Chapter 4 You don't leave my chamber again without permission

EVELYN

After stuffing some bread into my mouth and washing it down with a large cup of strong tea, I headed out toward the Royal Garden.

The air was thick with the scent of herbs and fading flowers. The late autumn breeze had turned sharp and chilly. I pulled my collar tight before making my way to the rose bushes.

They said the roses had once been Queen Sylvia’s favorite—King Theodore’s second queen. But after she ran away following Cole’s birth, the garden had become neglected.

I climbed onto a rock to reach a particularly stubborn branch, and as I leaned forward, a thorn jabbed into my forearm. I hissed and stumbled—

A firm hand caught me, fingers curling around my waist.

“Evelyn.”

My eyes met the handsome smile of Aiden, the King’s Guard. The golden glint of his armored uniform shimmered in the sunlight as bright as his face. He gave me a gentle push, and I regain balanced on the ground.

My voice caught in my throat for a moment, but I quickly stepped back and lowered my gaze. “Sir Moran.” I dipped into a curtsy.

Aiden’s smile faded. He sighed and leaned in slightly. “Don’t speak to me like that, Eve. Please.”

My heart clenched at the sound of him calling me “Eve”. The nickname hit me like an old song. Only he had called me that, back when I was still “Lady Caddel,” a foolish girl pampered in silks and privilege, blind to the shadows looming over my future.

But I couldn’t let him speak to me like that. Not here.

“It’s only proper for a maid to greet the King’s Guard with respect,” I said, carefully trying to slip from his grasp. “You should let me go, Sir Moran.”

His grip tightened.

“Are you still mad at me? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” Aiden asked, his voice raw. “I’ve been trying to find a moment to talk to you for so long.”

He stepped closer, and the intimacy of the distance made it hard to breathe.

“I know you’re angry, Evelyn,” he went on, running a hand through his hair, his eyes filled with remorse and anguish. “You have every right to be. Shout at me. Blame me. Just—don’t shut me out. I need you to know how I’m sorry. I wish I’d never left. I wish I could’ve been there when the Caddels were.” His voice cracked. “When they came for you.”

Aiden wasn’t born a Caddel, not by blood. But he was my family in every way that mattered. My father had brought him back from a mission when we were children. From that day on, he’d been my closest friend.

When the War of Princes broke out, he was in the Hawk Wing—the elite warrior academy of Hescor, built on land far from the mainland, surrounded by towering walls. All contact with the outside world was severed.

He hadn’t known anything.

I wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault. That I wasn’t truly angry. But a lump formed in my throat, and no words came out.

Maybe I had blamed him, in the desperate, naive way only a shattered girl could—imagining he might burst through the palace doors like a storybook knight, sword drawn, to save me from chains... from Cole.

But I knew better now. I was grateful Aiden hadn’t been stained by my family’s disgrace. I was glad he had achieved his childhood dream—becoming the shining protector of the highest noble house in the kingdom.

Yes, I had been avoiding him since arriving here. What else could I do? I didn’t know how to face him—and more than anything, I would rather die than see him dragged down with me.

“You’re bleeding,” Aiden said, frowning as he gently caught my wrist.

Only then did I realize the thorn had cut deeper than I’d thought. Blood beaded from the wound.

Aiden cradled my arm with care. I watched as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around the cut, tying a neat butterfly knot with practiced fingers.

A memory tugged at me. “The pain will fly away with the butterfly, leaving no scar to your wound.” He’d said that the first time he bandaged me, after I fell from a tree and scraped my knee.

“Thank you…” I murmured.

He looked at me with those soft, familiar eyes, brushing a hand across my cheek. “I’d do anything for you, Eve. Trust me—I’ll find a way to bring you out of this – ”

Before he could finished, a cold voice sliced through the garden behind us.

“What are you doing?”

I turned sharply.

Cole stood at the garden’s edge, eyes dark and locked on mine. Beside him stood a beautiful woman in a sheer, delicately embroidered gown. Her posture was regal—clearly a noble.

“Cole?” she asked, her tone tentative. Her gaze flicked to me, then back to the him as she slipped her arm through his.

There was a gentle intimacy in the way she leaned into him—something I had never seen him permit before.

Perhaps he had already chosen his Luna.

I stepped away from Aiden and curtsied low. “Your Majesty.”

Cole stepped forward, his eyes never leaving mine. “Did you not hear my question?”

I kept my head low. “Mrs. Porter instructed me to trim the roses. I cut myself by accident. Sir Moran was helping me.”

His gaze shifted to Aiden, then down to my bandaged arm. I couldn’t tell if he believed me, or if he even cared.

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward. The force sent a jolt through me. With a calculated turn, he smiled at Aiden, his expression more menace than mirth.

“Sir Moran,” he drawled. “I see you’ve grown fond of my maid. But didn’t you mention an urgent report you needed to work on with Beta Flynn and me this morning? What, exactly, are you still doing here, loitering in this cold, distracting garden? Why don’t you head to my study and wait? I’ll join you there shortly.”

Aiden stiffened. His jaw tightened. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I met his eyes and gave a subtle shake of my head. His lips thinned, and after a moment’s hesitation, he bowed stiffly and turned to leave.

As soon as Aiden disappeared from view, Cole stepped closer. He seized my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look up into his eyes. The smile vanished. What remained was cold fury.

“I don’t recall dismissing you this morning.”

“You never allowed me to stay, Your Majesty.” I replied before I could stop myself.

His eyes narrowed. I could see the flicker of memory in them—perhaps of that morning when he’d told me he hated waking up to the sight of me. But if he remembered, it didn’t soften him. If anything, his grip on my jaw tightened.

“Is that your grievance?” His voice dropped. “You’ve grown mouthy in my absence. And bold enough to arrange private rendezvous in the royal gardens?”

My heart pounded against my ribs. I stared at him, unsure whether to defend myself or remain silent. I wondered if he’d punish me here, like he had behind closed doors. If he’d strip me naked and bend me over this his thighs right in front of the noblewoman trailing at his side. I wondered if she’d be shocked.

“Cole, is she - ?” the woman behind him called out again. There was a tremor in her voice now, a slight edge of suspicion. Her eyes widened, glancing between us.

“She’s no one.” Cole said flatly.

His grip dropped from my chin. “Just a maid.”

In one swift motion, he snatched the handkerchief from my wrist, tearing it from my body with a flick of his clawed fingers.

“You don’t leave my chamber again without permission,” he warned.

Then he turned and strode off the path. The woman followed closely after him. , but just as they reached the end of the garden, she suddenly pivoted and shot me a scathing look. Her sweet face twisted into something sharp and resentful as her eyes landed on me.