Tch... why is she so surprised?
Especially after ruining my perfect resting plan.
Alden sighed.
He had lost count of how many tis he had done that last night.
Ten hours.
Fucking ten hours.
I stood here all this ti and instead of a thank you for saving her precious princess sleep, she’s looking at like I’m so cornered villain.
Such ungratefulness
He had felt her wake up a few monts ago.
The steady rhythm of her heartbeat which had been humming softly against his stomach all night had suddenly spiked.
Her calm, even breathing had turned uneven, shallow... nervous.
They say when you have nothing else to do, your mind starts picking up on the smallest details, the ones you would normally miss.
And for soone with senses as sharp as Alden’s, noticing those tiny changes was as natural as breathing.
He had expected her to loosen her grip after a few hours of rest but even after all that ti, her hold on him remained firm.
It wasn’t just instinct, it felt... practiced. As if she had been trained to never let go, not even in her sleep.
That, more than anything, spoke volus about her childhood... more than Alden had ever known.
He had noticed how her expression would sotis twist mid-sleep, as if she were caught in a nightmare. But every ti, it eased little by little after he gently patted her back for a while.
But none of it was enough to quench his wrath, not after she had ruined his rest and didn’t even look grateful.
Naturally, he hadn’t done all this for praise.
He was a benevolent guy with a handso face, (according to him) after all. His gentleness just... leaked out on its own.
And yet...
...yet the girl looked at him accusingly.
Still, he didn’t yell because he was a gentleman and just let out a small smile.
"Good morning, Nyx." His voice was low. "Hope. You. Had. A. Very. Good. Sleep."
The words ca out sharper than he had intended but he had no plans to take them back.
His gaze drifted across her face...
Her face was completely red.
Their eyes t for a fleeting mont before she quickly looked away.
Alden frowned slightly.
He could feel her heartbeat picking up, faster by the second.
It almost sounded like it was about to burst right out of her chest.
What the hell?
Is she having a heart attack or sothing?
...Or maybe,
Well, it wouldn’t be surprising if seeing a handso gentleman like him first thing in the morning made her pulse go a little wild
Alden took hold of her hands, still wrapped around his waist and gently pulled them apart.
’Now that she’s awake,’ he thought, ’I don’t need to be gentle anymore.’
She didn’t resist.
Didn’t even look up and just trembled slightly, shoulders tense.
A small tremor ran through Alden too.
Hey... wait a minute,
Is she perhaps...
Has she perhaps fallen for too?
Fuck.
The possibility hit him like a lightning strike.
He replayed the night in his mind.
He had comforted her when she cried.
Patted her until she fell asleep.
Stood in one damn spot for hours so she could rest peacefully.
He had done it all as a friend, obviously.
But still... he knew better than to dismiss the possibility.
He hadn’t considered it last night, everything had been too chaotic but now, seeing her reaction, that uneasy, foreboding sensation began to grow stronger.
Fuck.
What should I do now?
Wait, no, let’s not jump to conclusions.
She is probably just... surprised.
Yeah. Definitely.
Alden’s already tired mind began scrambling for excuses, any way to push this problem onto future him.
He just wanted a few hours of peace before the inter-academy started.
Sure, his body could go days without sleep, that wasn’t the problem.
But his mind?
That was a completely different story.
So, without a word or even a glance, he turned and walked toward the door of his bedroom.
He opened it, paused and, without looking back, said quietly,
"Don’t misunderstand. I just... fell asleep standing."
Then he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Fucking cringe.
I shouldn’t have said that.
The regret hit imdiately.
He had just wanted to soften the blow, to make her fleeting feelings fade before they turned into sothing heavier.
Because he didn’t want to hurt her.
He couldn’t reciprocate.
He cared for her but only as a friend.
Love... that wasn’t sothing he had ever really thought about.
I hope this doesn’t worsen the situation.
With that, Alden slumped onto the bed, finally letting sleep claim him.
As for the problems waiting outside that door... well, those were for future him to deal with.
—
anwhile, in the living room of Alden’s accommodations, Nyx still sat on the couch.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the door he had disappeared through.
"Don’t misunderstand. I just... fell asleep standing."
His words echoed again and again in her mind, each repetition duller but sohow heavier.
And for so reason, she felt... disappointed.
She couldn’t quite understand why, only that the feeling was there, stubborn and quiet.
Still, a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Why would I misunderstand, you dummy?" she whispered as she left his accommodations quietly.
—
anwhile, sowhere else on the Artificial Island, a beautiful blonde girl stepped through a shimring portal.
Her crimson eyes glead with an undeniable charm as they swept across the landscape, scanning for soone... Or sothing.
A smirk curved her delicate lips when her gaze landed on a particular building across the street.
Seles was here for one purpose, to kill Lucien.
But there was more.
Soone had made her an offer:
Any bloodline. Any talent. Any skill she desired... in exchange for Lucien’s life.
And she had already chosen her prize.
The target was the one person who repulsed her to no end and yet, even Seles could never deny her talent.
Amyra Celestrian.
Seles’s smile deepened.
Let’s see how you react... when I take everything you have, bitch.
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