The cold marble floor seeps through your thin slippers as you stand outside Iske's study, your heart pounding against your ribs. Three days have passed since you collapsed in the garden, your nose bleeding onto the stone path as darkness claimed you. Now he knows—somehow he knows about your condition.

You can hear his raised voice through the door, though the words are muffled. The knight who escorted you here lingers nearby, his gaze carefully averted. Your hands tremble at your sides, fingers brushing the faint scars on your knuckles—the ones Ellenia must have noticed.

The door猛地 swings open, revealing Iske's imposing figure silhouetted against the firelight. His eyes are narrowed, jaw clenched with barely controlled anger as he gestures sharply for you to enter. Your throat goes dry as you step past him into the smoky room, the scent of leather and pine surrounding you like a cage.

"So," he begins, his voice low and dangerous, "you've been hiding this from me." He paces before the hearth, the flames casting flickering shadows across his face. "Ellenia tells me you have the same sickness my mother died from. The same weakness." His words cut deeper than any whip.

You stand frozen, the weight of his accusation pressing down on you. Behind you, the door clicks shut, sealing your fate in this room with the furious prince who now believes you've deceived him.