Helian chuckled, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper near Azure's ear.
"Darling, why do you keep squirming? Are you that eager?"
Azure stiffened, his entire body heating up. "Helian, I'm uncomfortable. How am I supposed to sleep like this?"
"Oh? So now you don't want the floor anymore?" Helian mused.
Azure sighed in defeat. "Yes, I miss the soft bed."
He shifted again, trying to put space between them—but all it did was make things worse.
"And can you move back? Or take a damn cold shower!"
Helian hummed, unbothered. "Darling, sometimes hard is better than soft."
Azure froze. "What—what the hell are you saying?!"
Helian tilted his head innocently. "Obviously, I'm talking about the floor and the bed. What else did you think I meant, darling?"
Azure wanted to die.
Helian gasped, pressing a hand to his chest. "Darling, you can't be thinking that. I'm not into men—just princesses."
His voice dripped with exaggerated scandal, but his hands? Slow. Deliberate. Every touch intentional as he gradually released Azure from his hold.
Finally free, Azure grabbed his blanket and face-planted onto the soft bed, muffling what was definitely a scream.
Helian tsked, shaking his head. "Having such thoughts in the middle of the night… Azure, I expected better from you. I thought you were responsible—the kind of man who'd help me deal with the problem you caused."
Azure: "…"
Helian sighed, long-suffering. "Oh well. I'll manage."
And just like that, he lay down right beside him.
Close.
Azure stiffened.
"Good night, darling," Helian purred.
****
Alexia adjusted her mask as she stepped through the towering castle gates, cloaked in shadows. She exhaled slowly.
"I'm going to be in so much trouble."
But then she grinned, eyes bright with hope. "At least I got the Fire Heart Stone. Father will be pleased. He has to be."
[Host, I may not know much, but I would advise you to calm down.]
Alexia bit her lip at Hermes' words but shook her head.
"You don't understand. The Fire Heart Stone is a thing of legends, and I brought it back. He'll be happy—I know he will."
Her steps lightened as she twirled through the castle's rose garden, the petals brushing against her sleeves.
"Hermes, don't lose faith. Love comes to those who believe in it."
[Where did Host hear that from?]
She shrugged. "A book. When you're alone, books become your friends, I guess."
Moving swiftly, she avoided the castle personnel and reached her balcony. Lifting her head, she ran her fingers over the rough stone before gripping the ledge and beginning her climb.
Each movement sent a sharp sting through her fingers, but she only smiled wider.
Finally, she swung over the barrier, landing softly. A quick glance left and right. No one.
Pulling out a key, she slipped it into the lock and turned it. The quiet click echoed in the still air.
She sighed. "Why am I even being cautious? No one comes here voluntarily."
"Why would you say that? Am I a nobody to you?"
A soft chuckle drifted from inside her room.
Alexia stiffened, her fingers tightening around the balcony doors. For a second, she nearly slammed them shut again.
Hurriedly tapping her pendant, she shifted her appearance—her blonde hair darkening to ash black. She lowered her hood, smoothed out her cloak, and carefully slipped inside.
"Royal brother," she greeted, forcing a light tone. "What are you doing in my room?"
Lucius rose from her simple bed, his peach-colored hair catching the moonlight as he moved. His golden eyes, however, stayed locked on her, sharp and unreadable.
He smiled. Soft. Almost affectionate.
"I came looking for my dear royal sister," he murmured. "Yet her bed is cold and empty."
Alexia swallowed, suddenly very aware of the lingering chill on her sheets.
Lucius took a slow step forward. "I wonder… where could she have run off to?"
His voice remained warm. Gentle, even. But his eyes never wavered.
Alexia forced a chuckle. "I—went for a walk," she said, slipping her hands behind her back. "The garden is lovely at night."
"Mm." He tilted his head slightly, considering her. "How fortunate, then, that you came back just as I arrived."
Alexia kept her smile in place, but her grip on her cloak tightened.
"Alexia," he murmured, his voice smooth as velvet. "I missed you. You know, you're such a precious person to me."
In the blink of an eye, Lucius was before her, his fingers brushing against her cheek in a soft caress.
Alexia's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively stepped back, her body recoiling. "Lucius, I'm... tired."
But he was faster. His hands found her back, gently yet firmly pressing her forward, his presence looming over her.
With slow, deliberate movements, he bent down, bringing his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath. He absently twirled a strand of her hair between his fingers, his golden eyes never leaving her face.
"Now, tell me, sister," he purred, voice dripping with false sweetness, "where did you sneak off to?"
" I was tired, okay? Tired of being trapped here!" Alexia's voice cracked as her heart raced from the closeness. She didn't like this—didn't like the suffocating presence of her brother.
Lucius stepped back slowly, but his eyes remained locked on hers, too intent, too focused.
" Really? But you were allowed to leave last week." His voice was soft, almost teasing, as though he was trying to get under her skin.
" Royal brother, there's a difference between exploring and giving you blood samples," she muttered, her eyes cast downward, avoiding the weight of his gaze.
Lucius smiled, the expression warm, but his golden eyes held an unsettling sharpness. " Dear sister, you know you're a rare find. I can't let anything happen to you."
Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides, trying to suppress the instinct to pull away. " You tell me that every time you come here," Alexia whispered, her voice small and distant.
" Alexia." His tone softened, but there was an edge of something darker lurking in his words. " Are you running away from me? You used to call me 'big brother' once, you know."
Her breath hitched in her throat. " Big brother, I'd like to sleep," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Her gaze remained trained on the floor, too exhausted to fight the emotions swirling inside.
Lucius chuckled softly, his voice dripping with amusement.
"My dear Lugus, look at me. I must be so forgetful. You do need your rest, don't you? But I couldn't resist asking about the gift."
Alexia froze, a chill running through her. "The gift?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Lucius smiled, his gaze never leaving her. "You know how I love to study rare and unnatural things, don't you?" His tone was almost playful, but there was something darker in his eyes.
"I believe you've mentioned it before," Alexia replied, cautiously backing toward her bed, her instincts telling her to be wary.
Lucius stepped closer, blocking her retreat. "Oh yes, I found something quite extraordinary—passion flowers. I think I told you about them." His words flowed smoothly, but his proximity made Alexia uneasy.
Before she could react, Lucius gently pressed her down onto the bed, his hand resting on the back of her neck. He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear.
"I left a few on your bedside table. You remember the ones I told you about? The ones that reveal your deepest, most hidden desires." He spoke softly, almost tenderly, but the glint in his eyes was sharp, predatory. "Did you try them, Alexia?" His voice dropped to a whisper as he tilted her chin to face him. "Did you enjoy your desire?"
He paused, searching her eyes with an unsettling intensity.
"And did you think of me in your haze?" he murmured, his face close enough that his breath caressed her skin.
The last words fell from his lips like a poisoned promise. "Because I thought of you in mine."
Alexia's breath caught in her throat.
Lucius paused, a soft smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"Well," he said, his voice like honey, "I suppose I'll have to wait for your answer. My dear sister needs her beauty sleep."
He took a slow step back, his eyes never leaving her.
"Though," he added, his gaze lingering, "I much prefer your white hair. It highlights your heritage... your rarity."
Straightening up, he took a final, deliberate glance at her, his expression still soft but unsettling.
"Forgive my intrusion," he continued, his tone almost affectionate. "I'll visit again tomorrow. It was rude of me to steal your time."
Turning toward the door, he paused, hand on the handle.
Before leaving, he glanced over his shoulder, his smile warm but not quite reaching his eyes.
"Alexia," he said, his voice gentle but weighted with meaning, "always remember, I will treasure and protect you."
With that, he shut the door softly behind him, leaving Alexia alone in the silence.
She exhaled shakily, slumping onto the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest as if its softness could shield her from the weight pressing down on her.
A long silence stretched between her and Hermes before he finally spoke.
[Host, that felt… intense.]
Alexia let out a hollow laugh, muffled by the fabric. "You think?"
[I do not 'think.' I observe. And what I observed was… unsettling.]
She squeezed her eyes shut. "Sometimes, I don't understand Lucius."
[How so?]
"I feel like he loves me," she whispered, fingers tightening around the pillow. "But he's changed."
[Changed?]
"He still seems nice, but… it always feels off."
A pause. Then, carefully—
[A familiar kind of off?]
Alexia stilled.
Slowly, she buried her face deeper into the pillow. "...Exactly."
A yawn slipped past Alexia's lips as exhaustion crept into her limbs, heavier than it should have been.
"[Host… did you think of him? Do you desire him?]"
Hermes' voice buzzed in the back of her mind, but she barely registered it.
"No," she murmured, rubbing her eyes. "I used those flowers on someone else."
The words felt sluggish, her thoughts dulling. She frowned, blinking against the sudden wave of fatigue.
"Why do I feel so… tired?"
[Host? Host, are you alright?]
Her body swayed, her vision blurring. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it—an unassuming slip of paper resting on her bedside table.
With effort, she focused on the delicate script, her heart slowing as she read:
Silly girl, I had a feeling you'd be too clever.
So, of course, I prepared for that.
Your bed, your sheets, even the air around you—
all laced with a weaker form of my powder.
Enjoy your desires.
The words burned into her mind as realization struck.
"[Host?!]"
Hermes' voice barely reached her as her fingers went limp. The last thing she felt was the soft embrace of her pillow, the scent of something sweet, heady, and inescapable wrapping around her like a vice.
And then—darkness.