Chapter 251

AURELIA’S POV It was supposed to be a quiet afternoon. Kael had insisted I sit in the sun for a while, “to get some color back,” he said, and now we were by the courtyard fountain, the water trickling lazily as I tried to distract myself with a book. But I wasn’t reading. Across the way, through the open arch, I caught sight of them—Darius and Seraphina. She was leaning far too close, her hand brushing his sleeve as though she had every right to touch him. And he—he just stood there, his expression calm, his lips curved in one of those careful smiles that I knew by now was a lie. It shouldn’t have mattered. It was all part of his plan. Our plan. So why did it feel like someone was twisting a knife inside me? Before I could stop myself, the words slipped out in a sharp whisper. “She should keep her hands to herself.” Kael’s head snapped toward me, eyebrows shooting up. “Excuse me?” My heart stuttered. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I realized what I had just said—out loud. I opened my mo