Before you read this, a quick heads-up if you haven't reached chapter 73 of the fanfic. This is a short bonus scene from that chapter, so there will be spoilers!
***
Nephis stood in front of the mirror, and her usually expressionless face was completely transformed.
Her pupils were dilated, her cheeks had a pinkish tone, and even her hair looked strange in the mirror's reflection.
'Why did I think about that?' she asked herself.
As inexperienced as she was in everything related to love, she had to admit that she had been carrying these feelings for some time now.
Feelings she wasn't quite sure what to do with.
Throughout the day, she had been acting strangely.
First, her difficulty focusing when Sunny accidentally touched her knee—something that was completely normal!
They had shared contact with Sunny many times while fighting or trying to protect each other. But today was different.
It was another kind of intimacy—one she wasn't used to.
Then, when he ended up sitting on her lap after that bump, she truly thought her heart was going to leap out of her chest.
His softness—the fact that even as an Ascended Tyrant, Sunny had been moved so easily by something as mundane as a bag of chips.
That meant he was also affected by it—something that only now, in the quiet of the bathroom, she realized…
'By any chance… does he feel the same way about me?'
Nephis liked the idea…
…Until she remembered the conversation they had right after he returned.
Sunny wasn't going to stop seeking his freedom… his freedom from her.
And that, somehow, hurt.
It shouldn't hurt—she knew that. She knew it was a very selfish feeling on her part, but she couldn't help it.
She would never use the power she had over him, but… how could he believe her?
Nephis, in Sunny's position, wouldn't.
She swallowed and focused on what she could do.
Maybe… maybe if she tried harder to show him that, maybe he could believe her.
Now the problem was where to start.
In fact, she had already started doing it ever since he returned, but today was a big opportunity to show it—in front of so many important people, so Sunny would realize that what mattered to her was him.
No one else.
Nephis's gray eyes hardened slightly as she remembered what should be happening on the dance floor right now.
Sunny dancing, touching Death Singer's waist…
'…Wait.'
That was it!
She had to dance with Sunny!
Nephis noticed the number of cameramen focusing on them while they danced.
If she—Changing Star of the Immortal Flame Clan, adopted daughter of the Valor Clan—was seen dancing in photos with him, it would be a good way to show him, right?
'Yes, yes! That's what I have to do!'
Even so, Nephis made no move to leave the bathroom.
Looking at her reflection, she noticed her cheeks turning slightly pink…
'Damn it! Control yourself, Nephis!'
She started doing breathing exercises again for the second time that day…
'Why can't I do it?' she asked herself.
Her humanity had recovered too quickly this time, and right now, she felt like a girl talking about her crush.
Although she had never had one as a child—aside from Kai, obviously. But it wasn't the same.
This felt like butterflies in her stomach, and it was a sensation she wasn't used to at all.
Nephis could stare down Nightmare Creatures without flinching, or use her Aspect despite her Flaw as if it were nothing. Yet asking Sunny to dance already made her feel strange…
She chuckled.
'…I'm so pathetic.'
Her eyes closed, and she began shaking her head. Then she let out a sigh and opened them again.
Now, small flames danced within them.
'I am Nephis—Changing Star of the Immortal Flame. If I want to dance with Sunny… who's going to stop me?'
Nephis stopped looking at herself in the mirror and, from one moment to the next, headed toward the door with a decision already made.
The bathrooms of the Song Clan compound were adorned with impeccable materials, but she didn't stop to register them. Her steps took her directly to the cohort's table.
There she found Cassie sitting next to Arthur's sister, Effie, and Master Jet.
She could have stayed to talk with them, but her mind was already set.
Her gray eyes scanned the dance floor with surgical precision—every person on it was seen and dismissed instantly.
The only people she stopped on were Sylvie and Kai, Arthur and Beastmaster, and finally, Sunny and Hel.
The latter seemed to be in a dream—a wide smile on her innocent face, and her large, bright eyes seemed to have rainbows inside them.
While Sunny had a neutral expression, and she noticed he was slightly uncomfortable.
'I have to save him!'
She let out one last sigh and took the first step. The second came immediately after, and then the rest of the gazes began to focus on her.
Nephis ignored them and kept walking until, fortunately for her, the song ended.
The couples stopped dancing and remained holding hands.
She clenched her jaw slightly, and her right eye twitched as she noticed Death Singer using her thumb to rub against Sunny's soft hands…
Nephis took the next step slightly more hurriedly and stopped beside the pair.
She gave a small bow of her head, looking at the Saint, and said with a voice full of confidence:
"If you'll excuse me, Death Singer." She glanced at Sunny briefly and continued: "I have a very important matter to discuss with Sunless that cannot wait."
She noticed Sunny slightly raise an eyebrow—a reaction only she could notice in him—and at the same time, she knew he noticed she was lying without shame.
The Saint stared at her intently for several long seconds, then looked at Sunny and blinked rapidly several times.
"Mr. Sunless, do you want to go with her?"
Nephis quickly turned toward Sunny, and her expression didn't change at all, but the message she wanted to send was received nonetheless.
'Say yes!'
Sunny swallowed hard, and his eyes analyzed his surroundings.
A new song was about to start playing, and since there was no music on the dance floor, most of the people nearby were listening to their conversation.
Which meant they would hear him decide between continuing to dance with one of their clan's princesses or doing so with a princess from a future enemy clan.
Obviously, Nephis didn't fail to notice the awkward situation Sunny was now in, and somehow, she found it amusing to see him in such a crisis. But she also found it cruel—because he hadn't asked to be in a situation like that. So she jumped to his rescue immediately.
"It doesn't have to be definitive," Nephis said with a forced smile on her face. "Once we finish our conversation, you can dance with him again if you wish."
Death Singer looked her from head to toe and then looked back at Sunny.
"Would you?" she asked.
Sunny's face had already changed quite a bit from having to endure the pain of his Flaw, so he replied quickly.
"I would like to dance one piece with Nephis, and if we have time, I wouldn't see the problem with sharing another dance with you, Hel."
Nephis noticed the play on words in "see" the problem and ended up nodding, indicating that she agreed.
The Saint finally separated her hands very unwillingly from Sunny's soft ones and ended up giving a small bow with a slightly forced smile.
"See you later, Ascended Sunless."
Sunny returned the smile, and finally, she walked away, leaving them alone in the middle of the dance floor while a new song began to play.
They both stood there, not knowing what to do, while everyone around them danced to the music.
Neither knowing quite what to do, Nephis managed to catch a glimpse of Sylvie out of the corner of her eye.
Sylvie noticed the scene immediately and gave her a smile while nodding.
Nephis cleared her throat to get Sunny's attention, who was looking to the side.
When he turned, she noticed his cheeks were slightly pink… which brought a warm sensation inside her.
She smiled genuinely and extended her hand in his direction.
"Shall we dance?"
Her voice would have sounded neutral to anyone else, but she knew Sunny noticed the slightly embarrassed tone in it.
"We shall," Sunny replied, taking her hand delicately and smiling at her.
Sunny placed his second hand on her waist, while she placed her hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, they were extremely close to each other.
Neph's heart skipped a beat.
And the sensation of butterflies in her stomach returned.
Without wasting any time, Sunny led her into a dance, and she let herself be completely guided by him, giving him full freedom to do as he wished. Almost instantly after they started the dance, the pair caught a lot of admiring stares.
She didn't care. She had much bigger problems on her mind, like trying not to let his proximity affect her—and failing at it. She waited for a bit and gathered her thoughts.
Finally, Neph said, her voice drowned by the music and the hum of the great hall:
"Thank you, Sunny."
Sunny silently raised an eyebrow, but then nodded and smiled at her with the corners of his lips.
"You don't have to thank me." His hand squeezed hers slightly. "I chose this."
Nephis's cheeks turned pink immediately upon hearing that, and she couldn't do anything but look away.
Sunny didn't understand that reaction at first, but slowly he did. And when he realized it… he turned to look the other way.
From one moment to the next, the dance floor felt quite warm…