Celine hastily dismounted the horse that she had managed to borrow from the Oakdale stables by emphasizing the urgency of the matter. Her heart raced like the thundering hooves still echoing in her mind after the ride from the village to the barracks. Despite her shaky hands, she managed to secure the horse to a post before rushing towards the entrance.

Two guards stood at attention, their eyes widening as they recognized her.

“Back so soon, miss?” one said, a smirk playing at his lips.

Heat rushed to Celine's cheeks. “I must speak with Commander Amir Baros immediately,” she said, trying to force authority into her strained voice.

The guards exchanged knowing glances and stepped aside. As Celine rushed past, she caught fragments of their hushed conversation.

“...told you she'd be back within a day...”

“...damn it, you win...”

“...just as bad as her mistress...”

Celine's blush deepened, but she didn't have time to dwell on their words. They had no idea about the gnawing guilt that drove her here, the desperate need to reconcile Amir and Amelie.

Her fingers brushed the rough stone walls as she hurried down the corridor, her steps echoing. With each footfall, her resolve wavered. What would she say to Amir? How could she find the words for confessing to a crime she couldn't remember committing? And how could she face those dark eyes without betraying the forbidden longing in her heart?

Celine took a deep breath as she approached Amir’s room. Just like the day before, one of the two guards knocked on the door. For a moment, there was no answer, and Celine almost hoped that she would be turned back. But then she heard Amir’s voice from within, ordering the guards to let her in.

As Celine stepped through the door, it felt like the room had plunged into silence. There stood Amir, tall and imposing, his muscular frame silhouetted against the window. She couldn't help but drink in the sight of him - his long, curly dark hair framing his chiseled face, his thick beard accentuating his strong jawline. The same intoxicating excitement from their previous encounter flooded her senses, making her dizzy with conflicting emotions.

Amir's lips curled into a smug smile. “You came back,” he said, his voice deep and smooth, like velvet brushing against her skin.

Celine's mouth went dry. She opened her lips to speak, but no words came out.

“Your timing is impeccable,” Amir continued. “I must leave for a few days to attend to my sister's... unfinished business.” His gaze lingered on her, intense and searching, as if trying to unravel the mysteries hidden behind the faltering façade she was trying to maintain.

Celine tried to ignore the fluttering of her stomach and focus on her purpose, but the heat of his gaze made it difficult. She swallowed hard, steeling herself against his allure. “Amir,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper, “there's something I need to tell you.”

His eyes narrowed, “Go on,” he prompted, curiosity piqued by the tremor in her voice.

“About Amelie,” Celine forced the words out, feeling as though she were ripping them from her very soul. “I…”

Amir held up a hand, silencing her. “Celine,” he said firmly, “whatever it is you think you need to say about Amelie, save it.” His eyes softened, but the intensity remained. “We both know why you're here.”

“No, we don’t!” Celine blurted out, her voice breaking with anguish. “Please Amir, I must confess something to you.”

“And what might that be?” he asked, his brow arching.

Celine closed her eyes, summoning all her courage before forcing the truth out into the open. “I was the one who started the false rumor about Amelie's infidelity,” she admitted, her voice cracking with shame and confusion. “Although I can't remember doing it.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Is that so?” Amir replied, his tone laced with disbelief and amusement.

“You must believe me,” she pleaded. “This proves that Amelie is innocent, and I am the only one to blame!” Her whole body quivered, as if the revelation had torn through her like a violent storm. “Now that the mystery is solved, you should reconcile with Amelie.”

A sardonic chuckle escaped Amir's lips. “Your tale is as fantastical as it is intriguing – considering that you don’t even remember it yourself,” he drawled, his voice dripping with condescension. “Did Amelie put you up to this?”

“No!” Celine's voice rang out, her eyes filling with tears. “I am telling you the truth!”

Amir's eyes glittered dangerously. “Are you, Celine? Are you really?”

The way he said her name made a mixture of desire and dread coil in her stomach. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had just stepped into a trap of her own making

Amir's gaze softened, his broad shoulders sagging as he let out a deep sigh. “I... I also have a confession to make.” His calloused hand reached out, hovering near her cheek but not quite touching. “The truth is, I have feelings for you.”

The confession hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Celine's breath caught in her throat.

“I have been thinking about this a lot,” Amir continued, his voice low and husky, “and I don’t think Amelie and I were ever meant to be together. “You see, compared to Amelie, you're... real. Down-to-earth. With her, I always felt unworthy, beneath her. But with you, I could be the man I need to be.” His eyes, dark and intense, bore into hers. “Amelie is like fine porcelain, so fragile I fear I'll shatter her with a touch. But you, Celine... I could touch you in so many ways.”

The words felt like poison in her veins. She took a step back, shaking her head. “No, Amir. You're wrong. I... I don't share your feelings.” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue.

Amir's eyes flashed, a storm brewing in their depths. He took a step closer, his imposing frame casting a shadow over Celine. “You don't mean that,” he growled. “Why else would you come back here? This fabricated confession about the rumor... it's just an excuse, isn't it?”

“No,” Celine whispered, but Amir pressed on relentlessly.

“You want me,” he insisted. “I can see it in your eyes, feel it in the way you tremble when I'm near. Why deny it?”

Celine's mind raced. The thought of betraying Amelie – her mistress, her friend – made her stomach churn with guilt. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, a maelstrom of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Shock, hurt, and a deep, aching disappointment coursed through her veins.

“I could never be with someone who doesn't trust my word, Amir. Someone who twists everything I say to fit his own desires.”

“Ha! Actions speak louder than words.”

Amir's words cut through the heavy tension in the room like a blade. Celine's heart felt as if it were being torn in two, caught between her loyalty to Amelie and the treacherous longing she felt for the man before her. She forced herself to stand her ground by biting her lower lip until she tasted blood in her mouth. The pain grounded her, cutting through the fog of confusion and hurt. With a sharp intake of breath, she spun on her heel, her skirts swirling around her legs like dark water.

“I'm leaving,” she announced, her voice surprisingly steady despite the tempest raging within her. She strode towards the door, each step echoing in the oppressive silence of the room.

“Celine!” Amir's voice rumbled behind her. In his tone, there was a new kind of darkness and possessiveness, which made Celine stop at the threshold.

She refused to turn around, even as her traitorous heart urged her to face him one last time.

“You've come to me twice now, with flimsy excuses and doe-eyed looks,” he continued. Celine heard him approach, feeling the heat radiating off his body just behind her. “Mark my words,” he whispered, his breath warm against her earlobe. “When you come to me a third time, there will be no more excuses. You will be mine.”

Without a word, Celine wrenched the door open and walked away, forcing herself to keep her head held high even as her heart was shattering into a million pieces.

“Foolish girl,” she muttered to herself, her voice barely audible above her ragged breathing. “What were you thinking?”

As she burst into the sunlight, the crisp air stung her flushed cheeks. The guards' knowing smirks and hushed whispers followed her across the courtyard, but Celine ignored them, focusing instead on the horse tethered nearby. Mechanically, she untied the reins and swung herself onto the saddle.

As she urged the horse forward, Celine's thoughts turned back to Amelie. The image of her friend's delicate features, etched with pain and betrayal, rose unbidden in her mind. “Oh, Amelie,” she whispered, her voice catching. “What have I done?”

The horse's hooves thundered against the packed earth as Celine set off towards the village. With each passing moment, the dread in her chest grew heavier. She knew that facing Amelie would be a trial far more harrowing than her unfortunate encounter with Amir.

“At least with him, it was only my heart at stake,” she mused bitterly, the wind whipping her words away. “But with Amelie... her whole world will collapse.”

As the village came into view, as well as the silhouette of the Strout mansion higher on the hill, Celine's grip on the reins tightened. The looming confrontation with Amelie cast a shadow over her, darker and more terrifying than any storm cloud on the horizon.