Dinner
The dim glow of candlelight flickered across the stone walls as Aeliana and I walked side by side toward the dining hall. The silence between us was comfortable, yet charged with an undercurrent of tension that had been building for weeks.
After our conversation in the courtyard, things felt different more real, more uncertain, but also...more exciting.
I glanced at Aeliana from the corner of my eye, noticing the way her lips curved into a soft smile. There was a lightness in her step, a kind of quiet confidence that hadn't been there before. It suited her. Hell, everything about her suited me, and that was the damn problem.
When we reached the entrance to the dining hall, I pushed the heavy wooden door open, the creak of the hinges echoing in the empty corridor.
The room was dimly lit, with only a few candles scattered across the long dining table. The hall was empty, no sign of the usual hustle and bustle of the castle's staff or soldiers.