Aeliana stopped in her tracks.
There, seated casually on one of the luxurious couches in the entrance hall, was Lucavion.
The sight of him alone was enough to stir irritation within her, but it wasn’t just him that caught her attention.
It was the small creature perched on his shoulder.
A cat.
A sleek, white-furred feline with sharp, intelligent eyes, its tail flicking idly as it balanced effortlessly beside him.
‘That cat…’
Her gaze lingered. She hadn’t seen it in the duchy before.
But she had seen it with him.
Back on the expedition’s ship.
Right…
She had completely forgotten about it until now.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed him further. He was no longer wearing the formal attire he had been forced into during his time in the mansion. Instead, he had returned to his usual clothes—the kind he seemed far more comfortable in. Dark, durable fabrics fitted for travel, for movement. An adventurer’s attire. His estoc hung at his waist once more, the weapon swaying slightly as he leaned back against the couch with effortless ease.
‘Is he going out?’
Aeliana’s curiosity sparked before she could stop it.
He had mentioned he would be leaving soon, but this soon?
Now?
Had he been planning to just slip away without a word?
For some reason, the thought bothered her.
Aeliana straightened, schooling her expression as she took another step forward, her voice cutting through the quiet of the entrance hall.
Aeliana didn’t speak immediately.
Instead, she allowed her presence to settle first. A deliberate step forward, the faint sound of her heels tapping against the marble floors. A measured glance, taking in every detail before offering acknowledgment.
Lucavion noticed her, of course.
He always did.
His gaze flickered toward her without urgency, his expression unreadable save for the faintest hint of amusement lurking beneath his usual confidence. He didn’t move—didn’t straighten or adjust his posture—but there was something in the way he regarded her that made it clear he had been aware of her the moment she stepped into the hall.
The cat on his shoulder twitched an ear, its sharp eyes flicking toward her as well before returning to its lazy, regal posture.
Aeliana took another step closer before finally speaking, her tone light, but intentional.
“Lucavion,” she greeted smoothly, her expression composed. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
A statement, not a question.
She had no intention of asking outright what he was doing—not yet. If there was one thing she knew about Lucavion, it was that he was prone to dodging direct inquiries with irritating ease.
Lucavion’s lips curled into the ghost of a smirk. “And yet, here I am.”
Aeliana arched a delicate brow, unfazed. “So it would seem.”
A pause.
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze flicking toward his attire before meeting his eyes again.
“You look… ready,” she remarked, the words casual, almost idle. “Quite the departure from the formal wear.”
Lucavion exhaled in amusement, adjusting his sleeve with an air of practiced ease. “It was something the maids forced on me,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “I couldn’t just refuse a lady wishing to change my clothes, could I?”
Aeliana’s expression immediately hardened, her amber eyes narrowing into a glare. “So you would let any woman touch you, then?”
Lucavion blinked once, then let out a soft chuckle, clearly entertained by her reaction. “You’re making it sound like I was doing something inappropriate,” he countered smoothly. “Surely, the maids of your mansion know their etiquette.”
“They do,” Aeliana shot back, her tone dry. “But I’m not sure you do.”
Lucavion placed a hand over his chest, feigning an expression of wounded innocence. “Now that is unfair,” he said. “You make me sound like some scoundrel who lays hands on every woman without consent.”
Aeliana’s glare sharpened. “I wonder why.”
He grinned, entirely unrepentant.
“What?” he asked lightly. “I did get permission from you.”
Her expression darkened. “You lied to me and drugged me.”
Lucavion paused, his smirk faltering for the briefest of moments. Then, with an overly deliberate cough, he glanced away.
“…Ahem. I did not lie.”
Lucavion’s lips parted slightly, as if he intended to say something in his defense, but no words came.
Aeliana’s smirk widened.
“So you accept that you drugged me?”
Lucavion remained silent.
For once, he had no immediate retort.
She took a step closer, her amusement barely concealed as she watched him, waiting. The slight narrowing of his eyes, the subtle shift of his posture—he hated conceding anything, even when caught red-handed.
Her smirk curled further. Good.
But she had no intention of letting him escape the conversation so easily.
“Now,” she continued smoothly, folding her arms, “what exactly are you waiting for here?”
Lucavion’s expression relaxed back into nonchalance, though his silence a moment earlier had not gone unnoticed. He leaned further into the couch, tilting his head slightly as he regarded her.
“Are you curious?” he asked, voice laced with knowing amusement.
Aeliana met his gaze without hesitation. “I am.”
Lucavion hummed thoughtfully, drumming his fingers against the armrest. “Hmm… Why?”
Aeliana clicked her tongue, her patience thinning. “Bastard,” she muttered. “After all those things, are you really asking why?”
She huffed, shifting her weight slightly as irritation flickered across her expression. “Wherever you go, trouble follows.”
Lucavion’s smirk deepened, but he made a show of tilting his head, as if considering her words.
“Hmmm…”
Aeliana’s eye twitched.
Infuriating.
Aeliana’s breath hitched.
Something was off.
It wasn’t just Lucavion’s usual infuriating nonchalance, nor was it the lazy amusement that he always carried in his voice.
It was the air itself.
Something was about to happen.
She could feel it—just as she had felt the mana surge earlier, just as she had felt the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her since stepping into the entrance hall.
Lucavion must have noticed the way her posture shifted, the way her eyes sharpened, because the teasing lilt in his voice faded.
And then—
His gaze locked onto hers, the smirk on his lips curving into something unreadable.
“Are you afraid that I’m going to leave completely?”
Aeliana flinched.
Her entire body tensed before she could stop herself, the reaction immediate, instinctual.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, her breath caught somewhere between denial and something far more dangerous.
Lucavion saw it. Of course he did.
His eyes gleamed with sharp amusement, but beneath it, something else lurked. Something heavier.
Aeliana willed herself to recover—to smooth out the flicker of emotion that had slipped through the cracks. But it was too late.
Lucavion had already seen too much.
She inhaled sharply, lifting her chin. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Lucavion’s smirk remained, but he tilted his head slightly, as if studying her. “Oh? So you wouldn’t mind if I walked out those doors right now?”
Aeliana’s jaw tightened.
He was baiting her. As always.
But this time—this time, it worked.
She did mind.
And that realization infuriated her.
“You…” She took a step forward, the space between them narrowing. “You have a habit of leaving chaos in your wake, Lucavion.”
He smiled. “So I’ve been told.”
Aeliana glared. “You think it’s amusing?”
“Only a little.”
Her eye twitched.
Lucavion leaned back slightly, tilting his head toward the entrance. “Then I suppose I should get going. You did say trouble follows wherever I go.”
He moved to stand.
Aeliana’s hand shot out before she could think.
Fingers curled tightly around his wrist.
Lucavion blinked.
Then, slowly, he glanced down at where her hand gripped his arm before his gaze flickered back up to meet hers.
“…Aeliana?”
Her grip tightened.
“You’re not leaving without me.”
Lucavion stared at her for a moment, something unreadable flashing behind his eyes.
Then, slowly—infuriatingly—his lips curled into a grin.
“…Ah,” he murmured. “So you are afraid.”
Aeliana’s glare burned.
“Shut up,” she snapped. “You’re taking me with you.”
Lucavion exhaled a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “Forcing yourself into my plans, are you?”
“Yes.”
His amusement deepened. “My, my. How bold.”
Aeliana’s eyes darkened. “Do you want me to make it an order?”
Lucavion sighed dramatically, though the glint in his gaze told her he had no real objections. “Well,” he said, “I suppose I can’t refuse a lady when she asks so nicely.”
Aeliana scoffed.
But her grip didn’t loosen.
And Lucavion didn’t pull away.