Prince Dio descended the grand staircase from the second floor, his composure as flawless as the morning light filtering through the windows. It illuminated his pale, snow-like skin and hair the color of a winter wolf, a beauty that mirrored the divine grace often attributed to the woman who now consumed his thoughts.
His sharp eyes caught the movement instantly. Below, G6 was not her usual self. Her walk was off—a stumbling, uncoordinated gait that was a far cry from her typical lethal precision. She was fighting for control, her body visibly trembling with the effort to simply remain upright. As she attempted another step, her knees buckled completely.
<
In a blur of motion, Dio crossed the remaining distance and caught her just before she hit the cold stone floor. She collapsed into his arms, a dead weight. Her skin was clammy, beaded with a cold, sickly sweat that spoke of a body pushed far beyond its limits.
"Reise?" Dio's voice was tight, but there was no response. Her consciousness had fled entirely. A hushed silence fell over the hall as those below stopped to stare at the shocking scene.
"REISE!"
"LADY REISE!"
The shouts echoed from the direction of the training arena. Dio looked up to see Keith and Edmund rushing toward him, their appearances just as ragged as the woman in his arms. Their hair was disheveled, their fine clothes dusted with sand, and their faces were etched with a panic that seemed far too deep for a simple training accident.
What in the world were the three of them doing? Dio thought, his mind racing. They look like they've been through a battle.
Keith reached them first, his usual playful demeanor gone. "What happened?" he demanded, his voice strained.
"She collapsed," Dio stated, his own worry simmering beneath a cool exterior. He glanced between their disheveled states and G6's pallid face. "Were you with her?" The question was direct, an order in itself.
Keith and Edmund exchanged a swift, guilty look but offered no answer. Instead, Keith reached for G6's hand, his face paling further. "She's ice cold."
"The clinic. Now!" Dio commanded, his tone brooking no argument. He lifted her effortlessly, struck by how fragile and light she felt. This was the woman who had faced him down with icy defiance? Now, she was utterly vulnerable in his arms, and the sensation was profoundly unsettling.
He led the way, Keith and Edmund flanking him like anxious guards, to the small medical clinic on the first floor. Dio shouldered the door open, startling the head nurse—and Eliza, who was observing a healing session, her hands flying to her mouth in shock.
"Your Highness!" the head nurse gasped, her eyes wide at the sight.
"She collapsed on the stairs," Dio announced, laying G6 gently on the examination cot. His presence seemed to suck the air from the room. "Attend to her. Immediately."
The head nurse immediately attended to G6, her fingers pressing against the woman's wrist. "Her pulse is stable but thready. Hand me the revitalizing potion," she instructed her assistant, her tone crisp and efficient.
The nurse carefully administered the potion, tilting G6's head back. For a moment, a soft, greenish glow emanated from G6's skin as the magic worked to soothe her overtaxed muscles and replenish her energy. "Hmm. As expected of a noblewoman's constitution," the nurse mused, though her brow remained slightly furrowed. She turned to the three men. "A rather severe fatigue. It is as if she attempted a feat her body was fundamentally incompatible with."
"We were engaged in light physical training," Keith offered quickly.
"Is she out of danger?" Dio asked, his voice tight, his eyes fixed on G6's pale face.
"She should be, with rest," the nurse replied, though her glance back at G6 suggested lingering doubts.
Edmund, sensing the unspoken questions poised to descend, stepped forward. His tone was the picture of respectful finality. "My lady slept very late and rose before dawn. A severe lack of rest is the most probable cause. Thank you for your swift care." It was a dismissal, an elegant closing of the topic.
Dio and Keith exchanged a look. They could smell the cover-up, but before Dio could press further, the clinic door burst open.
"Lady Reise!" Lilia's cry was a squeak of pure panic. She darted across the room, small hands clutching desperately at G6's sleeve.
Tina was right behind her, her usual composure shattered by fear for her mistress. Her sharp eyes found Edmund. "What happened? You were meant to ensure her well-being!" The accusation was clear, born of worry.
Edmund met her gaze evenly, a silent understanding passing between them. "Forgive me, but you know our lady's nature as well as I. Do you truly believe anyone can dissuade her once her mind is set?" His words were a shield, deflecting blame while secretly affirming their shared powerlessness against G6's will.
Tina's shoulders slumped in defeat, and she finally registered the presence of royalty, offering a flustered bow. "Your Highness. Sir Keith."
"Is she going to be alright?" Lilia asked the nurse, her voice trembling.
"You must be very fond of your lady," the nurse said kindly. "Do not worry. She simply needs profound rest."
Seeking to be helpful—and to insert herself into the prince's sphere—Eliza stepped forward. "If it pleases you, Your Highness, I have recently mastered a spell that can dispel fatigue entirely. It is quite effective, on par with a mid-grade potion." She looked to Dio for permission, her expression earnest.
The head nurse gave a curt nod. "I can vouch for its safety."
"Then, by all means, proceed," Dio granted.
Eliza approached the cot, a gentle, confident smile on her face. She reached out, intending to place her hands on G6's forehead to channel the spell.
The reaction was instantaneous and terrifying.
In a movement faster than a blink, G6's hand shot up. Not to accept the touch, but to counter it. There was a flash of polished metal—the same hairpin she had once held to Tina's throat, now looking infinitely sharper and more lethal, conjured from some hidden fold of her clothing. Its needle-like point was pressed firmly against the soft skin of Eliza's neck, a hair's breadth from piercing it.
The room froze.
"What do you think you are doing?" G6's voice was a low, venomous chill, her eyes sharp and lucid despite her previous state, holding the promise of swift, unthinking violence.
A small, trembling touch on her arm broke through the red haze of her instincts. "L-Lady Reise… it's okay." It was Lilia, her voice a terrified whisper, yet she held her ground, a beacon of familiarity in the storm.
G6 blinked. The clinic came back into focus. The stunned faces. The cold fear in Eliza's eyes. The metal in her own hand.
She snapped back to herself, the assassin's mask dropping as quickly as it had appeared. She withdrew the hairpin and smoothly sat up, her expression shifting to an unnervingly placid neutrality.
"What happened?" she asked, her tone now flat, as if she had just woken from a simple nap and not nearly assassinated a fellow.
Tina, her own heart hammering from the flashback, managed to speak. "You lost consciousness on the stairs, my lady. His Highness brought you here."
G6's gaze swept over the assembled group before landing indifferently on Eliza. "Excuse my actions," she stated, her words devoid of any real apology. It was not a request for forgiveness; it was a clinical warning. "My body is not fond of unsolicited touch ."
The unspoken words hung heavily in the air: Touch me without permission again, and the consequences will be yours to bear.
"I was… I was only trying to ease your fatigue, Lady Reise," Eliza stammered, her hand instinctively going to her throat where the ghost of the hairpin's touch still lingered.
G6's expression was one of pure, uncomprehending disappointment. "Ease my fatigue? How is my body supposed to adapt if you keep forcing it to skip the recovery process?" she asked, her voice cool and analytical, as if explaining a basic tactical error.
The head nurse frowned, stepping forward. "My lady, I assure you, there is no harm in a restorative spell. Miss Eliza was only trying to—"
"I was pushing my body for a reason," G6 interrupted, her sharp gaze silencing the nurse. Her words were not those of a pampered noble but of a hardened drill instructor. "What happens the next time this occurs and I am alone? If my body grows accustomed to a rescue that may not come, it will never learn its own limits. It will never learn to survive on its own."
Her statement hung in the air, baffling everyone in the room. Survive? It was a word used for soldiers in the field or adventurers in the wild, not for a Prime Minister's daughter in the safety of the palace.
"Leave my body to its own devices," she declared, standing up with a steadiness that seemed to defy her recent collapse. Her tone was final, absolute. "If it cannot endure, then that is simply the limit of its current capabilities. A fact I need to know."
She turned, her eyes finding Dio's. The look was direct, acknowledging his role without a shred of the simpering gratitude he might have once expected from Reise. "Thank you for your assistance," she said, her gratitude sounding more like a mission debrief.
Then, she simply walked out, leaving a room steeped in stunned silence.
Lilia, after a wide-eyed glance at the adults, immediately scurried after her, as if G6's commanding presence had swept her along like a tide.
"Miss Eliza, please, you must forgive my lady's reaction," Tina said, offering a deep, apologetic bow. "She has never been… comfortable with unsolicited touch from those outside her circle."
Edmund followed suit, his tone impeccably polite yet firm. "Thank you for your assistance today, Sir Keith. And our deepest gratitude to you, Your Highness, for your swift action." With that, the two servants took their leave, hurrying after their unpredictable mistress.
The head nurse, Ms. Cristy, let out a breathy laugh, trying to dispel the lingering tension. "My, my. I had no idea the House of Worthon's self-defense training was so… intense."
"Thank you for your services, Ms. Cristy. And thank you, Eliza," Dio said, his voice distant. He offered a curt nod before turning to leave, the image of the hairpin at Eliza's throat burned into his mind.
_____
Dio walked toward his office, the morning's events replaying in a chaotic loop. Keith fell into step beside him, still looking disheveled.
She rejects healing. She speaks of survival. She moves like a trained knight. What happened to you in those three years, Reise? What did they turn you into? Dio's thoughts were a whirlwind of frustration and dawning, unsettling concern.
He finally looked at the woman he used to ignore, however she's like a puzzle can't be solved.
Their silent walk was suddenly interrupted by a voice drifting from a slightly ajar door.
"What's for lunch? I'm starving." The voice was clear, demanding, and utterly recognizable. It was G6.
"My lady, were you not just instructed to avoid using much of your—?" Tina's voice replied, a clear note of scolding in her tone that was interrupted by her.
"Ugh! Stop nagging me. What are you, my mother?" G6 shot back, her voice laced with familiar, blunt irritation. "I haven't done anything. I was just… running a diagnostic. Now, where's my food?"
"Lady Reise, it is only ten in the morning. But we have these cupcakes from the cafeteria," a smaller, cheerful voice interjected—undoubtedly Lilia's.
Keith stopped dead in his tracks, a grin spreading across his face. "Well, it sounds like she's made a full recovery," he whispered. He crept closer to the door and carefully peeked through the gap.
Dio, his own curiosity overriding propriety, moved to look over Keith's shoulder.
The scene within was nothing short of bewildering.
The woman who had been pale and unconscious less than an hour ago was now lounging on her office couch in a posture that would give any etiquette master a heart attack. One foot was planted on the floor, the other was draped over the couch's backrest. Lilia was perched on a small footstool beside her, looking perfectly content.
Most astonishing of all, Edmund and Tina were seated in adjacent chairs, each holding a cup of tea. Their expressions were a priceless mix of profound exhaustion and resigned acceptance as they regarded their lady's profoundly undisciplined posture.
Dio could only stare, his earlier worries clashing with the utterly mundane, bizarrely domestic scene before him. The servants were not standing at attention; they were sitting. With her. The feared Wicked Rose was lounging like a common soldier after drills, and her entire household seemed to have been dragged into her strange new world, equal parts exasperated and devoted.
The chasm between the woman in the clinic and the woman in this office was so vast it was dizzying. Prince Dio was left with only one, overwhelming thought: I understand nothing about her at all.
The sound of rushed footsteps echoed down the hall, cutting through the quiet. Before Keith or Dio could react, the door to G6's office was thrown open with little ceremony.
"Move." A cold voice preceded the two figures who strode inside, their presence immediately filling the room.
"My sister!" both men shouted in unison, their sudden entrance startling the trio of servants. G6, however, merely shifted her gaze toward the commotion, her expression one of profound annoyance.
Oh, great. This is a fantastic start to day one.
They rushed toward her, their concern so palpable it forced her to sit up properly from her languid position on the couch.
"I heard you collapsed! Are you alright?" Ray asked, his voice thick with concern as he knelt before her.
"Why do you look like this?" Ron interrupted, his own worry taking a more dramatic turn as he moved to envelop her in a hug. "Do they not take care of you well here?"
G6 recoiled, jumping slightly in her seat to avoid the contact. "Relax. You're suffocating me," she stated flatly, straightening her clothes as she stood.
"That's it. You're coming to stay at the Sanctum," Ray declared, shooting a pointed look toward Prince Dio.
Dio and Keith stepped further into the room. "Now, now, my beloved seniors," Keith began, his tone placating. "We were just having a light swo—"
His words were cut off as Ray moved with sudden, sharp intent. "Wind Blade," he chanted. A razor-edged gust of air shot past, shearing off a precise lock of Keith's hair before dissipating against the far wall.
"Why did you let my sister hold a sword?" Ray's voice was low, all traces of his earlier playfulness gone, replaced by the stern authority of the Worthon family's heir apparent. "Do you have any idea how delicate she is?"
Keith stood frozen, more stunned by the audacity of the attack than the attack itself, as if such behavior were regrettably familiar.
"He's right," Ron added, his gaze equally severe. "Are you the reason our sister collapsed?"
G6 walked to the front of her desk and leaned against it, crossing her arms. Her voice was a chill wind in the suddenly tense room. "Get out. All of you." Her displeasure was a tangible force.
"No. You are coming with us to the Sanctum," Ray countered, his tone leaving no room for argument. The playful elder brother had vanished, replaced entirely by the next Head of the House of Worthon. "Your first day, and you collapse? This is unacceptable."
"I am afraid that will not be possible, Sir Ray," Tina interjected, stepping forward with a deep bow. "It was Her Majesty the Queen herself who assigned Lady Reise to this department."
"Is she out of her mind?" Ray retorted, his frustration boiling over. "Reise has been pampered all her life. She knows nothing of this world beyond etiquette and decorum!"
The words made G6's neutral expression sharpen into something dangerous.
"Don't speak about my boss that way," G6 said, her voice dropping into the cold, sharp tone they were beginning to recognize.
Dio remained a silent observer, his eyes missing nothing.
"I was the one who told the Queen I wanted something else," G6 continued, circling her desk to lean against the window frame, overlooking the capital. "She could not grant my first request, so this was the compromise." A faint, almost imperceptible sigh escaped her. "I suppose my first request was too much to ask."
"Don't tell me…" Tina whispered, her blood running cold.
"This is not something she should reveal, not in front of the Prince and her brothers," she murmured to Edmund, a silent panic in her eyes.
"What should we do?" Edmund whispered back, equally alarmed.
Ray's face was a mask of serious intensity. "What do you mean? What was your first request?"
Ron, Dio, and Keith were equally captivated, the air thick with anticipation for a secret weighty enough to force a Queen to compromise.
"Well," G6 said, a deliberately evil smirk playing on her lips. "I just asked her to—"
"I heard the food they are serving in the cafeteria today is roasted meat!" Tina blurted out, her interruption so sudden and out of context it was utterly bizarre.
The room fell into a stunned silence. All eyes turned to her.
G6 just stared, a flicker of amusement in her steely gaze. Is she trying to shut me up? Well, do better.
"So, as I was saying," G6 pressed on, her smirk widening. "I asked Her Majesty to—"
"Edmund will show you his favorite place in the West Villa later!" Tina interjected again, a desperate, bargaining tone in her voice.
"What in the world are you doing, Tina?" Ron asked, irritation clear on his face.
G6 tilted her head, now genuinely intrigued by her maid's bizarre behavior. "What could that be?" she asked, playing along.
"Edmund, whisper it to her," Tina hissed under her breath, pulling the butler aside.
"What do you mean?" Edmund whispered back, utterly confused.
"The liquor storage in the villa," Tina whispered, so low it was almost inaudible.
"How will that make her stop talking?" Edmund questioned.
"Just trust me!" Tina pleaded.
The others in the room could only watch the frantic whispering with bewildered expressions.
Edmund straightened his vest, schooled his features into neutrality, and approached G6. "My lady, may I have a word in private?" he asked formally. At G6's nod, he leaned in close. "The liquor storage is where I usually hide," he whispered.
G6's eyes lit up with immediate, unadulterated glee. Her heart gave a little skip.
Am I finally… is this…?
A truly wicked smile spread across her face, causing everyone else to furrow their brows in suspicion. "Forget it," she announced to the room, her mood visibly improved. "If you're so curious, you can ask my boss." She waved a dismissive hand.
Another secret?This group is indeed a vault of them, Dio thought, his curiosity deepening.
"But Reise, listen to me, this is for your own good," Ray tried again, attempting to steer the conversation back to his goal of extracting her.
"I can handle myself," G6 stated, her tone final. It wasn't a promise; it was a dismissal. "I promise I won't let the Prince," she glanced at Dio, "or anyone else, catch me if I fall again." The words were empty, spoken only to end the argument and secure her future access to the liquor storage.
"Dio?" Ron said, turning his attention to the silent prince. "Oh, so your eyes have finally deigned to see my sister?" he added, a clear note of mockery in his voice.
"Tell me about it," Ray butted in, siding with his brother for once. "Anyway, thank you for saving our sister."
I can tell now, G6 observed. They are not on good terms.
"Tell me about it," Ray butted in, siding with his brother for once. "Anyway, thank you for saving our sister."
Dio stood with regal composure. "You are welcome. It was a mere chance that I was there," he replied, offering the respectful response expected of him while deftly ignoring Ron's jab.
"Reise," Ray said, exerting his authority as the eldest one last time. "Next time you collapse, you are leaving this place. We will allow this… for now." He then shifted, his demeanor lightening. "But before we leave, give me a hug."
Ron immediately opened his arms and advanced. "Yes, a hug!"
"I will snap your neck if you keep invading my personal space," G6 said coldly, her voice so devoid of warmth it made Ron stop dead in his tracks.
"You are truly mean," he pouted. "You are not the little girl who used to say 'Big brother, you are so handsome!'."
"She said that to you? Stop lying, you idiot," Ray barked, the two of them instantly falling back into their familiar, childish bickering.
"She didn't say that to you? You must be the ugliest among us!"
"You take that back!"
And just like that, the serious heirs of the Worthon family vanished, replaced once more by two squabbling sister-obsessed fools.
"I believe you both have important matters to attend to in the Sanctum," Tina said, seamlessly stepping forward and beginning to usher them toward the door. "Please, allow your sister to rest."
"Tina, why do you always nag like our mother? Good grace, get a boyfrie—" Ron's complaint was cut short as Tina, with surprising strength and gentleness, guided them both out into the hallway.
"Reise, my little sugar plum! Visit us, okay?" Ron called out as he was led away.
"Do not forget what I said, sweetie!" Ray added.
It seems Tina is indeed a big part of this family, G6 mused, watching the display with detached interest.
With the brothers gone, only Keith and Dio remained. Keith welcomed himself and was about to sink into a chair when G6 spoke.
"I would appreciate it if you got the hell out of my office," she said, not even looking at him.
"I want to speak with you, partner," Keith complained, his tone whiny.
"I want to rest. Get out," she reiterated, walking back to her couch and flopping down with a sigh. She then turned her head toward Dio. "Oy. Don't just stand there. Drag your pet out of my room." The informal, almost rude address was deliberately jarring.
Dio's eyes narrowed. "'Oy'?" he mused, the unfamiliar address striking his royal ears as profoundly odd.
Then, he collected himself. His expression smoothed into one of polite neutrality. "Then, please rest and regain your strength. You have our well wishes. Excuse us for the intrusion." With that, he reached out, grabbed Keith firmly by the back of his collar, and unceremoniously dragged the sputtering man from the room.
She is truly interesting. I have never seen her speak to her brothers in such a way.
It seems she truly has changed. A great deal.
This is becoming… fascinating.
The more she pushes me away, the stronger the urge becomes to close the distance.
Those were the thoughts tumbling through Prince Dio's mind as the door shut behind him. Unknowingly, and quite accidentally, G6 had just charmed the very person she most wanted to remove from her life.
— To be continued… —