Chapter 5

The Aetherion mansion was enormous.

After breakfast, the guests began to leave little by little, and the atmosphere of the palace finally returned to calm.

Lysander Valemont walked slowly through one of the long hallways.

He was still trying to get used to his new life.

To his new identity.

To his new destiny.

The servants he encountered along the way bowed their heads respectfully.

"Good morning, Lord Lysander."

"Good morning."

He responded with a soft smile each time.

In the original story, the real Lysander rarely responded to the servants.

He'd been raised as a proud noble, accustomed to everyone attending to him without question.

But he didn't want to behave that way.

"If I want to change the fate... I have to start by changing the way they see me."

He finally arrived at the mansion's gardens.

The place was even more beautiful than he'd imagined.

White stone paths crossed through a garden full of flowers of different colors. The water fountains gleamed under the morning light and the song of a few birds broke the silence of the place.

Lysander walked slowly along the path.

The fresh air felt pleasant.

"Lord Lysander..."

A timid voice stopped him.

It was a young servant who appeared to be pruning some roses.

The boy looked nervous.

"Sorry... I wasn't expecting to find you here."

Lysander smiled slightly.

"Don't worry."

The servant hesitated a moment before speaking.

"These roses... they bloomed this morning."

The young man extended a small red rose.

"I thought that... perhaps you'd like it."

Lysander looked at the flower for a moment.

Then he took it carefully.

"It's beautiful."

The servant seemed surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes. Thank you for showing it to me."

The young man bowed his head quickly, visibly moved.

"I'm glad you like it."

After a few seconds, the servant returned to his work.

Lysander looked at the rose in his hand.

"Lysander's life in the original story was full of loneliness..."

"Maybe because no one had truly stopped to get to know him."

"Maybe because he hadn't tried to get closer to others either."

"So this is where you were."

The deep voice made Lysander raise his gaze.

On the other side of the garden, Kael Aetherion was standing.

He wore his usual dark uniform, and his presence seemed to dominate the place even in the tranquil garden.

Lysander straightened up slightly.

"Duke Aetherion."

Kael walked slowly toward him.

His eyes moved to the rose Lysander was holding.

"Do you like flowers?"

The question was direct.

Lysander thought about it for a moment.

"I think I've never had time to appreciate them."

Kael watched him in silence.

That answer didn't match the rumors either.

The nobles of the court had always described Lysander Valemont as someone too concerned with himself to notice simple things.

But the omega in front of him seemed... different.

"The gardens of this mansion are extensive," Kael said finally. "You can use them whenever you'd like."

Lysander inclined his head slightly.

"Thank you."

A small silence fell between them.

The breeze gently swayed the flowers of the garden.

Kael spoke again.

"Tell me something, Lysander Valemont."

His dark eyes fixed directly on him.

"Have you always been like this?"

Lysander blinked.

"Like this?"

"Calm."

The duke crossed his arms.

"It's not the image I had of you."

Lysander felt a small knot in his chest.

He knew exactly what he meant.

The rumors.

The stories that circulated in the court.

He could try to explain.

He could defend himself.

But instead, he simply responded calmly.

"Maybe I'm just trying to be better."

Kael watched him intently.

For a few seconds he said nothing.

Then he turned slightly, as if he were thinking.

"We'll see."

That was all he said before he began walking toward the garden exit.

Lysander watched him walk away.

When Kael disappeared among the trees, he looked again at the red rose in his hand.

And he couldn't help but think about something.

Maybe...

He'd already begun to notice that something had changed.

And if that was true...

Then the fate of this story really could begin to move in a different direction.

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