."Say it again."My voice came out louder than it should have.She didn't answer.She only shook her head as her sobs grew quieter."No.""Say it."I grabbed her shoulders."You don't mean it."I shook her gently—not hard, but enough to make it obvious."You're just angry."She closed her eyes completely.And said nothing.The silence pressed against my skull."Open your eyes."She didn't."Don't close your eyes."My voice rose."Open your eyes. Now."No response.Only tears.My grip on her shoulders tightened."Look at me.""Look
Iris's POVI don't understand what's happening anymore.The ground beneath us split open as if it were breathing, and the gray markings on my skin crawled slowly, unsettlingly, as though they were searching for a way deeper into my body instead of across it.Gabriel was still holding my hand.But his grip no longer felt reassuring.It felt like a restraint.I looked up at him. The words he'd spoken only moments ago—"Don't move."—still weighed on my chest more heavily than the suffocating air around us."Gabriel..." I whispered, but something inside me was breaking apart.The silver-haired woman smiled again, as if all she could see was the outcome she'd been waiting for."The reaction has already begun. Excellent."I couldn't take it anymore.I yanked my hand free from his grip."Let me go."He turned to me immediately, as though the movement itself was a mistake."Iris, don't do this right now."But it wasn't the voice I knew.It was sharper.Less patient.I took a step back, and the
Iris's POVThe cold wind struck my face as we flew above the city, but the tension in my chest was stronger than the wind itself.Kairos sliced through the sky at incredible speed, while Gabriel's body remained steady behind me, almost unnervingly so, as if nothing around him could affect him.I tried to calm myself, but one question had been circling in my mind for several minutes.I turned slightly toward him."Gab..."He didn't answer right away. Instead, he tightened his arm around me slightly to make sure I was secure."How did you know where I was?"A brief silence followed.Even the sound of the wind seemed to soften for a moment.I felt his muscles tense behind me before he answered calmly."That's a secret, my little quill."I clenched my teeth."You can't keep saying that every time.""I can."This time, he answered without hesitation.Then, in a lower voice, he added,"I have my own ways of finding you. Even if you left this world, I would find you again... and bring you ba
Iris's POVThe air outside the abandoned house was much colder.Or maybe I was the one who could no longer breathe normally after everything that had happened.Gabriel continued carrying me in his arms as we stepped through the shattered doorway into the backyard, where dense black trees stretched along the borders of Kalsier's territory.The night was eerily quiet.But that silence disappeared the moment dozens of armed men came into view.Kalsier's guards.They were positioned all around the house, while several other men were kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.Franz's guards.Some of them were unconscious, while others were bleeding after what had clearly been a fierce fight.The moment the guards saw Gabriel, they immediately bowed."My Lord!"None of them dared to raise their voices any further.The terrifying pressure radiating from Gabriel was still suffocating the entire area.Even I found it difficult to approach him.He remained silent.Calm in
Iris quickly washed her face and dried it.She looked at her reflection in the mirror for a moment before leaving with Lillian toward the banquet hall."My Lady... are you feeling better now?" Lillian asked cautiously as they walked.Iris paused for a moment before continuing forward."And why woul
Iris felt tense when she saw that sharp look on Gabriel's face.But when he looked at her again, there was no trace of it.In a playful tone, he pinched her chin and asked,"Were you scared, my unripe little peach? Hmm?"Iris's face turned red, and she muttered nervously,"Y-Your Majesty... I'm alr
Gabriel’s eyes darkened, then he let out a cold laugh.If Iris had not been with him, he would have shown them exactly what he was capable of.Being attacked on the road had not been part of his plan.But it did not matter…He would deal with it later.In his own way.Gabriel pulled out a jade comm
The wind began to grow colder as they moved further away from the borders of the Morus tribe. Iris had liked that quiet tribe, because it reminded her of her past life… before she left her homeland and met Gabriel. The ground beneath them changed gradually; from a torch-lit square to narrow rocky







