Unintentionally, fire shot out of her palms.
Helian flinched, his smirk faltering as he hissed, "Love IS painful."
Alexia gasped, eyes wide. "Sorry!"
But then—
She paused. Her gaze flickered to her hands, then back to him. "…Wait. I can hurt you now?"
Her lips curled into a slow, delighted grin.
Helian, still pinned beneath her, arched a brow. "I think your main question should be: am I enjoying straddling this charming young man?"
His words made her painfully aware of their position.
She shifted back slightly, trying to get up—
That's when she felt it.
Her body went rigid. A slow, creeping horror settled in.
"Helian. Don't tell me it's what I think it is."
His golden eyes gleamed with shameless amusement. "Darling, you were doing so much, it was bound to happen."
Alexia shot up like she had been electrocuted. "Get out." Her voice was barely above a whisper, her face burning.
Helian tilted his head, utterly unbothered. "Don't you want to take care of it?"
"GET. OUT."
He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "I understand, my little unripe fruit." With a wink, he slowly stood, making his way to the bathroom—
Taking his sweet time.
[Host, is this a bad time to give you your rewards?]
Alexia, still red-faced from the previous disaster, barely processed the words. "Hermes… why?" she whispered, emotionally exhausted.
[Mission progress: 100%
Mission rewards: Advancement by a rank.]
She blinked. Then again.
A slow grin spread across her face. "At least something good came out of saving that bird-brained menace."
[ Name: Alexia Dawn
Race: Dragon, Elf, …
Rank: D
Powers: Fire, Light, Healing, ??? (Unknown)
Stats: Host should train more. ]
Alexia's eyes sparkled as she stared at the glowing text before her.
"It took me four years just to scrape my way to E rank… and now, after one ridiculous quest, I'm suddenly D rank?" She let out a short laugh, shaking her head. "Totally worth it."
Before she could bask in her victory any longer, the sound of the door creaking open made her freeze. Instinctively, she turned her head—only to immediately snap it away, eyes darting anywhere but the direction of the intruder.
Nope. Not looking. Absolutely not.
Helian stepped out of the bathroom, steam curling around him like some dramatic stage entrance. His damp red cloth hung loosely around his hips, and his golden-orange eyes practically glowed with amusement.
Alexia barely spared him a glance before whipping her head in the opposite direction.
"Why do you look guilty?" Helian teased, crossing his arms. "Did you peek while I was gone?"
Alexia scoffed, still staring at the wall. "You wish."
Helian chuckled. "Well, if you did—no judgment. It's only natural to be curious."
Alexia inhaled deeply, resisting the urge to throw fire at him again.
Some victories just weren't worth celebrating.
"I think you need a bath too. If you haven't noticed, you aren't exactly the picture of charm."
Alexia opened her mouth to argue—until she actually looked at herself.
"...Damn it!"
With an annoyed huff, she stormed toward the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
"I left some clothes there for you. It helped in solving that little issue your closeness caused."
[ Host, anger isn't good for your health. ]
Alexia froze mid-step.
"Oh no."
"Whatever." Alexia tried to sound casual.
"Anyway, Hermes—no peeking."
[ Affirmative, Host. ]
Sighing, she walked to the mirror. Seeing her normal ears and ash-black hair staring back at her, she smiled. "It's good to be back."
Her gaze shifted to the steaming bath, the water decorated with floating rose petals. Dismissing her armor, she carefully stepped in, the warmth instantly relaxing her muscles.
Sighing, she reached for the soap. The blue one.
"I assume the red one is for that menace." She sniffed the bar in her hand. "Lavender. Nice."
She took a deep breath, letting the scent calm her. "How is everything here so… new?" she mused, scrubbing herself and working the tension out of her muscles.
After her relaxing bath, Alexia stepped out of the bathroom, only to realize something very important.
There was no towel.
Her eye twitched. "That menace."
Then, her gaze landed on a dress neatly placed in the corner. She narrowed her eyes. "Should I really put this on?"
A long pause.
"...I guess I don't have much of a choice." She sighed, shaking her head before grabbing it.
***
Now fully dressed, Helian lounged on his bed, lazily waiting for the fiery little hybrid to emerge. A smirk tugged at his lips. "I can't wait." He licked his lips, chuckling to himself.
"But seriously, how can a girl be so small? Doll-sized, even. Perfect to play with."
He sat up, running a hand through his hair. "I see cold showers in my future if she doesn't learn to behave." He muttered, adjusting his collar with a groan. "Ugh, I forgot how these clothes felt."
Before he could complain further, the door creaked open, immediately drawing his attention.
Helian's gaze snapped toward the door the moment it creaked open, and for the first time in a long while, words failed him.
Alexia stepped out, wrapped in an ensemble that looked like it had been forged from the night sky—black fabric laced with gold filigree, hugging her in all the right ways. A hood framed her face, casting shadows over her piercing gaze, while a sleek mask concealed her smirk—because he knew, oh, he knew she was smirking beneath it.
His gaze drifted lower. Gold lines traced the bodice, accentuating every curve, subtle yet impossible to ignore. Twin swords rested at her back, the glint of steel teasing danger. A belt, its insignia catching the light, cinched her waist, holding everything together in a way that was both infuriatingly precise and unfairly stunning.
The gloves. The arm guards. The sheer presence she exuded. Power wrapped in elegance, destruction clothed in precision.
Helian let out a low whistle, his grin wolfish. "Well, well, little dragon, you've finally dressed the part." He leaned back, eyes gleaming. "Tell me—are you trying to kill me? Because looking like that, you just might succeed."
He licked his lips, watching for her reaction. "Tell me, did you wear this just to ruin me, or is this what you're planning to fight in?" His grin widened. "Because either way… I might not survive."
"This is actually cool. I thought you were going to do something really annoying."
Her soft mumble completely ignored his questions, making Helian grin as he stood from the bed.
"Isn't this better than being messy? Speaking of messy, you really shouldn't move so much when straddling a man."
He watched as her eye violently twitched.
With ease, he dodged the flying fist aimed at his face.
"Oh? You've gotten stronger? Love really does nurture the body."
Another punch came flying. He dodged again.
"Darling, isn't it too much work trying to reach my face? Considering you're the height of a—oof."
Alexia slowly removed her hand from his stomach.
Watching Helian's pained expression, Alexia stared at him like she had just discovered a priceless artifact.
"I was right! I CAN hurt you!" She was one second away from breaking into a celebratory dance.
Helian groaned, clutching his stomach.
"Darling, your excitement is deeply concerning."
"Anyways, let's get out of here."
"Not without taking responsibility for me."
Alexia paused. "…Why would I do that?"
Helian straightened, brushing imaginary dust off himself with all the grace of a wounded prince. "You ogle me, steal my heart, push me down, take my stuff, and now you think you can just walk away?"
Alexia blinked. "That is not what happened."
He placed a hand over his chest, looking heartbreakingly betrayed. "So you're saying it meant nothing to you?"
"…Get out."
"Only if you follow me," Helian said smoothly.
Alexia scoffed. "Have you ever actually suffered before?"
"Of course. I literally get burned to ashes with every rebirth," he replied, as if it were obvious.
She rolled her eyes. "So? I get burned all the time. That doesn't count."
Then, with a smirk, she added, "Especially when I'm alive and as cute as ever. So are you. Well... except the cute part."
Flashing him a smug smile, she turned on her heel and strode toward the door, radiating confidence—leaving Helian momentarily stunned before he burst into laughter.
Alexia swung the door open, barely sparing the room another glance as she stepped out. Instinct guided her to the right.
"A staircase."
She refused to acknowledge the overwhelming red décor around her, as if acknowledging it would somehow make it worse. Instead, she muttered, "I think black is about to become my new favorite color."
Behind her, soft footsteps echoed, a quiet reminder that she wasn't alone.
Alexia stepped onto the staircase, her eyes instinctively trailing over the gold-trimmed railings and the obnoxiously extravagant chandelier above. Each step she took down the red carpet felt like she was sinking deeper into a villain's lair.
She exhaled sharply, muttering under her breath. "You know, I always imagined hell would be fiery and bleak, not...a palace suffering from a gold overdose."
Behind her, Helian chuckled. "Flattery will get you nowhere, darling."
She ignored him, dragging her fingers along the railing before retracting her hand with a grimace. "Even the railings feel expensive. Do you want to sleep on a bed of coins too?"
"You wound me." His voice was dripping with amusement. "I have standards."
"Could've fooled me." She reached the bottom step and glanced back at him. "Red, gold, more red, and even more gold. It's like a demon prince and an overzealous royal decorator had a competition and nobody won."
Helian smirked as he descended behind her. "Or maybe, just maybe, it's the perfect setting to make you shine, my dear."
Alexia rolled her eyes and turned toward the towering doorway ahead. "Please, let's just leave before I start seeing gold in my nightmares."
[ Host, I thought you loved gold. ]
"Not in this case, Hermes." Alexia muttered, resisting the urge to rip down the excessive décor.
[ Host... nevermind. ]
Hermes didn't need to finish. She already knew what he was thinking.
Her eyes drifted to the dress—the same one she had seen before. The same one she had ignored before. But now, standing here again, she couldn't pretend it didn't exist.
"Helian," she said suddenly, turning toward him. "Do you know my birthday?"
He blinked at her, then smirked. "I don't, but I wish I did."
"Don't worry," she muttered, stepping closer.
She reached for the note that had been left with the dress. She had read it once already, but for some reason, she needed to see it again.
Unfolding the paper, she traced the words with her eyes.
"Happy birthday, Princess. Seventeen will look good on you."
Her fingers tightened around the note.
Whoever left this… they knew.
Her gaze drifted to the dress again.
"I don't want to care anymore."
She pulled it off the rack, running her fingers over the fabric.
"It's warm… and reminds me of someone." Her voice softened as she hugged the dress, caressing it absentmindedly. A face with a gentle smile flickered in her mind—familiar, distant, untouchable.
From behind her, Helian scoffed. "Are you okay? I mean, I'm way more emotion-provoking than a dress, and you've never hugged me." He pouted dramatically, arms outstretched in an obvious invitation.
Alexia's expression didn't change. With the same unimpressed look, she flicked a fireball at him.
It was a small one.
Probably.