Lucas was in a deep slumber.
His breathing was slow, steady, completely unaware of the world around him.
For him, everything was quiet… peaceful… dark.
Then suddenly—
A faint voice whispered near his ear.
"Wake up."
Lucas frowned slightly in his sleep.
His lips moved lazily as he mumbled,
"Fuc… that… damn egg…"
"…and shove… it… in… your ass…"
The voice came again.
"Wake up."
It sounded soft.
Cold.
Unnaturally calm.
A strange chill brushed against Lucas's cheek.
"Mmm…" he murmured in his sleep.
"Cold… this feels good…"
For a moment, the cool sensation felt refreshing.
But then—
The chill grew stronger.
And stronger.
And stronger.
The air around his face began to freeze.
His skin prickled as the cold turned sharp.
Lucas's eyes snapped open.
"WHAT THE FUC—"
Lucas's shout stopped halfway through.
The moment his eyes focused, his voice died in his throat.
A cold blade touched his neck.
Lucas slowly raised both hands, forcing a stiff smile onto his face.
His heart was racing, but his voice tried its best to stay calm.
"My… my lady," he said carefully.
"Just what exactly are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
Arcelia was leaning over him on the bed.
She wore a flowing white night dress, the kind nobles slept in.
Thin silk draped loosely around her figure, soft and elegant, with long sleeves and delicate silver embroidery along the edges.
The fabric shimmered faintly in the moonlight pouring through the window.
Her long hair fell forward like a curtain as she looked down at him.
Lucas swallowed nervously.
"And… uh…" he continued with hesitation.
"Why exactly is there an ice sword touching my neck?"
The blade was thin, crystal blue, frost slowly crawling along its edge.
Arcelia's expression didn't change.
"Don't worry about what I'm doing here," she said calmly.
Her voice was soft.
Cold.
"I'm simply here to pay you a visit."
Lucas stared at her.
Visit?
His eye twitched slightly.
Visit my ass…
This looks more like you're here to kill me.
Arcelia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You can stop the act in front of me," she said coldly.
"There's no point pretending."
Her expression remained completely blank.
Yet the intensity in her gaze felt like a blade sharper than the ice at his throat.
"I can see through lies perfectly."
Lucas froze.
Shoot…
I forgot about her intuition.
The ability that exposed every lie spoken in front of her.
He forced out an awkward smile.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, my lady," Lucas said slowly.
"As I said before—"
Arcelia didn't let him finish.
"Still acting."
The ice blade shifted slightly.
A thin line appeared on Lucas's neck.
A tiny drop of blood rolled down his skin.
Lucas gulped.
She's really crazy…
Arcelia's voice remained calm.
"As I already told you," she said quietly,
"you cannot lie in front of me."
The cold edge pressed a little deeper.
"One more lie… and your head will fall to the ground."
Silence filled the room.
Moonlight glowed faintly through the window.
Arcelia's eyes locked onto him.
"So speak honestly," she continued.
"State your true intentions."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Because what happened between us earlier… was clearly not fate."
Lucas slowly let out a breath.
Then—
A small grin crept onto his face.
If I can't lie…
Then I'll just say something that isn't technically a lie.
His smile turned a little more wicked.
Let's see how you deal with that, my lady...
Lucas slowly exhaled.
The wicked grin on his face faded into something calmer.
Not fear. Not panic.
Just careful calculation.
"It's true," he said quietly.
"My motives were… ulterior."
Arcelia's gaze sharpened.
The icy blade remained pressed against his neck.
Not moving. Not wavering.
"But it's not what you think."
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
No reaction.
Arcelia simply stared at him with that same cold, unreadable expression.
Her silver eyes studied every twitch of his face.
Lucas felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple.
Good…
No reaction.
That means it didn't trigger her lie detection.
Arcelia tilted her head slightly.
"Continue."
Her voice was calm.
But the sword moved just enough to remind him that one wrong word could still end his life.
Lucas swallowed and spoke carefully.
"My intentions were ulterior," he repeated slowly.
"But they were never meant to harm you."
The room fell silent again.
Moonlight illuminated the frost on the blade.
Arcelia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Then explain."
Her voice dropped colder.
"What exactly were those intentions, Lucas?"
Lucas's smile slowly returned.
This time—
Much more dangerous.
"Well, my lady…"
He leaned slightly back against the pillow despite the sword.
"My intention was simply to get closer to you."
A pause.
Lucas suddenly moved.
His hand shot forward and grabbed Arcelia's wrist.
With a gentle pull, he closed the distance between them.
Their faces were now only inches apart.
Arcelia flinched slightly.
It was brief—almost invisible.
Yet her expressionless face returned immediately, her cold eyes staring straight into his.
Lucas held her hand firmly.
"Because the moment I saw you for the first time," he said quietly,
"I fell completely head over heels for you."
His voice lowered.
"And I can't imagine loving anyone else besides you."
Silence filled the room.
The cold blade still rested against his neck.
Arcelia stared at him for several seconds.
"…You are telling the truth," she finally said.
Her tone remained flat, almost emotionless.
"But I don't even know you."
She slowly pulled her hand away.
"Loving you is the furthest thing from what could happen between us."
Arcelia stood up from the bed.
The ice sword dissolved into faint frost particles before disappearing into the air.
"For now… I will leave you alive."
She walked toward the door.
Lucas remained frozen on the bed, not daring to move.
The door opened.
Arcelia stopped for a moment without turning around.
Then she quietly left the room.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Lucas collapsed back onto the pillow and exhaled heavily.
"Phew…"
"That actually worked."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"For a second there… I thought I was going to die for sure."
Lucas stared at the ceiling.
After a moment, a faint grin appeared on his face.
"After all…"
"Everything I said was technically true."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
My motives were truly ulterior.
I needed that admission ticket.
He folded his arms behind his head.
And what I said about liking her…
That's also true.
A strange smile appeared on his face.
Because in the original story…
Arcelia was one of the best-written characters.
And honestly…
She's the only first-grade villain I actually liked.
Lucas chuckled quietly to himself.
But still…
The faint smile on Lucas's face slowly faded.
His expression twisted into irritation.
Then anger.
Lucas sat up on the bed and rubbed the thin cut on his neck.
The sting from the ice blade reminded him just how close he had been to dying.
His jaw clenched.
"…Still," he muttered under his breath.
"I'm not forgiving you for that."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You lunatic author for putting me in this situation."
Lucas leaned back again, staring at the ceiling.
The earlier fear had already turned into annoyance.
But seriously…
Breaking into someone's room in the middle of the night…
Putting an ice sword on their neck…
Threatening to cut their head off…
He clicked his tongue.
And she calls that a visit.
Lucas sighed heavily.
"Crazy woman."
But after a moment—
A crooked grin slowly appeared on his face again.
"…Still."
He touched the cut on his neck.
"Guess I survived my first encounter with a villain."
His eyes gleamed slightly in the darkness.
"And somehow…"
"I even managed to raise her interest a little."
Lucas closed his eyes again.
"But next time…"
His voice dropped into a quiet mutter.
"I'll be the one messing with you, Arcelia."
---
Next morning.
Lucas finished preparing and stepped outside the mansion gates.
The cool morning air brushed against his face as he began walking down the path.
But that good-bye was too much…
The boy had looked like he was about to cry for some reason.
And the man kept insisting he take a reward.
Lucas scratched his head slightly.
I really wanted to take it…
But if I had taken it after rejecting the reward so many times , my head might've rolled off for sure.
Arcelia, on the other hand, had been the same as always.
Cold as ever.
She didn't even say a single word to him.
"Whatever," Lucas murmured.
A bright smile appeared on his face.
"At least I got what I wanted."
He stretched his arms and started walking forward.
"I should head back now—"
Lucas suddenly stopped mid-step.
"…Wait."
His smile slowly faded.
"…How am I supposed to go back now?"
He froze on the road.
"I don't have any money left…"
Lucas's face stiffened.
"And I can't go ask them either."
He had rejected the reward earlier.
"..."
A few seconds of silence passed.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL!!"