Chapter 128 Steve

Chapter 128 Steve

The sacred wing of the castle was the only place where the voices were quieter.

They didn't disappear completely.

They never disappeared.

But there…

among the ancient symbols carved into the stone walls, golden candles, and the soft scent of burning herbs, I could breathe without feeling my mind slowly unraveling.

I sighed slowly as I watched the flames flicker in the great empty hall.

The entire castle seemed restless that night.

Alphas occupied several corridors.

Guards patrolled in double shifts.

And Conrad…

Conrad was probably still awake, reinforcing magical barriers around Lysander's chambers.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Tired.

So tired.

“You used to escape to quiet places when you were overwhelmed.”

My body tensed immediately.

I turned too quickly.

Steve stood near the entrance to the sacred wing.

His hands behind his back.

A calm expression.

Almost careful.

“What are you doing here?” I asked softly.

“Getting some air.” He slowly surveyed the room. “Apparently we had the same idea.”

I didn’t answer.

Steve approached slowly, maintaining a respectful distance.

This bothered me more than it should have.

Because he didn’t seem like the same impulsive and arrogant man I’d known in the past.

The silence between us felt awkward for a few seconds.

Until he finally sighed.

“I was cruel to you.”

My eyes immediately returned to him.

Steve held my gaze without hesitation.

“Before all this.” His voice lowered. “I should have listened to you.”

The candles flickered gently around the hall.

My chest tightened slightly.

Because part of me still remembered who Steve had been before the ambition, the pride, and the wrong choices.

“That’s all in the past,” I murmured.

“Maybe for you.”

I looked away.

I didn’t want that conversation.

Not that night.

Not after the argument with Conrad.

Steve seemed to notice.

“You two fought.”

It wasn’t a question.

I sighed wearily.

“Steve…”

“He’s suffocating you.”

The sentence hit me harder than it should have.

Because there was truth in it.

And he immediately noticed it from my expression.

“You don’t need to defend Conrad for me.” Steve leaned against one of the old columns in the wing. “I know that look.”

I crossed my arms, trying to shield myself from that conversation.

“You don’t know anything about us.”

“Maybe not.” He tilted his head slightly. “But I know what it’s like to live next to someone consumed by fear.”

Silence fell again.

Heavy.

The candle flames partially illuminated his face as Steve watched me carefully.

Calculating.

Always calculating.

But still…

there was softness in his voice now.

“You seem tired of fighting alone.”

My heart tightened painfully.

Because I was.

More than I wanted to admit.

Steve noticed instantly.

And he moved just a little closer.

Without crossing any boundaries.

Without touching me.

“You carry the weight of the kingdom.” He paused briefly. “Of the rift. Of the baby.” His eyes softened. “And yet no one seems to ask how you are.”

The words pierced my defenses dangerously.

Because Conrad asked.

But almost always accompanied by fear.

Along with tension.

Along with worry. And Steve…

Steve was just listening.

I hated realizing how comfortable this seemed.

“Lysander doesn’t deserve to grow up in hiding,” I said before I could stop myself.

His eyes shifted subtly.

Interest.

“So you also think Conrad is wrong.”

I frowned immediately.

“That’s not what I said.”

“But you thought it.”

Silence answered for me.

Steve slowly shifted his gaze to the candles in the sacred wing.

And a small, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips.

Like someone who had just confirmed exactly what they wanted to know.

The small smile disappeared so quickly I almost thought I imagined it.

Steve looked back at me with a calm expression.

Controlled.

“Conrad loves you,” he said calmly. “That’s obvious.”

My chest tightened immediately.

Because despite all the arguments…

I never doubted it.

“Nobody loves like him,” I murmured.

Steve nodded slowly.

“That’s exactly the problem.”

I frowned immediately.

“What do you mean?”

He looked away for a moment, as if carefully choosing each word before continuing.

“Conrad loves desperately.” His voice remained low. “And desperate people end up making dangerous decisions.”

The candles flickered again.

My heart slowed strangely.

Because a cruel part of my mind perfectly remembered Conrad's look that night.

The fear.

The lack of control.

The way he reinforced barriers around his own son as if he were expecting an attack at any moment.

But still…

I knew Conrad.

I knew the weight he carried alone.

“He’s trying to protect his family,” I replied firmly.

Steve observed my face intently.

“And he’s pushing you away in the process.”

I crossed my arms immediately.

“Don’t talk like you know our relationship.”

His expression softened.

“That wasn’t my intention.”

But I knew Steve too.

I knew how he conducted conversations.

How he observed reactions.

How he slowly planted doubts.

Maybe Conrad was suffocating us all.

But Steve was clearly trying to use that.

“You know the kingdom is scared,” he continued more carefully this time. “The alphas are scared. And the more Conrad tries to hide it…” he paused briefly, “the more fear he creates.”

I took a deep breath slowly.

Too tired to argue.

But too alert to fall for that game.

“Conrad would never put the kingdom at risk.”

Steve tilted his head slightly.

“Perhaps unintentionally.”

My gaze hardened immediately.

“Careful.”

Silence fell between us.

Heavy.

Steve raised his hands slightly in surrender.

“I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Then why did you?”

He hesitated.

And that alone was enough to make me suspicious.

“Because I still care about you.”

The words didn’t have the effect he perhaps hoped for.

Because now I could see more clearly. Steve wasn't just sorry.

He was calculating.

Always watching.

Always looking for an opening.

“What do you really want?” I asked quietly.

For the first time since he arrived…

he seemed genuinely surprised.

But only for a moment.

“I want to stop this kingdom from collapsing.”

The answer seemed right.

Beautiful, even.

But something about it felt empty.

Like a carefully constructed sentence to hide the real truth.

The candles around us trembled suddenly.

My whole body froze.

The voices.

They returned.

Weak.

Distant.

“Maya…”

I immediately put my hand to my head.

Steve moved forward instinctively.

“Maya?”

The shadows near the walls of the sacred wing began to move discreetly.

Wrong.

Living by candlelight.

My heart raced.

“No…” I murmured.

The heiress’s voice echoed again.

More desperate.

“Keep the heir away…”

My blood ran completely cold.

Because at that instant…

the shadows behind Steve slowly began to climb the wall.

Silent.

Like dark fingers approaching him.

But Steve didn’t notice.

And worse.

The shadows didn’t seem aggressive near him.

They just…

approached.

Observing.

As if they were curious.

Or recognizing something.

Steve finally noticed my expression.

Then he slowly turned his face back.

The shadows froze immediately.

Silence filled the entire ward.

And for the first time that night…

I saw real fear cross his eyes.