The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 178

Time Together-2

A small table had already been set.

Two staff members moved quietly, placing dishes before stepping away with practiced discretion.

Iva exhaled slowly, her shoulders relaxing without her even realizing it.

Caleb noticed.

“I figured you’d feel more comfortable here,” he said, taking a seat across from her. “Breakfast is usually in the main dining hall with the rest of the family.”

She nodded, offering him a small, grateful smile.

“Thank you.”

The words were simple.

But they carried weight.

Because for the first time since she met Caleb, she didn’t feel like she was drowning in it.

After breakfast, Caleb didn’t rush her, didn’t drag her into obligations or formal meetings as she expected, didn’t overwhelm her with the weight of his world.

Instead-he surprised her.

“I have the day cleared,” he said simply as they stood from the terrace table, his tone casual but deliberate. “You’re mine today.”

Iva blinked at him, unsure how to process that.

“Your guide,” he corrected with the faintest smirk, clearly catching her expression.

Still… her heart skipped.

And just like that, the day began.

He showed her the castle-but not the intimidating halls filled with politics and expectations.

He took her to the quieter places.

Hidden gardens tucked behind ancient stone walls, where sunlight filtered through trees and the air felt softer, untouched by the tension of court life.

A secluded library, where the scent of old parchment lingered and silence felt comforting instead of suffocating.

A high balcony overlooking the lands beyond the castle, where the wind carried freedom with it.

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Time Together-2-

And everywhere they went-

He stayed with her.

Not as a prince, not as a leader.

But as… Caleb… her mate.

He asked questions.

Real ones.

“What’s your favorite season?”

“What do you hate the most in training?”

“What makes you lose your temper?”

At first, she hesitated.

Unused to it.

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Unused to someone actually wanting to know more about her… no one put this effort before, except for her mother and Lori.

But slowly, she answered.

And he listened.

Really listened.

Not interrupting.

Not dismissing.

Not judging.

And when she spoke, he remembered.

He connected things.

He paid attention.

That alone unsettled her more than anything else.

Because she had never experienced it before.

Not like this.

Not from anyone.

At one point, as they walked through a quiet garden path lined with blooming flowers, she stopped, looking at him with something close to disbelief.

“You’re… different today,” she admitted softly, with surprise in her voice.

<Time Together?

Caleb glanced at her, one brow lifting slightly.

“Different how?”

She hesitated, then said it anyway.

“You’re trying.”

It wasn’t an accusation.

It wasn’t praise either.

Just… truth.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then his gaze softened just a fraction.

“I told you,” he replied, voice low but steady. “I meant it… I know that I fucked up in the past, but I have learn my lessons.”

Something in her chest tightened.

Because he wasn’t just saying it.

He was proving it.

Step by step.

Moment by moment.

And it shook her more than grand gestures or words ever could.

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By the time the sun began to lower in the sky, painting everything in warm gold, they found themselves back on one of the quieter terraces.

No staff.

No interruptions.

Just the two of them.

The air between them had changed.

It was no longer tense or that inexplicable shyness.

No longer uncertain.

But it wasn’t calm either.

It was… charged, quietly intense.

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Iva leaned lightly against the stone railing, looking out over the horizon, trying to steady the unfamiliar warmth spreading through her.

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Tume Together?

“You know,” she said softly, almost to herself, “I never had… this.”

Caleb stepped closer behind her.

“Had what?”

She turned slightly, meeting his gaze.

“This,” she repeated. “Someone… putting in effort like this.”

His expression shifted.

Something deeper.

Something more serious.

“You should’ve,” he said quietly.

Their eyes held.

The distance between them felt suddenly too small.

Too charged.

Too real.

“I’m learning,” he added, his voice lower now, rougher.

Her breath caught slightly.

“So am I,” she admitted.

A beat passed.

Then another.

And neither of them moved away.

Caleb stepped closer,

Slowly, deliberately.

Giving her time.

Giving her a choice.

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