Sapphire twisted under her sheets, thoughts knotting tighter with each passing minute. Sleep eluded her, slipping through her fingers like water. With a soft sigh, she rose from the bed, bare feet touching the cold stone floor.
The halls were cloaked in silence, lit only by flickering torches that painted long shadows on the walls. She walked slowly, quietly, the chill of the night brushing her skin as she wandered, unsure where her feet would take her.
The veranda greeted her with its stillness, open to the silver glow of moonlight. And there, seated alone on a stone bench, was Lord Typhon, a silver goblet cradled in one hand.
He didn't turn as she approached, but his voice cut through the quiet, low and sure.
"You couldn't sleep."
It wasn't a question.
Sapphire paused, wrapping her arms around herself. "No... I suppose not."
"Why?"
She hesitated. "Too many things on my mind, I guess."
She shifted, catching goosebumps as the night air danced across her skin.
"I'll leave you to your peace—"
"Stay."
His voice stopped her mid-turn. Gentle. Commanding.
She froze.
"Sit," he added, nodding toward the space beside him. "You're already here. Might as well keep me company."
Her heart fluttered. She hadn't expected him to want her near.
She crossed the space slowly, carefully lowering herself beside him, not too close, not too far. For a while, they simply sat, the quiet stretching between them.
"They're beautiful," she murmured, eyes lifting to the stars.
He followed her gaze. "It pleases the eyes," he admitted, though his tone held a hint of distance. "Humans... anything could fascinate them."
He had lived for so long and seen things fade with time, kingdoms, lovers, even the fiercest flames. And yet, humans… they still found wonder in the flutter of leaves or the glint of starlight. It fascinated him.
She gave a soft smile. "Perhaps. But sometimes... it's the only thing that reminds us to hope."
Typhon remained still.
"I used to sit under the stars with my son," she said, voice tender. "Told him stories, pointed at constellations... wished for his happiness."
She blinked back tears. "Forgive me. I grow emotional when I speak of him. I miss him."
A pause.
"Tell me about him," Typhon said, glancing sideways. Curious. Not commanding.
He was curious—what made her so willing to give up everything for a child she could someday have again, once she marries? Why risk it all for this one... her son?
Her face lit up. She spoke of her son's laugh, the way he clung to her robes, how he smelled after the rain, the tune she hummed for him to fall asleep.
Typhon listened in silence, then smirked faintly.
"He sounds like a true mama's boy."
She laughed, soft and genuine. "He is."
she had made sure of it, devoting every spare moment to him, even while juggling the weighty affairs of the kingdom.
"And you," she said playfully, "You strike me as a daddy's boy."
Typhon didn't deny it.
His gaze turned back to the sky.
"I don't remember much of my mother, she passed when I was still young. But I do recall how she loved her research, how she'd bury herself in books and scrolls for hours. She barely had time for me… but even then, I knew she cared, just in her own quiet, distant way."
"I—I'm sorry," Sapphire said quickly, her body tensing as she leaned forward slightly. "I didn't know— I shouldn't have asked—"
Typhon chuckled, low and dry. "Of course you didn't, human. You weren't even born then."
She blinked, unsure if he was joking or not, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"It must have been hard on you…" she murmured, watching him carefully.
Typhon's gaze drifted upward, drawn to the vast night sky.
"Memories fade over time," he said quietly, the words heavy with something unspoken.
For a fleeting moment, Sapphire swore she saw his eyes shift, just a flicker, like a shadow passing through light, before they settled back to their usual hue.
Then he looked at her fully, his expression unreadable.
"Now... you tell me about yourself."
Sapphire hesitated at first, but something in Typhon's quiet attention urged her on. She drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she spoke.
"Well… I've always been drawn to science " she said, glancing toward him, "fascinated by the quiet laws that govern matter, curious how life dares to exist, to grow, to feel, all within such fragile forms.It all makes sense in its own strange way."
Typhon's lips twitched, amused.
"And politics," she added, more softly. "I used to sneak outside the court chambers and eavesdrop on meetings when I was younger, curiosity always got the better of me. I'm sure it drove my poor governess mad.."
She looked away, half-expecting judgment.
"I know it's not what a proper lady should be interested in. I was supposed to learn embroidery, dancing, how to pour tea just right." She snorted lightly. "But I couldn't be bothered. I'd sneak out with books or climb trees instead."
Typhon's voice was low, intrigued. "And your family allowed this?"
Sapphire hugged her knees tighter, her voice dropping just above a whisper.
"I didn't have much of a family. Just my father, King Kai."
She paused, the name tasting bitter on her tongue.
"Ex-father," she corrected herself quietly. "He only ever saw me as a piece to move on his board. A girl to be used, bartered, displayed when needed."
She gave a faint, humorless laugh. "Sometimes I wonder if he even saw me at all."
There was silence for a heartbeat.
"I used to crave his approval. Did everything to earn it—studied the things he liked, played the perfect daughter. But it was never enough. Eventually… I stopped trying. And now, I regret ever hoping I mattered to him."
Her voice cracked at the end, but she caught it with a tight breath, blinking up at the stars. "It's strange, how you can miss something you never really had."
Typhon's gaze never left her face. He didn't interrupt, didn't offer hollow comfort.
But there was something different in his eyes, something that burned a little softer.