The day of the engagement was supposed to be a new chapter for Caveen. He had convinced himself that he could move forward, that this was his chance to start fresh. But the moment he saw Lysandra again—after all those years—he realized just how far from the truth he had been living.
The night was everything Caveen had been dreading. He had told himself that he was over her, that his heart had healed, but the moment he saw her with Elias, Madeline's brother, all of his old feelings surged to the surface. The way she smiled at him, the way Elias wrapped his arm around her—everything about that moment tore at Caveen's resolve.
His chest tightened as he stood frozen, watching the woman he had once loved with every fiber of his being, the woman he had sacrificed everything for, stand before him as if nothing had ever happened. She was so much more than the girl he had left behind. She had grown, and so had the pain in his heart.
Madeline noticed his hesitation, the subtle tension in his jaw. She smiled at Caveen, squeezing his arm, but her expression faltered when she saw his gaze fixated on Lysandra.
"You know her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Caveen didn't answer. The air around him had thickened, charged with a tension that neither of them could escape. And then, Lysandra turned her gaze toward him. Her eyes locked with his, and for a split second, Caveen could have sworn that nothing had changed. But it had. Everything had changed.
The years between them were like an ocean, wide and deep, but in that moment, it felt like no time had passed at all.
Madeline's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"We should say hello to my brother," she said, clearly oblivious to the turmoil that churned inside Caveen.
But Caveen couldn't bring himself to walk up to her. His feet felt like lead, his heart heavy as if weighed down by centuries of regret. Madeline, still oblivious, led him toward Elias and Lysandra, the tension between them palpable.
The moment they spoke, Caveen felt a sudden coldness spread across his chest. He didn't belong here—not anymore, not in this world that had moved on without him. Not in this world where Lysandra had found a place beside someone else.
He didn't belong to her anymore. He never had. And the truth of that hit him like a hammer.
"I think it's time for us to leave," Caveen said to Madeline, his voice betraying none of the pain he felt inside.
Madeline didn't protest. She knew when he needed space, when he needed to be alone. Caveen walked away, his footsteps echoing in the cold night air, leaving behind a woman who would never be able to fill the empty space Lysandra had once occupied in his heart.
---
Valus observed his grandson carefully, the silence stretching between them as Caveen's mind returned to the present. Valus could sense the turmoil that continued to swirl within him.
"Tell me, Caveen," Valus said finally, his voice low and steady. "What is it you seek? Is it redemption? Or is it something else?"
Caveen looked at his grandfather, his crimson eyes reflecting the years of torment that still lingered in his soul.
"I don't know anymore," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know how to fix what I've broken."
Valus set his glass down gently, his gaze sharp and knowing. "Then perhaps, you need to start by forgiving yourself."
Caveen's eyes narrowed. "And if I can't?"
Valus smiled faintly. "Then perhaps you can begin by letting go of the guilt. Only then can you truly heal."
Caveen stared at his grandfather for a long time, unsure of what to say. But for the first time in a long time, a faint flicker of hope began to burn in his chest. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
And maybe, just maybe, it would be enough.
Then Valus gave a soft chuckle, one that sounded like the echo of a memory. "You always were perceptive, grandson." He turned his gaze toward him, the centuries etched into the lines of his face suddenly seeming heavier. "Do you know that you remind me of her? Of Vienna."
Caveen's brows drew together. "Vienna?"
Valus nodded, the name rolling off his tongue like a hymn. "Your grandmother. Lady Vienna."
Caveen leaned forward slightly. He had heard of her in passing, a whisper here and there, but the topic had always been sacred and rarely spoken of.
"I didn't know you loved her that deeply," Caveen murmured.
Valus chuckled again, softer this time, almost to himself. "Love? No. What I felt for Vienna… love is too small a word. It was the kind of bond that bends time, breaks rules, and defies fate. She was the light in the endless night of my existence."
Caveen felt something shift in the air. Even the shadows on the castle walls seemed to lean in to listen.
"What happened?" Caveen asked, gently. "To you... to her?"
Valus leaned back in his chair, eyes once more drawn to the dancing fire.