22 parts Ongoing Bram let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "Don't look at me like that," he said. "The only prince of Sylvania living in my lands, and you thought I wouldn't know?" His voice was light, almost teasing-but there was something else beneath it.
Mikaela swallowed hard, gripping the railing a little tighter. This was bad.
Bram's gaze sharpened as he turned fully toward Mikaela, arms loosely crossed. "What if I didn't know?" he mused. "Would you have lied?"
Mikaela tensed. The urge to ask how Bram had figured it out clawed at him, but he swallowed it down. Instead, he looked away. "I was told to hide it."
Bram hummed, considering his words. "So you would lie." He didn't sound surprised-just mildly entertained. "And if you did..." He leaned slightly closer, voice lowering just enough to make Mikaela's breath hitch. "I'd believe it completely."
This is not a love story.
It is a war, dressed in longing.