**Caius' POV**
The towering walls of the King's Land rise before us, a city built of stone and steel, where the weight of history lingers in every brick. The moment we approach the gates, I feel it—the shift in the air, the heavy gaze of the knights standing guard.
They recognize me instantly.
"Sir Caius," one of them speaks, his expression a mix of shock and uncertainty. "You've returned."
I don't respond. I simply nod, gripping the reins of the horse pulling our carriage.
Eloise, sitting beside me, watches the exchange in silence. She hasn't spoken much since our conversation about her power, and I know she's still deep in thought. I glance at her for a moment, wanting to say something, but before I can, another knight steps forward—this one clad in heavier armor, with a crest embroidered onto his cape.
The news has traveled faster than I expected.
"Sir Caius." The knight bows slightly but not out of respect. It's protocol. A formality. His tone is indifferent, as if greeting a ghost. "The upper knights have been informed of your arrival."
My jaw tightens. Of course, they have.
And that means—
"Well, well," a deep voice cuts through the air. "Look who's finally decided to crawl back."
The world around me stills.
I don't have to turn to know who it is.
**Valerian.**
My eldest brother.
The only surviving member of my family besides me.
And the man who has never once looked at me as his equal.
I force myself to face him, meeting his cold, piercing gaze. He stands tall in his shining armor, the emblem of our house etched onto his chest plate. Everything about him is sharp—his presence, his words, the way his expression barely shifts into anything other than disapproval.
He looks at me like I'm nothing.
Like I've always been nothing.
"It's been a long time, Valerian," I say evenly.
"Not long enough." His eyes flicker past me, landing on Eloise, who shifts uncomfortably under his gaze.
"Who's this?" he asks, voice laced with disinterest, as if she's merely an inconvenience.
Before I can answer, Eloise lifts her chin, meeting his stare without fear. "I'm Eloise."
Valerian studies her for a moment before turning his attention back to me. "Hmph. I see you're still dragging unnecessary baggage around."
A familiar anger flares inside me.
I clench my fists, but I don't let it show.
Not here. Not in front of him.
"Are we done?" I say, voice dangerously low. "Or do you intend to waste more of my time?"
Valerian scoffs. "I have no interest in wasting time on a fallen knight."
With that, he turns on his heel and walks away, the knights parting for him as if he's some untouchable force.
I exhale slowly, releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"Caius..." Eloise's voice is soft beside me, but I shake my head.
"Let's go," I say, urging the carriage forward.
I don't have the energy to explain it all to her now.
But one thing is certain.
No matter how much time has passed, no matter how much I've changed—Valerian still sees me as a disgrace.
And I'm starting to wonder if he's right.
——-
*Eloise's POV**
I watch Caius carefully as the carriage moves forward, the tension in his shoulders refusing to ease. His grip on the reins is too tight, his jaw clenched in frustration. He doesn't say a word, but I can feel the storm raging inside him.
Valerian.
I knew he would be like this. Cold. Harsh. Distant.
But I also knew something Caius didn't.
Valerian wasn't just his cruel older brother who abandoned him. He was more than that—so much more.
I wrote him that way.
I created him.
And just like how I had unknowingly made Caius suffer, I had done the same to Valerian. The difference was... Caius didn't know the truth.
He didn't know how much Valerian had protected him from the shadows.
How much he had sacrificed.
How he had chosen to carry the burden of their family alone, even if it meant letting Caius hate him.
But telling Caius the truth now wouldn't be easy.
He wouldn't listen.
He didn't *want* to listen.
I take a deep breath, glancing at him once more. "Caius... there's something I should tell you about Valerian."
His expression darkens immediately. "I don't want to hear it."
I frown. "But you don't even know what I'm going to say."
"I don't need to." His voice is sharp, final. "I know exactly what kind of person he is."
Frustration bubbles inside me. "You *think* you do," I argue. "But there's more to him than what you see."
Caius scoffs. "I don't care."
"You *should* care." My voice rises slightly, and he finally turns to look at me. "Valerian isn't just some heartless brother who abandoned you. He—"
"Eloise." Caius cuts me off, his gaze turning cold. "Stop."
I freeze.
There's a weight in his voice I haven't heard before, a quiet pain that makes my heart clench.
"I don't want to hear excuses for him," he mutters. "I don't want to hear about his reasons, his struggles, or whatever justification he has for what he did."
"But—"
"He left me," Caius says, his voice low but firm. "When I needed him most, he wasn't there. That's all that matters."
I bite my lip, gripping my dress tightly.
This is my fault.
I wrote them this way. I created this distance, this pain between them. And now, I don't know how to fix it.
Silence stretches between us.
For the first time, I feel completely powerless.
I glance at Caius once more, his face unreadable as he looks ahead.
I *want* to tell him the truth. I want him to know that Valerian was never his enemy. That Valerian had been protecting him all along, even if Caius never realized it.
But right now... he isn't ready to hear it.
So, I say nothing.
For now.