The rooftop garden of Raven's private residence offered solitude under a canopy of stars. Lia had thought it odd when he'd requested this te meeting, but after weeks of missions together, she trusted his judgment implicitly.
She found him standing at the balustrade, silver hair gleaming in the moonlight. Without turning, he spoke:
"Who are you really?"
The question she'd dreaded hung in the night air. "I... I'm Allura. You know that."
"No." He turned slowly, silver eyes intense. "Allura's body, yes. But the soul within... it resonates differently. I've felt it since that night at Thornfield Manor."
Her heart thundered. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" He moved closer, each step deliberate. "I've spent my life reading people, sensing deception. Your soul carries echoes of somewhere else. Sometimes when you look at things – carriages, dresses, even the stars – there's recognition mixed with wonder, as if you're comparing them to memories that don't belong here."
Lia backed away until she hit the stone balustrade. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" His voice softened. "I've watched you struggle with court etiquette that should be instinctive. Seen you flinch at cruelties you once embraced. Noticed how you treat servants with genuine kindness that surprises them every time. It's as if you're learning everything for the first time."
Tears welled in her eyes. The weight of constant pretense suddenly felt unbearable.
"Please," he whispered, reaching for her hand. "I'm not here to expose you. I just want to understand."
Something in his tone – a mixture of curiosity and concern – broke her resolve. She sank onto a nearby bench, and words began spilling out between sobs.
"I'm not from here," she confessed. "I woke up in this body months ago. I've been trying to learn, to understand how to be Allura, but it's like wearing someone else's skin. I don't know her instincts, her mannerisms..."
She didn't reveal everything – not about the novel, the System, or her past life. Just enough to expin her fundamental difference.
Raven knelt before her, his usual mask of indifference gone. "All this time, you've been carrying this alone?"
"I couldn't tell anyone. Who would believe me?"
"I believe you." He cupped her face gently, thumbs wiping away her tears. "Because I've sensed it from the beginning. That's why I've been protecting you."
"But why? If you knew I wasn't really Allura..."
"Because I fell in love with who you are, not who you were supposed to be." His confession hung between them, raw and honest. "The woman who risks her life for others, who sees beyond political games, who made me remember what genuine kindness looks like."
Before she could respond, he leaned forward, giving her time to pull away. When she didn't, his lips met hers in a kiss that tasted of acceptance and understanding.
When they parted, he rested his forehead against hers. "Your secret is safe with me. Whatever brought you here, whatever purpose you serve, know that you're not alone anymore."
"Raven..." Her voice trembled. "I care for you too, but there's Cassian, and complications I can't expin..."
"I know." His smile held understanding rather than jealousy. "The heart rarely follows simple paths. But whatever happens, I'll be here, in the shadows, protecting the woman I love – not the character she's pretending to be."
That night, under scattered stars, Lia found acceptance without full revetion. The complete truth about Seraphina, the System, and her own origins remained hidden, but for now, having someone who loved her true self was enough.
"Significant route progression detected," ALICE noted ter. "Raven path: Partial truth revealed. Trust established."
But Lia barely registered the notification, lost in the memory of being seen – truly seen – for the first time since arriving in this world.