He lied to you

He lied to you
When I woke up again, the Crown Prince was pacing, his strides tense as if every muscle in his body were tense and ready to explode. When we locked eyes, it was like a punch to the body.

"I should never have allowed you to leave the Grand Dukedom," Theodore said, his voice cracking slightly as if each word were a heavy stone. "I knew the Third Prince wouldn’t take care of you properly. I knew it, and still... I let you go. I let you go."

Like he was attempting to put me back together, his gaze lowered to my body and began to scan and search. The room was heavy with his guilt. I could feel it pressing against me, and I almost wanted to sink back into the bed and disappear from it.

But he wouldn’t let me. He couldn’t.

He took a step closer, kneeling next to me now, his hands hesitant for a second before pressing hard against my shoulders. For a brief moment, he seemed uncertain about whether touching me would shatter something that was already broken.

But he did anyway.

His hands moved over my arms, my chest, and my pulse, as if I were a shattered vessel that had been abandoned to rot in the rain.

This was how Theodore had always been. Always overbearingly protective, but in a way that was hard to hate.

When I had told him I was leaving with Dyvian, that day... I hadn’t seen the way his face crumpled beneath the calm, collected facade.

I had witnessed the clenching of his fists behind his back and the tightness in his jaw. But he didn’t stop me. Because, despite everything, he knew I wasn’t a child. And I had to leave.

I could now see how it had consumed him as I stood before him, my body and mind worn out. He was unable to keep me safe from this. He was powerless to shield me from the decisions I made or the false information I was given.

“I promised your brother I’d look after you. And I failed,” he said, voice breaking slightly. The guilt blended with something else, something much sharper, and his eyes darkened. “I should’ve known the Third Prince was reckless, too... too careless. He doesn’t understand what you need.”

Even though I could feel the bitterness rising in my throat, I forced myself to swallow. I didn’t want to speak of Dyvian like that. I couldn’t, not now, not when...

“It wasn’t His Highness’ fault.” My voice was thin, even to my own ears. It felt like a lie. The words left me quietly, too quietly, as if I was trying to convince myself of it.

But that wasn’t the truth, was it? It was too brutal to speak the truth.

Theodore’s eyes softened, but he didn’t let go of my hand. Rather, his grip served as a stabilizing force as he pressed it between his.

“You don’t have to protect him anymore, Avaris. You can’t keep protecting him. Not when...” His voice trailed off for a second before he stopped. “Not when he’s the one who hurt you. Not when he’s the one who lied.”

The words cut deeper than I thought they would, and my chest tightened painfully. I was not interested in hearing it. Didn’t want to believe it. But part of me, the part that was breaking quietly inside, knew it was the truth.

But I couldn’t speak it out loud. Not with everything I had held dear crumbling under my feet.

"How were you able to find me?" My voice was small and tremulous as I asked. I had to change the subject, had to stop thinking of Dyvian, had to stop the flood of hurt that threatened to drown me.

Theodore didn’t look away from me. “Xaren came to me before Callum did.”

I blinked. “Xaren... came to you?”

His lips tightened and his brow furrowed slightly. “He came. After you and Dyvian left the Grand Dukedom. He visited a few times, tried to warn me. He knew something was coming, something I didn’t want to believe.”

A knot twisted in my stomach. Xaren. He was still involved in this, in the betrayal, in the lies that laced every aspect of my life with poison.

Theodore must have noticed the way my gaze dropped, the way my body stiffened. His fingers were warm against my chilly skin as he reached out to touch my arm. "Avaris, you are not to blame for any of this. None of it. This isn’t your doing. It’s the humans. The demons. All of them. They’ve been playing this game for far too long, and you’ve been caught in the middle of it.”

I wanted to argue. I wanted to shout that it was more complicated than that. That I had a part in this, that Xaren’s betrayal was my fault too. But I couldn’t find the words.

Theodore went on, his face drawn in concern, his hand now firmly grasping mine. “The Third Prince had nothing to do with Xaren’s betrayal. He’s been working to stop his father, Azrakel. He has been making an effort to keep what he needs safe."

With my breath catching, I glanced up at him. The words were like daggers lodged deep in my chest. “His Father?” I barely managed to whisper.

Theodore nodded slowly, his eyes darkening with the gravity of what he was about to say. “His Father is after you. He’s been looking for the key to awakening Lucifer. And Xaren told me everything. You are the key, Avaris.”

I was immobile and unable to breathe.

"Do you believe it?" I asked, my voice barely more than a rasp. "Do you believe I'm the reincarnation of the Angel of Kindness?"

Theodore’s eyes softened. “Your brother did, Avaris. Your parents did and I trust them.”

A shiver ran through me at the mention of my brother and parents. I didn’t want to think of them, I didn’t want to think of the things I had learned.

However, everything seemed too close.

However, the silence was short-lived. The silence was broken once more by Theodore's heavy, insistent voice. “I know you’re thinking of the Third Prince. But he lied to you, Avaris. He’s engaged to someone else. He’s been trying to stop his father, yes—but he lied to you. He played with your feelings. He didn’t tell you the truth.”

With my heart in a jumble of fragments, I gave a violent shake of my head. “No. That’s not true.” The words came out too quickly, too desperately. But deep inside, I knew they were only half the truth.

The expression on Theodore's face was a mixture of regret, sympathy, and sadness. “He lied to you, Avaris.”

I couldn't hear it, not when my world seemed to be falling apart all over again. "No," I repeated, softer this time. "No."

Still, there was no denying the truth that hung between us. Dyvian’s lies. Xaren’s betrayal. Everything I thought I knew had been ripped apart

I hate that I still feel this way. But gods, I just want to see him again.