The backyard of the villa was wide and open, the grass still cool from the evening breeze. Setting up a campfire there was easy—plenty of space, soft ground, and the faint scent of earth after a long day.
Annabelle had gathered a pile of dry wood and, in her usual dramatic fashion, stacked them up in an oddly perfect triangle before lighting them. The fire caught quickly, crackling and glowing with a soft orange warmth.
"Did you bring sothing we can cook on this?" Annabelle asked eagerly, almost bouncing as she walked over to Ariana.
Ariana smiled and peeked into the shopping bag. "Hmm... how about these?" She pulled out a wrapped packet of potatoes.
Annabelle’s face lit up. "Yup~ yup! This is perfect!" She snatched the packet with a grin and rushed back to the fire, humming happily as she started preparing them.
Jean couldn’t help but smile, watching the rare sight of Annabelle’s excitent. The glow of the fire danced across her face, softening her usual sharpness. "I hardly ever see her smile like that," Jean said quietly.
Ariana chuckled while taking out the rest of the groceries—so vegetables, skewers, and pieces of raw at. "When she’s around people she trusts," she said, "she doesn’t bother hiding who she really is."
Jean glanced at her, curious. "Sothing must’ve happened in the past for her to keep a mask on all the ti, right?"
The question hung in the air for a mont, carried by the faint crackle of the flas and the aroma of smoke.
Everyone in the world saw Annabelle as cold and untouchable—a ruthless warrior who wouldn’t blink before cutting down hundreds. Jean used to believe that too.
But now, watching her crouched near the fire with her sleeves rolled up, humming softly as she tossed the potatoes into the flas, she couldn’t help but wonder if that image was only half the truth.
Ariana humd softly, her gaze lingering on the flas as they swayed and crackled in the cool night air. "Well, there’s a story behind it... sothing she went through long ago," she said gently. "It made her overly cautious—almost afraid to let strangers in."
The firelight flickered across her face as she continued with a small, knowing smile. "The only person she ever trusted without question is Adrian. If it weren’t for him, I doubt she would’ve ever let past her walls to see her real self."
Jean quietly nodded, dicing onions on the small cutting board beside her. The sizzle of the campfire and the faint sound of the knife hitting wood filled the pause before she finally asked, "How... did the two of them even et? I an, given how close they are—it just doesn’t seem right that they’ve only known each other for a few months like the reports claim."
She had heard that her Queen and Adrian had started eting only two months ago. But seeing the depth of their bond—the quiet understanding in their eyes, the ease between them—it was hard to believe that kind of closeness could form in such a short ti.
Especially knowing Annabelle’s nature. A woman who never let anyone in, who always stood distant and guarded.
So what did Adrian an to her?
What could he have done—or been—that made her strip away every defense, every mask, and open herself completely to him?
"Hmm, you’re right about that," Ariana said with a slow nod, her eyes reflecting the firelight. "There definitely is a past... sothing that bound Annabelle to Adrian in a way nothing else could. He’s the reason she still believes in people, the reason she hasn’t lost herself completely."
Jean exhaled softly. She could tell Ariana was holding back the full story, and she didn’t press further. So things were too personal—especially when it ca to their Queen.
"Well, I’m just glad," Jean said with a small smile, slicing through the last of the onions. "It’s comforting to know she has soone she can call family."
Ariana’s lips curved gently. "Yes... we are her family. Our little mischievous Bella."
"Hmm?"
Annabelle turned her head from the campfire, her expression curious and warm. "Did you call ?"
Ariana humd, before telling her. "Yes, go take so of these potatoes to your darling."
At once, Annabelle’s eyes lit up like a spark catching fla. She carefully picked up the hot potatoes, wrapped in foil, and hurried off toward the other side of the villa—toward Adrian’s workshop.
Jean watched her go, the sound of her light footsteps fading into the night, and couldn’t help but chuckle. "No wonder so many people are jealous of Adrian," she murmured. "Our Queen turns into a total fangirl around him."
Ariana laughed softly, watching the smoke rise into the night sky. "True and he spoils her as much."
Jean giggled softly, the sound blending with the gentle crackle of the fire.
A brief, comfortable silence settled over the backyard. The warmth of the flas flickered across their faces as the two won busied themselves with the preparations—each movent calm and familiar.
Jean sliced the vegetables and at with practiced precision, the faint aroma of spices rising as she mixed them for marination. Beside her, Ariana stirred the sauce, humming quietly while the grill began to heat up, the coals beneath glowing hot and red.
Then, breaking the easy rhythm of their work, Ariana asked sothing unexpected.
"Have you ever thought about having a family?"
Jean’s hand paused mid-cut. "Hmm?" she asked, her brows lifting slightly.
Ariana tilted her head, still focused on the sauce. "I an, you’re still young. You’re just six years older than . Haven’t you ever thought about marriage?"
Jean let out a faint, almost defeated smile. "I don’t think I can... not anymore."
The silver-haired woman turned to her, curiosity flickering in her eyes. Jean’s voice softened, carrying a quiet ache.
"I’ve already devoted myself to the Umbral. My duties keep traveling across the world, and I have so many people depending on now. With all that responsibility... I don’t think I’d ever be able to give my partner the ti they deserve."
She paused, staring at the flickering coals as her thoughts drifted far away.
There was a ti when she dread differently—like any other girl. She had wanted to live her life as a proud Warden, and when her duties were done, to spend her remaining years with the one she loved.
There *was* soone once. A man she’d known for years, who had stood by her through thick and thin. He was the person she thought she’d share her life with.
But fate had other plans.
One day, she was taken—abducted—and for a long ti, the world believed she was dead.
By the ti she returned... the man she once loved was already walking beside another woman—his pregnant wife—on their way to the dic.
Ariana rested her hand on Jean’s shoulder and said, "I feel you will et the one who will change your mind. Just wait for him."
°°°°°°°°°
"Darling!" Annabelle chid as she stepped into the workshop.
Adrian looked up from the runestone he has just finished and saw her smiling face.
His lips curved as he asked, "What do you have for ?"
"Here. Potatoes. I baked them." She was eager to have him taste her cooking.
Adrian humd as he took a bite, "Yes, they are perfectly cooked. You did well." He praised her and continued to eat the rest slowly.
Annabelle’s eyes drifted toward the runestone as she asked, "How many do you need to make?"
"At least twelve. Then the reflectors and brackets."
Annabelle nearly groaned at how much work Raven had given him. However, rembering the reason behind this favor, she stopped herself.
"By the way, Bella...have you ever gone to the other world before?"
Annabelle humd before shaking her head, "No, but many of them have visited . We once had a group eting as well. I hosted it."
Adrian was surprised, "I never heard about it."
Annabelle wryly smiled, "Well, Darling...they arrived in this world after you left . Things were turning quite ugly on everyone’s side so unless we had joined forces, none of us might have survived."
Adrian doesn’t rember things clearly but before his death, he had left a note for Annabelle that she was being botherso, that’s why he was going sowhere far away.
However, Annabelle knows that it was just an excuse since after that day, her Darling never appeared on the cross dinsional chat.
Adrian humd, crossing his arms he asked, "Since you all were helping each other out, why didn’t you go to others as well?"
Annabelle sheepishly smiled, scratching her cheek she said, "Because...I was the weakest among them all."
"...." Adrian was surprised.
"And in this life as well, I might be one of the weakest."
"...." And now, he was completely shocked.
°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far and want to motivate , comnt and leave a review.
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