Silence stretched between them, filled with all the words they had not yet spoken. The morning breeze rustled the leaves overhead, sending dappled patterns of light dancing across the garden path.
“Your event yesterday went spectacularly well,” Jasvian said, offering her a tentative smile.
“Your grandmother told you?”
He shook his head. “I saw it for myself.”
“You—” Iris stared at him, momentarily speechless as understanding dawned. Her lips parted in astonishment. “You werehere?”
His smile broadened into something rare and genuine, his eyes alight with the same warm pride she had glimpsed in Lady Rivenna’s gaze the day before. “I was. I watched from inside.”
“But you did not reveal yourself!”
“I rather thought you had enough weight upon your shoulders yesterday without adding the burden of my unexpected return. And truly, I would not have robbed you of even a moment of the recognition you so richly deserved.”
“Your presence would not have been a burden,” she said quietly, honestly.
Another silence fell between them, delicate yet somehow substantive. Their gazes remained locked, each searching the other’s expression for answers to questions that hung in the air between them, unspoken but undeniably present.
“You left without saying goodbye,” Iris said finally, the words escaping before she could consider their wisdom.
Jasvian’s expression shifted, regret evident in the slight furrow of his brow. “Yes. After that night—after my grandmother found us—I believed it best to remove myself from the situation entirely. I believed you had made your decision, and staying …” His gaze traveled slowly over her features as he swallowed. “Staying would only have made things more difficult for both of us.”
“And now?” Iris asked, her heart racing so loudly she wondered if he could hear it. “Why have you returned?”
“Word reached me that you ended your engagement to Hadrian.” His gaze held hers, unwavering. “I wished to return immediately, but there were matters that required my attentionfirst. Things I needed to complete before I could present myself to you in good conscience.”
Iris swallowed hard. “What matters?”
“The warning system, for one.” Jasvian took a step toward her. “And a friendship I needed to try to salvage, if possible.”
“Lord Hadrian,” Iris said softly, understanding dawning.
Jasvian nodded. “He traveled north soon after your engagement was called off. He arrived unannounced at the mines, and I confess my first instinct was to avoid him entirely. But he would not be deterred.”
“What happened?”
“He told me why you ended your engagement.” Jasvian’s voice grew quieter. “And then he confronted me about my feelings for you. It was … not a pleasant conversation, at first.”
Iris felt heat rise to her cheeks. “I can imagine.”
“He had every right to his anger. I betrayed his trust, even if unintentionally at first.” Jasvian ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of rare discomposure. “But in the end, after several difficult conversations, we found our way back to something resembling friendship. Strained, yes, but not irreparably damaged. We continued working on his design together.”
“And?” Iris asked, genuinely curious despite the tension between them. “Does it work?”
At this, something close to genuine enthusiasm animated Jasvian’s features. “Yes. We believe so. It requires further testing, but the early results are promising.”
“That is most wonderful news!”
“Yes,” he agreed. “For the first time in years, I begin to foresee a time when I may not need to be physically present at the mines so often. When I can release my constant awareness of that magical hum. When I can … be at peace.”
The implication of his words hung between them, unspoken but unmistakable.
“Is that why you’ve returned?” Iris asked carefully. “Because you no longer need to be there?”
“No.” He took another step toward her. “I’ve returned because every moment away from you has been unbearable. Because the thought of you believing I had abandoned you without explanation tormented me. Because I needed to tell you that everything I said that night in the rain remains true—only more so, having endured these weeks apart from you.”
Iris’s breath caught in her throat, a warm flush spreading throughout her body, making her acutely aware of every inch of herself in his presence. She cleared her throat, but her voice remained breathy when she spoke. “What, uh, what precisely did you say that night? I find I can’t quite remember.”
