Chapter 138 Lila
Lila's stomach dropped. "They threatened the kingdom."
"They threatened everything I was sworn to protect. And they said the only solution was rejection. A formal ritual to sever the bond." Adrian finished bandaging, but his hands stayed on her shoulders. "I refused at first. Told them to find another way. But then people started dying. A mysterious illness in the outer provinces. Creature attacks in the forests. And Freya claimed it would only get worse unless the bond was broken."
"So you agreed."
"I had no choice. Or I thought I had no choice." Adrian's hands tightened slightly. "They brought us to a ritual circle. Made us speak the words of rejection. Made us renounce the bond the Moon Goddess gave us. And I felt it tear. Felt something fundamental rip apart inside my chest. But it didn't sever cleanly. It just... bled."
"I felt it too. In my dreams, I remember the pain. Like being torn in half." Lila's hand covered his on her shoulder. "What happened after?"
"You collapsed. I tried to reach you but they pulled me away. Said contact would only make it worse. When you woke up, your memories were gone. Everything about us. About the bond. About why you were at the palace." Adrian's voice went hollow. "They said it was a side effect of the ritual. That your mind couldn't handle the trauma of rejection and buried it for your own protection."
"But your memories remained."
"Yes. I remember everything. Every moment. Every day of the three years before. Every second of the rejection. Every time I looked at you afterward and saw you didn't know me anymore." His eyes met hers, filled with anguish. "Do you understand? I remember loving you. Remember you loving me. Remember the bond when it was whole and perfect.
And I have to live with knowing what I destroyed."
Tears streamed down Lila's face. "You didn't destroy anything. Someone manipulated us. Used threats and fear to force us apart."
"Does that make it better? I still said the words. Still rejected you. Still let them take your memories and blame you for Celeste's death." Adrian's thumb traced along her collarbone, just below the bandage. "You were innocent. Of everything. And I let them destroy you to save the kingdom."
"Then we'll find who orchestrated it. We'll prove the bond wasn't cursed. We'll—"
"We'll what, Lila?" Adrian's laugh was bitter. "Undo four years of damage? Restore what was broken? Even if we expose the conspiracy, even if we prove someone manipulated us, the rejection still happened. The bond is still bleeding. And I don't know if it can be repaired."
Lila gripped his hands tightly. "Then we try anyway. Because the alternative is living in this torture forever. Half-connected. Half-apart. Bleeding but never dying."
Adrian stared at her for a long moment. Then, slowly, he leaned forward. His forehead pressed against hers, their breath mixing.
"You're braver than I am."
"I'm terrified. But I'd rather be terrified and fighting than terrified and giving up." Lila's hands moved to his face, cupping his jaw. "Fight with me, Adrian. Stop trying to protect me by pushing me away. Let me stand beside you and face this together."
"If I let you close, they'll try to hurt you again. Whoever forced the rejection, whoever stole your memories, they're still out there. Still watching."
"Let them watch. Let them see that we're not broken anymore. That we're remembering. That we're stronger together than they ever imagined we could be apart."
Adrian's control fractured. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her against his chest. He held her like she was precious, fragile, the only thing anchoring him to sanity.
"I can't lose you again." The words came out muffled against her hair. "Four years was torture. If I let myself hope, let myself believe we can fix this, and then it's ripped away again, it will destroy me."
"Then we won't let it be ripped away." Lila held him just as tightly. "We'll fight. We'll remember. We'll find the truth. Together."
They stayed like that as darkness fell over the training yard. Two people bound by something stronger than ritual or poison or time. Two halves of a whole that should never have been torn apart.
Outside the armory, Marcus and Keal watched from a distance.
"They're remembering," Keal said quietly. "The bond is reasserting itself despite the spell."
"Is that good or dangerous?"
"Both." Keal's expression was troubled. "Good because it means they're healing. Dangerous because whoever cast the spell will notice. And they won't let their work unravel without a fight."
"Then we better be ready." Marcus's hand moved to his sword. "Because when they come for Lila again, they'll find she's not alone anymore."
"No," Keal agreed. "She's not."
In the armory, Adrian finally released Lila. His hands cupped her face, thumbs brushing away her tears.
"Your shoulder. Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore." It was true. The pain had faded to background noise, insignificant compared to everything else.
"Good." Adrian's voice remained rough. "Go rest. Eat something. I'll have guards escort you to your quarters."
"Adrian..."
"We'll talk more. Soon. I promise. But not tonight." He stepped back, distance returning. "Tonight, I need to think. To process. To figure out what comes next."
Lila nodded, understanding. They'd crossed a threshold tonight. Admitted truths that couldn't be taken back. There was no returning to the careful distance they'd maintained before.
She left him in the armory, his shoulders bowed under the weight of four years' worth of guilt and longing.
But something had shifted. Something fundamental had changed.
They weren't hiding anymore. Weren't pretending the bond didn't exist. Weren't fighting alone.
And that, Lila thought as guards escorted her through dark corridors, might be the most dangerous thing of all.
Because whoever had worked so hard to tear them apart would realize their plan was failing.
And desperate enemies did desperate things.