11. His Care Behind Me

AMBER. I had no intention of eavesdropping. I really did. But I stopped in my tracks when I heard her stern voice behind the door of the study. Something in his intonation caught my attention, causing me to accidentally stop just outside the room. "This can't go unpunished," Rian's voice sounded low but full of anger. "They must feel the consequences. Otherwise, they'll keep attacking." I approached, my breath catching. Who was he talking about? "How?" another voice followed, belonging to someone I recognized as Arga, his right-hand man. "There are too many of them. The risk of acting now is too great." "I don't care about the risk," Vincent replied quickly. "Lira almost died because of them. That's reason enough for me." My chest felt like it had stopped beating. I bit my lip, trying to calm the rumbling inside me. They were talking about something dangerous. "But if we attack without a plan, we'll only make things worse," Arga said again, his voice sounding wiser. "Maybe we should wait for the right moment." "I've waited enough," Vincent cut in sharply. "Every second we spend waiting is a chance for them to attack again. I'm not taking that risk." Silence followed. I could imagine Rian's tense face, his jaw hardening as it always did when he was angry. "What's your plan then?" asked Arga finally. "I'll strike back," Vincent replied with a confidence that sent chills down my spine. "Go straight to their power center. Make them feel what they tried to do to us. To Amber." My heart beat faster. I knew he was angry, but this... this was going too far. "Rian," I heard Arga try to warn. "If you do this, there's no going back." "I know," Vincent replies, his voice calmer, but still full of determination. "And I don't care. I'll protect Amber, no matter what it costs." His words made my chest feel heavy, like it was filled with a mixture of fear and something I couldn't explain. I knew he was doing it for me, but what he was planning would only bring destruction-for his enemies, and perhaps for himself as well. I stepped back slowly, trying to get away before they noticed me. But my mind was filled with what I had just heard. Vincent wasn't just protecting me. He was ready to sacrifice everything for this vengeance. And I didn't know if I could let him do that. "Make sure he's always watched," Vincent's voice sounded low and sharp. "Don't be too conspicuous, I don't want him to know." My heart beat faster. Who was he talking about? "Lira might not like it if she finds out about this," said another voice, which I recognized as Arga. "She doesn't need to know," Vincent replied quickly, as if there was no room for debate. "She's stubborn enough to walk into the middle of danger alone. If we don't take care of her, I'm not sure she'll survive." I smothered my own mouth, trying to keep my breath from being heard. They were talking about me. "But Rian," Arga continued in a hesitant tone, "we have so many other things to take care of. Do we really have time to focus only on-" "She's a priority," Vincent cut in with a firm, almost cold tone. "If something happens to her, none of this matters." I felt something in my chest, a strange mixture of warmth and fear. He was... really serious. "You know she doesn't want to be protected like this," Arga said again, trying to soften the situation. "She always said she could take care of herself." "She is indeed strong," Vincent admitted, his tone a little softer now. "But strength alone is not enough. The world is not that fair." I took a step back, my body leaning against the wall. His voice continued to echo in my ears. He never said this in front of me. Never shown that he thought about my safety this deeply. "Just do it," he said finally, voice firm again. "I don't care what we have to sacrifice. As long as she's safe, I can take care of the rest." I closed my eyes, feeling a strange pinch of warmth in my chest. All this time, I thought he was just someone who controlled everything without caring about anyone. But I was wrong. He never asked me to know. He didn't even want me to realize his efforts. But underneath it all, he was secretly trying to protect me. I touched the door gently, without opening it. Something had changed tonight. I don't know what to do with this feeling, but I know one thing for sure: I saw a side of Rian that I never knew before. And for the first time, I felt like there was someone who really cared, even if it was in silence. *** I stood in the corner of the room, hugging my own body. Silence enveloped us, only the ticking of the wall clock could be heard, adding to the tension. She was there, leaning against the table with her arms folded, looking at me with eyes that I couldn't read. Earlier, I let it all out-my anger, my fear, my frustration. I blamed her for what happened. For the danger that almost took my life. My words were sharp, perhaps too sharp, and now, after my emotions had subsided, I began to feel uncomfortable. "Are you done?" he asked finally, his voice flat but not cold. I averted my eyes, feeling small before him. "I... I just... I was too scared earlier." He nodded slowly, still looking at me. "I understand. But you know, Lira, I won't let anything happen to you. Never." I wanted to reply, wanted to say something witty or scathing, like I usually did. But my words got stuck in my throat. How could I reply, when he was looking at me like that? When she was so calm, while I just blurted out everything without thinking? "I didn't mean..." I let out a long breath, trying to string together the right words. "I didn't mean to blame you entirely." She raised an eyebrow, waiting for my explanation. "I just... I panicked," I continued in a small voice. "And I didn't know what to do other than blame someone else. That's... not the right thing to do." She didn't answer, but her lips curved slightly, almost like a smile. "If you want to blame me, I won't fight back," she said softly. "I can accept it. But don't forget, I'm also human. I can be wrong too." I felt heat on my face, a mixture of shame and guilt that made it hard for me to look at him. I bit my lip, trying to find something to say, but my brain felt empty. "Actually..." He continued, making me stiffen. "I'd rather you be as angry as you were, instead of keeping it all to yourself." I stared at him, confused and touched. He wasn't angry. He even understood it. It made me feel worse and better at the same time. I looked at her, confused and touched. She wasn't angry. He even understood it. It made me feel worse and better at the same time. "Sorry," I finally said, my voice almost a whisper. He just nodded, as if to say that he already knew. And I stood there, feeling awkward but also relieved, as if we had both just weathered a small storm and were still standing, albeit with a few scratches on our respective hearts.