My eyes were open, seeming to smile while gazing deep into hers.
Evelyn's expression was dazed as I moved a hand to tenderly brush my fingers against her warm ears.
In return, she tightly gripped my sleeve, adjusting her hold again and again, trying to steady herself.
It was our first kiss, so I didn't deepen it—just softly sucked her lower lip, then her upper one.
When I moved to the upper one, it felt as though she began sucking my lower one. It was incredibly light though, so it was difficult to tell.
When I finally pulled away—after roughly twenty seconds or so—I felt a subtle resistance from her, as if she didn't want to let go.
Is she doing that subconsciously or…
Her body seemed yet to have caught up with what had just happened as she sat completely frozen, statue-still.
I gave her a warm smile and gently tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear before standing to leave. Her fingers, which had been gripping my sleeve so tightly, slipped off the smooth fabric as I moved away.
"I'll give you some time to think about it, let's talk later…" I softly said to her as I left, walking with an imperceptibly nervous gait.
At my words, Evelyn turned to look at my retreating back and put a finger on her lip—mind still in a haze, spiraling about what just happened.
***
'...Huh…? What… j-just happened? Did… did he re-really just…' she thought, staring at Aurelius' retreating back, touching her moist lips as if to confirm what just happened.
After around five minutes, she finally managed to collect her erratic self.
'What… What actually happened to him while I was gone?! I thought he was just acting like a tsundere for a little bit because he missed me and Ana. But, is he actually a… yandere?!'
Evelyn thought back to his passionate "you're mine" declaration and the fiercely possessive way he treated her, causing her face to heat up along with another part better left unnamed.
Yeah, she might be a lost cause.
Don't involve yourself in yanderes, kids. There's a high chance it won't end well.
'W-wait, had he just shown his possessiveness because we were getting engaged, or had he been in-in love with me this whole time?!'
'Why did he just show his true feelings now? D-did my teasing finally break him?! Orrr—did he get jealous and possessive when I told him about how other guys were flirting with me? He obviously doesn't trust the web for news, so when I told him myself, h-he couldn't control himself?!'
Evelyn's thoughts spiraled and twisted, eventually convincing herself of all the little things Aurelius did in the past being a show of affection and hint of his feelings towards her.
After he tried to get her to notice for so long to no avail, then hearing of other men flirting with her, he finally lost control and let his yandere tendencies slip full force.
At least, that's what she convinced herself with.
***
Leaving the living area, I immediately spotted my sister who was stretching her body. She was surprised to see me.
"This quick? What did you two even talk about?" She asked with curiosity and confusion, about to enter the room, but I stopped her.
"Something for the future of our relationship. Give her some time to think over it alone. Let's see dad, I still don't know what's exactly happening for this ceremony," I calmly answered before taking the lead to walk towards my father's office.
"Ugh—wait," my sister called out, stopping me. "Do you even know where he is currently? We need to ask a butler or the estate managers first."
"Ahh, I guess that makes sense—this place is huge. Most of the time, the staff just directly brings me to father or he comes directly to me," I remarked, enlightened. My sister shook her head in response and let out a sigh.
"I'll save my questions about Evelyn for later."
After asking around, we arrived at a grand garden, stretching out in elegant symmetry.
Neat hedges guiding visitors past marble fountains, cherry blossom trees, and vibrant flowerbeds—many of them blooming in deep, royal purples like a living tapestry. In the distance—tall, pale pine trees marked the ends of the garden like a gate.
Near the center, a serene reflecting pool captured the glow of the vibrant sun. And there stood Julius, imposingly gazing upon the regal flora and the songbirds that chirped in trees.
When he saw us, his imposing gaze quickly softened to a smile, and started walking towards us.
"There's my babies," he said warmly, spreading his arms out—perhaps thinking we would jump into his embrace.
We just looked at him as he only received the caress of a breeze of wind, making him cross his arms in disappointment.
He shook his head and sighed. "Ah—my children have grown so cold… Well one was always cold, now it seems the other has followed suit."
After rolling her eyes, my sister questioned, "so—is everything set for tonight? Don't tell me there's something for me to do, I am taking the rest of the day off and getting my well deserved rest!"
"Haha, you've had it rough over the year, haven't you?" He asked, patting Anastasia's head with a gentle smile.
Then, he discussed what will happen in the engagement ceremony tonight. The distinguished families that will be arriving, the timetable of everything, things like that.
I wasn't really listening, mostly gazing upon the garden and birds until my father would call me out.
Suddenly, an idea hit my head, causing me to pose a question during a pause in my father's words.
"Will the media be present to broadcast the event?"
"Hmm? No, not to broadcast the event, I specifically asked them not to," he answered, confused at my question.
"Do you want them to? … I have a bad feeling about this…"
"Yes, I have a plan that I may enact, I want it to be recorded for all to see. It will be a great show," I responded with a slightly mischievous tone. My father sighed before resuming his lecture.
After some more yapping, my father concluded the details and left us with "everything has been prepared, just enjoy the evening and catch up with each other today."
My sister smiled at his words, stretching her arms up high and twisting her sore torso from listening to our father.
"Let's dip in the hot tub!" She declared, grabbing my arm and sprinting towards the private bathhouse. I could do nothing as my body was yanked across the garden.
***
Steam drifted lazily into the air as I sank deeper into the hot tub, letting the heat ease the stiffness from my shoulders.
Beside me, my sister lounged with her hair pinned up, eyes closed as she soaked in the quiet. (By the way, we are not naked, you filthy animals)
The marble bath chamber glowed softly from lantern light, and neither of us spoke at first.
Anastasia was content to finally unwind after three months of difficult lessons without breaks in the strict curriculum of the Intis Institute, followed by the hunting missions assigned over summer vacation that took nearly a month to complete.
The last time she had gotten an opportunity like this to rest—although to a lesser extent—was during spring break, over four months ago.
Now she was home at last, free to relax for the next few weeks before the cycle of work would resume at the institute. As she lay in the tub beside me, I could envision the past school year replaying behind her shut eyes as she exhaled a long breath.
Me on the other hand? I've been training pretty hard, I guess. I relaxed like this pretty much every week though.
A yawn from her broke the comfortable, long silence.
"Sleepy?" I softly questioned.
"Yeaah—" she lazily replied. "If I fall asleep here, can you carry me to bed?" She asked while sinking lower, now her chin barely protruded above the water.
At her question, I gave her a reassuring, affectionate smile before answering "of course not!" in a gentle tone. A cute pout adorned her face as she opened her eyes to shoot me an annoyed look.
Right then—"Ahhh!"—a sharp little high pitched yelp escaped her when the water I flicked splashed into her eyes.