Valentine's heartbeat had started to feel wrong the moment the second tyre burst.
She sat inside the car, fingers tightening around her phone as uneasiness crept in.
The driver had stepped out, confused, trying to check what had happened.
Then she heard voices.
Close.
Too close.
"Quick. Do it now."
"She's still inside. Don't let her react."
"Open the door."
Her breath caught.
Before she could react, the door was pulled open forcefully. A hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her out.
"Leave me—!" she struggled, panic rising instantly, but another man held her from behind.
Her phone slipped from her hand.
"No noise," one of them said sharply.
Something was pressed near her face.
A strange smell.
Her vision blurred.
The sky above her faded into a pale grey as everything spun slowly.
And then—
darkness.
~~~~HOURS LATER~~~~~~~~~
Artavius pushed the door open and stepped inside the mansion, the silence hitting him instantly. (came back from college)
It felt… too empty.
No voices, no noise, no one around.
Just him.
He walked in casually, dropping his bag on the chair before pulling out his phone.
A message from Cassian.
He opened it, reading it once… then again.
"A girl?"
He let out a small breath, almost amused, shaking his head slightly.
"Oh… she is a princess, hmm?"
A pause.
"…I don't care."
He locked the phone and tossed it onto the table, his eyes drifting toward the medals lying there.
First rank.
Again.
Sports, studies—everything perfect.
And still—
nothing.
His expression softened just a little.
"I'm missing you, Aunt Evelyn…" he murmured quietly, his voice lower now. "I hope you were here with me."
For a second, he just stood there.
Then he exhaled lightly and turned away.
Fifteen minutes later, he was walking toward the basement.
The place was colder, quieter.
The kind of silence that didn't feel normal.
He entered the password and the first door opened with a soft click.
He stepped down the stairs slowly, his footsteps echoing faintly.
At the bottom, he stopped in front of the second door.
Before he could open it—
something moved inside.
A faint sound.
Someone was there.
Inside, Valentine had just regained consciousness.
Her head felt heavy, her vision slightly blurred as she tried to sit up.
Panic hit her almost instantly.
"Where… where am I…?" she whispered, her breath uneven.
She rushed toward the door, her hands trembling as she tried to push it open.
"Hello?! Is anyone there?! Open this—please!"
She pushed harder, fear rising in her chest.
"Someone—please—!"
At the same moment—
Artavius opened the door.
She didn't get time to react.
Her balance slipped—and she fell straight forward.
"—!"
Artavius barely had a second to process before her weight hit him. His hand instinctively came forward, gripping her arm firmly while his other hand went to her waist to steady her—but the force pushed him back anyway.
"AHH—!"
He fell onto the stairs behind him, the impact sharp, his back hitting first.
For a second, everything went still.
Valentine was half over him, her hand clutching the front of his black shirt, her soft pastel dress slightly crumpled from the fall, the light fabric brushing against his arm. A few loose strands of her hair had slipped free, falling across her face.
His hand was still around her waist.
Warm.
Firm.
Too close.
She looked up first.
And then—
their eyes met.
Her eyes… a soft steel blue, but not cold. There was a quiet charm in them, something gentle, something almost… glowing even in her fear.
His eyes were the complete opposite.
Deep forest green.
Cold. Sharp. Controlled.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The world felt… paused.
Artavius stared.
His grip on her loosened slightly—not because he wanted to, but because his mind had just gone completely blank.
She was—
beautiful.
Not in a loud way.
But the kind that makes you look twice without realizing it.
His heartbeat skipped.
And then—
his face warmed.
A faint blush spread across his cheeks, completely catching him off guard.
"What the…" he breathed out softly, almost to himself.
Valentine blinked, snapping out of it first. Panic rushed back instantly.
"I need to go—"
She tried to push herself up quickly—
But suddenly—
she was pulled back.
"—!"
Both of them froze.
Their lockets had gotten tangled together.
The chains pulled tight between them, stopping her movement completely.
For a second, they just stared at it… then at each other.
Artavius's face turned even redder.
"A—ah… I… I—uh…"
He looked away quickly, clearly flustered, trying to figure out what to do with his hands—one still slightly hovering near her waist before he awkwardly pulled it back.
He swallowed, forcing himself to focus.
Then, suddenly—
"GET OFF FROM ME?!"
Valentine looked at him in disbelief, still trying to untangle the chain.
"Then stop pulling!"
"I'm not pulling—!"
After a small struggle, the lockets finally slipped free.
The moment it happened, she moved away from him quickly, standing up and stepping back, putting distance between them.
Her breathing was uneven, her eyes filled with fear again—but now mixed with confusion.
She glanced at him once more.
"…who are you?" she asked, her voice low, cautious.
Artavius didn't answer.
He just looked at her—
still a little shaken,
still a little flushed,
and very aware that something about this moment…
had already changed everything.