Velis's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes—brief as lightning, gone before Caelum could identify it. "I never said anything about playing house.""Then what was it? The nice clothes, the private room, the servants bowing and scraping?" Caelum pushed himself up slightly despite the protest from his ribs. "What am I supposed to be to you?""Alive." The word came out sharp, cutting through the space between them. "That's all. Just... alive."Caelum stared at him, thrown by the response. The simplicity of it felt like a lie, but the way Velis said it—with that strange tension in his voice—made it sound almost like truth. "Why?""Because—" Velis stopped, his hand coming up to rub his temples in a gesture that seemed almost human in its frustration. For a moment, the mask of cold authority slipped, revealing something underneath that Caelum couldn't quite read. "Because the queen has taken an interest in you. Because there are things about you that don't make s
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