In the days that followed, a strange dance unfolded between Aria and Wilfred.
They met only fleetingly, in hidden corners of the village or at the edge of the forest, where the light flickered between twilight and dancing shadows.
Each encounter was a blend of attraction and mistrust, like a thread stretched between two worlds unsure whether to meet or retreat.
Aria felt a warm thrill mixed with a shiver every time Wilfred looked at her, while he seemed to battle a desire he refused to name.
One evening, as dusk wrapped the sky in shades of crimson and violet, Aria found him again by the brook, the clear water reflecting their silhouettes.
— "Why do you always stay in the shadows?" she asked softly.
Wilfred turned his eyes away.
— "Because I am a cursed king. A shadow doomed never to touch the light."
Aria stepped closer, reaching out again for that touch that had once shaken her.
— "You are not just a shadow. You're a glimmer… in my heart."
A heavy silence fell between them, filled with unspoken truths.
Wilfred finally lifted his gaze, revealing a rare vulnerability.
— "I don't want to make you suffer. I'm dangerous."
Aria shook her head, her eyes steady.
— "Danger means nothing… if you are near."
They stood there, gazing into each other's eyes, the world around them seemingly suspended in time.
In that fragile balance, both could feel the weight of the past—but also the glimmer of a possible future, if only they dared to cross the veil of fear.