What was I thinking. A villainess would always remain a villainess.
That thought was the first thing sitting in my mind when consciousness returned like a slow rising tide.
When I opened my eyes, the world was blurry and heavy, as if I was waking from a dream I was not supposed to survive. The hall's cold air brushed against my skin. My ears rang softly. My vision sharpened little by little, and the first thing that came into focus was her face.
Selene.
That same cruel smile. The one she used whenever she wanted to hide something deep inside her. The smile that looked beautiful and dangerous at the same time.
For a moment I forgot how to breathe.
Did she kill Shion while I was gone.
A jolt of fear crawled through my chest. My eyes darted around the hall, searching, desperate. My heart thumped loudly, louder than the murmurs around me. Then I saw her.
Shion was still on the ground. Her chest rose and fell weakly. Akari held her hand tightly, whispering something under her breath as if she was praying. Relief washed over me, though my body still trembled.
"Welcome back, Kisaragi," Selene said the moment she noticed my eyes open.
Her voice had that soft, honey‑covered tone she used whenever she wanted me to let my guard down. I wished I could punch the smile off her face.
Ice stood beside her. I glanced at him and noticed how his posture drooped, as if he carried silent guilt. His eyes shifted away from mine. It was as if he believed he had failed to protect someone or something. I did not know what he was thinking, and right now, I did not care.
My body felt heavy, but I forced myself to sit up. The cold floor pressed against my palms. Every muscle ached. Selene stepped forward and extended her hand, but I ignored it. I did not want her help. I did not want her touch.
Anger pulsed under my skin.
She stabbed me.
She stabbed me without even blinking.
She stabbed me like it meant nothing.
As I rose to my feet, the room went quiet. I could feel everyone's stares, like sharp needles poking into my back. Master Hoshino looked the most shocked. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open in disbelief.
He really should learn how to close it.
You would think a clan master would have seen stranger things than someone waking from death.
But the only thought repeating inside me was the question burning painfully through my chest.
Why.
Why did she do it.
Why did she stab me.
Why did someone who claimed to love me kill me without hesitation.
Selene's gaze followed me, unreadable. Then she spoke, her voice smooth and calm.
"Well, it seems I finally understand why I could not sense the black stone. You really are special, Kisaragi."
She turned and walked out of the hall without even looking back at Shion. Her robe moved gently behind her, almost too peacefully for someone who had just murdered me not long ago.
Did she change her mind about killing Shion.
Why walk away. Why now. None of it made sense.
My legs moved before my thoughts did. I followed her.
The hallway outside the hall was quiet. The air felt different, colder, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. My heartbeat quickened as I approached her, frustration clawing its way up my throat.
"What was that," I said as soon as I reached her. My voice shook. "Why did you stab me like that. You did not even think twice."
Selene paused and turned slightly. The soft smile returned to her lips, the one that covered everything she did not want anyone to see.
"You came back to life, did you not. My immortal love."
"Stop smiling," I snapped. "Why do you always hide behind that smile."
My frustration broke through every wall inside me. I reached out without meaning to and pushed her back against the wall. The sound of her back hitting the stone echoed softly. My hands trembled beside her shoulders.
Her eyes widened a little, filled with surprise, then amusement. "So this is how you repay me for sparing your first kiss. I did not know you were this fierce, Kisaragi."
Her teasing tone made my breathing come uneven. My heart thumped like a drum.
"Why would you do it," I whispered. "I thought you said you loved me. Why stab me if you love me."
For a heartbeat everything around us felt still. A flicker of something fragile crossed her eyes. Something she tried to hide. Then she moved.
In a quick motion, she flipped our positions. Her strength overpowered me easily, and suddenly I was the one pinned to the wall. Her hands held me firmly, but her touch was gentle at the same time.
"I am the top," Selene said. Her voice dropped lower, sinking into a tone that brushed my skin like cold wind. "So I should be the one in control."
She leaned closer until her breath touched my cheek.
"I do love you," she whispered. "I admitted it every chance I get, and I will admit it again. I even asked for your forgiveness before I hurt you, because it hurt me too. I promised myself not to kill you. Yet there was no other way to learn the truth. I needed to know why I could not sense anything around you."
Her thumb brushed the side of my face. My stomach twisted at her touch.
"Now I know," she continued. "You are the reason. You carry a power I cannot describe. Even last night during the merchant's wedding, I could not sense you. Not even a trace. You are different. And this will cause trouble."
Her words wrapped around my mind like fog. A heavy fog I could not see through. I could not understand what she meant. It felt like she was speaking about a part of me I did not know existed.
I opened my mouth to question her, but before I could speak, she leaned in and kissed me.
My breath broke.
Her lips were warm. Her touch soft. The world around us disappeared. It felt like she had pulled me into something I could not escape. Something I did not want to escape.
When she pulled back, her eyes softened.
"That is the kiss you craved," she whispered. "You can kiss me as much as you want now, Kisaragi. My vow is over. I belong to you. Since I hurt you, how will you punish me."
Her voice changed. Soft. Warm. A little playful.
It made the anger inside me melt so quickly I almost hated her for it.
Then my eyes drifted down. Her robe was loose. She was not wearing anything beneath it.
"You should put on proper clothes," I said, my voice cracking. "You cannot walk around like this."
I glanced toward the entrance. The guards were watching us. Watching her.
"People are watching."
"Let them watch," she said. "They can look all they want. Only you are allowed to touch."
Her words melted me like snow under sunlight. I had to steady my breathing.
"Well, I do not like seeing you like this," I said.
Her smile tilted slightly. "Are you sure. Last night you enjoyed watching me far too much. You even made me put on a show for you."
My face burned. "What… what happened between us last night."
Selene tilted her head gently. "You do not remember. Then it is my memory to keep."
That was not fair. How could she keep it all to herself. How could she make it feel like a story I would never be allowed to read.
Everything inside me felt too heavy. Too full. Too tight.
And I could not hold back anymore.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers.