The door creaked open with a heavy groan.
Shinomi didn't wait. As soon as the lock gave way, he pushed through, eyes landing on the small figure curled in the far corner of the lavish room—knees pulled to his chest, face buried, shoulders trembling.
"Aiden…" Shinomi's voice cracked as he rushed in.
Ren looked up at the sound—eyes red, face stained with silent tears he hadn't wiped away. But before he could speak or move, Shinomi was already there.
He dropped to his knees and pulled him into a desperate embrace.
"I'm here… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Shinomi's arms wrapped tightly around Ren's trembling body, rocking him gently. "You don't have to cry anymore. You're not alone."
Ren didn't respond at first—he just melted into the warmth, burying his face into Shinomi's chest. His fingers gripped Shinomi's shirt, knuckles white, body trembling as sobs finally escaped the silence. Shinomi shifted and pulled Ren into his lap, cradling him like something irreplaceable.
"I thought you wouldn't come," Ren whispered between hiccups.
"I'd burn the whole world just to see you," Shinomi murmured into his hair.
The door swung open behind them, followed by the heavy, slow steps of Duke Rael.
The moment Ren heard them, he tensed and quickly got off Shinomi's lap. He stood, wiping at his face and avoiding his father's eyes, staring down at the floor.
Duke Rael entered, arms behind his back, expression cold. He stood silently for a beat, observing the scene.
"So this is what you've become," he said at last, voice edged with disappointment. "I never knew… you'd become this fragile."
Ren's lips trembled, but he said nothing.
"If you had stayed with your sister, maybe you would've remembered what dignity is. But now? Look at you. Crying on the lap of a man who once insulted you."
Ren flinched.
"I'm letting this go this time," the Duke said, tone heavy with warning. "But I will not send you back with him again."
Shinomi's gaze snapped toward the Duke.
Rael looked at him with piercing judgment. "If he loves you, as you claim, then he can leave you here. You'll remain in this estate. If he denies this request… then I will never let you meet again."
Silence. The air tightened with the weight of the ultimatum.
Rael turned to Shinomi, gaze cold. "The choice is yours, Prince."
Shinomi stood slowly, still holding Ren's hand in his.
He didn't raise his voice—but every word he spoke carried steel.
"If Aiden truly wants to stay here… then I'll accept it," he said calmly. "Even if it breaks me."
Rael raised a brow, surprised by the unexpected answer.
"But if he doesn't," Shinomi continued, his tone darkening, "then I will do everything in my power to take him with me. I don't care if it's by sword or siege."
He stepped forward, the tension rising.
"And if you want to live a peaceful, long life, Duke Rael… then maybe consider accepting me nicely."
The threat in Shinomi's words was clear—but so was his sincerity.
He wasn't bluffing. For Aiden, he would go to war.
The room fell silent again, except for the sound of Ren's shaky breath.
Rael stared at him—first at Shinomi, then at Ren—and said nothing.
The decision was no longer his.
It was Aiden's.
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