The morning sunlight burned through the curtains, painting my room gold.
I groaned, half-dreading the system's next notification. Usually it wanted me to say the right words, touch the right hands, and smile on cue.
I wasn't in the mood for obedience today.
Then came a soft knock.
"Sir… are you awake?"
Aria's voice. Calm, measured, but with a hint of something softer—maybe concern.
I didn't move immediately. Just listened to the faint shuffle of her boots on the polished floor.
> [BOND EVENT DETECTED: FIRST PERSONAL INTERACTION]
I rolled my eyes at the floating prompt. The system still hadn't learned I didn't play by its rules.
"Yeah," I called out, stretching. "Come in."
She opened the door slowly. Armor clinking, hair falling over one shoulder. She held a tray of food—like a servant, but her posture screamed knight-in-command.
"Breakfast," she said, placing it carefully beside the bed.
I tilted my head. "You didn't have to."
Her eyes flicked away. "I… wanted to."
There it was. That tiny crack in the steel of her composure. A glimpse of the girl beneath the armor.
I smirked. "Trying to guilt me into smiling?"
Her cheeks went faintly pink. "Do not… exaggerate."
I laughed softly. That laugh got her attention. She looked at me like she was analyzing every movement, every twitch of my fingers.
"Don't tell me the system is making you blush already," I teased.
Her breath hitched. Not much. Just enough.
> [AFFECTION INCREASED +5]
I leaned back on the pillows, watching her shift from foot to foot. She was taller than me in armor, but something in her stance softened when she was just Aria, not a scripted heroine.
"Sit," I said. "Eat with me."
Her eyebrows rose. "Sir…?"
"Unless you want the system to rate me as rude again."
She hesitated, then lowered herself to the edge of the bed. Her knee brushed mine. The contact sent a strange heat through me. Not dangerous, not urgent—just alive.
I caught her gaze. The silver of her eyes was sharp, but warm.
"You always tease like this?" she asked softly, almost a whisper.
I grinned. "Only when the girl I like is nearby."
Her face flamed crimson. I didn't comment. I let her chew her food while I sipped my tea, just watching her small movements—the way her fingers fiddled with the edge of her glove, how her lips pressed together unconsciously.
A knock on the door. I froze.
> SYSTEM ALERT: BOND PROGRESS UNSANCTIONED.
I ignored it.
Aria stiffened, but didn't move. "It… doesn't matter."
"Good," I said. My hand hovered just above hers for a moment. Not touching yet. Just presence.
She swallowed. "Sir…"
"Don't worry. I won't do anything the system wants," I said, voice low. "We're… figuring this out ourselves."
Her eyes widened, but she didn't pull away. Instead, a single hand slid slightly closer to mine. Just an inch.
It was nothing. But it was everything.
> [BOND EVENT COMPLETED: INTIMATE TEASING]
For the first time, the system didn't know how to respond. No prompts, no warnings, just… data it couldn't parse.
I smiled.
"See?" I said softly. "We make the rules."
And in that small room, away from dungeons, enemies, and scripts, Aria and I shared something real.
Something that wasn't written anywhere.
Something that might just be… the start of us.