Lucas leaned against the cool stone wall, arms folded, gaze fixed on the hallway Elara had disappeared into.
She was safe now.
Out of sight.
Away from Velmiran eyes and media lenses.
But the seal still hummed faintly beneath his collarbone.
Not in warning.
Just… presence.
He hadn’t expected her to grab his jacket.
Hadn’t expected her to bury her face against him like that.
Hadn’t expected how instinctively he’d moved to shield her.
And he hadn’t expected someone to see.
“You left the room.”
Lucas turned.
A familiar voice.
Warm. Teasing.
His cousin—Thorne, a sealed heir, closest confidant, the only person who knew Lucas’s history without needing explanations—approached with a quiet smile.
“That’s rare,” the cousin said. “You don’t walk out of summits. Not even when they bore you.”
Lucas didn’t answer immediately.
“I saw you,” his cousin continued. “Not clearly. Just from the side corridor. You didn’t see me.”
Lucas’s posture didn’t shift.
“Saw what?”
“You. With someone.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened slightly.
“From behind,” his cousin clarified. “She was holding your jacket. You leaned in. She looked up.”
He tilted his head.
“Perfect height difference. Very cinematic.”
Lucas exhaled slowly.
“You didn’t see her face.”
“No. Just the moment.”
He stepped closer, eyes curious but kind.
“You going to introduce me?”
Lucas hesitated.
“She’s not… ready for that.”
His cousin nodded, surprisingly gentle.
“Fair. But I’m intrigued.”
Lucas glanced toward the hallway again.
“She’s not like the others.”
“I figured. You haven’t looked at anyone like that since—”
Lucas cut him off.
“It’s different.”
His cousin smiled again.
“I believe you.”
He paused.
“You know, I always thought your last relationship was your final attempt. You were so done with people. With being seen.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
“But today? You didn’t care who saw you. You just moved.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened.
“She was scared.”
His cousin studied him for a beat.
“You said she was scared.”
Lucas didn’t answer.
“Why?”
Lucas’s jaw tightened.
“She has history with people who shouldn’t be here.”
A pause.
Then, quietly:
“One of the clans?”
Lucas kept his posture still.
“I’m not confirming anything.”
His cousin nodded slowly, tone shifting from curious to cautious.
“But you moved like you knew exactly what she needed.”
Lucas’s voice stayed even.
“I did.”
“You felt it?”
Lucas didn’t respond.
Didn’t touch his chest.
Didn’t glance toward the seal.
Didn’t give anything away.
“I saw her face,” he said instead. “That was enough.”
His cousin exhaled.
“That’s not nothing.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
“You’re protecting her.”
“I’m keeping her out of sight.”
“Same thing.”
His cousin tilted his head.
“She wasn’t supposed to be here, was she?”
Lucas’s gaze stayed neutral.
“She ended up in the wrong place at the worst time.”
That was all he gave.
His cousin frowned.
“That’s reckless.”
“It was dangerous.”
“And you didn’t hesitate.”
Lucas’s jaw flexed.
“I didn’t see it coming. I won’t let that happen to her again.”
His cousin clapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“I won’t ask more. But I’m glad I saw it.”
Lucas nodded once.
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
He turned to leave, then glanced back.
“Tell her she’s lucky. Not because you protected her. But because you knew—before anyone else did.”
Lucas didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.