Chapter 103: “Do you know when they will come?”

"...someone shall come... to take my life."

Julian held his breath, waiting for the skepticism, the confusion, or the gentle dismissal of a man who thought his lover was simply hallucinating from fever and stress.

Instead, Alaric’s face hardened into a mask of pure, lethal granite. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees in a single second. The Duke didn’t laugh; he didn’t even blink. He went perfectly still, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadows of the room.

"An assassin," Alaric muttered, his voice dropping into a low, predatory growl.

"You... you believe me?" Julian whispered, stunned by the lack of hesitation.

"Why didn’t I think of that possibility?" Alaric said, more to himself than to Julian. He stood up slowly, his movements fluid and silent like a wolf catching a scent. "The Marquis is a coward, but he is a calculated one. If you die here, there is a perfect way to make all his false claims true. It’s the perfect move."

One that he almost suspected the Emperor had a hand in. The lengths his brother would go just to have him under his control. He clicked his tongue. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The Duke didn’t ask how Julian knew; instead, he asked,

"Do you know when they will come?"

At 90% affection, the Duke didn’t need proof; he only needed Julian’s word.

Julian was a bit taken aback but responded,

"Likely before...Before midnight."

"That is any moment from now," he said and hissed under his breath. "I was careless."

Julian watched the Duke, not a shred of doubt and not a moment of hesitation.

Alaric walked over to the heavy wardrobe, pulling out a hidden latch. He retrieved a short, blackened dagger and tucked it into his belt, then turned back to the bed. He didn’t look worried; he looked like a man who had finally been given a target he could actually hit.

"Lucius," Alaric said, his voice sharp. The boy jumped, looking up from Julian’s side. "Go to the washroom. Lock the door from the inside and do not come out until I call your name. Do you understand?"

The boy saw the look on his father’s face and nodded quickly, scrambling off the bed and disappearing into the side room.

Alaric walked back to Julian and leaned down, pressing a firm, lingering kiss to his forehead. His skin was cold, but his breath was hot.

"Let them come," Alaric whispered against Julian’s skin, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "They sent a shadow to kill my man. They’ve made a grave mistake."

He straightened up, his eyes fixed on the dark corners of the ceiling and the shadows behind the curtains. He didn’t call for Kaelen. He didn’t call for the guards. He stayed right there, a few inches from Julian, waiting.

Julian watched him, short of words, but his heart warmed as the words my man rang in his head.

"Lucien," Julian called. "I appreciate it, but if you stand in the center like that, the assassin won’t attempt their assault."

The Duke thought about it and nodded.

"I suppose that makes sense." He said. "Then..."

"Hide, Lucien. If the assassin finds me alone in the room, they will be brazen enough to attack." Julian said, but the Duke did not like that idea. Not because hiding and cowering was a blow to his pride as a knight, but because this could put Julian in even more harm.

Alaric’s jaw tightened, veins jumping in his cheek. The idea of leaving the bedside, even by a few feet, felt like a risk he was not prepared to take.

His blue eyes swept over Julian, taking in the pale complexion, the fragile frame propped up against the pillows, and the useless legs hidden beneath the duvet.

"I will not leave you as bait, Julian," Alaric said, his voice a low, vibrating warning. "The moment they see an opening, they will strike. If I am not within arm’s reach—"

"If you are standing there like a mountain, they will simply wait until you are forced to leave," Julian countered, his voice remarkably steady despite the frantic beating of his heart. "They are definitely hired professionals, Lucien. They have all night. But we don’t. The priest will be here at midnight, so we need this over with before then."

Julian reached out, his fingers brushing against the Duke’s rough sleeve.

"Trust me. Hide in the shadows of the bed canopy or behind the heavy drapes. You are a predator of the North; surely you know how to wait for the kill."

The Duke looked at Julian’s hand, then back at his face. He hated every syllable of this plan, but he could see the logic in Julian’s mismatched eyes. If they didn’t draw the shadow out now, it would linger, a permanent threat looming over every second of Julian’s recovery.

"If so much as a hair on your head is touched," Alaric whispered, his voice dropping into a register that promised nothing but blood, "I will not just kill them. I will make their death an event the Capital will talk about for a century."

That sounded horrifying... and reassuring.

"I know," Julian murmured. "Now, go."

With a final, lingering look, the Duke vanished. It wasn’t a clunky retreat; he simply seemed to melt into the deep shadows behind the thick, velvet curtains near the balcony door. Even Julian, knowing exactly where he was, had a hard time spotting the outline of the man.

The room suddenly felt cavernous and terrifyingly empty.

Julian took a deep breath, trying to steady his hands. He reached for a book on the nightstand, pretending to read, though the words were a blurred mess. He read the first page but could not recall a single thing, read the second, and then the third, his heart hammering as he thought up worst-case scenarios.

Then, the system chimed.

Ding.

> [QUEST UPDATE: THE SILENT SHADOW]

> Time Remaining: 42 Minutes.

> Stealth Level of Assassin: Master-Rank.

> Warning: The target is currently in the ceiling vents.