CHAPTER TWO: the strangers smile
304 Words
*Chapter 2 — The Stranger’s Smile*
Liana sat by the open window, the wind whispering through the lace curtains like secrets untold. Below, the estate buzzed with voices, preparing for Lucien's return — the hero of the south. But her thoughts lingered elsewhere.
Upstairs, in the guest room her mother had nervously offered the night before, the stranger sat reading a worn journal. He hadn't said his name. Just that he was passing through, injured, and needed shelter. His uniform was torn, but not ordinary. His boots were polished. His eyes—cold, calculating, but tired.
Liana couldn’t help herself. She knocked.
“Come in,” he said, voice calm but distant.
She stepped in slowly. “You never said who you were.”
He looked up. “Names are heavy in times of war.”
“You speak like a man who’s seen too much.”
“I’ve lived enough to question who the true victors are.”
She tilted her head. “A soldier who doubts war?”
“A soldier who sees war clearly,” he replied, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.
Liana found herself caught in that smile — it wasn’t charming like Lucien’s. It was tragic. Honest. Dangerous.
“You mock my fiancé’s honor, yet hide your own.”
He looked at her then, truly looked. “I don’t mock your fiancé. I simply don't wear lies like medals.”
The room chilled.
“What is it you fear?” she asked, softer.
“Being known,” he said.
And with that, he returned to his journal.
Liana left the room, her heart a tangle of confusion. The stranger had said little, but his silence spoke volumes. She didn’t know his name, but something told her — he knew hers, long before they met.
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- Writer
