I stood outside Liora's room door, trying to act cool. Not nervous. Just a regular evening knock. No big deal.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"It's me," I said. "Noah. Your favorite noble with a long list of problems."
A pause.
"What do you want?" Liora called from the other side.
Her voice didn't sound mad… but it didn't sound happy either.
"I brought peace offerings! Or, uh… just my charming company."
Another pause.
The door creaked open.
She didn't smile, just turned around and walked back toward the bed. That was Liora-speak for "You can come in."
I stepped inside.
Her room was warm, filled with soft light from the wall lanterns. A small fire crackled in the fireplace. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her boots already off, hair brushed and loose.
I stood there awkwardly, unsure what to say.
"So…" I said. "Nice weather we're having. Very… cold and snowy. Classic north stuff."
She rolled her eyes. "Is that why you're here?"
"No. I, uh…" I rubbed the back of my neck. "I just wanted to talk."
She didn't say anything.
I took a deep breath and sat beside her, leaving a little space.
"Do you hate me, Liora?"
Her head turned toward me fast. "What? No! Why would you think that?"
I shrugged. "Because I… well, because I think I hurt you."
"You did."
"Right. That's fair."
Silence. Not the loud, angry kind. The soft kind that makes you nervous.
"I'm sorry for liking you," she said quietly.
I blinked.
She looked away from me. "I didn't mean to. It just… happened. And I know it's weird. I know we're cousins.
"It's okay," I said quickly. "I like you too."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"I mean… not like that. I just—" I stumbled over my words.
"I care about you. A lot. You're my best friend. Maybe the best person I've ever known. Even if things got messy."
She looked down at her hands.
"I get it," she said softly. "I don't want to ruin things. I just want things to go back to being good."
"Me too."
She laid back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.
I watched her for a second. Then, without really thinking, I leaned over… and kissed her cheek.
Her eyes widened. Her cheeks turned pink.
"…What was that for?" she whispered.
"I don't know," I said. "Maybe to say thank you. Maybe because I'm dumb. Take your pick."
"You really are dumb," she mumbled.
She turned her face toward the wall, and I figured that was my cue to leave.
I stood up and quietly walked to the door. Before I left, I looked back.
She was still blushing.
I grinned to myself and walked out.
The next morning, Vivianne arrived at the Argento estate.
At the gate, two guards stepped forward.
"State your name and reason for coming," one said.
Vivianne took out her badge.
"I'm Vivianne, head nurse at Cyran Academy. I've come to speak with Lady Elizabeth."
The guards looked at the badge, then nodded.
"Go ahead."
A maid walked quickly down the main hallway and stopped outside Elizabeth's room. She knocked gently.
"My lady," the maid said, "you have a visitor. She's waiting in the garden."
Elizabeth opened the door, surprised.
"Who is it?"
"She said she's from Cyran Academy. The head nurse."
Elizabeth followed the maid to the garden, where Vivianne was seated with tea already prepared.
Elizabeth sat down.
"It's been a while, Miss Vivianne. What brings you here?"
Vivianne smiled.
"Noah asked to meet with you."
Elizabeth blinked.
"Noah Drakopoulos? Why would he want to see me?"
Vivianne shrugged.
"We were heading back to the Drakopoulos estate, and he suddenly said he wanted to come to the north."
"And you're with him?"
"Yes. When Noah was born, he was very sick. The headmaster owed his family a favor, so he sent me to care for him. I've been with him ever since.
Elizabeth gave a small nod.
"I see… That makes sense. You're well known, you know."
Vivianne finished her tea.
"We're staying at the Drakopoulos winter home. If you'd like, you're welcome to visit."
Elizabeth stood.
"I'll come now. Please wait while I get ready."
Vivianne nodded.
"I'll be here."
Back at the Drakopoulos winter house.
I was in the study, trying to read a book.
Liora sat across from me, flipping through a magic scroll like she was studying for a final exam that didn't exist. Every now and then, she'd glance at me, sigh, and go back to reading.
I didn't blame her. I'd been restless since morning. Sitting. Standing. Sitting again. My thoughts wouldn't stop.
Elizabeth is going to die.
The status window told me. Twenty days left.
And if she dies… I'm dead too. That wasn't even a metaphor.
But how do I tell someone, "Hey, I think you're great and also you're going to die soon, so maybe hang out with me forever"?
Yeah.
Not great.
So instead, I did something completely stupid.
I asked Vivianne to invite her over.
Just to talk.
Definitely not to panic and say something dumb.
The door opened.
Vivianne stepped in.
She cleared her throat. "Lady Elizabeth is here."
Liora looked up from her scroll. "Huh?"
I jumped up. "Okay, good. Cool. Perfect."
Vivianne gave me a strange look and left again.
Liora raised an eyebrow. "What's this about?"
"Nothing," I said, lying horribly. "I just wanted to say hi. Noble stuff. Very formal."
"Mhm," she muttered.
The door opened again, and Elizabeth Argento walked in.
She looked calm as usual. Maybe a little confused. Her eyes moved from me to Liora, then back to me.
"Good afternoon," she said.
"Afternoon!" I said way too loud. I cleared my throat. "Sorry. Um. Can we talk? Just the two of us?"
Liora stood slowly. "Fine. I was done anyways."
She gave Elizabeth one last look before leaving the study.
Now it was just me and her.
I motioned to the chair across from mine. She sat. I sat.
She waited.
I panicked.
"So… I was thinking," I said slowly. "You know how life is short? Especially lately? And sometimes you meet someone and it just sort of… clicks?"
Elizabeth tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"
I took a deep breath.
"Will you marry me?"
She blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, not now. Not this second. Maybe in the future. Like, way in the future. But I just wanted to ask. Because I don't know how to say what I'm really feeling and this seemed like a... shortcut?"
Elizabeth looked at me like I had suddenly turned into a tree.
"We've talked twice," she said.
"Three times if you count the shopping trip."
"You helped me carry bags."
"And you smiled."
She sighed. "Why are you really asking this?"
I tried to look innocent. "Can't a guy fall for a smart, mysterious girl with a sharp tongue and good fashion sense?"
Her eyes narrowed. "That's not an answer."
"I know."
Silence.
Then she stood.
"I'm not saying yes," she said.
"I figured."
"But I'm not saying no either."
I blinked. "Wait, really?"
She opened the door. "If you want me to think about it, you'd better have more than silly charm and awkward proposals."
"Like what?"
She smiled a little. "Start with a real reason next time."
The moment she was about to leave, I blurred out.
"Hey, Elizabeth?"
She paused with her hand on the doorknob.
"Yeah?"
"Would you like to go on a… um… date? Tomorrow?"
I said it fast—like ripping off a bandaid.
Elizabeth turned and looked at me.
Her expression was hard to read. She raised one eyebrow, just slightly. Then she smiled.
"Sure. I'll go."
And that was that.
She opened the door and stepped out. I followed her through the hallway, both of us walking side by side like we'd done this before. It felt… nice. Not weird or forced. Just quiet.
We stopped near the entrance.
"To think," Elizabeth said, folding her arms, "Cyran Academy almost lost to Gravesend."
I winced. "Almost? We did lose."
"But only by one point," she replied. "Still surprising."
"I didn't die, so I call it a win."
She chuckled softly. "That is true."
I opened the door for her, like the half-decent noble I occasionally pretended to be.
"I'll have a few guards escort you home," I said. "Just in case."
Elizabeth shook her head. "That won't be necessary."
I frowned. "You sure?"
She stepped outside and pointed.
There were at least fifty guards standing outside.
Fifty.
Some on horses. Some in armor. All silent and terrifying.
I blinked and laughed nervously. "Oh. Right. That's... normal."
She gave me one last look, then nodded politely.
From the window above, I caught Liora's face pressed against the glass. She was glaring so hard I felt like my eyebrows were about to burn off.
Just great.
A man in a clean black uniform walked up to Elizabeth.
"My lady," he said. "Are you ready?"
She nodded. "Yes, Walter. Let's go."
So his name is Walter. Noted.
Elizabeth turned back once and gave me a tiny wave.
I waved too.
Then the doors closed.
I leaned against them with a long sigh.
Vivianne walked by with a teacup.
"So? What did you two talk about?"
"I may have asked her on a date."
She sipped her tea, not surprised at all.
"Interesting. You know," Vivianne added, "she was once engaged to the Crown Prince."
I stood up straight. "Wait, what?"
Vivianne looked amused. "It was called off years ago. But I thought you should know before you go falling headfirst."
I rubbed my face. "It's too late. My head's already rolling down the hill."
I returned to the study, hoping to read and not think about things like royalty, ex-fiancés, or my slowly exploding heart.
I sat in my chair.
Then it popped up.
[Status Window]
⚠️Warning: Enemies will attack tonight.
Save Elizabeth at all costs.
Failure = Death.
I stared at the glowing words.
I whispered, "Of course. Of course she can't just go home. That'd be too easy."
I looked out the window, where her carriage was vanishing into the distance.
"Elizabeth, please don't die," I muttered.
"Why can't I get a normal mission like 'Go pick apples' or 'Pet a bunny'?"