A Touch of Shadow: The Duke's Obsession

Chapter 168: Pride

He stayed too close. Close enough that whenever she turned around unexpectedly, she found him already watching her.

And the look in his eyes was no longer the same.

Something burned there. Something she did not know how to face.

Gradually, she began avoiding him. Yet avoiding Erian proved impossible. Somehow, he always found a reason to remain nearby.

"One of these days, someone will try something again," he would say.

Or,

"There are too many strangers around today."

Then, one afternoon, he suddenly spoke while looking toward the alley beyond the courtyard gate.

"Someone is watching you."

Caelith arched her brows. "What?"

Erian’s gaze remained fixed upon the distant street.

"For the past few days, someone has been lingering nearby."

Caelith followed his line of sight. The alley lay quiet and empty beneath the afternoon sunlight.

There was no one there.

"Perhaps you’re mistaken?"

Erian shook his head. "No."

He finally looked at her, his expression unusually serious.

"I need to stay close to you."

Caelith opened her mouth to argue, to tell him he was worrying too much, to tell him she was capable of taking care of herself, but before she could speak, Erian had already turned away.

Crossing the courtyard, he settled into his familiar place near the entrance and resumed his silent vigil.

The unease in Caelith’s heart grew heavier with each passing day.

Because she could feel it now... The change. The invisible line between them had shifted. And neither of them knew how to move it back.

Over the days that followed, Erian remained at her side almost constantly, like a shadow.

Like a guardian who had forgotten where duty ended and something far more dangerous began.

Whenever Caelith went out to investigate the source of the defective fabric, Erian followed.

When she visited long trusted suppliers who had done business with Firefly Pavilion for years, he followed.

When she went to Yvaine’s home to discuss matters related to the shop, he followed then as well.

Eventually, even Yvaine began noticing.

One afternoon, after finding an opportunity to speak privately, she pulled Caelith aside.

"Sister," she whispered, "what’s happened to Erian? Why is he always following you everywhere?"

Caelith sighed softly.

"He says someone has been watching me."

Yvaine immediately paled.

"Watching you?" Her voice dropped to a nervous whisper. "Who?"

"I don’t know."

Yvaine instinctively glanced around before lowering her voice even further.

"Could it be the same person who caused trouble with the fabric?"

Caelith remained silent.

The truth was that she did not know, but she knew Erian was not lying.

Over the past several days, she had begun sensing it herself. Whenever she left the shop, she often felt a gaze lingering somewhere beyond sight.

Hidden. Patient. Watching.

The sensation was disturbingly familiar.

It reminded her of the days when Lucas had secretly observed her every move.

Each time she turned around, however, she found nothing. No suspicious figure. No visible pursuer. Only empty streets and passing strangers.

Yet Erian would immediately scan the shadows with cold, alert eyes.

"They’re there," he would say.

And Caelith believed him.

She had spent enough time surviving in darkness to recognize the feeling.

Instinct rarely lied.

***

Meanwhile, within the Imperial Prison, Rhaegar sat behind his desk reviewing official case files.

Stacks of documents covered the table before him. The room remained silent except for the occasional turning of parchment.

Then the door opened, inviting Lance Illian inside.

He stopped beside the desk, his expression suggested he wanted to say something but was uncertain how to begin.

Without lifting his head, Rhaegar spoke.

"Say it."

Lance hesitated briefly.

"My lord, something happened at Firefly Pavilion."

The movement of Rhaegar’s hand paused. Slowly, he looked up.

"What happened?"

Lance then explained everything.

The defective fabric. The angry customers. The disturbance at the shop. The ongoing investigation.

When he finished, silence settled across the room. After a moment, Rhaegar asked only one question.

"How is she?"

Lance nodded. "Miss Caelith handled it immediately. She refunded everyone and managed to calm the situation before it grew worse. Right now she’s investigating the source of the fabric."

Rhaegar nodded in acknowledgment and said nothing more.

Lance studied him carefully for a while.

"My lord, should I investigate as well? Someone is clearly manipulating things behind the scenes."

Rhaegar considered the suggestion, but then shook his head.

"No. Leave it."

Lance stared at him in confusion. "My lord?"

Rhaegar rose from his chair and walked toward the window. Outside, the late afternoon sun painted the prison walls in shades of gold and crimson.

His voice remained calm. "She can handle it alone."

Lance opened his mouth, stunned. He wasn’t entirely certain what to say.

For a while, Rhaegar remained silent, too. Then he spoke again.

"Assign a few men to watch discreetly."

Lance immediately straightened.

"Yes, my lord."

"Make certain she doesn’t notice them."

"Yes, my lord."

"If anything unusual happens, report to me immediately."

"Understood."

Lance turned to leave.

"Wait."

He stopped at once.

Rhaegar’s gaze remained fixed on the view beyond the window. For a long moment, neither man spoke.

Then Rhaegar finally said, "Don’t let her feel that every problem in her life requires me to solve it. She made it clear in the past that she wants to be independent."

Lance glared at his superior in surprise.

The words sounded simple, yet he understood their hidden meaning.

Rhaegar could have resolved the entire matter with a single command. He could have mobilized the Imperial Guard, traced every lead, and delivered the culprit to Caelith within days.

But he refused.

Not because he did not care. It was quite the opposite. He cared too much. Rhaegar had fallen in love with a woman who had survived countless hardships through her own strength.

A woman whose pride was woven into every stitch she embroidered and every choice she made.

He wanted to protect her.

Yet he also wanted her to remain herself.

To stand proudly on her own feet. To never become someone who depended entirely upon him.

The afternoon light settled across his shoulders as he stood by the window. Outside, the capital carried on as always.

And somewhere within that vast city, Caelith continued searching for the truth while shadows gathered quietly around her, growing closer with every passing day.