06:10 The dim light of the early morning filtered through the automatic curtains, shining on Aurora's slightly trembling eyelashes. She suddenly woke up as if she had just escaped from a broken dream. Her heart was beating fast. The surrounding space was too strange, too quiet... and too luxurious.
The room was so large that it took her a few seconds to determine where she was. The main color was cold gray-black, the soft yellow light emitted from the hidden light strips in the wall, creating a feeling of both luxury and pressure. The wall was covered with matte basalt, reflecting her shadow on the surface.
A giant window stretched from floor to ceiling, opening onto a granite balcony with transparent glass railings. In the distance was a panoramic view of the city submerged in a thin layer of fog, the tall buildings seemed to pierce the clouds.
In the right corner of the room was a low Italian-style black leather sofa, in front of it was a frosted glass table, on which was placed a silver tray and… a humanoid serving robot standing still, its eyes glowing blue, waiting for orders. The entire room was a combination of modern architecture and smart technology: curtains, lighting, temperature, all controlled by voice sensors.
Aurora didn't have time to look long. She immediately fumbled to find her handbag and… the old book about the blood moon and the curse.
After a few steps, she found them: neatly laid on the table, without a scratch. As if someone had carefully placed them there.
Aurora hurriedly grabbed her handbag, hugged it close to her body, and opened her mouth to mumble:
Aurora: "I have to get out of here… I can't stay…"
The door to the room suddenly opened gently, without a sound.
Four tall figures walked in, their aura making the room seem to shrink: Blacke, Knox, Zane, and Easton.
Blacke took the lead, his black shirt open at the neck, his icy eyes flicking to the book in Aurora's hand before stopping at her confused face.
Blacke: "You woke up earlier than I thought."
Aurora: (taking a half step back) "Where… Where am I?"
Knox: (leaning against the doorframe, voice as deep as steel) "Our mansion."
Aurora: "Why did you bring me here? Who gave you permission?"
Zane: (half-smiling, cutting in) "If you didn't, the F3 would have taken you away yesterday."
Easton: "And trust me, you don't want to know what would have happened if it had been them."
Aurora tightened her grip on her bag, her eyes wavering but still trying to appear calm:
Aurora: "I don't need your protection. I just need… this book and… I can take care of myself."
Blacke: (approaches, low voice) "Take care of yourself? You passed out on the cement last night and you call that taking care of yourself?"
Aurora was silent for a moment. She couldn't remember the whole thing, only the fierce eyes of F3 and a hand pulling her into the darkness.
Knox: (walks around, looks straight at the book) "What are you looking for in there? About the blood moon? The curse?"
Aurora: (immediately covers the book) "It's none of your business."
Zane: (smirks) "Don't be delusional. In this city, everything related to you... is related to us."
The atmosphere was so heavy that even the robot waiter in the corner went into standby mode.
Aurora took a deep breath, turned to the door:
Aurora: "I'll leave now."
Easton: (calmly) "The outer door is locked. No one in, no one out until the blood moon ends tonight."
Aurora: (glaring) "You think I'm a prisoner?"
Blacke: (squinting, voice cold and slow) "No. But if you let me go free… then F3 will turn me into a toy. And I won't allow that."
That sentence made Aurora suddenly stop.
Zane raised his eyebrows, as if he had just thought of something:
Zane: "Why don't you try telling me… where is your villa, so we can take you back?"
Aurora was silent. F4's eyes quickly exchanged, clearly they already knew the answer.
Knox: (shrugs) "No? Then I'll just leave you here."
Easton: "Much safer."
Blacke walked to the table, picked up the book, and placed it neatly in front of Aurora as if sending a reminder:
Blacke: "If you want to know about the blood moon, just ask me. But… remember, here, the rules are ours."
Aurora bit her lip, tightening her grip on the strap of her bag. She knew she couldn't leave until the moon set.
Aurora was about to turn around and leave when her eyes glanced down… and suddenly stopped.
Her eyes widened, then she bent down to take a closer look. Where was yesterday's uniform?!
Instead… was a soft, smooth black silk nightgown, knee-length, with soft fur trim around the sleeves. Every time she moved, the thin fabric seemed to brush against her skin, making her feel both cool and… hard to describe.
Aurora: "…" It took exactly 3 seconds for her brain to boil
She immediately rushed forward, her two hands tightly grabbing Blacke's collar, pulling him down close to her face.
"WHAT… WHAT IS THIS?!" – She screamed, her voice both shrill and trembling. "Who gave you permission… to change my clothes?!"
Blacke raised his eyebrows at her:
"Oh, finally noticed." His voice was calm, almost teasing.
"Pay attention to my head!" Aurora rushed forward, still holding the collar with both hands, but not forgetting to grab Blacke's collar, pulling him down.
"F4 you guys… you guys… you guys are BASTARDS!"
Blacke (raised eyebrows, lips curled slightly):
"Bastards? Because you let me wear new pajamas?"
Aurora:
"New to your head!!! Who gave you permission to change my clothes?! Who did this?!"
Knox (leaning back in his chair, chin resting on his hand, lazy voice):
"So you want to wear the uniform covered in blood and dust from yesterday?"
Aurora (turned to scream):
"Better like that than wearing… this!"
Zane (chuckles, eyes full of meaning):
"But it looks really good. This nightgown highlights your long legs..."
Aurora (face red, punches Zane hard on the shoulder):
"Pervert!!"
Easton (cold voice but the corners of his lips seem to want to smile):
"If you were a pervert, you wouldn't be standing here scolding us."
Aurora grits her teeth, turns to Blacke, still holding his collar tightly:
"Tell me the truth. Who… changed my clothes?"
Blacke (leans slightly closer, whispers):
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Aurora:
"Sure!"
Blacke (chuckles, avoiding the answer):
"Just know… we didn't miss a single detail."
Aurora:
"What?"
She lets go of him as if electrocuted, her face red as a tomato, backing away from the door.
Knox (bursting into laughter):
"You look like a cat that's been doused with cold water."
Aurora pointed at all four of them, her voice trembling with anger:
"I swear... you F4 are really devils in the guise of handsome men!"
Zane leaned his arms on the chair, tilted his head to look at her, and teased:
"And you still stay here with us?"
Aurora's face turned red, her two hands tightly gripping the collar of her black silk nightgown, the fur on her wrists lightly vibrating with each breath:
"I... I have no choice! You... you beast!"
Easton sat with his arms crossed, his eyes seeming to see through her every expression:
"You beast and still let me wear this... sexy dress?"
Aurora almost jumped up, stomping her feet:
"What... sexy?! This is for sleeping, for SLEEPING! You... you pervert!"
Blacke leaned back in her chair, the corners of her lips curled up, her voice low and deliberately slow:
"But it suits you so much that... I'm not sure we can sleep."
Aurora:
"BLACKE!!!"
Her voice was broken, both angry and embarrassed, her hands continuously hit his shoulders and chest:
"You pervert! You bastard! You... you devil!"
Blacke didn't dodge, just tilted his head slightly to look at her from top to bottom, his eyes seemed to tease her to the end:
"Hit me more, the more blushing you look, the cuter you look."
Aurora:
"I'm not cute! I'm so angry I want to cry!"
Knox interrupted again, clapping his hands:
"Oh, it looks like you're really crying."
Zane pretended to take out his phone, holding it up as if he was filming:
"This is truly a rare moment...Princess Aurora, a kitten version, crying and cursing."
Aurora shouted:
"Delete it now!"
She screamed and rushed forward to snatch the phone, but Blacke held her hand, causing her to struggle even more.
Easton raised his eyebrows, his voice cold but slightly amused:
"The more you struggle, the more we want to keep it."
Aurora:
"You guys are really bastards!"
Blacke (leaning close to her ear, whispering):
"Maybe... but we're bastards just for you."
Aurora:
"I hate you guys!"
The whole F4 burst out laughing, each in their own way, but their eyes never left the girl who was crying and blushing, her soft nightgown shaking with every movement, making the scene both chaotic and... dangerous.