Lucavion tilted his head, studying her with that insufferable mix of amusement and knowing. Then, in a voice laced with deliberate exasperation, he muttered, “Reckless.”
Aeliana’s brows furrowed. “What?”
He sighed, shaking his head as if she had just proven a point. “Just like a certain someone,” he continued, his smirk deepening. “Always acting before listening to the full story.”
Aeliana immediately knew who he was referring to.
Her father.
Right.
She could still recall the moment clear as day—the Duke’s mana curled around Lucavion’s face, his voice laced with anger, with warning
And now Lucavion had the audacity to compare her to him?
Aeliana’s glare sharpened. “Oh, please,” she shot back. “If I ever want to learn something from you, I have to jump through hoops and drag the truth out of you.” Her voice dipped with irritation. “It’s bloody annoying.”
Lucavion exhaled a soft chuckle, completely unbothered by her frustration. “That sounds like a you problem, Aeliana.”
She scoffed. “It’s a you problem.”
“Mm. Disagree.”
Aeliana clenched her teeth, her grip still locked around his wrist.
Why—why was talking to him like trying to catch smoke with her bare hands?
She had half a mind to actually make this an order. But something in Lucavion’s eyes told her he was enjoying this far too much, and she refused to let him have that satisfaction.
Instead, she inhaled sharply, tightening her hold.
“You’re still taking me with you,” she stated, unwavering.
Lucavion let out a quiet hum, tilting his head slightly. “Alright,” he said, his tone carrying an easy acceptance. “But do you even know where I’m heading?”
Aeliana’s glare remained fixed on him.
“What if I really am leaving?” he continued, watching her carefully. “Would you leave everything behind just like that?” He paused, letting the weight of his words settle between them before adding, “Wouldn’t the Duke just kill us both?”
His smirk was still there, but his eyes gleamed with something sharper—assessing, testing.
But Aeliana wasn’t so easily shaken.
She had spent enough time around Lucavion to know when he was toying with her. And this—this teasing, this mock concern—only proved that he wasn’t truly leaving.
Not yet.
Because for all his unpredictability, for all his reckless charm and infuriating antics, there was one thing about Lucavion that remained consistent.
When it mattered, he was always serious.
Even if he hid it behind that damnable smirk.
Aeliana’s amber eyes gleamed as realization settled in.
Her grip loosened just slightly.
And then—she smirked.
Lucavion’s expression faltered, his eyes widening—just a fraction, just enough for her to see.
And that was all she needed.
“What, you bastard?” she taunted. “Did you think you were the only one who could talk as if you knew everything?” Her smirk curled further. “I already figured you out.”
Lucavion cleared his throat, leaning back slightly. “Ahem… I was just surprised. Also, who said you figured me out?”
Aeliana’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Your eyes did.”
For just a split second—so brief that most wouldn’t have caught it—Lucavion tensed.
It was there in the slight shift of his shoulders, in the way his smirk faltered before quickly recovering.
And Aeliana saw it.
Oh, she thought, he’s flustered.
She was right.
Lucavion exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck before letting out a small, resigned sigh. “You win this time…” He met her gaze, a flicker of something unreadable in his expression before he added, “Little Ember.”
Aeliana’s smirk widened.
“Heh.”
The satisfaction was instant.
But Lucavion wasn’t done.
His smirk returned, slower this time, almost contemplative. “Still,” he mused, “it’s quite reckless, isn’t it?”
Aeliana arched a brow.
Lucavion tilted his head slightly, watching her with that knowing gaze. “Even if I’m not leaving completely, what if I were going somewhere dangerous?” He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice just enough to make the words feel heavier. “Would you follow any man like this?”
Aeliana scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I am not you.”
Lucavion chuckled. “Mmm, fair.”
But Aeliana wasn’t done. She crossed her arms, her expression turning smug. “And listen to you talk—acting like you couldn’t refuse when a woman offered to dress you.”
Lucavion hummed, pretending to think for a moment before he gave her a lazy grin. “Ah, but that would mean you see me as someone special.”
Aeliana didn’t even hesitate.
She nodded.
Lucavion blinked.
Aeliana smirked. “Of course you are.”
Lucavion recovered quickly, his grin deepening. “Oh? Finally admitting it, are we?”
“Yes,” she said smoothly.
He raised a brow, clearly waiting for her to continue.
And she did.
“You are the biggest troublemaker I have ever seen,” she said, exasperation laced into every syllable. “And someone needs to oversee you, or else who knows what would happen under my duchy’s rule.”
Lucavion let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Ah… so I require supervision?”
“Yes,” Aeliana deadpanned.
Lucavion sighed dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. “How tragic. And here I thought it was because you couldn’t get enough of my handsome face.”
Aeliana’s glare sharpened, but for the briefest moment, her thoughts betrayed her.
When she had first met him, she had thought Lucavion’s face was… average.
Not unpleasant, but certainly not remarkable. She had attended countless banquets in her youth, surrounded by nobles whose beauty was polished to perfection. Lucavion hadn’t come close to them.
At least—
That’s what she remembered thinking.
But now…
Now, she found herself lingering on the way his dark eyes caught the light, how they seemed almost impossibly deep—like the kind of abyss that could pull her in if she wasn’t careful.
No way.
She refused to let that thought take root.
Instead, she scoffed, tilting her head with practiced disdain.
“Narcissistic bastard,” she muttered. “Who said you were handsome?”
Lucavion tsked, shaking his head. “Stingy.”
But he didn’t press the matter further.
Instead, he sighed and settled back onto the couch once more, stretching slightly before casting her a sidelong glance. “If you’re so determined to supervise me, why not send someone stronger?” He gestured vaguely toward her with a lazy wave of his hand. “Do you really think you could stop me if anything happened?”
Aeliana didn’t hesitate.
She smirked.
Then, without warning, she took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance between them.
Lucavion’s brow arched slightly in intrigue, but he didn’t move. Not when she stopped just before him. Not when she leaned in, close enough for him to see the fire in her amber eyes.
And then—
She raised her right hand, extending her index finger until it pressed lightly against his nose.
“You better try me,” she murmured.
The challenge was clear.
Her eyes glinted, daring him.
Because truthfully?
She wanted him to make a move.
Because then she would have a reason to lock him down here.
To keep him from slipping away again.
Lucavion stiffened for a split second. Not from fear—but from the sheer, sudden realization that this woman was dangerously unpredictable in a way he hadn’t quite accounted for.
A shiver ran down his spine before he could stop it.
He exhaled slowly, eyes flickering over her expression before settling back onto her gaze.
“…I better not,” he muttered.
Smart choice.
————-A/N————
You can check out my new book if you want.
Name: Transmigrated into Eroge as the Simp, but I Refuse This Fate
It is a light-read for starters.
