CHAPTER FOUR — Shadows in the Manor
The Nightfall Manor stood on the far end of the royal grounds, a place only Kira used and no one questioned.
The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted — heavier, darker, colder.
He removed his cloak and threw it carelessly on a chair.
"Damon," he called out.
A tall man stepped forward — his childhood friend, the only person who could speak to Kira without trembling.
"You called?"
"Bring company," Kira said flatly.
"Anyone. I don't care who."
Damon sighed softly.
"You really want a crowd tonight?"
"You asked too many questions," Kira answered.
Within minutes, the manor's main hall filled with soft music and quiet laughter.
Three elegantly dressed ladies entered, draped in jewels and silk, all of them clearly eager for Kira's attention.
One sat beside him on the long couch.
Another poured him a drink.
A third touched his shoulder lightly, trying to draw his gaze.
But Kira didn't look at any of them.
His eyes were empty.
Cold.
Unreachable.
One of the women leaned closer.
"Your Highness… you seem distracted."
"I'm not," he replied sharply.
She flinched at the tone, but forced a smile.
Damon watched from the corner, arms folded.
"Kira, this isn't doing anything for you. They're here but you're not."
Kira's jaw tightened.
"I don't need feelings," he said.
"I don't need distractions. I only need silence in my head."
"Yet you filled the manor with noise," Damon muttered.
Kira ignored him and took a long drink.
He wasn't here for affection — he didn't believe in it.
He wasn't here for connection — he hated the concept.
He simply needed something to drown the storm inside him, even if only for a few minutes.
A woman laughed softly, brushing her fingers along his arm.
Kira didn't react.
Not even a blink.
Damon shook his head.
"You haven't changed at all, have you?"
Kira leaned back, gaze unfocused, voice colder than frost.
"I told you years ago," he said.
"I don't love.
I don't feel.
And I never will."
As the night deepened, the music continued and the women remained close, trying desperately to please him — but their presence barely reached him.
Kira's world had always been made of darkness and walls, and tonight was no different.
He had no idea that, at that very moment, a young girl far across the palace gates was stepping into the very fate he spent his life trying to avoid…