**Gaia's POV**

Vincenzo's face darkens considerably, his expression turning ugly as Astrein's words about love harder than gold sink in and find their mark.

He seems utterly defeated in this moment, his lips moving silently as if searching desperately for a powerful rebuttal, some cutting comeback that might salvage his pride. But nothing comes. No clever retort. No witty counter. He has no response to Astrein's confident declaration of unshakeable ...