Lara? The Baron's daughter, that girl who looked like she was going to float away from pure piety?
The one always buried in theological texts that would put a golem to sleep?
'No, Lucian had to be screwing with me.'
"Lara?" Raziel repeated. "Seriously? Is this another one of your ridiculous jokes, right?"
Lucian's blush intensified, spreading across his cheeks like someone had set them on fire.
He looked away, almost ashamed. "No, Raziel. I... am serious."
Raziel stared at him fixedly.
A weird sensation, like discomfort, settled in his stomach.
He had always seen Lucian as a kind of younger brother, a tornado of energy he had to guide and, occasionally, stop.
But the idea of Lucian having feelings for Lara felt wrong.
Almost disturbing.
In his other life, a life full of loss and the crushing weight of responsibility, he had seen how love could bloom and wither.
He had witnessed the devastating consequences of passions in the wrong place and time.
And now, faced with the raw and awkward reality of Lucian's crush, he felt the weight of his true age all at once.
"Lucian," he said, with a soft but firm voice. "Lara is a good person, she is a devout servant of Zhalyr. She isn't a toy for you to entertain yourself with."
Lucian turned around sharply.
"How dare you! I would never-! I respect her! Much more than you imagine."
He paused, his voice softened and he looked down at the ground.
"Even I don't understand it, Raziel. It's just that this time is different, I see her and it's like the world changed its axis. The hymns sound better, the sunlight seems brighter..."
He ran a hand through his hair, messing up his usually perfect hairstyle.
"I can't stop thinking about her, Raziel, I dream about her and I even... I even write horrible poetry about her."
He looked up, his eyes begging for a bit of understanding.
"What is happening to me, Raziel? Am I going crazy?"
Raziel watched him in silence, while the discomfort gave way to a kind of reluctant sympathy.
In his previous life, he never had time for the tumultuous emotions of adolescence.
He was an orphan, abandoned, forced to mature through beatings and his only worry was surviving and serving.
But now, seeing the pure vulnerability on Lucian's face, he realized that these feelings, however inconvenient they were, were part of growing up.
"You aren't going crazy, Lucian," he said, softening his voice. "You're fifteen and it's normal to develop these attachments."
He struggled to find the right words, because his personal vocabulary lacked terms for teenage romance.
"It's natural, I guess, to find someone attractive, to want to spend time with that person. Share your thoughts and stuff."
He stopped, making a grimace at his own clumsy attempt to sound like a counselor.
Lucian, however, seemed to understand.
"So it isn't wrong?" he asked, his voice loaded with doubt.
Raziel shrugged, and for a second, his mind disconnected from his friend's drama to focus on what was truly important.
"It isn't wrong, Lucian, but it's complicated," he said, and his tone became more serious.
"Listen, I'm happy for you, or whatever, but right now we have a bigger problem. What are we going to do with Saint Sophia?"
Lucian's face darkened. The mention was like a bucket of cold water.
"You're right, I'm sorry," he muttered, rubbing his face. "It's just that this Lara thing has my head in a mess."
Raziel sighed.
Seeing Lucian, the arrogant son of the Duchy of Nyxian, reduced to a bundle of nerves over a girl was a dangerous distraction.
Although, on the other hand, one he could perhaps use.
[System Alert]
[Emotional bond with 'Lucian Valerius Nyxian' has been strengthened.]
[Ally Passive Trait: 'Absolute Loyalty' has increased its effectiveness by 2%.]
[Warning: The target's emotional instability may lead to unpredictable actions. Constant supervision is recommended.]
Raziel ignored the notification. It was useful, but now wasn't the time.
"Look," he said, getting closer and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"If you really take this Lara thing seriously maybe you should start proving that you are more than a noble with an important last name."
Lucian's eyes widened with interest.
"Prove your worth to her," Raziel continued.
"Show her your dedication, your compassion, that you aren't just a rich kid, help me with the plan for Saint Sophia, show her that you can protect people and maybe, just maybe, she will notice something more than your charming smile and your expensive clothes."
He gave him a wink, a gesture that felt strangely natural, and headed to the door.
"For now, focus, I need your head in the game, not in the clouds."
He left the library leaving Lucian alone with his thoughts.
As he walked down the corridor, the echoes of his own past, of a love he lost due to the cruelty of fate, whispered in his mind.
He had never allowed himself to mourn that loss, not really.
But now, seeing Lucian dealing with the pangs of first love, he realized that those emotions, however messy and complicated they were, were a reminder of the fragile beauty of human connection.
A luxury he couldn't afford.
For now, it was fine.
He would let Lucian's teenage angst be the biggest problem in his mind, even if only for a moment.
After all, the real storm was still brewing, and when it broke, there would be no time for such trivial matters.
Raziel turned the corner of the hallway, his face returning to the mask of cold indifference he always wore.
Just then, a new system window flickered in front of his eyes. It wasn't blue and calm like the previous ones.
It was a crimson red that screamed danger.
[ANOMALY WARNING]
[An unrecorded fate fluctuation has been detected in the current timeline.]
[Cause: Romantic interest of 'Lucian Valerius Nyxian' in 'Lara Whitecliff'.]
[Probability of Catastrophic Death associated with this bond: 87.4%]