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Kenji did not speak for several moments. He stood with his back half-turned to her, one hand dragging down over his face.

"You can't do that," he said finally, steady now but still shaken. "This forest...all is not as it seems." He let out a slow breath, as though trying to steady himself.

She watched him closely.

The fine tremors running through his body had not fully subsided. His hands were not steady; his shoulders remained tight, drawn high.

Chapter 41

They stood in the quiet stretch of the forest, the night pressing close around them. Blaidd's presence had steadied in her mind now, though she could still feel the edge of his earlier panic beneath the surface. He was on his way to her.

Kenji remained still for a long moment. The tremors had eased, but something else had taken its place—hesitation. It was as if he was at war with himself, debating whether to say something or not.

Finally, he came to a decision. "Fae…" His voice was lower, stripped of its easy composure. "When I was…trapped in that hell," he said carefully, eyes fixed somewhere beyond the trees, "I had a lot of time to think."

…

……He let out a quiet breath. "I thought about all the mistakes I made. All the things I didn't do. Every opportunity I let pass because I believed there would always be another chance."

Fae felt it before he said it that there was something in those words.

"There was someone," he continued, confirming her suspicion. "A woman who wanted me."

Ruri.

The name hovered unspoken, but Fae felt certain.

"I convinced myself I had time," he said with a smile that held no humour. "Time to decide. I am ashamed to say I thought she was not good enough for me... I was unspeakably vain." His jaw tightened. "And now I lost that time. That ship has sailed."

He glanced at her briefly before looking away again. "I deserve to be alone," he said simply. "That is the consequence of what I chose."

Fae shook her head faintly. "Kenji—"

"No. Let me finish."

He drew in a breath. "You almost walked into something tonight that would have taken you beyond Blaidd's reach. And you didn't even realise it."

His gaze settled on her, intense pale brown eyes pinned on her. "You need to think about what you stand to lose."

She knew where this was going before he said it.

"Is Blaidd the one for you?" he asked quietly.

The question came from a friend, not a rival for her affections.

"If he is," Kenji said, "then stop hesitating. And if you want him, then be selfish."

"We all make mistakes," he said. "We all let pride, fear, old wounds dictate our choices. Blaidd was a coward, but he just didn't know how to deal with the trap he was in. He was not as strong as you, but that does not mean he didn't want you or had desperate need for you."

His voice softened further as he held her limp hand and squeezed. "But the biggest mistake..." He paused, swallowing slightly. "The biggest mistake is letting the one you love walk away because you were too proud to reach for them."

Fae felt his words deep within her. To never see or touch Blaidd again…

Kenji looked away first.

"I learned that too late," he said. "But I want you to have everything you ever wanted. Don't let stubbornness get in your way. Don't waste any more time."

There was no wit, no clever deflection, no careful restraint. Just regret.