Cael sagged against his desk, heart pounding. That had been exhausting. Every word had been a calculated risk, every answer a potential trap. And Ryn had clearly suspected something, multiple times he'd come close to pointing out the impossibility of Cael's knowledge.

But he hadn't condemned them. Yet.

A knock at the door made Cael straighten. "Come in."

Lillian slipped inside, closing the door behind her. "Well? How did it go?"

"He suspects something," Cael said quietly. "He's smart, Lillian. Really smart. And he's paying attention to everything. The grandfather story is holding for now, but I don't know if it'll survive close scrutiny."

"What will you do?"

"The only thing I can do is show him that the work is real, that my helping the territory is a genuine effort, and hope that's enough to outweigh his suspicions about the source."

Lillian crossed to look at the plans Ryn had been examining. "He spent a long time in here. What was he doing?"

"Testing me. Asking questions designed to catch if anything I said couldn’t be explained. Trying to figure out if I'm a threat." Cael rubbed his temples. "I also think... I think he was genuinely interested in the technical aspects. He understood everything quickly and asked intelligent questions."

"That's good, right? If he's interested, maybe he'll be sympathetic."

"Or maybe he's just being thorough in his investigations before recommending execution." Cael sighed. "I can't read him, Lillian. He's completely controlled. Every expression, every word, all carefully managed. It's like talking to a very hot and sexy wall."

"You think he's attractive?" Lillian's tone turned teasing.

"I have eyes," Cael said defensively. "Objectively speaking, Lord Ryn is an exceptionally handsome man. That's a simple observation, not a relevant factor in our situation."

"Mm-hmm. Keep telling yourself that."

"Lillian, he's here to evaluate whether we deserve to live or die, this is not the time to notice his cheekbones or how his eyes are like smoke or, " Cael caught himself. "Never mind, this conversation is over."

Lillian was grinning now. "Oh, this is fascinating. You actually like him."

"I don't like him. I'm terrified of him and also hyperaware of his physical presence because he's intimidating and happens to be hot at the same time. It's basic human response to a dangerous predator, nothing to do with liking someone."

"Sure, dangerous predator with smoke gray eyes and excellent cheekbones. Totally just fear."

"Get out of my study."

"Fine, fine." Lillian headed for the door, still grinning. "But brother? You two would make a really good looking couple."

She left before Cael could respond, leaving him alone with that observation. He pushed his thoughts away. It didn't matter, what mattered was surviving the inspection, meeting their tax obligations, and keeping his family alive. Everything else was distraction.

That evening, dinner was a formal affair with Ryn and several of his senior knights in attendance. Cael found himself seated across from Ryn, close enough to study the Commander's face without being obvious about it.

Up close, Ryn was even more striking. His features were sharp and aristocratic, his bearing perfect, his manners impeccable. He spoke when addressed, answered questions with precision, and gave away absolutely nothing beyond professional courtesy, but Cael was watching for the small moments, he brief softening when one of his knights told a story about a training mishap. The way his hand tightened almost imperceptibly on his wine glass when Count Vance mentioned the upcoming tax deadline, the fleeting expression that crossed his face when Lady Mavena thanked him for his service to the kingdom it looked almost like discomfort.

Ryn Alde was a human afterall. Lonely, if Cael had to guess. Isolated by his position and his reputation perhaps, playing a role that didn't quite fit but that he'd been trained to perform perfectly.

Cael recognized that feeling. He'd spent the past month playing the role of Sarek Ashford, pretending to be someone he wasn't, hiding his true self behind a facade. Maybe they had that in common.

"Lord Ashford."

Cael jerked his attention back to the present. Ryn was watching him with those sharp gray eyes.

"Yes?"

"You were distant. I asked about your timeline for the water mill construction."

"Right. Sorry." Cael gathered his thoughts. "Six weeks to completion, assuming no complications with the assembly. We're on schedule currently."

"I'd like to inspect the site tomorrow. After we tour the wells."

"Of course."

The conversation moved on, but Cael was aware of Ryn's gaze returning to him periodically throughout the meal. Assessing, analyzing, trying to solve the puzzle of the impossible young lord with revolutionary knowledge.

Cael met his eyes each time, trying to project confidence and honesty. Trying to show that he had nothing to hide beyond the one enormous secret he could never reveal.

After dinner, as guests dispersed to their rooms, Cael found himself alone in the hallway with Ryn for a brief moment.

"Lord Ashford," Ryn said, his voice low. "A question, if I may."

"Of course."

"Why?" Ryn's eyes were intense in the dim lamplight. "Why the sudden change? Assessor Rell's report indicated you were a completely different person before, a gambling waste. Now you're building things and trying to save lives. People don't change that drastically overnight. So I'll ask again, why?"

It was the same question everyone kept asking, and Cael still didn't have a good answer, but standing here, with Ryn's undivided attention and genuine curiosity, he found himself wanting to be as honest as possible.

"Because I woke up one morning and realized I was going to die," Cael said quietly. "That everyone I care about was going to die because of my failure and I decided that if I was going to die, it wouldn't be as a useless waste of space who destroyed his family. I'd die trying to save them."

Ryn studied him for a long moment. "And if you succeed? If you meet your obligations and transform this estate? What then?"

"Then I keep building new things if I can. Keep improving things. Keep saving lives." Cael held his gaze steadily. "Because it turns out I'm good at it and it feels better than anything I did before."

Something shifted in Ryn's expression. Just a flicker, but Cael saw it, recognition, maybe understanding.

"I see," Ryn said softly. Then, more formally, "Thank you for your candor, Lord Ashford. We'll begin the inspection tour at dawn."

He turned and walked away, his footsteps precise and measured on the stone floor.

Cael remained in the hallway, his heart pounding.