CHAPTER THREE
914 Words
What Was Left Unspoken
The walk to the second prince’s court was longer than Kiara remembered. Or perhaps it felt that way because of the lead weighing in her chest. Her thoughts kept circling the rumors whispered about the second prince—some said he was mad, others that he had killed his own pets for sport. There were even darker murmurs, stories too vile to believe. But through her fear, curiosity pulsed—a desperate need to see if any fragment of her old friend still lived behind that mysterious façade.
She reached the gates, her heart pounding. The guards wordlessly opened them. She asked her guards to wait outside while she went in alone. Every step she took beyond that threshold echoed louder in her ears. She clutched the folds of her robe, hoping they’d muffle the trembling in her hands.
And then she saw him.
He turned slowly, and she faltered.
He was taller than she remembered. Time had carved sharp lines along his face, but his beauty was striking—refined, brooding, and impossible to ignore. He carried himself like the rumors said he would—distant, unreadable—but there was a flicker of something else beneath the surface. Something that reminded her of a boy who once smiled.
All the words she had practiced dissolved. His gaze locked on her, cool and silent.
“I need you to reject this marriage,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
He didn’t respond immediately. Just watched her with that same detached calm.
Kiara swallowed hardly as she watched his gaze slowly sweep over her .
“Too late,” he finally said. His tone was measured, emotionless.
“You don’t understand.” Her voice trembled. “I have feelings for your brother. I was never meant to...please—call this off.”
Something flickered across his eyes. Almost like surprise, or maybe amusement, something dark . But it vanished.
“I already accepted.”
Her breath caught. Her chest tightened.
“You… you knew what this would do to me.”
“And you came anyway.”
“I thought—” she stopped. She had no idea what she’d been thinking. That maybe he’d still care? That he’d remember her?
Silence stretched between them.
“You've changed" was all she could say as an overwhelming sadness seized her heart.
"You've changed a lot too " he said, his eyes boring into hers, as if he could see her inner most thought .
"You are not the boy I used to know anymore "
"No" he said. "I'm not ".
She bowed stiffly, hands trembling . " thank you for your time , your highness" .
She turned and left, the sting in her chest unbearable. She felt light headed, but the last thing she would do is fall in his presence .
---
From the shadows behind the carved pillars of Rihan’s court, Akira stepped forward.
Rihan had returned to feeding the fishes in the pond, crouching down to drop crumbs of dried meat into the water. But the moment he heard soft footsteps behind him, he stilled.
He didn’t turn. “You were listening.”
Akira crossed her arms. “You told me to follow her. She was here. So, here I am.”
He said nothing, focusing instead on the way the fish rippled the surface.
“You know,” she added, stepping closer, “that was the most you’ve said in years.”
He paused but didn’t look at her.
"You waited so long to see her and that was all you could say to her "
He stood slowly and turned to her. His gaze was distant. “She didn’t bring her guards.”
Akira blinked. His eyes softened slightly—almost imperceptibly. It was a smile, if only in his gaze.
“She’s not afraid of you,” she said, voice softening despite herself.
“She hasn’t changed,” he murmured, not really to her.
He looked past her, to something she couldn’t see.
Akira gave him a small bow, then left.
---
Kiara returned to her court with numb legs and a pounding head. Her mind reeled with everything he’d said—and hadn’t said. A thousand questions clung to her like dust.
What had she been expecting? That he’d look at her and remember? That he’d call it off because she asked?
Her words had never mattered. Agree or disagree, it wouldn’t have changed a thing. She was a woman. A pretty name on a scroll.
She felt the world tilting. Her hands gripped the edge of her table. Her breath was shallow.
Then Yuri rushed in.
Her head throbbed as her maid entered quietly, placing a scroll before her. “It came from the crown prince’s court,” the girl whispered and left her alone.
Hope surged in her chest like breath to drowning lungs. She tore the ribbon loose, her eyes scanning the words.
> Kiara,
If marrying my brother is what fate has decided for you, then so be it. As crown prince, I have no right to contest it, nor do I wish to appear covetous of what is not mine. Our paths end here.
stay safe.
Her hands trembled. The scroll slid from her fingers.
Her world shattered.
She lay on the floor that night, sobbing silently until the stars faded. Her hope had always been foolish—but never had it felt so cruel.
- Writer
