Chapter 56: Hard Feelings

Tiel let out a slow breath, maintaining his calm. Surely, if she knew something, it wouldn't be anything too detrimental. There was nothing in his office that would give away anything he was doing privately, so whatever it was, she had found out something too small for him to warrant his… what? What was he going to do?

Tiel asked himself, his hand slowly retracting. Even if she did know something detrimental, what could he do? He leaned back, stunned to realize, for the first time, his heart was rebelling against him—standing up to his cruelty and bloodthirsty nature. Limiting his capabilities.

In the past, he had always stepped over his conscience, silencing the small voice inside of him that told him it would cost him his soul. It had screamed first, then spoken sternly, then whispered, and then simply turned against him in crippling guilt. Self-loathing. Only to come back again, this time with an iron grip.