The café felt smaller than before.
Kael sat across from Duke Aric Valen, her hands curled into fists beneath the table.
The warmth of his embrace still lingered on her skin, but she wasn't sure what to do with it.
She had spent years carrying nothing but hatred for the nobles of Velmont—and now, one of them sat before her, looking at her like she was someone worth mourning.
She hated it.
And yet—she hadn't pulled away.
Riven leaned casually against the wall near the entrance, arms crossed, his disguised eyes sharp beneath the dim lighting. He wasn't speaking, wasn't interfering—but Kael knew he was listening to every word.
The Duke exhaled, his fingers wrapped around his untouched cup of tea.
"You must have questions," he said at last.
Kael's jaw tightened.
She had too many.
But only one truly mattered.
"My brother," she said, voice steady. "Where is he?"
A flicker of relief crossed Valen's face—like he had been waiting for her to ask that.
Then, softly— "He's alive."
Kael forced herself to stay still.
She had known. Suspected.
But hearing it?
Hearing it was different.
"He's safe," Valen continued. "And he has been for the past fifteen years."
Kael swallowed. "Where?"
The Duke hesitated.
Then, voice low—"Varendel. The elven continent."
Kael stiffened.
That—that wasn't the answer she had expected.
She had imagined many possibilities—a hidden noble house, an underground network, maybe even an orphanage disguised by royal favor.
But not the elven lands.
Not a place beyond Velmont's reach.
She could feel Riven's gaze on her now, sharp and knowing.
She forced her voice to stay even. "Explain."
Valen sighed, setting his cup down.
"I wasn't in Velmont when your family was slaughtered," he admitted. "I had been sent away on a mission by the king—to investigate the murder of his first wife."
Kael's fingers curled tighter.
Riven's mother.
The assassination that had changed everything.
"When I returned," Valen continued, his expression darkening, "your house was gone. Burned. Your family erased. I searched for survivors, but…"
His voice faltered.
Kael didn't look away.
He exhaled. "I thought you were all dead."
Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten.
He had mourned them.
But mourning didn't change the past.
"Then, weeks later," Valen went on, "I found him. Your brother. A child, barely clinging to life."
Kael's breath hitched.
She had imagined so many times how he must have died.
But he hadn't.
"He was left in a hidden chamber beneath your family's estate," Valen explained. "A servant must have put him there before the massacre started—hoping he'd be safe. But by the time I found him, he was weak. Fevered. Starving."
Kael's chest burned.
Fifteen years.
Fifteen years, thinking she had lost everything—when her brother had been there all along.
"I kept him hidden for a month," Valen said. "I was the only one who knew. I needed to make sure no one suspected he had survived."
Kael swallowed hard. "And then?"
Valen met her gaze.
"I took him to the king."
Silence.
Kael blinked. "You… what?"
"I told him the truth," Valen said. "That his best friend's son was alive."
Kael barely breathed.
And for the first time—true anger curled inside her chest.
"You told the king," she repeated. "You told the same man who married my father's murderer?"
Valen didn't flinch. "He wasn't part of it, Kael. He wasn't behind your family's death."
Kael wanted to argue.
Wanted to call him a liar.
But the certainty in his voice stopped her.
Her hands trembled beneath the table.
"The king wanted to keep him safe," Valen said. "But keeping him here wasn't an option. So we came up with another plan."
Kael's pulse pounded.
And then—Valen told her everything.
"The kings of the other continents knew," Valen admitted. "Not all of them. But some."
Kael's stomach twisted.
"Some wanted to intervene. But they couldn't." He met her gaze. "The balance between the continents is delicate, Kael. If they had interfered, it would have started a war."
Kael's throat was tight.
"So they did nothing?"
Valen's expression darkened. "Not nothing. One of them acted. The King of Varendel."
Kael stilled.
Varendel.
The land of the elves.
Valen exhaled. "King Eldrin Saelar has always been an ally to Velmont. And he knew the truth—that the throne had been stolen. That your family's deaths were orchestrated to put someone else in power."
Kael swallowed hard. "So you sent my brother to him."
Valen nodded. "A secret journey. Only myself, the king, and Eldrin knew. No one else—not even the court."
He ran a hand through his graying hair. "He's been raised under Eldrin's protection ever since."
Kael's vision blurred.
Fifteen years.
Fifteen years he had been alive, hidden away in a kingdom beyond her reach.
And she had spent all those years hating the wrong people.
She exhaled shakily, forcing her voice to stay calm. "And where is he now?"
Valen hesitated.
Then, quietly—"Still in Varendel."
Kael closed her eyes.
He was alive.
He was alive.
The truth was heavier than she had expected.
She felt Riven shift near the wall, but he said nothing.
Valen leaned forward slightly. "I know it's a lot. And I know you don't trust me."
Kael's hands trembled slightly as she looked at him. "You should have told me sooner."
Valen's expression was pained. "I thought you were dead."
Silence.
Then, softly—
Kael exhaled. "I need to see him."
Valen nodded. "And you will."
Kael lifted her chin. "I'm going to Varendel."
She felt Riven's gaze on her again.
And when she finally looked at him, he just sighed.
Then—grinning slightly—
"Well, sweetheart," he murmured. "Looks like we have a trip to plan."