Ivelle froze.
For several seconds, she could not move, speak, or even seem to remember how to breathe. Zelos’s question remained suspended between them, deceptively simple despite the weight it carried, and she stared at him as though the words themselves had stripped away every layer of protection she had so carefully built around herself.
His black eyes held hers without the slightest hint of uncertainty.
There was no anger in them.
That was what frightened her most.
If he had been angry, perhaps she could have understood what he intended to do. If he had shouted or threatened her, she could have prepared herself to defend against it. Instead, he simply stood there with that unnerving composure, watching her as though he had already known the truth long before deciding to acknowledge it.
Ivelle’s throat suddenly felt dry.
She looked away.
Then back at him.
Nothing.
He was still staring.
Her fingers curled nervously against the fabric of her clothes, and after several unbearable seconds, she cleared her throat.
"My lord..."
Her voice came out weak.
She swallowed and tried again.
"I beg you."
Before she could lose her courage, Ivelle dropped to her knees.
The sound of her knees striking the stone floor echoed faintly through the corridor.
Zelos’s expression remained unchanged.
Ivelle lowered her head, her blonde hair still hidden beneath the cap, and clasped her hands together.
"Please don’t expose me."
Her voice trembled despite her effort to control it.
"I only came here because I was looking for my friend. I didn’t come here to cause trouble, and I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I only needed to get inside."
She lifted her eyes toward him.
"I had no other way."
Zelos said nothing.
Ivelle waited.
The silence stretched.
She could hear the faint movement of people somewhere beyond the corridor, the distant clang of metal and the hurried voices of guards searching through the upper levels, yet none of it seemed as loud as the silence between them.
"Please," she whispered again.
Still nothing.
Ivelle’s brows slowly drew together.
Was he going to expose her?
She searched his face desperately for some indication of what he was thinking, but Zelos remained impossible to read. His black eyes gave away nothing, and the calmness of his expression made her feel as though she were standing before a locked door without knowing whether there was anyone on the other side.
The silence became unbearable.
"My lord?"
Nothing.
Ivelle swallowed.
She was beginning to regret kneeling.
She was beginning to regret entering Blackthorn Row.
She was beginning to regret almost every decision she had made since leaving the inn.
Then Zelos moved.
He stepped toward her.
Ivelle instinctively leaned backward, but before she could react further, he bent down.
His hand reached toward her head.
Her eyes widened.
Zelos caught the edge of the cap between his fingers.
With one smooth movement, he removed it.
Her blonde hair immediately spilled free.
The strands that had been pressed beneath the cap for so long fell around her shoulders, some brushing against her cheeks while others caught the faint movement of air in the underground corridor.
Ivelle instinctively raised one hand toward her hair.
She stared up at him.
Zelos did not speak.
His gaze rested upon her face.
For the first time, there was nothing between them.
No cap.
No handkerchief.
No stolen uniform hiding the person beneath it.
Just her.
He had finally seen her properly.
The blackness of his eyes remained unchanged, yet his attention lingered for a moment longer than before.
So this was the face belonging to that troublesome scent.
His gaze moved over her features with quiet assessment.
Beautiful.
The thought came without permission.
He dismissed it almost immediately.
Beauty was irrelevant.
Yet his eyes remained on her for another moment before he finally straightened.
Ivelle continued staring at him, uncertain whether she should be relieved or terrified.
"Stand."
His voice was calm.
She hesitated.
Zelos’s eyes lowered toward her.
"I said stand."
Ivelle immediately pushed herself to her feet.
She brushed her palms against her dress, her movements nervous and hurried.
Zelos looked toward the discarded guard’s uniform.
"Remove it."
Ivelle’s expression changed.
She glanced down at the uniform.
Then back at him.
"Now?"
His silence answered her.
She quickly bent down and picked it up, removing the remaining pieces until the stolen clothing lay in a heap beside her.
When she straightened again, she stood there in her plain dress, feeling strangely exposed without the uniform that had given her the illusion of protection.
Zelos looked at her.
The difference was obvious.
Without the uniform, she looked exactly what she was.
A young woman who had wandered into a place far beyond her understanding.
"You came here alone," he said.
Ivelle nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"You have no authority here."
She lowered her eyes.
"I know."
"No money."
Her lips pressed together.
"Yes."
"And no one inside this place knows you."
Ivelle remained silent.
Zelos’s gaze hardened slightly.
"Then you are vulnerable."
She looked up.
"I only need to find Liriel."
"And then?"
"I’ll leave."
"How?"
Ivelle’s mouth opened.
She had no answer.
Zelos watched her struggle with the question.
Then he said quietly, "You won’t."
Ivelle’s brows furrowed.
"What?"
"You entered this place without protection. You were discovered. You have no papers proving who you are, and the guards already know there was an intruder."
Her heart sank.
Zelos continued in the same measured tone.
"You will not simply walk out."
Ivelle stared at him.
"Then help me."
"I am."
She blinked.
"How?"
Zelos’s gaze remained fixed upon her.
"You leave with me."
Ivelle shook her head immediately.
"I can’t."
His expression became colder.
"You can."
"No." Her voice strengthened despite her fear. "I have something I need to do."
Zelos studied her.
"You mean your friend."
"Yes."
"You are willing to remain here for her."
"If she is here, I have to find her."
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then his gaze moved toward the rows of cages behind them.
There was something distant in his expression now, as though he were considering an inconvenience rather than an emotional dilemma.
"If you remain," he said, "you will be sold."
Ivelle’s face paled.
"I am not a slave."
"You entered a slave establishment voluntarily."
His voice remained completely cold.
"That distinction will not protect you."
She stared at him.
Zelos turned his attention back to her.
"I could take you out."
"Then do it."
"You are refusing."
Ivelle hesitated.
She hated how calmly he said it.
"I can’t leave without knowing what happened to Liriel."
Zelos’s eyes narrowed slightly.
For a moment, he simply regarded her.
Then he gave a quiet sigh.
"Then I have no other option."
Ivelle’s stomach tightened.
"What option?"
"To leave you here."
The words struck her harder than she expected.
"No."
Zelos’s expression did not change.
"You wanted to stay."
"I didn’t mean—"
"You made your choice."
Ivelle shook her head desperately. "Wait."
Zelos turned slightly away from her.
"You came here without anyone behind you. You have no protection, no money and no influence."
He looked back at her.
"The only way someone like you leaves this place now is through a buyer."
Ivelle’s face tightened.
"I don’t need a buyer."
Zelos’s eyes became colder.
"Then stay."
She fell silent.
He took one slow step toward her.
"You were fortunate enough to encounter someone willing to take you out."
His gaze remained fixed upon hers.
"Do you honestly believe another wealthy man will come along and offer you the same opportunity?"
Ivelle’s heartbeat quickened.
She looked toward the cages.
Then toward the corridor.
Then back at Zelos.
He was not threatening her.
He did not need to.
He was simply showing her the reality she had desperately tried not to see.
Behind her, the sound of approaching guards suddenly echoed faintly through the underground passage.
Ivelle’s breathing caught.
Zelos heard it too.
Yet he remained completely still.
His black eyes never left hers.
"You want to find your friend," he said quietly. "You also want to leave this place alive."
He paused.
"Now choose."
Ivelle stared at him, her heart pounding as the distant footsteps slowly grew louder.
Zelos’s voice dropped into a final, cold command.
"Come with me, or stay."