Morning crept in slow.
The sun was lazy. Like even it knew what happened in the cabin last night and didn't want to disturb the wreckage. Kazuki woke up last. Of course he did. He always did, but not because he slept the deepest.
He liked the silence that came before anyone else opened their eyes. The quiet when breathing was the only sound in the room. He sat up, one hand brushing Lila's hair from his chest. She didn't stir. Mia had already gotten dressed. She wasn't there anymore. That girl never stayed long after softness.
Kazuki pulled on a shirt. His back ached a little. Good pain. He glanced at the system message that flickered silently in the corner of his vision.
{Mood: Smug}
{Reputation: Mysterious Stranger +5}
{Next Quest Incoming...}
He stretched. The room smelled like heat and sweat and perfume. He didn't open the window. Let the scent stay. Let the walls remember.
He stepped outside.
The village was too peaceful for what he knew was coming.
Down the hill, past the uneven stone path, people were already lining up by the well. Kids ran around barefoot. A blacksmith hammered at something loud. It was all noise, but not the kind that mattered. He watched it without really seeing.
Then she came.
Carriage wheels dragged dust behind them like a slow storm. The horses looked expensive, even tired. The emblem painted on the side wasn't familiar, but he'd seen enough books in the old world to know what nobles liked to put on their crests—fake animals holding fake swords.
The door opened before the driver even came around to help.
Boots hit the ground.
Not delicate ones.
Sharp ones.
She stepped out in a way that said she knew people would be watching. Back straight. Neck high. Hair pinned with precision. But her eyes were tired.
Tired of pretending she didn't know what kind of world this was.
Kazuki smiled to himself.
She was his favorite kind of puzzle.
The girl didn't speak as she walked up to him. Didn't bow. Didn't ask his name. Just stood close enough to make other villagers stop and whisper.
"You're the one who helped the merchant girl?"
Kazuki tilted his head.
"I've helped a few girls lately. You'll have to be more specific."
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't play with me."
He liked her already.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
The noble girl didn't smile. "Because rumors spread. And I like to see trouble before it spreads too far."
Kazuki stepped closer, just enough to brush her arm with his.
"I'm not trouble," he whispered.
"I think you are," she said.
Then she turned and walked straight into the inn like she owned it.
She probably did.
Later that day, the system blinked again.
{New Quest Available}
{Target: Lady Seraphina d'Ardent}
{Objective: Make her fall in love}
{Bonus: Public Reputation - Risk of Scandal +15%}
{Warning: Target is highly resistant to manipulation}
Kazuki laughed under his breath.
A challenge.
Finally.
Seraphina wasn't like Lila. She wasn't like Mia either. She didn't react to charm. Didn't blush when Kazuki leaned too close. Didn't flinch when his words got suggestive.
But he watched.
And when she thought no one was looking, she stole glances at his hands.
She was curious. But she hated it.
Kazuki didn't push too hard.
He knew how to tease patience.
That evening, they sat at the edge of the village square under the excuse of a town meeting. Seraphina spoke of taxes. Of road repairs. Of things the village barely understood.
Kazuki stood in the back, arms crossed, silent.
When she finished, the crowd clapped politely and started to leave.
She walked toward him, slow and careful.
"You say nothing. But I know you think too much."
Kazuki smiled. "You're not wrong."
"You scare people."
"I scare the ones who have something to hide."
Seraphina's voice dropped. "And what do you hide?"
He looked at her, long and quiet.
"Enough to keep me interesting."
The sun set. The sky bled orange.
Kazuki walked her back to her carriage without being asked.
They didn't touch.
But their shadows did.
Right before she stepped up into the carriage, Seraphina turned.
"You're dangerous," she said.
Kazuki smirked.
"You should find out how dangerous."
She paused.
For just a second.
Then she left.
He stood in the road long after the carriage vanished from sight.
Hands in his pockets.
Eyes dark.
He didn't say it out loud, but the system did for him.
{She will be back.}
Back at the cabin, Mia sat by the fire sharpening a blade. Lila lay on the bed, bored and playing with a strand of her hair.
"Who was she?" Mia asked.
Kazuki shut the door behind him.
"No one important."
Lila rolled her eyes. "Liar."
He walked to them both, sat down between them, and leaned back against the wall. The heat of the room returned quickly.
He didn't speak more that night.
But his silence said everything.