Silence filled my bedchamber, heavy and suffocating.
I sat on the edge of the silk-covered mattress, staring at my right wrist. There were no marks—Cassian had been too gentle for that—but the skin there felt like it was humming. A phantom warmth lingered where his gloves fingers had pinned me against the stone.
In my past life, touch had always been transactional. A handshake for a job I hated. A hug from a boyfriend who was already texting someone else.
It was never... steadying.
I rubbed the spot, a bittersweet ache blooming in my chest.
Stop it, Liriel, i scolded myself. He didn't hold your hand because he liked you. He held it because he thought you were a security threat. You're basically a suspicious package in a corset.
But the loneliness of twenty-eight years is a hard thing to quiet.
In this world, I was villainess with a cold family and a death flag. In the old world, I was a ghost in an office cubicle.
Cassian Veldt was the first person in two lifetimes who had actually looked at me—even if he'd been looking for a weapon.
"My lady?"
Mira's voice drifted from the dressing room. "The tea is getting cold. And... you've been staring at your arm for ten minutes."
I snapped my hand back, tucking it into my sleeve. "I was just... checking my pulse. Noble health is very important, Mira."
"Of course, my lady," she replied, in a tone that suggested she didn't believe a single word.
—
The next two days were a masterclass in what I liked to call Tactical Observation.
The rest of the world called it stalking.
Day One: The Balcony Maneuver
I knew Cassian's patrol route now. He circled the inner gardens at precisely 10:00 a.m. I stationed myself on the second-floor balcony, hidden behind a massive potted fern.
I had my binoculars—well, the Aetherian version: a brass spyglass I'd "borrowed" from my father's study.
There.
He moved with a quiet, lethal grace the game's pixelated art hadn't done justice. He stopped to adjust the strap of his gauntlet, sunlight catching the silver embroidery of House Veldt's crest.
I leaned forward, heart doing a full gymnastics routine.
He's so focused. So diligent. A literal angel in armor.
Suddenly, Cassian paused.
His head tilted slightly. His gaze swept upward toward the balcony.
I dived.
I hit the marble floor with a thud that probably echoed to the next duchy. I lay there, heart hammering, face pressed to the cold stone.
Did he see me? No. I'm a fern. I am one with the foliage.
Below, Cassian's gaze lingered on the balcony for a long moment. The tip of dark gray silk hem fluttered faintly between the leaves.
He did not call out.
Instead, he inclined his head slightly—an unreadable, professional gesture—before continuing his patrol.
I peeked out five minutes later, gasping for air.
"He didn't see me," I whispered. "Stealth level: expert."
Day two: The Library Ambush ( Fail )
I heard from a gossiping maid that Sir Cassian often checked the seals on the restricted magic section via the library's side entrance.
I spent three hours "reading" a book on Aetherian soil irrigation near the door.
When the heavy oak door finally creaked open, I didn't look up. I practiced my Villainess Reading Face: aloof, bored, and devastatingly beautiful.
I waited for "Excuse me, my Lady or We meet again."
Instead, I heard the soft clack of boots.
They stopped.
Silence.
My eyes stayed glued to the page.
Notice me. Notice my refined, intellectual aura.
"The book is upside down, my lady."
Voice was like velvet over gravel. Deep, steady, and utterly calm.
Gah~ my soul left my body. Again.
I didn't look up. I couldn't.
"I prefer... reading the subtext," I choked out, my voice an octave higher than usual. "The gravity helps the words sink in."
A pause.
Then—a faint, almost imperceptible huff of air. A laugh? No, surely not.
"I shall leave to your... gravitational study, then."
The boots turned and walked away.
Through the curtain of my hair, I saw him pause at the doorway, glancing back once at the shadowed lady by the shelves before leaving.
I slammed the book shut the moment the door closed and bruised my face in my hands.
"I'm a turnip," I whispered. "Just reincarnate me as a turnip now. I'm done."
Day Two: Afternoon—The "Accidental" Hallway Encounter
I heard Cassian was delivering documents to the Ash Council's western wing.
The Ash Council was one of the empire's governing bodies—an old, dust-dry assembly of nobles and officials who oversaw estate security, land disputes, and anything deemed "too sensitive" for public courts. Their western wing sat deep within the inner estate, far from guest halls and servants' paths—exactly the kind of place knights escorted documents to.
Ah~ poor baby Cassian.
I positioned myself in the corridor, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, flipping a silver coin.
I wanted to look like a cool, dangerous rebel.
When he appeared, eyes focused on the papers in hands, I stepped out.
"Fine day for bureaucracy, isn't it?" I said, aiming for a sultry, villainous rasp.
It came out like I'd swallowed gravel.
Cassian stopped. He looked at me—really looked at me, and noticed the Noctyra crest on my pin.
"Indeed, my lady," he said gently. "Though the Ash Council rarely cares for the weather."
I stared at his mouth.
He's talking to me. My bias is vibrating air molecules in my direction.
I forgot to respond.
"Are you... quite well?" He asked, concern creasing his brow.
"I'm spectacular," I blurted out.
Then—because silence terrified me, I gave him a thumbs-up.
A gesture that did not exist in this world. And walked away at a pace legally considered running.
—
I barely made it back to my quarters beforehand collapsing against the door.
"Liriel."
I jumped.
Valeria stood in the doorway like an ice goddess, holding a sketch of Cassian from my desk.
"The servants say you've been lurking behind statues for forty minutes at time," she said dryly.
"I was checking for... moss."
Valeria set the sketch down and fixed me with a flat stare."Liriel, if you wanted to seduce a member of the Ash Council, you could have asked father for an introductory. You don't need to act like a common pickpocket."
Eh??
"I—I'm not seducing hi!" I protested, face heating dangerously. "I'm just... ensuring he's doing his job properly. He's Veldt. Their house is declining. I'm being a responsible citizen."
Valeria smirked. "You gave him a thumbs-up earlier. The poor knight looked like he'd seen a ghost.
I froze. "He thinks you're the one doing that?"
"Of course," she said smoothly. "Let him. It's amusing to watch him tense when I walk past."
Relief washed over me—followed closely by jealousy.
"Just... don't scare him too much," I muttered.
"Oh, I won't," Valeria replied, smile sharpening. "But tomorrow, at the Garden Banquet, the Ivory Court will be watching. Seraphina Lumière will arrive."
She paused at the door. "If you want his attention, cousin, you'll have to stop hiding behind statues and start acting like a Noctyra."
Then she added, almost kindly, "And fix your hair. You look like you've been electrocuted by your own thoughts."
As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, I felt the familiar weight press down me.
The night, the sky over Aurelion Virelle darkened—not with rain, but with heavy mist. My emotional leakage responded anyway, droplets tapping softly against the glass.
Tomorrow, the Script would begin.
Seraphina would arrive. The capture targets would align. And Cassian Veldt... was supposed to fall in love.
I started at my reflection—violet eyes sharp, lonely, defiant.
"Not this time," I whispered.
"I've never been good at following scripts."
~🫶