The research chamber was supposed to be off-limits—yet there he was, Ronan, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes sharp and unreadable, like a predator weighing its prey.
I froze mid-spin of my teaspoon, suddenly very aware of how close he was.
"Amelia," he said, voice low and silk-smooth, with just enough steel to make me shiver. "We need to talk."
"Oh?" I tried to sound casual but my voice cracked. "About the weather? Tax reform? Or the latest scandal in the capital?"
He stepped inside, shutting the door with deliberate finality. The space between us felt electric.
"About you," he said, gaze locking with mine. "And your… recent escapades."
I swallowed, heat rising in my cheeks. "Recent escapades are my specialty."
Ronan's lips curled into a slow, almost predatory smile. "Flirting, breaking and entering, questioning my staff—and poking around my private study."
I glanced away, pretending the door might swallow me whole.
"I'm just… investigating," I whispered. "Trying to understand the man behind those dark eyes."
He took a slow step forward, narrowing his gaze. "You don't believe me, do you?"
"Believe what?" I breathed, caught off guard by the softness under his edge.
"That I'm not your enemy."
I hesitated, heart pounding.
"Why do you care so much about what I do?" I tried to sound light, but my voice trembled.
"Because," he said, voice dropping lower, "I want to know who I'm really marrying."
My breath hitched.
"Not just the Lady Amelia in the drawing rooms or the one who burns the tea cakes."
"The one who sneaks into forbidden towers and interrogates my servants," I whispered.
He nodded slowly, eyes flicking to my lips for a heartbeat longer than comfortable.
"Well," I said, daring a glance up, "I'm also just trying to survive."
Ronan's stare held me captive, the silence stretching taut between us. Then, in a move that surprised me, he lowered himself into the chair across from me, closing the distance.
"Tell me everything," he said quietly, voice rough with something unspoken.
I almost choked on my tea.
"Everything?"
"Start with why you're really here."
I bit my lip, feeling a flutter of something dangerously close to hope. "You might regret asking."