Elysia's mind was lagging, stuck in an endless loop of Malvoria's words, replaying them as if they were carved into her very bones.
"My heart does weird things."
Elysia could still hear the quiet rasp of Malvoria's voice, still see the way those stormy grey eyes had softened just slightly, just enough to make Elysia's entire world tilt off its axis.
She had expected arrogance, teasing, perhaps even something cruelly manipulative—but not this. Not a confession that felt too raw, too real.
"And yet… when you smile—when you fight back, when you argue with me like you aren't afraid—it does something to me. Something I don't know how to stop."
Elysia's breath hitched just thinking about it.
Was that a love declaration?
No. No, that couldn't be it.
Could it?
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to keep walking beside Malvoria, her boots lightly tapping against the stone path.
