Beneath His Vows

Settling In

The morning sun slipped gently across the tall windows, turning the marble floors into rivers of pale light. Selene tied her apron tighter, her fingers trembling slightly. Her first full day had begun.

Rosa was already bustling around the kitchen when Selene walked in, humming a tune that didn’t seem to belong in a house so silent. Her red curls bounced as she moved, her cheerful energy spilling into the room like sunlight through stained glass. She waved Selene over with a smile.

“Don’t look so stiff,” Rosa teased, handing her a basket of folded linens. “This place may look like a museum, but you’ll get used to it. Just… don’t let Elise catch you daydreaming.”

Selene tucked a loose strand of her own black wavy hair behind her ear, the soft strands framing eyes that carried more emotion than she wanted to show. She laughed shyly, the sound almost foreign in her own ears.

“I’ll try.”

Rosa leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And if you ever feel overwhelmed, come find me. I’ve been here two years—I know which corners are safest to breathe in.”

That small kindness softened something inside Selene. Maybe this mansion wasn’t only walls and rules.

---

By midday, Selene had scrubbed down the east wing’s polished floors, dusted shelves filled with books she longed to touch, and arranged vases of roses that looked too perfect to be real. Her body ached, but it was a good ache—the kind that reminded her she was working toward something bigger than herself.

During her break, she slipped outside into the small staff garden. Pulling out her phone, she called home.

“Jamie,” she whispered as soon as his voice came through, boyish and bright.

“Selene! You sound tired already.”

She laughed softly. “You have no idea. But I’m fine. How’s school?”

“Boring without you,” he admitted, and she could almost see him shrug. “Mum says I should study hard because you’re carrying us now.”

Her throat tightened. “Tell Mum I’ll call her later. And Jamie—don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get everything I couldn’t.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

When the call ended, Selene leaned back against the bench, staring at the slice of sky above the high stone walls. It looked endless, like freedom. She closed her eyes, wishing she could bottle that feeling for her brother.

---

That night, as she carried fresh sheets down a dim corridor, she paused. A light glowed from the end of the hall—Damian’s study. The door was slightly open, voices murmuring inside.

She heard his low, commanding tone—measured, controlled. Then silence.

Curiosity tugged at her, but she forced herself to move. Yet as she passed, her eyes flicked through the c***k in the door.

Damian sat alone at his desk, the phone discarded beside him. His head rested briefly against his hand, and for the first time, he looked… human. The steel in his posture softened, and his eyes—those unreadable depths—looked beautiful and lonely, like an ocean with no one in it. Depths you could drown in, yet never reach.

Her breath caught.

Then, as if sensing her, his gaze lifted. Their eyes met through the thin gap, and Selene’s heart stuttered.

She turned quickly, almost stumbling, hurrying down the hall as if nothing had happened. But the image clung to her, haunting her steps.

She told herself it was nothing. Just a glance. Just a moment. But deep down, she knew some moments never let you go.