Chapter 38: Watching from the Shadows

Kerrigan slipped quietly into the training yard, staying in the shadows along the edge where hedges and vines could hide her as she observed the scene unfolding before her. Her eyes were immediately drawn to Conor, who was in the midst of a fierce match with five of the Duke's guardsmen.

The tension that had been simmering between them since their arrival at her grandfather’s estate weighed heavily on her, and she found herself watching him with a mix of admiration and regret.

Conor moved with a fluid grace that belied his strength, his every motion calculated and precise. As he fought, Kerrigan couldn’t help but be struck by how much he had grown since they first met.

There was a confidence in him now, a quiet assurance that had come from months of training and honing his skills. But even as she admired his prowess, her mind drifted back to the conversations they had shared over the past twenty-four hours—conversations that had left Conor hurt and uncertain, and had left Kerrigan que