Chapter 66: Afraid.

Dua opened her eyes, a stinging sensation at the corner of her lips jolting her awake. As her vision focused on Steven, she sat up quickly, instinctively pulling away from him. He stepped closer, intending to tend to the cut, but she flinched, retreating further.

“Let me help you,” he said gently.

“No, I'll do it myself,” she replied, a tremor in her voice.

Steven studied her face, the fear evident in her wide eyes. “Don’t be scared,” he coaxed softly.

“You don’t expect me to not be afraid after seeing all that?” she shot back, her voice thick with emotion.

“But I still want to doubt it. Please, tell me you weren’t the one who did all that,” she pleaded, her voice trembling.

“I did everything you saw,” he answered, his tone resolute.

“Why… why did you torture a human like that? Burn him alive? Not to mention, you killed his men outside too,” Dua inhaled sharply, grappling with the weight of his actions.

“I won’t apologize for what I did, and I don’t feel sorry,” he replied firmly, but the words hung heavy in the air.

Dua’s mouth fell open in disbelief, her eyes widening in horror as she instinctively created a greater distance between them.

Seeing her pull away, Steven asked, “Are you afraid of me now?”

“Yes,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m very afraid.”

“What really are you… are you the Devil, as they all say?” she asked, a tremor in her voice.

“If I am… will your feelings for me change?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Dua fell silent, the weight of his question pressing down on her.

“I suppose it will,” he finally conceded.

A knock on the door broke the tension, and Steven moved to answer it. Denise, Desmond, and Shane swarmed into the room, Denise and Desmond rushing to Dua’s side.

“Oh, sis, thank God you’re safe!” Denise exclaimed, relief flooding her features.

“How are you?” Desmond asked, concern etched in his brows.

“I’m fine,” Dua nodded, though her voice wavered.

“Oh, thank you, bro, for saving her,” Desmond said, turning to Steven.

"Don't thank me; it's my duty to make sure she’s always safe," Steven replied, his voice steady but tinged with concern.

"Where were you wandering this time that got you into trouble?" Denise shot at Dua, crossing her arms.

"I didn’t wander anywhere. I was on my way back from school when I got knocked out!" Dua defended, her frustration evident.

"Looks like you'll have to pause schooling for now, sis," Desmond suggested, earning a glare from Dua.

"He's right, Dua," Shane added, his expression serious.

"She doesn't have to," Steven chimed in, his gaze lingering on Dua before turning away. "From now on, she’ll be in the company of my guards. The world knows she’s my wife; danger will always find her. It’s already begun." With those words, he left the room, a weight hanging in the air behind him.

As the door clicked shut, Shane quickly followed Steven, leaving Dua and her siblings alone.

Entering Steven’s study, Shane found him lighting a cigarette, a plume of smoke curling into the air. "Let me guess: you displayed your powers, and now she’s afraid of you," Shane said, pulling a chair closer to Steven.

"Exactly," Steven replied, exhaling smoke slowly.

"I would too if I were in her shoes," Shane replied softly. "Give her some time and space. If she truly loves you, she’ll come around."

"So you’re saying this is an opportunity to test her love for me?" Steven asked, a hint of skepticism in his tone.

"Maybe," Shane shrugged, sensing the heaviness in the room.

Silence enveloped them, and then Shane asked, "So what happens if she comes around? Will you tell her the truth about yourself?"

"I don't think I will," Steven replied, his voice quiet. "Not if she’s not Crystal."

"You won’t tell her if she isn’t Crystal?" Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Of what use is it telling her when she isn’t Crystal?" Steven retorted bitterly, his frustration simmering beneath the surface.

"Even if she turns out to be Crystal, she’s still just a reincarnation. She won’t remember the life you shared," Shane said gently.

"At least knowing that she’s still the same person I’ve always loved is enough.” Steven’s bitter smile barely masked the agony etched on his face.

“Wake up, little brother.” Shane’s voice was gentle, yet firm. “Crystal is gone—gone for good. She’ll never return.”

“No,” Steven shook his head defiantly. “She will come back... She promised she would. I will keep waiting for her.” His eyes shimmered with unshed tears as his voice quivered.

“You’ve been waiting for almost a thousand years. It’s time to accept she’s not coming back.” Shane’s words were heavy, laced with sorrow.

“It’s my fault,” Steven whispered, his voice breaking. “I have no excuse for not waiting. After all... I caused her death.”

“You didn’t cause her death,” Shane reminded him softly. “It was the plague.”

“Yes, the plague, but my foolishness sealed her fate.” Steven’s voice rose with anguish.

“You didn’t have a choice, Steven,” Shane implored, trying to reach his brother’s shattered heart.

“I had a choice!” Steven’s voice erupted, raw and wounded. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he buried his face in his palms. “I had a choice... yet I was foolish.”

“Regardless of what she said, I should have given her the cure,” Steven cried.  “I should have forced it upon her when I had the chance...I shouldn't have listened to her, I shouldn't have.”

Shane closed his eyes, his heart breaking at the sight of his brother’s vulnerability. “It’s not your fault, Steven. She wanted you to give the cure to the princess—it was her wish.”

“Because she believed it was the right thing to do! Because I was married to the princess and not her! I should have been rebellious—I should have defied father and married her instead!” Steven cried, his voice thick with desperation. “Had she been my wife, she would have accepted the cure without guilt.”

“Why were you so selfless, Crystal? Why could you only think of others, even in your final moments?” Steven’s stammering breaths were punctuated by his tears, the weight of his guilt suffocating. “Why?”