Kiernan’s Pov
I heard their laughter before I saw them.
It was light, drifting through the stone halls like sunlight through trees. Ivy’s laugh. Followed by Elias’s. And something sharp twisted in my chest.
I didn’t go looking for them. Not really. But when the healer told me Ivy had gone out without a coat and Elias had followed, my legs moved on their own. Down the corridor, past the courtyard, toward the forgotten path behind the west wing.
I knew where they were going.
Elias had taken me there once, years ago. When we were just boys trying to grow into men. It was his place. I should’ve known he’d share it with her.
I stayed behind the trees, hidden by the quiet hush of falling snow. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But then Ivy laughed again, and I saw her lean into him. Saw Elias pu
