Seraphina’s POV

As I stepped out of King Orion’s office and walked down the corridors, my mind was still occupied with thoughts about the so-called engagement arrangement. I hadn’t even fully processed it yet, and now I had to figure out how I felt about it, what I was going to do next, and whether or not I could actually go through with something like this.

I was so deep in thought that I almost didn’t notice when someone stepped directly into my path.

Prince Darius.

He stood in front of me with a small, polite smile, his dark hair neatly styled, his posture effortlessly regal. His eyes studied me, unreadable but not unkind.

I furrowed my brows. “Your Highness,” I greeted, tilting my head slightly. “Were you…waiting for me?”

Darius nodded without hesitation. “I was.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly, uncertain of what he wanted. Before I could ask, he continued, “I figured we should talk—now that I’m sure you know what my father wants for both of us.”

I kept my expression neutral, even though my stomach twisted slightly at his words.

Right.

This wasn’t just my problem. Darius was involved in this, too, and from what King Orion had said, he had already agreed to this arrangement.

I studied him for a moment, then exhaled. “Alright,” I said. “Let’s talk.”

Darius gave me a small nod before gesturing for me to follow him. “Come with me.”

I hesitated for only a second before falling into step beside him. I wasn’t sure where he planned to take me, but I saw no reason to refuse. If nothing else, I was curious to hear what he had to say.

But as we walked, I quickly realized that we were heading deeper into the palace—into areas I had never been before. The corridors became quieter, and I realized that we were in a far more private area than the common areas where official meetings were typically held.

Something about it made me…uneasy.

I wasn’t afraid, but I wasn’t exactly comfortable either.

After a few more turns, I slowed my steps slightly. “Your Highness,” I said carefully, my voice calm.

Darius immediately stopped and turned to face me. His eyes flickered with curiosity, but when he saw the cautious expression on my face, his own expression softened slightly. “Are you alright?”

I folded my arms, glancing around the unfamiliar hallway before meeting his gaze again. “I’ve never been to this side of the palace before,” I admitted. “And, if I’m being honest, I have no idea where you’re taking me.”

Darius blinked, then let out a small chuckle. “I suppose I should have mentioned that earlier,” he said, his tone light. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you uneasy.”

I raised a brow at him, still skeptical. “Then where exactly are you taking me?”

He smiled again, this time slightly amused. “Somewhere private. Where we can talk without anyone listening in.”

His words made sense, but I still felt a prickle of suspicion. I wasn’t about to walk into a situation blindly just because the prince seemed decent.

Darius seemed to pick up on my hesitation, and after a beat, he added, “I give you my word that I mean no harm, Lady Seraphina. If you’re uncomfortable, we can talk here instead.”

I studied him for another moment, searching his face for any sign of dishonesty, but all I saw was patience.

Finally, I sighed. “No, it’s fine,” I muttered. “Let’s go.”

Darius nodded, and without another word, he continued leading me deeper into the palace.

Despite my initial nerves, I had to admit—I was curious to hear what he had to say.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, we finally arrived in front of a door, and Darius pushed the door open and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter first.

I hesitated for only a second before stepping inside.

As soon as I crossed the threshold, I found myself in what could only be described as a man cave.

The room was lit, with shelves lined with books, old battle figurines, and a set of swords mounted on the walls. A large, comfortable-looking leather sofa sat against one wall, and a dark wooden desk occupied the far corner. The space felt private, lived-in, and nothing like the palace halls I was used to.

I turned, my brows furrowing in confusion. This didn’t look like the kind of place a prince was supposed to have.

Darius closed the door behind us. “This is my personal space,” he explained, leaning against the wall casually. “No one is allowed in here without my permission.”

I raised an eyebrow, glancing around again. “Your personal space?”

He nodded. “Sometimes, being the crown prince is exhausting, and this is the only place where I don’t have to be Prince Darius—just Darius.”

I chuckled, shaking my head slightly. “I can only imagine.”

He smirked at that, as if he could tell I was being sarcastic. “You’d be surprised,” he said.

I hummed, deciding to leave that topic alone for now.

Darius gestured toward the leather sofa. “Have a seat.”

I moved to sit, still glancing around in slight fascination.

He took a seat across from me, his expression shifting to something more serious. “First of all,” he said, “I want to say that I’m sorry for your father’s passing, and I’m even more sorry that I asked to speak with you privately on a day like this.”

I shook my head. “It’s not a problem, Your Highness,” I replied honestly. “With what your father told me, it only makes sense that you’d want to talk to me privately.”

Darius studied me for a moment, then leaned back slightly. “That’s true,” he admitted. Then, after a pause, he added, “You can call me Darius, by the way. At least when we’re alone.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? No more, Your Highness?”

He smirked. “Not unless you want to call me that.”

I scoffed lightly. “Noted.”

For a few moments, silence settled between us. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t peaceful either. It was the kind of silence that lingered before something important was about to be said.

And just as I had expected, Darius was the one to break it.

“How old are you?” he asked casually.

I blinked, slightly caught off guard by the question. Furrowing my brows, I studied him for a second before answering, “I’m eighteen.”

His eyes flickered with something unreadable before he gave a small nod.

I tilted my head slightly. “Why do you ask?”

Instead of answering immediately, he leaned back against the sofa, looking at me thoughtfully. Then, with an easy smirk, he returned the question. “How old do you think I am?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know, Your Highness. If I had to guess? Maybe twenty?”

He let out a small chuckle before shaking his head. “Close. I’m twenty-one.”

I absorbed that information for a second before shrugging. “Not that big of a difference.”

Darius tilted his head, his smirk fading slightly. “Maybe, but it does mean that you are definitely too young to be thinking about marriage.”

That comment made me squint at him suspiciously. It wasn’t his words that surprised me—it was the way he said them. His tone was laced with something… skeptical. Doubtful.

I straightened up, narrowing my eyes at him. “Alright,” I said slowly, “be honest with me.”

Darius raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“Do you actually want to marry me?” I asked, getting straight to the point. “Or are you only agreeing to this because your father asked you to?”

I didn’t know what answer I was expecting, but when Darius smiled at me, I knew immediately that I wasn’t going to get a straightforward one.

Instead of answering, he leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees as he studied me. Then, in a teasing yet unreadable tone, he simply said—

“Take a guess.”

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