The path back was quiet.
Wet ground.
Cold air
.Her steps slower than usual.
Valentine held his jacket a little tighter.
Then suddenly—
"You know, Artavius…"
He glanced at her.
"My fiancé is literally an idiot."
A small pause.
Artavius raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You have a fiancé at this age?"
A faint smirk.
"You look too young for that."
Valentine frowned immediately.
"You're going to be shocked if I tell you…"
A dramatic pause.
"I've had a fiancé since birth."
He let out a soft chuckle.
"Innate fiancé? That's new."
She stopped walking.
"YOU KNOW IT'S NOT FUNNY."
Her voice wasn't loud—
But it carried something deeper.
"I was happy when I was a kid…"
A softer tone now.
"…because back then, my fiancé was my best friend."
Valentine exhaled softly.
"His name was… Agnus."
Silence.
Artavius's steps slowed slightly.
She continued—
"But now…"
A frustrated sigh.
"…his idiot cousin—Adarm Kalverdis—"
She rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, I hate that guy."
Artavius glanced at her again.
"Why?"
Valentine scoffed.
"He has double personalities."
"He acts like this thick-skinned, caring person in front of everyone… like he tolerates me no matter how I behave."
A pause.
"But in reality?"
Her grip tightened on the jacket.
"He's controlling. Suffocating."
"And he always plays the victim."
They kept walking.
The sound of wet footsteps filling the silence.
"You know…"
She added, quieter now—
"I feel bad for my best friend's dad."
Artavius didn't say anything.
"He built everything from nothing…"
"And when he needed help, his own brothers refused."
Her voice dropped further.
"But now… just because of my best friend's death…"
"…and because his sister was born through surrogacy…"
"They suddenly claim everything."
A bitter laugh.
"Now the 'heirs' are them."
Silence.
"…ahh, I hate them."
They walked a few more steps.
Then—
Artavius spoke.
Slowly.
"You know, Valentine…"
A pause.
"I've heard this name… Agnus… so many times now…"
His voice was quieter than before.
"…it feels like nostalgia."
Valentine turned slightly.
"…what?"
He didn't answer.
Just kept walking..
They walked slowly, the cold air settling between them.
Valentine broke the silence first.
"Artavius… you know something?"
He glanced at her.
"I want a love marriage."
A small pause.
"Arranged marriage is not my type."
She looked ahead, a faint smile forming.
"I want to fall in love… and then marry."
Artavius let out a quiet breath.
"…hm."
Then, casually—
"Boys are very different from how they look."
A slight glance at her.
"…and how they really are."
A pause.
"Be careful."
Valentine tilted her head slightly.
"…is that advice?"
He didn't answer.
She exhaled, then suddenly—
"Oh, I forgot to tell you something."
His eyes shifted toward her again.
"That idiot Adarm…"
Her tone changed—more irritated now.
"Once he tried to force me to follow something."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the jacket.
"He grabbed my wrist… tightly."
A small pause.
"I told him to leave it…"
Her voice sharpened.
"…but he twisted it instead."
Silence.
"So I slapped him."
She looked at Artavius.
"That's why I learned martial arts."
A faint, proud expression.
Artavius nodded once.
"Good."
Simple.
But his voice was colder now.
After a few seconds, he spoke again—
"You know…"
"There was a girl in my middle school."
Valentine looked at him, surprised he was continuing.
"She was a good friend."
A pause.
"Her father used to create problems at home."
His tone remained flat.
"Violence… noise… every day."
Valentine's expression softened.
"I promised her…"
"…we'd do something to stop him."
A small pause.
"But before we could…"
"He died in a car accident."
Silence.
The wind moved through the trees.
"You know…"
Artavius continued, almost thoughtfully—
"Her mother got married again."
"And now she lives happily."
Valentine smiled slightly.
"That's good, right?"
A pause.
Artavius looked ahead.
Not at her.
"…sometimes…"
"…it's better when some people die."
Silence.
Valentine's steps slowed.
"…Artavius... really?" {thinking about it}
He didn't look at her.
"…yes?"
Something felt off.
They were still walking, the forest quieter now.
Valentine's steps had slowed again—but not from tiredness this time.
Her eyes caught something.
"…Artavius."
He didn't respond immediately.
She pointed ahead.
"That rose… get it for me."
He glanced at it.
Then at her.
"No."
Flat.
Valentine blinked.
"What?"
"You asked for one yesterday."
He kept walking.
"I gave you that."
She quickly walked beside him again.
"But I want this one."
"No."
She frowned.
"Why?"
No response.
"…please?"
Silence.
"Artavius… please…"
That soft, annoying, persistent tone.
He stopped.
Closed his eyes for a second.
"…you talk too much."
Then—
Without another word—
He walked toward the bush.
Thorns.
Sharp.
He didn't hesitate.
Reached in—
A slight scratch.
Another.
But he didn't pull back.
He broke the stem.
When he came back—
He didn't look at her.
Just held it out.
"…take it."
Valentine's eyes lit up.
"Thank you!"
She took it happily—
Then paused.
"…your hand."
A thin line of red.
"Did you get hurt?"
He pulled his hand back slightly.
"It's nothing."
She stepped closer anyway.
"Show me."
"I said it's nothing."
But she gently caught his wrist.
Carefully.
Not like before.
Different.
"…you should be more careful."
Her voice softer now.
He didn't respond.
Just looked at her.
At the way she held his hand—
Like it mattered.
Then slowly—
He pulled away.
"…it's just a scratch."
She smiled slightly.
"Still."
She looked at the rose.
Then back at him.
"…worth it?"
A pause.
Artavius looked away.
"…don't ask useless questions."
But he didn't deny it.