CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21: MINE!

Thud!

The door shut behind Akidna with a dull thud, a sound that seemed to echo far too long in the enclosed chamber.

The air grew heavier in her absence, as if her presence had been holding back something... someone.

Aiden kept his gaze fixed on the far wall, his one good eye tracing the uneven lines in the plaster. It was easier to look at that than at the woman still standing before him.

Flora’s silhouette lingered in the corner of his vision—poised, proud, and painfully still—like a lioness watching her prey’s every twitch.

"...How long?" she asked, her voice low but sharpened at the edges.

He blinked, forcing the muscles in his face not to react. "Lady Flora, I don’t know what you are—"

"Don’t play with me, Aiden." Her tone cracked for the briefest second, then hardened again. "Don’t forget... I can hang you and her in the name of treason."

It wasn’t the words that made his spine tighten—it was the ease with which she said them, like ordering wine instead of blood.

Aiden finally looked at her. Not too long—just enough to acknowledge the danger without feeding it.

[Flora D Leonidus

Status: -------

Bloodline: Mythical Lion Bloodline (High tier)

Mana: High

Grade: A+ Class

Personality now: Extremely Jealous / Guilt

Skills: Lion Bane (High Tier), Myth Aura (High Tier), Saint Sword (Ascendant Tier)

Beauty: Radiant (Very High Tier)

Talent: ⭐⭐⭐⭐]

[High amount of Ember detected.]

’Jealousy?’ The thought flickered. But beneath it—yes, there was guilt too.

Dangerous. Jealousy and affection together were like oil on fire: they could warm you, or they could burn you to the bone.

She straightened, her expression now carved back into cold marble, as if the flare of temper had never existed.

"Aaaa...." He cried in pain as he shifted, a quiet moan escaping as pain radiated through his ribs. The sound wasn’t entirely for show—though it was far more useful to him than to her. The ache made him move slower, made him look more fragile.

"...You don’t need to—" Flora started, her voice softer, then caught herself, tightening it again. "...never mind." She stepped forward. Each click of her heel on the wooden floor seemed too loud.

Her shadow stretched until it touched the edge of his bed.

He didn’t speak yet. Timing mattered. Words too early could ruin the entire play.

Instead, he let his good hand pat the empty space beside him—a quiet, deliberate invitation.

Her eyes narrowed, suspicion and curiosity at war. Sitting wouldn’t change anything... and yet she stepped closer, lifting her dress just enough to keep it from brushing the floor before lowering herself elegantly onto the mattress.

Up close, she carried the faint trace of rosewater beneath the sterile scent of medicine that clung to the room.

Even now, even with tension pressing down on them, that scent seemed to slide under his guard.

"...Now tell me," she said. "Why was she here? What was she doing? Unclothing—"

"She was just... helping, Lady Flora," Aiden interrupted gently. "She brought an elixir. ...And when I braced from the pain... her elixir turned to herself. Hence..." he voiced, his every word aching with a semblance of pain.

Her brows pressed together. The answer wasn’t enough, but her gaze now slipped toward the bandages peeking from beneath his shirt. The cuts, the stitching, all too visible to her, and all the more obvious. Her lips tightened.

"...Sorry," he murmured suddenly, his voice so soft it seemed to tremble in the air. Flora had to lean in just to catch it, the movement drawing her closer into the warmth of his breath.

"I made you worry..." His lashes lowered, shadowing his eyes. "...Maybe Gail was right... you shouldn’t trouble yourself over a peasant like me."

The words slid into her chest like a thin blade, cold and precise.

Her head snapped toward him, golden eyes flashing. "NO!" The cry tore from her before she could think, ripping apart the careful mask of composure she had kept since entering. "You are not just a... not just a peasant to me..."

[Personality now: Guilt Very Guilty]

He didn’t flinch. In fact, her outburst only seemed to weigh his shoulders down further, like the sound itself was proof she’d just condemned herself.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Aiden tilted his head downward. Regret thickened in his tone, deliberate but never forced. "Yes," he said quietly,

"this all started because of me. You—" His fingers lifted, brushing along the delicate line of her chin, guiding her face just enough to keep her looking at him. "—a noble-born lady, letting your name be scuffed away by a man like me... It was only a matter of time before someone like Gail noticed."

The contact was feather-light, but the implication was heavy. He was giving her an easy way to agree with him... or to fight for him.

Her golden eyes softened, a shimmer forming at their edges as the lamplight caught the gathering tears. There was a storm of words she didn’t say—confessions and denials tangled together.

His gaze, however, mirrored hers perfectly, deep pools of sorrow with a glint of something warmer hidden far beneath, almost daring her to dive in.

She lifted her hand, pressing it over his where it still cradled her face. "...No... it’s also my fault," she whispered. "I bear this responsibility....."

"Responsibility of... a treacherous affair?" The phrase left his lips like an accusation wrapped in velvet, each syllable heavy enough to bruise.

"No!" Her fingers tightened over his, her breath catching. "...Don’t say it like that."

[Personality now: Very Guilty Very Very Guilty]

He let the silence breathe between them, then lowered his eyes again. His voice wavered, a trembling thread of resignation. "...No matter how much you deny it, Lady Flora... I don’t deserve this. I don’t even deserve your presence, here, at this room, at this moment..." The last word cracked, not loudly, but in a way that made the break sound unplanned—raw.

Her breath hitched. "You..." she began, but her voice faltered. Her free hand rose and found his jaw, her fingertips guiding his chin up so he would meet her gaze.

His eyes were red now, matching the sting in her own. The bruise along his cheek looked darker from this close, and instead of lessening his presence, it made him unbearably human—fragile, vulnerable, in a way that invited protection.

[Personality now: Very Very Guilty Extremely Guilty]

’one final push....’ The thought crossed his mind, silent and certain.

He covered her hand with both of his, caging it gently against his skin. "Then tell me, Lady Flora..." His voice deepened, wrapping around her name like a secret only he was allowed to speak. "...How many Gail’s should I endure? How many wounds should I take... to have you... to feel you... without your guilt between us?"

The question struck her with the force of an oath and the intimacy of a confession. It was impossible to answer—because in answering, she would be choosing the depth of her own sin. The air between them tightened, every breath laced with the gravity of his words.

Her pulse thudded against her ribs. She didn’t think—she moved. Her hands framed his face, thumbs brushing over the faint scruff along his jaw, lingering at the corners of his mouth as if to memorize the shape before daring anything further.

[Personality now: Extremely Guilty Extremely Affectionate]

’It’s done.’ He thought.

"Don’t worry, Aiden..." Her voice was softer now, not because her resolve had weakened, but because her heart had stepped in to speak before her mind could interfere, before her Nobel blood could interfere.

"No Gail will come now. You will be mine... as much as I am yours. So don’t carry that burden in your heart...."

She leaned closer. Closer still. Her breath warmed his lips.

Their eyes fluttered shut as the space between them dissolved. Her tear slipped free first, tracing the curve of her cheek before falling—landing on his skin just as their lips met.

Warm. Soft. And too brief to satisfy the hunger beneath it.

[Temporary Possession: Flora]

Her mouth lingered against his for another heartbeat, as if reluctant to let go. When she finally pulled back, her forehead rested against his. The room was silent except for the sound of their mingled breathing. As Aiden sneered, his lips etched to his ears.

’Haaaa...Finally!!! Finally...you are mine!