Chapter 53
Elara's POV
The next morning, Elara hesitated outside Hades's office door.
Her palms were sweating — ridiculous, really, considering that she'd faced monsters without flinching. But this was different.
This was him.
After the kiss, things between them had softened. He had been kind, even gentle, offering tea, small smiles, the occasional glance that made her heart stumble in her chest.
But today... this was different. This was her stepping into his world — the one place where he let no one in.
She finally took a deep breath and knocked.
"Enter," came his voice, smooth but distant — until she stepped through the door.
Then his entire expression changed.
"Elara." The word sounded softer when he said it now. "You came."
"I said I would," she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
He looked... almost relieved. "I wasn't sure if you meant it."
"I did."
There was a pause. He cleared his throat and gestured to the chair near his desk. "Please. Sit wherever you like."
She sat at the far corner at first, trying not to look at him too long — but her eyes couldn't help wandering. His desk was perfectly ordered, stacks of parchment, ancient scrolls with unfamiliar writing, an inkpot that shimmered faintly under the candlelight.
He looked different here — like he belonged entirely to this room, carved from shadow and power. Yet the moment his gaze flickered to her, something in him softened.
?
They worked quietly at first — she on her research, he reviewing scrolls.
The only sounds were the scratching of quills and the occasional quiet breath.
But every now and then, she could feel his eyes on her.
And when she glanced up, he always looked away just a heartbeat too late.
Her stomach fluttered every time.
Finally, she decided to break the silence. "You're staring."
He didn't even deny it. "Am I?"
"You are," she said, half-laughing, half-nervous.
He looked at her then — really looked. "Perhaps I am."
Her pulse quickened. "Why?"
He tilted his head slightly, as if searching for the right words. "Because every time I look away, I find myself wanting to look again."
Her heart nearly stopped.
She didn't know how to respond — so she didn't. She just smiled faintly, lowering her eyes back to the page to hide the color rising in her cheeks.
He exhaled quietly, almost shakily. If she had looked up then, she would have seen the tension in his shoulders — the way his fingers clenched around his pen, as if he were holding himself together by sheer will.
He was terrified.
Not of her, but of himself — of feeling something he had no idea how to manage.
?
A few hours later, a knock echoed through the quiet.
"Enter," Hades called, not looking up.
The door creaked open — and Erebus's unmistakably smug voice filled the room.
"Well, well. I didn't realize you were entertaining guests, brother."
Elara froze mid-sentence, her hand tightening around her quill.
Hades's expression darkened instantly. "Erebus."
"Relax," Erebus said casually, stepping inside with that mischievous smirk of his. "I came to check if you'd finally lost your touch at brooding, but it seems you're otherwise occupied."
His eyes flicked to Elara — and his grin widened. "Ah, I see why."
Elara felt her face heat. "We're just studying."
Erebus chuckled. "Of course you are. Studying his eyes, his voice, the way he—"
"Erebus," Hades cut in, his tone warningly low.
But Erebus only looked more amused. "You've gone soft, brother. Look at you — all serious, sitting there pretending you don't want to—"
"Enough."
The word came out sharper, colder. Hades rose from his chair, his shadow seeming to lengthen with him.
Erebus arched a brow. "Protective, are we?"
Hades's jaw tightened. "Stay away from my woman."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Erebus blinked — once — then slowly, an infuriating grin spread across his face. "Your woman, hmm? Interesting choice of words."
Elara's entire body went still. She could feel the heat rising from her neck to her ears, her heart racing so fast she was sure they could both hear it.
"I—" she began, but her voice caught.
Hades turned slightly, realizing what he'd said, but it was too late. His gaze met hers — dark, burning, but uncertain. "I didn't mean—"
Erebus laughed softly, cutting him off. "Oh, you meant it, brother. You just didn't mean to say it out loud."
Hades glared at him, and Erebus, looking far too pleased with himself, backed toward the door. "I'll leave you two lovebirds to your... studying."
When he was gone, silence filled the space again.
Elara stared down at her hands, still warm from where her heart had raced. "Your woman?" she whispered.
Hades looked at her helplessly. "It slipped out."
She smiled despite herself. "You think of me that way?"
He hesitated. "It seems I do."
Her blush deepened, and though she tried to look away, she couldn't stop smiling.
Neither could he.
?
That evening, long after Erebus had gone, Elara sat in the quiet of his office again. They didn't speak much after that, but something had undeniably shifted.
Every time their eyes met, that word echoed between them — my woman.
He hadn't meant to say it, but now that he had, neither of them could quite forget it.
And neither of them wanted to.