Raelynn sat cross-legged on her bed, arms folded, staring at the chessboard with narrowed eyes. Her brows furrowed in frustration, and her lips pressed into a tight line. Across from her, Elion leaned back slightly in his chair, his posture relaxed, one elbow propped up on the armrest, his fingers idly tapping against his jaw. His expression remained unreadable, his silver eyes glinting with quiet amusent as he observed her sulking.
"Tsk," Raelynn clicked her tongue and exhaled sharply through her nose. "This ga is so annoying."
Elion tilted his head, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smirk. "Losing isn't a pleasant feeling, is it?"
Raelynn shot him a glare, her fingers curling into the blanket beneath her. "I don't mind losing. I just don't like losing to you."
His smirk deepened. "Oh? Should I let you win next ti, then?"
"Absolutely not," she huffed, shaking her head. "That would be even more insulting."
Elion chuckled under his breath, his voice low and rich, almost teasing. "Then you should train harder."
Raelynn groaned, flopping backward onto her pillows, arms stretched out beside her. "I should just stick to what I'm good at."
Elion raised an eyebrow, his fingers pausing their movent. "And what might that be?"
She sat up again, crossing her legs and shrugging. "Reading."
The room fell into a comfortable silence. Outside, the wind howled faintly against the windows, and the scent of night-blooming jasmine drifted in from the garden below.
After a mont, Raelynn sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Speaking of reading, I can't find that book, Vampire 10,001. Are you sure you don't know where it is?"
Elion barely glanced at her as he started tidying up the chess pieces. "Why would I concern myself with one of your little books?"
Raelynn narrowed her eyes at him. "Because it's missing, and you always seem to know everything."
Elion let out a soft breath, his lips pressing together briefly before he shook his head. "I have better things to do than keep track of your reading materials."
She pursed her lips, clearly unconvinced, but let it go. Instead, she rolled her shoulders and muttered, "Once my leg heals, I need to hurry to the library. I have to et Axel."
Elion's hands, which had been efficiently placing the chess pieces back into the box, suddenly stilled. His fingers hovered over a knight piece for a second too long before he slowly looked up at her.
"You really enjoy spending ti with him, don't you?" His tone was casual, but there was sothing beneath it—sothing unreadable.
Raelynn blinked at him, taken aback by the question. "What? I literally lost a book I borrowed. I need to either replace it or pay for it."
Elion didn't seem satisfied with that answer. He studied her for a mont before repeating, "That doesn't answer my question. Do you like spending ti with that man?"
Raelynn frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Of course. He's fun to be around."
Elion's jaw tightened briefly. He turned his gaze back to the chessboard, but his fingers twitched slightly as he picked up another piece.
"More fun than ?" he asked suddenly, his voice almost too nonchalant.
Raelynn blinked again, utterly confused. "What?"
Raelynn stared at Elion, his words replaying in her head. More fun than ?
Was he… comparing her ti with him to her ti with Axel?
Her brows furrowed slightly as she studied his expression. He looked calm, composed—even indifferent—but there was sothing about the way his fingers twitched against the chess piece that made her pause.
Why would that even matter? Why would he care?
It wasn't like this was so sort of competition. She spent ti with Axel because he was her friend. They talked, they joked, sotis they trained together. And Elion? Well… Elion was just—
Her thoughts stuttered.
Just what?
Elion exhaled quietly and shook his head. "Nothing," he muttered.
Without another word, he stood up, picking up the chessboard and turning toward the door. His footsteps were calm, asured, but there was an unmistakable stiffness to his movents, as if he were restraining sothing.
Raelynn stared after him, still trying to process the strange shift in his behavior. But just as Elion reached the doorway, he suddenly paused.
Elion remained at the doorway, his back still turned to her. For a mont, Raelynn thought he was about to leave without another word. But then—without turning around—he spoke.
"Is this fun for you?"
His voice was calm, even, but there was sothing beneath it. Sothing she couldn't quite place.
Raelynn blinked at his back. "Sure," she said, because, well, why not? It was fun. At least, she didn't not enjoy it.
Elion tilted his head slightly, as if considering her answer. "Really?"
Raelynn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. I an, I've never played chess before. It's a good thing to learn sothing new."
She leaned back against the couch, watching him carefully. "We can play together again soti."
Silence.
Raelynn waited, expecting so sort of response—a remark, a scoff, maybe even one of his usual smug comnts. But nothing ca. Elion didn't move. He didn't speak. He just stood there, his posture unreadable.
Her fingers curled slightly against the blanket. Was he… mad? No, that didn't seem right. If anything, he looked more frozen than anything else.
Frowning, she tilted her head, trying to peek at his face, but of course, all she got was the back of his head.
What was his deal?
The longer the silence stretched, the more Raelynn felt sothing twist in her chest—sothing strange, sothing uncomfortable. She was tempted to call his na, to ask what his problem was.
After that, he then turned back, walked toward her, and placed the chessboard firmly on her bedside table.
"Not mine," he said flatly before swiftly turning on his heel and exiting the room, shutting the door behind him.
Raelynn sat in stunned silence, staring at the board as if it might give her answers.
After a long pause, she finally murmured, "…What was that all about?"
Despite her lingering confusion, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. For so reason, Elion's reaction was unexpectedly… amusing.
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