đ.đ: Lucas Aerelion
đfter biding her time in the library, Elysia moved on to the next item on her schedule for the day:
Tea with King Zachary.
Just like the first time, they sat beneath the ivory gazebo in the palace gardens, sipping fragrant tea while golden sunlight filtered through climbing roses.
But unlike before, King Zachary had been significantly more vocal.
He asked about her well-being, how she was adjusting to palace life, andâmore pointedlyâwhat she thought of her newly appointed ladies-in-waiting.
To that, she smiled and replied that she adored them.
Part lie. Part truth.
But he didn't need to know that.
Despite the light conversation, a subtle tension lingered beneath the pleasantries. Elysia still felt wary around himâlike wearing a dress tailored for someone else.
Her teacup nearly slipped from her fingers when a faint number suddenly glowed above the King's head, visible only to her:
Affection: 50
She hadn't expected it to be that high.
She'd masked a startled cough behind her teacup and took a slow sip, letting the steam fog her vision as she scrambled to realign her thoughts.
Still, her resolve hadn't changed. She could play the perfect daughter and sister that he and her brothers would grow to adore.
But that was where the line ended.
No further.
Their tea concluded with a courteous farewell. King Zachary offered her a polite nod and an almost hesitant smile. It didn't quite reach his eyes, but... it was something.
He was trying, Elysia noted neutrally.
She returned to her remaining duties with the same practiced grace: a stroll through the eastern wing, an hour of embroidery she half-heartedly attempted (and failed at, miserably), and a painfully dull etiquette lesson from an elderly court tutor who never met her eyes unless absolutely necessary.
Just another day in the gilded cage.
By the time the sun dipped behind the horizon, Elysia was more than ready to collapse. After bathing and changing into a soft pearl-gray nightdress with the help of her ladies-in-waiting, she tucked herself into the massive bed that still didn't feel like hers and let her mind drift.
But just as sleep began to pull her under, a sudden thought sparked in the back of her mind.
"Say, Winfred," she murmured.
Her tiny companion appeared instantly in a soft shimmer of blue light.
[ Host. ]
"Am I the only one with a character profile in this world?"
[ No, Host. ]
Elysia jolted upright, sleepiness all but forgotten.
"Wait⊠so you do have profiles for other characters? Like the twins, for example?" she asked eagerly.
[ Indeed. Would you like to view their profiles? ]
She nodded. "If I'm going to pass this mission with relative ease, I need to know a bit about my opponents, don't I?"
Winfred pulsed once, and the now-familiar translucent screen appeared.
â
[ Luke Aerelion's profile. Loading⊠]
« Name » Crown Prince Luke Aerelion
« Role » Older brother of the Female Lead
« Family Background » Aerelion Royal Family. Reigning Monarchs of the Caelondria Empire.
« Race » Human
« Age » 21
« Birthday » 18th of July
« Blood Type » A+
« Skills » Strategic Thinking, Swordsmanship, Combat, Intellect, Diplomacy
« Weaknesses » Almonds, Heat, Stubbornness, Emotional Repression, Paranoia
« Current Affection Level » -10
â
"Makes sense for someone like him to suffer from paranoia," Elysia muttered. "Maybe if he actually got his head out of his arse and stopped playing the blame game, he'd trust people more easily."
"Alsoâthank you for making his weaknesses visible. It would've been aggravating if I had to wait for a certain level to unlock them." She pursed her lips, looking far too pleased for someone analyzing psychological weak spots.
[ Would you like to view Lucas Aerelion's profile now? ]
She nodded again.
â
[ Lucas Aerelion's profile. Loading⊠]
« Name » Prince Lucas Aerelion
« Role » Older brother of the Female Lead
« Family Background » Aerelion Royal Family. Reigning Monarchs of the Caelondria Empire.
« Race » Human
« Age » 21
« Birthday » 18th of July
« Blood Type » A+
« Skills » Mediation & Diplomacy, Emotional Perceptiveness, Tactile Patience, Combat
« Weaknesses » Honey, Hyacinths, Self-doubt, Indecisiveness, Insomnia
« Current Affection Level » 17
â
Elysia blinked in disbelief. "Wait a damned minuteâhis affection! It was 15 earlier during the altercation we had. Why did it increase?!"
Her confusion quickly spiraled into a flurry of half-baked theories⊠until the answer hit her like a lightning bolt.
Lucasâalthough he clearly wasn't fond of herâdidn't seem to hate her as much as Luke did.
What if she focused her efforts on Lucas? Use him like a chess piece to corner Luke?
She needed to pass this mission to move on. She'd do whatever it took.
Even if that meant manipulation.
And thanks to Winfred, she already had classified information. Might as well put them all to good use.
Come tomorrow, she'd get to work.
Just as she flopped back onto her pillow, her throat itched with an inconvenient dryness.
The unshakable feeling of thirst.
She groaned. "I should've gotten water earlierâŠ"
Several minutes passed in sleepy denial until she finally kicked off the covers and padded across the cold marble floor, shivering.
After throwing on a shawl and slipping on her slippers, she wandered the corridor, navigating by moonlight and memory.
Her destination: Wherever nobles hoarded their refreshments. Maybe a tea parlor or butler station.
As she neared the western balcony, a soft breeze tugged at her shawl. The doors stood slightly ajar.
And someone was there.
Moonlight poured over the figure, illuminating a tall, lean silhouette with tense shoulders, one hand gripping the railing.
His usually fiery red hair, like embers under sunlight, now shimmered darker in the moonlight. She'd recognize that build from anywhere.
Lucas.
Elysia's first instinct was to turn around and vanish before he noticed her. She didn't need another verbal thorn in her side tonight.
No way, not happening.
Besides, the plan was to down a glass of water, get some rest and begin Lucas-fishing officially tomorrow, not run into the guy five minutes after making said plan.
'Nope. I'm out of here.'
But as she quietly took a step back and made to bolt for itâ
"What are you doing here?"
His voice cut through the quietâlow, sharp, and laced with suspicion.
Busted.
She turned slowly, expression unreadable. "I was just leaving."
His crimson eyes gleamed under the moonlight, sharp and unrelenting. "Good," he said coldly. "Stay away from me. And don't show up where I am. Ever."
The words were meant to sting but Elysia pursed her lipsâa habit of hers whenever she felt peeved.
'Okay, and? Like I'm dying to be around you anyway. It's the audacity for me.'
Still, the thought stuck. Maybe this chance meeting wasn't a coincidence. Fate had just handed her a wildcard.
Why wait for tomorrow? It surely wouldn't hurt to get a headstart before then.
She let her voice soften then. "Can't sleep?"
Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly caught off guard that she hadn't fled.
"What?"
"I asked if you couldn't sleep," she repeated gently.
He scoffed. "Why would you care?"
"I wouldn't say I care," she replied, neutrally. "But knowing my precious older brother might be suffering alone doesn't exactly put me at peace."
He stared at her as though she'd grown a second head. Then he chuckledâa cold, humorless sound.
"Still keeping up the act? What do you hope to gain from pretending to be someone you're not?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said evenly, baiting him.
He stepped closer.
The move was calculatedâintimidation, no doubtâbut Elysia stood her ground, fingers tightening around her shawl.
He loomed over her now, crimson eyes burning with scorn and something elseâcuriosity?
"I know you know Luke and I detest you. I know you detest us just as much."
"I don't detest you two," she interrupted him.
The moment the words left her lips, Lucas stiffened.
His brows drew together in disbelief, eyes flickering with more suspicion... and something unreadable.
He tilted his head. "You don't detest us? Coming from someone who's avoided us like the plague until today?"
Elysia blinked at him, incredulous.
'Is he serious? Blame gaming even now? Whose fault is it that Elysia learned to avoid you both?'
Still, she racked her brain for memories, searching for what might have happened to make him say something like that.
Finding nothing worthwhile, she decided to pivot. She'd take any route as long as it brought her the results she desired.
"I had a change of perspective," Elysia said calmly, her voice laced with quiet conviction. "Sometimes, it takes a new lens to see what's been in front of you all along."
Lucas blinked, visibly thrown. "What the hell does that even mean?"
Elysia let a ghost of a smile touch her lips. "It means I realized avoiding you both solves nothing. If we're to coexist under the same roof, I may as well try understanding you. Even if you insist on making that task as unpleasant as possible."
Lucas gave another humorless laugh. "Understand me? Spare me. You don't know the first thing about me."
"Then tell me," she said.
He blinked again.
Something unreadable flickered in his expressionâdistrust, maybe. Laced with the faintest hint of self-confliction.
The night breeze stirred between them, cool and heavy with the scent of night-blooming jasmine. Moonlight spilled across the marble floor, glinting off the gold threads in her shawl and the sharp edges of his guarded stance.
"I'm not some puzzle for you to solve, little girl," he muttered, turning his gaze back toward the gardens below.
A dismissive gesture.
"No," she agreed, stepping closer, just slightly. "You're not. But you are human. And I'd rather try to see the person beneath all that acquired hostility than keep walking on eggshells around you."
Lucas said nothing but his fists clenched subtly at his sides.
Elysia watched him in silence for a few more seconds before turning on her heel. "Well then. Goodnight, Your Highness."
She walked off before he could retort, her steps slow but steady, echoing in the quiet corridor.
Lucas didn't stop her.
Not even when she glanced back once and caught him still staring out into the night, shoulders stiff, jaw set.
But his eyes⊠they weren't cold.
Not entirely.
â
After dousing her thirst, Elysia made it back to her chambers, her heartbeat strangely erratic.
She wasn't sure what emotion was tangled inside her chestâsatisfaction? Nerves? Something far more inexplicable?
Still, she had done what she set out to do.
An opening.
A sliver of doubt planted in the mind of a wary prince.
And that was all she needed.
Sliding back under the covers, she let her head sink into the pillows.
Her lips curled faintly as she whispered to herself, "Checkmate's not far off now, boys."
And Lucas' current affection score was proof of it, now glowing at 25.
â
A/N: sorry for the late update. Basically... School happened.