"Young man," Grandpa Persius said, his voice calm yet edged with quiet authority, "why do you address only ? Amy is here as well."
His sharp gaze flicked from Liam to his granddaughter, lingering just long enough to make the tension in the air palpable.
Startled, Alia pushed her chair back too quickly, the legs screeching faintly against the floor. It nearly toppled—if not for the steady hand of the man beside her, who rose at the sa ti. He caught the chair with ease before straightening, his posture relaxed but his eyes alert.
"l," the red-haired man said softly, his tone warm in contrast to the stiffness around them, "I’ll head off. Your family’s already here." He paused, offering her a small, reassuring smile. "I’ll see you after lunch."
He inclined his head politely toward Grandpa Persius, but when his gaze shifted to Liam, it lingered—sharp, assessing, and just a touch challenging—before he turned away. Without another word, he made his way toward the far table where most of the foreigners had gathered.
Grandpa Persius also stood and walked to where Leonard Norse was. Stopped midway by a group of people enjoying their al.
The space he left behind felt suddenly colder.
Now, Liam stood directly in front of Alia.
The air between them tightened.
His expression was grim, his jaw set, and his eyes—usually so unreadable—now churned with sothing far more complicated. Frustration. Displeasure. Perhaps even sothing deeper, buried beneath layers of restraint.
"Why didn’t you tell you were coming?" he asked, his voice low but edged with reproach. "I could have made proper arrangents."
After all... she was his fiancée.
Alia t his gaze steadily, her face composed, her eyes no longer searching his for warmth or reassurance. That habit had long since faded. She knew better now.
Liam was, at his core, a man of cold logic and distant indifference.
"Ah—oh, hi, Alia," Sumr’s voice cut in, light and sweet, though her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Liam’s right. Layla and I were given accommodations at the Northern Sector."
Alia didn’t even glance her way.
Her attention remained fixed on Liam, unwavering.
"It’s fine," she replied calmly. "Grandpa has already made arrangents for us." Her tone was polite, but final. "We’ve been assigned to this sector, so this is where we’ll stay."
She lifted a hand slightly, gesturing toward Logan.
"Besides," she added, her voice steady, "his assignnt is here. He’ll be able to look after us."
The implication hung quietly in the air.
She didn’t need Liam to.
"Who is that man?"
Liam didn’t sit.
He stood rigidly beside the table, his presence pressing down on the space like a gathering storm. His gaze remained fixed in the direction the red-haired foreigner had disappeared, his tone sharp enough to cut.
Logan gave a quiet, knowing chuckle, folding his arms loosely. So... his brother had finally taken notice.
It seed Liam had just realized sothing inconvenient—
Alia was no longer standing still, waiting.
"That man?" Alia repeated, her voice calm, almost absentminded as she gestured toward the far end of the hall.
As if drawn by instinct, the foreigner turned.
Across the crowded room, his eyes found hers with ease.
And then—he smiled.
Slow. Confident. Intentionally charming.
It lingered just long enough to feel deliberate.
Liam saw it.
Every second of it.
His expression hardened, a flicker of sothing dangerous passing through his eyes.
Before Alia could even lower her hand, Liam stepped forward.
He moved into her line of sight, his broad fra cutting her off from the man entirely—as if erasing him from her world.
"Yes," he said, his voice low, edged with sothing far less restrained than before.
"That man."
Alia’s hand fell back to her side. She didn’t step back. Didn’t look away.
"That’s David Howie," she replied evenly. "A promising archaeologist from Eurasia. He’s been assigned to the royal mausoleum."
There was no warmth in her tone. No attempt to soften the explanation.
Only facts.
But that na—royal mausoleum—carried weight.
Influence. Access. Secrets buried beneath stone and history.
Logan’s eyes flickered briefly, interest sharpening.
Liam, however, wasn’t thinking about history.
"Oh?" Sumr’s voice drifted in, light and lilting, though her gaze was anything but innocent.
"I thought he was pursuing you," she said, her lips curving faintly as she studied Alia.
"The way he looks at you..." She paused, letting the implication settle. "I’d say he’s more than interested."
Silence followed.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Liam’s jaw tightened.
His hand curled slightly at his side, the motion small—but controlled too tightly to be casual.
"Is he?" Liam asked, his voice quieter now.
That made it worse.
Because beneath that calm—
was possession.
A claim unspoken, but deeply ingrained.
His eyes locked onto Alia’s, searching, demanding.
As if waiting for her to deny it. As if expecting her to.
Alia t his gaze without flinching.
For the first ti—
she didn’t.
"Whether he is or not," she said, her voice steady, almost detached, "is none of my concern. We are here for work.
A beat passed.
Then, just slightly—
"Nor should it be yours."
The words fell cleanly between them.
And for the briefest mont—
sothing in Liam’s expression cracked.
Not anger.
Sothing far more dangerous.
The realization that he was no longer the only one who could reach her—
and perhaps...
no longer the one she would choose.
...
The ss hall had long returned to its usual rhythm—cutlery clinking, low conversations weaving through the air, waiters moving in practiced silence.
But at their table, the atmosphere remained taut.
Alia sat down first.
Not because she was dismissed.
But because she chose to.
It was a small thing—almost insignificant to an outsider—but to those watching closely, it spoke volus. She no longer waited for Liam to move first. No longer deferred. No longer followed his lead.
Logan noticed. And so did Liam.
A waiter approached, placing a cup of tea before her. Alia thanked him softly, her voice composed, her movents asured as she lifted the porcelain cup.
No tremble. No hesitation.
No trace of the girl who used to steal glances at Liam, waiting—hoping—for his attention.
That version of her was... gone.
Or perhaps—
she had finally buried it.
"Alia," Sumr began, her tone gentle, almost concerned. "You’ve changed."
The words sounded harmless.
But they weren’t.
They were a probe.
Alia didn’t look up imdiately. She took a small sip of tea before setting the cup down with quiet precision.
"Have I?" she replied.
Her tone was neutral.
Sumr smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
"You used to tell Liam everything," she continued lightly. "Even the smallest things. But now... arriving here without a word?" She tilted her head, studying Alia carefully. "It feels a bit... distant."
There it was. Not concern but accusation.
Alia finally lifted her gaze.
"Is that a problem?" she asked.
The question landed softly.
But it carried weight.
Sumr’s smile faltered—just for a fraction of a second before she recovered.
"I just think," Sumr said, her voice smoothing out, "that when two people are engaged, there should be transparency. Liam was clearly—"
"Concerned?" Alia cut in.
Her voice wasn’t raised.
But it was sharper now. More defined.
She turned slightly, her eyes flicking to Liam—not with longing, not with expectation, but with sothing far more distant.
"He’s always known where to find when it mattered," she said. "This ti... it didn’t.
Liam’s brows drew together slightly.
That wasn’t entirely true.
But he couldn’t deny the implication behind her words.
This ti—
she hadn’t wanted him to.
Sumr leaned forward slightly, her expression softening again, but the tension beneath it sharpened.
"You’re being unfair," she said quietly. "Liam has responsibilities. He can’t always—"
"And I no longer expect him to."
Alia’s response ca imdiately.
No pause.
No hesitation.
That was new.
She didn’t wait for him to disregard her anymore.
She didn’t wait at all.
The shift was subtle—but devastating.
Logan exhaled slowly, watching the exchange with quiet interest. This wasn’t a misunderstanding.
This was a severing. Careful. Controlled.
But real.
Sumr’s fingers curled slightly against the table.
"You say that," she replied, her tone tightening despite her effort to remain composed, "but you’re still wearing his ring."
The words struck their mark.
For the first ti—
Alia stilled.
Her gaze dropped, almost unconsciously, to her hand.
The ring glead faintly against her skin.
A symbol. A promise. A chain.
For a brief mont, sothing flickered in her eyes—
It was not longing but sothing quieter.
More complicated.
Then—it was gone.
She lifted her gaze again, calm restored, but colder now.
"I wear it," she said, "because it was given."
She used to cherish it but not anymore.
Liam’s expression darkened.
"Alia," he said, his voice lower now, threaded with sothing that hadn’t been there before—sothing strained, almost unfamiliar. "That’s not what it represents."
She t his gaze.
Steady.
Unyielding.
"Then what does it represent?" she asked.
For once—
Liam didn’t answer imdiately.
And that silence—
spoke louder than anything else.
Sumr seized it.
"It represents your future," she said firmly, her voice gaining strength. "A future that’s already been decided. You can’t just—"
"Decided by whom?"
Alia’s voice cut through hers cleanly.
Not loud. But final.
The table fell silent.
Even the surrounding noise of the hall seed distant now.
"I know it was Grandpa who arranged it." Alia continued. "I know that he wanted the best for ..."
She shook her head slightly.
Not in anger. But in clarity.
"I’ve fulfilled my role long enough."
That landed. Hard.
Liam’s composure cracked, just slightly.
"And what?" Layla pressed, her voice no longer as smooth. "Now you’re going to what—choose for yourself?" Her eyes flickered briefly toward the direction where David had disappeared. "Be swayed by the first man who shows you attention? Good riddance."
Logan’s gaze sharpened.
Liam’s expression turned dangerous.
Layla shrunk back.
But Alia—
Alia didn’t react the way she used to.
No fluster. No defensiveness.
Just— stillness and indifference.
Then, slowly, she stood.
The movent was quiet.
But it commanded attention.
"If I ever choose soone," she said, her voice calm, unwavering, "it will not be because he looked at ."
A beat.
Her eyes shifted—just briefly—to Liam.
"But because he saw ."
Silence.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Alia inclined her head slightly toward Grandpa Persius, a gesture of respect.
Then she turned and walked away. Not hurried. Not uncertain.
Just.... done.
And for the first ti since Liam had known her—
he felt it.
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