Rita was behind him, standing a little too close for comfort, her long coat buttoned tight despite the warm ballroom and a thick wool scarf coiled around her neck like a snake.
"Saintess," Lucius greeted, voice calm but his face said otherwise, he was uncomfortable.
He t her eyes, and for a mont, he regretted doing so.
When you looked at her properly — when you ignored the little detail that she kept a collection of castrated n under her basent like trophies, The Saintess didn’t look all that terrifying at all.
She looked ordinary, almost gentle, her expression soft in a way that felt dishonest. Alas she was a perverted fuck which deserved to be banished to the depths of hell.
"You’re looking beautiful today," he said finally. Words polite enough to not be insulting, but they both knew that he didn’t actually an it... Even if she was looking stunning.
Her eyes widened slightly at the complint before flicking down at her plain coat.
"Well... thank you," she said, almost shy. Lucius almost fell for it.
’Is this how you behave in public outings?’ He thought, no wonder her fanbase thought she was a quiet.... She was a real demon all right.
Then, with a tilt of her head, her voice softened. "You haven’t been answering my DMs. Could it be... I’m the problem?"
The innocence in her tone made Lucius want to punch her square in the face, multiple tis.
Unfortunately, punching an S-rank Saintess in the middle of a council celebration was the sort of life decision you didn’t walk away from.
He settled instead for tightening his grip on Vanessa’s hand. She was standing quietly beside him, her cheeks faintly pink from his touch.
"Ah, I really haven’t been online to see them," he lied with a straight face.
And without waiting for her response, he started walking, pulling Vanessa along with him.
Creating distance between them was the only survival tactic against Rita.
"Hey, slow down..." Vanessa murmured, casting a glance back.
She didn’t share his instinct to avoid her close friend like the plague; part of her still wanted to exchange a few polite words.
"Trust , I won’t," Lucius muttered, lengthening his strides.
He wasn’t about to risk letting Vanessa get anywhere near the jaws of that beast.
Who was to say Rita limited her hobbies to torturing n? Maybe won were next on her little hobby list.
And then, fate decided to make things worse. He bumped into soone he absolutely didn’t want to see at this party.
...
Lily Runenforscher adjusted the sleeve of her gown, taking a deep breath as she entered the ballroom.
Her arm was looped neatly through Elliot’s, their clothes matching in coordinated shades of silver and blue.
It should have been picture-perfect, the ideal entrance for a prestigious heiress of one of the three great clans and her fiancé.
It wasn’t.
Everywhere she went, Lily was greeted — by fellow noblewon, by young n trying to curry favor, by families eager to claim so connection with her bloodline.
She smiled with practiced grace, but her steps carried exhaustion, she was so tired of it.
She finally located a table and slid into a seat, Elliot quickly taking the chair beside her.
An awkward silence settled between them.
At least, awkward for Elliot.
Lily, on the other hand, was comfortable with it. She liked Elliot — or she thought she did. Enough to bear with his bumbling words and constant apologies.
"So... how have you been doing?" Elliot ventured, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know I’ve been distant lately, but I’ve been working on a ne—"
"A new potion, yes." Lily’s lips curved into a small smile as she rolled her eyes. "You’ve said that before."
More than once.
Enough that she could repeat it for him like a script.
Elliot flushed, scratching his cheek. "Well... after this, maybe we can go ou—"
He never finished.
A heavy hand slamd onto their table, rattling the plates and sending glasses tumbling.
Elliot’s eyes twitched. ’Why are these scenes always so unnecessarily filled with action?’ he thought bitterly.
Not that he minded — he loved action movies but still.
The intruder stood tall, posture rigid with arrogance.
"Elliot Runenforscher," he announced, voice booming across the room. "I am Hiruzen Gale, heir of the Gale Clan. I challenge you to an official duel!"
His hand jabbed toward Elliot like a spear. "Filth like you should never be engaged to a beautiful lady like her!"
Gasps rippled through the nearest tables.
Heads turned.
Soone whispered ’Gale Clan?’ while another murmured ’Heir challenge!’
Elliot blinked at the outstretched hand, then at Lily.
But Lily wasn’t even watching.
Her gaze swept across the ballroom, distracted, as though searching for sothing or rather soone else.
Elliot’s chest tightened.
Whatever she was looking for, it clearly wasn’t him.
He forced a smile anyway.
"I’m actually not in the mood for a duel." He reached for a glass of wine still standing on the edge of their table, poured himself a splash, and lifted it casually.
"Just say you’re not up to it," Hiruzen sneered, baring his teeth in a grin.
Elliot took a sip, savoring the bitter tang before setting the glass back down. "Alright, I acc—"
And then, chaos again. Soone bumped into Hiruzen from the side.
The heir spun, fury flashing across his face, ready to bark an insult until he saw who it was.
His expression collapsed. He bowed so quickly it was a miracle his spine didn’t snap.
"L-L-Lord Lucius!" he stamred, trembling. "Forgive my carelessness. Do you... perhaps wish to duel Elliot yourself? For Lady Li—"
"As you were," Lucius cut in, as dismissive as ever.
He brushed past Hiruzen without sparing him another glance, Vanessa’s hand still tucked firmly into his own.
Hiruzen froze, then exhaled a shaky sigh of disappointnt, shoulders drooping.
But Lucius stopped. He glanced back over his shoulder, lips curling into a smile that made the younger man pale.
"Actually," Lucius said, his tone almost playful, "I’d like to watch."
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