Chapter 254

AURELIA’S POV The next morning, something felt… different. The corridors were quieter. The usual weight of a steady presence—the one I’d come to expect, to search for without realizing—was missing. Darius wasn’t here. I tried not to let my eyes wander every corner of the hall as I walked toward the courtyard, but they did. I tried not to notice the way my chest tightened when I didn’t find him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, watching everything with that unreadable stare. Instead, it was Kael waiting for me. He greeted me with his usual smirk, though there was something off in the way it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Where’s Darius?” I asked before I could stop myself. Kael shifted, glancing away for the briefest second before answering. “He had to leave. Some personal business. He’ll be gone a few days.” The words hit harder than I expected. My heart sank, and before I could think better of it, I blurted, “Did you… did you two fight?” That was when I saw them—faint marks on