Chapter 3 THE KNIGHT WHO KNOWS TOO MUCH

Kael’s gaze lingered on Nora’s lips for a moment, only a fraction of a second, but it was long enough to make something in Nora’s chest beat faster than it should have.

The man immediately pulled his hand away, as though he had only just realized what had almost happened.

He put his cold mask back on as quickly as he had let it slip. His jaw tightened, hiding his own physical reaction behind an expression that had returned to its usual blankness.

Kael headed toward the exit, his steps slightly faster than usual. He paused before reaching for the door handle, as though there were something more important he needed to say than simply leaving.

“The Fae Kingdom is in chaos,” Kael said without turning around, his voice quieter than the commanding tone he had used moments earlier.

Nora frowned in confusion, not expecting the conversation to take such a sharp turn. She waited for him to continue, holding her breath.

“Not because of political problems,” Kael continued quietly. “Their source of magic is being drained by something unknown.”

Suspicion flickered in Kael’s eyes, their color growing darker than its usual gray. He turned and stared sharply at Nora, as though weighing whether she deserved to hear the rest.

“Something that is using that forbidden recipe,” he whispered coldly.

“What do you mean?” Nora asked quickly, her heart pounding again, this time not because of his touch, but because a sense of impending danger was beginning to creep over her.

“Aurelius hasn’t told you the whole truth,” Kael replied firmly, each word feeling like a burden he had deliberately chosen to unload before leaving.

The man immediately opened the door and walked away without waiting for Nora to ask anything else.

The bell rang sharply as he left, its echo lingering far too long for what should have been an ordinary metallic chime.

Nora stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen, her hand still faintly warm where Kael had held it. A storm of questions spun endlessly through her mind.

Why did Kael know so much about the danger surrounding the cake? And what was the dragon knight actually hiding from her?

Kael’s previous departure had left her with more questions than answers, and she barely slept that night thinking about it.

The moment she heard a commotion outside the shop the next morning, she rushed downstairs without even taking the time to fix her hair.

“What are you doing in front of my shop this early, Kael?” Nora snapped as she threw the door open.

The morning air was still cold, the last traces of dew clinging to the bakery windows.

Kael leaned casually against the shop’s signpost, as though he had been standing there since before sunrise.

His silver armor gave a soft jingle as he straightened, staring at Nora without the slightest hint of guilt.

“Making sure this place doesn’t get leveled before sunset,” Kael replied flatly, his voice cold and thoroughly irritating to Nora’s ears.

Nora glared at him, planting her hands on her hips in the doorway, her hair still disheveled and not yet properly tied back.

“I’m not a child who needs a knight in armor to babysit me! Stop following me and get out of here.”

Kael stepped forward without permission, simply passing Nora’s shoulder and entering the shop.

His boots left wet footprints across the wooden floor, which Nora had only mopped the night before before closing the shop.

“Last night, hired men from the northern faction nearly broke through your back door, Miss Finch. You’re lucky they only warned you with their footprints.”

Nora fell silent for a moment, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to contain her emotions. It was not only because of his audacity in entering without permission, but because Kael somehow knew exactly what had happened the night before, as though he had been standing there and watching it all himself.

“How do you know about that?” Nora demanded suspiciously, slamming the front door shut so hard that the brass bell above it rang in surprise.

Kael turned to face Nora.

They were now standing extremely close, close enough for Nora to feel the chill radiating from the man’s armor.

“That isn’t the question, Nora,” Kael hissed sharply. “Why didn’t you tell me when I stopped by yesterday?”

“Why should I tell you?” Nora shot back, refusing to back down. “I don’t even know who you are, or what you want.”

“Because I know who sent them,” Kael said sharply. “And they won’t stop until they get the Black Velvet recipe from this shop.”

Nora took a step back, refusing to let herself appear intimidated in front of the knight, even though her heart was still pounding.

“W-who?” she stammered.

Her gaze never left Kael, who was staring back at her with a serious expression.

“Prince Aurelius said the cake is the only way to save his dying kingdom,” Nora added. She deliberately kept her voice as calm as possible.

Kael gave a quiet scoff, his expression turning cynical, almost contemptuous.

“Aurelius is good at weaving words for the sake of his crown. The Fae Kingdom is indeed in chaos, but that cake isn’t the pure salvation he claimed it was.”

Nora narrowed her eyes, searching Kael’s gray gaze, which seemed to conceal something far greater than a knight’s simple concern for the kingdom.

“What do you mean? Is Aurelius lying to me?”

“He isn’t completely lying, but he’s hiding the most important part,” Kael replied seriously.

His fingers reached out and gripped the edge of the counter, as though emphasizing his words.

“If you want to know why your grandmother erased that recipe, ask the prince one thing when he returns tomorrow.”

Nora swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.

“What question?”

“Ask him what really happens to someone who eats Black Velvet Cake,” Kael said quietly, his voice growing heavy and cutting through the silence.

“There is a terrible price that both the baker and the person who eats it must pay.”

Before Nora could argue or ask anything further, Kael turned and walked out of the shop without saying goodbye, leaving the scent of cold iron lingering in the air.