Page 112 of The Last Guardian

Yes, it would be unbearable to watch every person you cherished die while you had to endure countless centuries without them. If I had to witness the death of the people I loved over countless centuries, I would not want to live any longer.

“Have you ever been in love before?” Her question caught me off guard. I almost spilled my wine.

I chuckled, directing my gaze towards the fire as my cheeks reddened.

“No,” I said quickly. “Love is quite fickle in this life. I promised myself not to torture myself with it. Ever.” I looked at her. She narrowed her eyes, a small smile at the corner of her lips. “I’ve been betrothed since my birth, so love has never been an option.”

At this moment, I wished I had her bravery to mention Nevan—to open up and let her see the real damage rooted deep inside my soul. But I kept quiet about what Nevan had done to me. Even if she would have been one of the people who would understand me the best, I just couldn’t. Not after what she had just confessed.

Her eyes glinted, curious. “What about that fiancé of yours?”

I grimaced. “Urgh, Rune is possibly the most disgusting man I have ever seen.” I shook my head. “I’d rather go to the Seven Hells, but it had never been up to me. It was just an arrangement between our fathers.”

“Men sealing the fates of girls…” Nefeli rolled her eyes. “Never surprising. They keep us on a leash—terrified of where we might bite.”

Nefeli yawned. I chuckled as I glanced at the clock. “We need to go to bed. The wine is definitely making us sleepy.”

Nefeli helped me stand up, and we made our way upstairs.

“Tomorrow night, we have a gathering here, with a few Noxari and Surani lieutenants,” she said as we reached the corridor, “A farewell before we leave for Lys.” We stopped in front of the bathroom door, and she added, “Those who aren’t coming with us to Lys need to return to their camp. It’ll be a bit crowded.”

My heart stumbled as my finger curled around the bathroom handle. I held back the question that had been lingering on my lips.

Nefeli gazed at my hand on the knob. A playful smile curled her lips as she bit them, clearly amused. “Everyone will be there.”

I rolled my eyes at her, ignoring what she implied. “Good night,” I said with a smile.

Nefeli turned to go to her room, laughing. “Goodnight, Alya!” she shouted down the hallway as I slipped into the bathroom.

Like all the rooms in this house, the bathroom had an impressively high ceiling, carved from mountain stone. Even the bathtub itself had been carved from this gray stone. Well, not a bathtub; more like a pool. We could fit at least five people in it, and each would have a lot of personal space. Candlelight danced on the damp walls, and moonlight streamed in through the skylight, far above the floor.

Apart from the wooden table and the candle on it, not a single piece of furniture rested in the room. It was not a simple bathroom, as stone arches entirely framed the pool, but it gave off a sense of intimacy—nothing shimmering.

I liked that.

As I closed the door behind me, a strange metallic noise echoed through the mechanism. I frowned and turned the handle, but it was stuck. I tried to pull it, but nothing.

For several minutes, I banged and shouted at the door, waiting for someone to open it, but no one came.

“Damn it!” I muttered, turning to face the bath. I decided to take my bath despite this, hoping that someone had heard my call for help and would open the door once I was finished.

I ran my hand through the hot water already filling the bath. I took off my blue tunic and stepped into the pool. My sore body embraced the heat as I let all my muscles, all my nerves, and all my bones relax.

Each time, I stayed in the bath for hours, which never seemed to cool down, and I just relaxed. I tried to think of nothing else but the feeling of the water on my skin and the wonderful smell of roses from the soap.

I let the shadows from the candles dance and charm me through the night. Closing my eyes and savoring the silence, I listened to the water and flame, my head resting on the stone wall for support.

After what seemed to be several long minutes, or maybe hours, the sound of metal clattered against the floor, echoing through the room, against the stone, through my bones.

For a second, I was still in my dream, the sound of metal entirely its own, like the smell of the sea. Salt and…

Hells! I had fallen asleep in the bath. I could have drowned.

But that was not even what made me open my eyes…

“Fuck,” a deep, velvet voice muttered.

MY EYES WIDENED, and I looked at the figure in front of me.