[Edited to pay proper respects to my beta, OfSilverRaindrops who made the best out of my writing with her suggestions and corrections. Thank you so much! 07/31/19]

King of Anything

Act 1, Chapter 6, Part 2

In which we briefly read about Gain's mustache again.

A sensation of panic overcame Hitomi. Her chest started to feel tight, and she suddenly felt like she was breathing through a cocktail straw. Then, nausea overcame her.

All of this just when she thought it couldn't get any worse. But then again, the king had told her not to worry at the clinic, that she hadn't done anything weird. She preferred to latch onto that blatant little bit of illogic even in the face of hard proof.

She decided to hide in a more dimly-lit hallway, hoping to calm herself. Hitomi hugged her arms close, mumbling some mild obscenities under her breath before her ears perked. Somebody was about to pass her, and she really didn't want to be seen hanging out by herself in a dodgy, dark corner. She wanted to be asked if she was okay least of all.

There was a polished, heavy oak door within reach, so she quickly pushed down on the handle and opened it far enough to slip into the room behind it. When the door closed behind her, her shoulders slumped in relief.

After a solid minute of staring at her feet, she finally took the time to check out where she'd ended up.

Woah, cool.

The overwhelming visual momentarily overrode Hitomi's other struggles. To her right, a large wood fireplace cast light upon the front half of what looked like a library. Bookshelves were recessed into the stone walls, and more free-standing wooden frames were positioned at angles to create short bays, blocking the other half of the room from sight.

There was an important-looking old desk near the fireplace, but most of the surface was covered in books. A few paintings, some probably centuries old and worth a fortune, decorated the walls of these areas, which were paneled in lacquered wood. One of them showed what must have been an older version of Escaflowne.

The robot's frame was plated in full metal samurai armor with a blood-red cape billowing behind him as he held his sword ready to strike an opponent. The receptacle for the drag energist glowed an eerie purple, and Hitomi briefly wondered how someone had been able to capture this particular detail so well.

Despite the warning bells going off in her head, she couldn't make herself leave. Hitomi walked in between a row of bookshelves, her hand tracing the spines of new and old tomes. A ladder with flat rungs was fastened to a guide rail near the top. She wondered what kind of books were up there. What had the last person in here been trying to find?

Moving away from the door, Hitomi carefully walked across the room as she made her observations.

Hitomi'd never seen such an extensive library. In these modern times, a lot of reading material was already available in a digital format. Many people preferred this to lugging around actual printed versions of heavy books. This was a treasure room!

Curiosity exceeding caution, she began to climb the sturdy ladder. About midway up, she stopped and skimmed some of the titles on gold-inscribed leather bindings. Mostly history books. Not overly exciting. Glancing up, more not so thrilling stuff about ancestry. Maybe that's why those were up even higher. Not exactly something one would read for entertainment.

She casually turned around and checked on the volumes directly across from her. Now here was something that caught Hitomi's eyes. She stretched her arm and barely caught her object of interest with two fingers, fishing it out from the snug embrace of its neighbors.

Leaning against the ladder with one hip, she gingerly opened the book and skimmed a few lines. It was old and a bit dusty, but the pages were in pristine shape. She wasn't surprised about that because…

Suddenly, the door opened and closed with confident force, like whoever had entered belonged here. Shit. Hitomi closed the book and held it in both hands, quiet as a mouse. Some rustling indicated that the person was removing a layer of clothing. They were clearly here to stay.

It wasn't like she didn't already know who it was. Because of course. While he was busy, likely over by that desk, Hitomi was looking for a convenient place to deposit the book back where it'd come from, but there wasn't one. If she had to stay up here until he left, wait him out to avoid him, she at least wanted to put it down.

Glancing over to the tome's original home, Hitomi rolled her eyes. Fine. Stretching far to reach, she held onto the ladder with her other hand and wedged one corner back into the opening. That's how far her fingers were able to push it. One eye twitching in irritation, Hitomi gave it a hefty nudge with the flick of her wrist.

Nope.

Damn you, gravity.

The book thumped loudly when it hit the ground and she winced. Closing both eyes, Hitomi thought that perhaps if she couldn't see him, he couldn't see her either. Maybe she was high up enough to disappear into thin air.

"What the hell?" Van's dry voice cut through the relative silence.

Hitomi opened her eyes, sighing in resignation. Clearly, her ploy hadn't worked. She was mad at herself, to say the least. She'd made such a grand exit from the dance floor only to be caught red-handed snooping around in parts of the castle she had no business being in.

"Your majesty," Hitomi forced out the words, equally embarrassed and annoyed.

The king rolled his eyes a bit as he looked up to her. "You know what, just call me Van already."

If he was surprised to see her again so soon, and here of all places, he didn't show it. He'd removed his jacket and gotten rid of the tie, as well as undone the first two buttons of his dress shirt. Did he really need to do that? Because it reminded Hitomi of what he looked like without a shirt on altogether.

That last thought nearly made her lose her footing.

While she slowly descended the ladder, Van asked, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Hitomi didn't go all the way down. She stopped two rungs off the ground and turned around to be eye level with him, bracing a hand on the ladder behind her for support. "Nothing," she said, then realized how lame of an answer that was. "Reading," she quickly amended.

Van's reaction showed clear disbelief. "Right. What else."

"What are you doing here?" Hitomi asked him in return.

The king looked mildly irritated. "I'm the last person who needs an excuse to be here. This is my study after all."

She didn't need to know that he had left the ballroom because he needed a massive breather. After all, the engagement to Princess Millerna had just officially been announced.

His eyes found the book on the floor. He was about to pick it up, but before he could get to it, somebody knocked on the door. The king took a step closer, invading Hitomi's personal space to get as far behind the bookshelf as possible. With a finger pressed against his lips, he motioned for her to be quiet.

Hitomi held her breath.

The door opened, probably only a crack, and someone inquired, "Your majesty? Are you in here?"

Crap. People were already looking for him. He'd endured the congratulatory horde for a while, but enough was enough. He just wanted a few minutes to himself.

Hitomi breathed in slowly and quietly, her head beginning to swim. His scent—petrichor and charred wood. The video—his mesmerizing eyes. In a flash, she finally remembered everything. His damn scent was what had started it all- had drawn her to him like a moth to a flame. The drugs had only caused her to disregard propriety and throw her dignity to the wind.

The door closed again when there was no answer. Van's shoulders relaxed, and Hitomi lowered her head to avoid facing him. He knew exactly what she'd done, that she didn't remember, and had never brought it up. Why though? Not that it really mattered. She felt terrible about her behavior, drug-impaired state notwithstanding.

For the sake of her own peace of mind, clearing the air would probably be best. Especially considering that his nearness and scent were becoming overwhelming. Okay, so the simple part of her female brain was madly attracted to him.

Nothing she should be embarrassed for in a biological sense. A biochemical reaction in her brain was letting her know that she wanted him. But that didn't mean her rational side was easily swayed. This was insane, after all.

She quickly and quietly said, "I'm sorry."

Van furrowed his brow in question. "For…waltzing into my personal study? Look, it's not that big of a-"

"-kissing you. At the Mystic Moon. I didn't know what I was doing."

Van frowned. So, she somehow remembered. He'd really hoped she never would to spare them both more awkwardness. "You don't need to apologize. It was nothing," he calmly assured her, hoping to salvage what was possible.

Ouch.

That statement caused something to pang in Hitomi's chest like cold lightning. Nothing? Nothing? Was something as intimate as a kiss really nothing to him? What if, for some ludicrous reason, they'd done it on purpose? It would have probably still been meaningless to a guy who could kiss a different woman every night if he wanted to.

Okay then.

Muffled voices were audible through the heavy door. They were looking for him still. Hitomi could feel him stiffening.

"If you're trying to hide, why not kiss me again? It worked before," she suggested testily, taking refuge in what was beginning to be a sick joke to her.

His voice was harsh with confusion when he whispered back, "You apologize for what you did at the Mystic Moon, and then go on to highlight the fact that I kissed you without permission instead! You make no sense!"

Hitomi jerked her head around to finally look him in the eye again. The air crackled between them.

"You call that a kiss? I'd call it embarrassing," she quipped irrationally, not sure where that had come from.

"You think you were any better?" Van shot back. He wouldn't let her get away with insulting him so easily and got precisely the response he sought: namely a swift, fierce glare.

"What are you saying? That I kiss badly?" Hitomi immediately got hung up on that implication. When she realized she was reacting exactly the way he wanted her to, it only fueled her annoyance more.

Van pinned her with his stare, a flicker of amusement visible in those rubies that didn't necessitate an answer.

The athlete- the competitor -in Hitomi awoke. This sure seemed like a challenge. She glared at him in stalwart silence for a moment.

She was suddenly feeling bold. Maybe it was the wine. The bizarreness of the whole situation made her a bit reckless. "Why don't we find out who is worse?"

That flicker in his eyes blazed into flame.

Hitomi waited, peering at him from beneath her lashes, her emerald gaze a blatant challenge. The silence stretched until…

Van gripped one of her shoulders, a sign he accepted her challenge but was also giving her a chance to back out. Was she serious, or did she just want to test if he could take what he'd dished out? Hitomi shivered under his touch while the blaze in his eyes singed her with its intensity.

"Fine," he said,

"Fine," she echoed.

Hitomi braced both of her hands against his chest in a business-like way, showing him that she was, indeed, serious. His body was warm under her palms and her fingers tingled. If the shirt had been undone any further, she'd be touching smooth, dark skin instead.

The air around them abruptly changed, became warm and humid while the tension built between them. All notions of teasing had vanished, and the mood was entirely different- a thousand times more serious.

Hitomi's feet shifted uncomfortably on the flat rungs of the slanted ladder. Van caught on to that and brought himself closer, wrapping his free arm low around her back. The hand on her shoulder went down to her waist and cradled it for support.

Their hearts thrummed in unison as Van lifted Hitomi off of her perch and very deliberately took his time setting her down, recreating a height difference between them. The skirt of the chiffon dress caught between them and bunched around her waist a bit as he lowered her. Van could feel her legs rubbing against the fabric of his pants.

There was no room left between them, and she lacked the willpower to change her mind, even if she wanted to. Not that she did. Hitomi's head was inclined, her eyes fixed on the target, his lips, like someone hypnotized.

A tiny muscle twitched in his jawline. Then Van leaned in. The first brush of his lips was careful yet challenging, much like Hitomi felt.

Her mouth was warm and soft, tasting a bit of wine, but this time Van was certain it didn't impair her judgment. His lips passed over hers twice in a languid caress, nipping hers while the fire on the other side of the room crackled, timed perfectly to dramatize the moment.

Hitomi felt a jolt in her chest again, but this time it wasn't cold. It was like hot electricity shooting all the way into her fingers, toes, and between her legs. It was the feeling of euphoria- a spike of dopamine made even more intense by prolonged anticipation and the proximity of their bodies.

Hitomi responded timidly at first, matching his pace, but the friction their actions created sent every nerve ending on her lips reeling. It felt too damn good to not urge him on. He was really, really good at this, and so was she judging by his reaction. And together- together they were sublime.

He was still being gentle, almost too careful, and Hitomi wished he wasn't being. Her mind was impatient, already going places beyond the here and now. What else they could be doing was front and center in her imagination. Her mind fabricated flashes of skin, fingers threading themselves through ebony hair, and fewer layers of clothing.

How stupid to be careless like this, but at least Hitomi wasn't the one who was engaged. And why shouldn't she enjoy herself when she had the opportunity? Especially because he'd agreed. Half the women in Fanelia would die for the chance to be in her shoes right now.

Was she being selfish? Yes, but with the firm intention of accepting the consequences of her actions. Luckily, there wouldn't be any, because she knew exactly where this would go. No where. Except that her mind couldn't stop painting vivid pictures of them together in an increasingly intimate scenario.

Through all the exciting sensations, Van couldn't help but notice a faint smell of cigarette smoke clinging to her dress. Only he didn't care to waste a second thinking about why. She was right here, after all, and tasting delicious. He pulled back to catch a glimpse at Hitomi's reaction.

Gone was the spiteful expression. Her eyes were half closed and a blush had crept across her cheeks. She looked dreamy, soft, and most importantly: she'd asked for it this time. Indeed, they were doing this in mutual consent.

And that's what excited Van the most. She really wanted this—him. Right before he leaned in again, he stopped. As if there was any chance of turning back. It was already way too late. Right now, nothing else in the entire world mattered to him.

She was torturously soft with her mouth, so sweet and seeking against his. The feel of it made him ache for much, much more. He resisted the urge to trail his lips down the side of her neck, to let his hands roam wherever they desired to go. He wished that he'd unfastened one or two more buttons on his shirt earlier so that her palms could touch the bare skin of his chest.

Parting again with their mouths hovering only a hair-width apart, they savored each other's nearness, the intimacy of the moment. Hitomi's chest rose and fell as she caught her breath. More. Van wanted to feel more of this- of her. It was all he could think about.

The king was mesmerized by the sight before him. One of his hands came up and the back of his knuckles gently traced Hitomi's cheek, caressing her flushed skin more tenderly than their bargain called for.

That's what broke the spell for her. Remembering suddenly that she was angry with him, she firmly pushed against his chest. Van's hands fell away without contest. Hitomi hurried to move away as far as the narrow space allowed. Her legs wobbled a bit as she grasped the bookshelf next to her for support.

They both nearly jumped out of their skins when the door opened abruptly. When she heard Van's name out of Princess Millerna's mouth, Hitomi's face crumpled in misery. She pressed a hand to her lips and stifled a small noise of both frustration and surprise.

It wasn't that she resented the Asturian princess, but her timing was just…beyond terrible. The intensity of her emotions which had built up in the last few minutes, the sudden interruption, and everything from the last few days was now becoming unbearable.

Millerna brightened up the whole room with her presence, and the steam between Van and Hitomi evaporated immediately. Hitomi couldn't bear to look at the princess, suddenly ashamed for what she'd done to this woman who'd been nothing but nice to her. Her gut twisted sickly at that thought.

"There you are," Millerna said to Van as she spotted him, then noticed the third person. "Oh, Hitomi! Did I interrupt something?"

She sounded way more amused than upset. Not how a woman normally reacted after having caught her future husband in a potentially compromising situation. That piqued Hitomi's interest. Why was Millerna not suspicious or upset?

Van shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his pants. He looked unfazed by his future queen's sudden appearance.

"Mi-Millerna…," Hitomi said weakly, not able to contain herself. Her bad conscience was already eclipsing the shame she felt in the face of the princess' kindness. Didn't she know that she was about to marry someone who had absolutely no qualms about cheating?

"Oh, save yourself the trouble." With a twinkle in her eyes, Millerna raised a hand to stop what was no doubt going to be a very clumsy explanation. "There is no need to pretend."

Hitomi's chest deflated in utter confusion. "Wh-?"

"I don't think this is a good idea," Van spoke calmly, although his voice was noticeably rougher than normal.

Millerna smiled. "Nonsense. I trust her." Turning to Hitomi, she eagerly told her, well, everything. "Our engagement is nothing more than a political move arranged by Van's council and my father. But we haven't got the slightest intention of going through with it. Nobody knows this but us."

Hitomi looked back and forth between Van and Millerna in disbelief.

"My sister, Eries, is supposed to inherit the Asturian throne since the marriage with Folken never happened." Millerna looked toward Van apologetically. "Thing is, she doesn't want to rule. Likewise, I don't like the idea of being a political pawn. We've made different arrangements. Eries will abdicate, thus creating a situation where our father has no other choice but to pass the throne directly to me. I will rule as Queen of Asturia. Alone." Millerna braced her hands on her hips, awaiting Hitomi's reaction.

"I was going to tell you this earlier, but there wasn't a good opportunity," Millerna added.

Hitomi was baffled. She hadn't in the least anticipated something like this. First of all, she'd expected Millerna to either freak out or start crying, because her future husband had been caught making out with some random woman.

Second, even if Millerna had been able to keep her composure, Hitomi hadn't thought she'd openly tell her about such a secret undertaking. One that could put both Van and her in some really deep shit. What a huge scandal this could be if somebody found out prematurely.

It made her speechless for a moment. Maybe the Asturian princess did consider her a friend- trustworthy enough to let her in on their plan. King Van seemed to think otherwise, though. Anyway, too late now. The Neko was out of the bag.

It didn't make a lot of sense though. Shaking her head, Hitomi asked, "But…why let them announce the engagement in the first place?"

Millerna nodded. Yeah, it sure did seem like a waste of time to pretend when they already had a plan in place to not get married. She needed to elaborate.

"Van agreed to let them do it to buy me some more time to finish my medical studies. I'm almost done, and even though I'll rule in theory, I plan on installing a very reliable board of advisors. I need people whom I can trust with the responsibility to make the best decisions for Asturia. I'm envisioning a parliamentary monarchy which grants a substantial amount of power to the people and the freedom for me to practice medicine. It's a win-win scenario."

Van cleared his throat before he finally spoke. "And since this was decided some time ago, it took a great deal of pressure off of me. I don't have to go through my council's endless lectures about how I need to find a queen A.S.A.P. after my coronation. Millerna and I are friends and Fanelia, could use some more leverage in Gaea's political arena through a strong ally. As queen of Asturia, she will have the authority to station their melef drones here to help protect our miners outside the wall and increase capacity for energist recovery. It's the same as King Aston's plan, really. However, I'd rather have Millerna as my ally than someone who wants me bound to their country by marriage before they'll help. It's all a strategic game."

Busy absorbing everything she'd just been told, Hitomi was just confused enough to not be angry. "Right. A game…," Hitomi quietly muttered to herself, eyes closed for a moment before nodding.

Her brain was beginning to hurt a bit. Maybe too much wine after all? No. It was their obscenely intricate farce which was making her head pound. This was precisely why she stayed far away from all the high society crap. Too much drama and intrigues.

Was the king playing a game with her too then? Because he wasn't going to get any action for a while? This was all too fantastic and overwhelming to process, especially while they were staring at her to gauge her reaction.

"Well…good luck with that. I won't tell anybody," Hitomi said hurriedly while she passed both of them. Better to just get out of here. She didn't want to be caught up in any of this. "Just leave me out of it. And...happy birthday, Millerna."

"Hitomi, wait!" Millerna yelled after her, but she was already halfway out the door.

"Van! Why aren't you already going after her? This is your chance!" To Millerna, it was blindingly obvious that her childhood friend was completely captivated by Hitomi. She had a very good idea as to what they'd been up to before she'd barged in, so the fact that neither of them jumped at the chance to be together was infuriating.

Van's eyes glinted dangerously. "No, Millerna," he said firmly. "I trust her too. You've no idea how much integrity she has, but this was never just about trust. I never wanted to involve her in our plan. This is our messed up bluff, and she's got her own responsibilities and problems. Have you considered that knowing what we are up to could put additional strain on her own life or even endanger her? It doesn't matter what I want if it impacts others badly."

Millerna pursed her lips woefully. He wasn't wrong. In her attempt to be honest, to fill the other woman in and give her a reason to pursue Van, she hadn't considered that Hitomi might not want to be in on their farce. The young woman had no notable ties to high society, and political charades weren't a part of her life.

"Okay, you're right this time, but…all I'm saying is that every opportunity has a shelf-life. Allen's been asking Hitomi out, but for some reason, she's not told him 'yes.' Yet! I have no idea why, but may not stay that way. I can tell you like her- a lot. Don't even deny it."

Millerna raised a hand to keep Van from interjecting. "I'm planning on making some changes- not just for my sake, but for that of my country. I'm prepared to deal with the consequences. Just saying…"

It was easy for Millerna to berate him. She had it all planned out. Things were different in Fanelia. Apart from Merle, he was alone and any ideas for change needed room to grow- room the capital of Fanelia did not have within its thick, iron walls.

The whole way back to the ballroom Hitomi scolded herself. Never had she done so many stupid things in such rapid succession. The first was to even let her be dragged onto the dance floor by this royal ass. The second was to fall for what was surely nothing more than a game fabricated by a thirsty man tied down by a complex arrangement with a friend.

She should have realized right away that he was using her. Others, those inclined to romanticize things, would have read some emotions into it, but not Hitomi. She wasn't going to be that kind of fool. She wouldn't fall for somebody like him and come out hurt on the other side. Not in a million years.

Only, even Princess Millerna seemed to be encouraging it, and she was clearly the more responsible of the two. But why? She was so nice and appeared to be prudence personified when it came to anything. She'd gone out of her way to emphasize that she trusted Hitomi and to let her know that Van was available. Yeah. Available, but still the king of a whole damn dragon-infested country.

All of this thinking made Hitomi even more irritated and uncomfortable. When she was closer to the event space, party guests could be seen in hallways here and there again. They talked quietly in pairs, flirted, or conversed in small groups while holding crystal glasses with bubbly drinks. She scanned them all for that beacon- -a head of long, platinum hair. A normal person.

Ah. There!

She aimed for Allen's location with a sharp shooter's precision. He was talking to his Second, Gaddess.

"We're going out Wednesday evening," Hitomi announced as she grabbed Allen's hand in passing, pulling him away from the other man, and leading them both back to the dance floor.

This would show him. Meaning the damn king, of course.

Allen was a safe choice. He was a normal enough man despite his exciting job, and he would surely be in Asturia with the future Queen Millerna again if this wild plan of theirs wound up working the way she wanted it to.

Hitomi was now set on returning to Asturia again when she was done with school. Perfect. They could date for a while here and then see how things worked out in the future.

See? They weren't even together yet and things were already going so smoothly. Totally drama free.

Van withstood the urge to follow Hitomi even after Millerna had encouraged him to go after her. It just wasn't as easy as she thought. His decisions affected not only him. He couldn't afford to be short-sighted.

The princess was long gone, back to join the festivities. After a brief discussion, she'd agreed that Van wasn't entirely wrong about his concerns. Whether she liked it or not, there was too much in their lives that required personal sacrifice.

The king was leaning against the mantle of the fireplace, staring into the billowing flames, letting them feed his altruism with their heat. Closing off his mind to thoughts of what he really wanted to be doing, and with whom, he straightened his clothing. Time to return to the party and shake some more hands.

He strode down the deserted hallway, closer to the ballroom, noting the absence of crimson-clad guards there. Chances were they were celebrating his betrothal. Everybody was celebrating but him. Their plan was officially a go and there was no turning back.

Somewhere along the way, he stalled—stopped dead in his steps. Something was off. He caught a whiff of an unpleasant odor. Cigarette smoke. Of course! This had to be why. That lowlife scumbag had something to do with Hitomi's refreshed memory. He'd bet his left shoe on it.

He was out by the bailey, leaning against one of the pillars, smoking. Van felt a previously dormant urge to slash Dilandau's other cheek welling up inside of him. The Zaibachian didn't even see him coming- that's how fast the king was up in his face.

The half-smoked cigarette fell to the ground and rolled until it settled into one of the sealing joints between the stone tiles. Unseen by both men, Van's foot came down on it hard, snuffing out the glowing end.

He twisted the fabric of Dilandau's tie and shirt tightly in his fists, restricting air intake. It made the bastard cough, but a crazed expression adorned his face. He knew he deserved it.

"If you so much as blink at her again, you'll be singing soprano for the rest of your very short life," Van hissed, his face twisted in anger.

Dilandau coughed and chuckled as much as the position allowed, but didn't react otherwise. Van released him. It probably wouldn't be wise to commit a murder, although the strong desire was certainly there.

The Zaibachian slid down the pillar, coming to a stop on the ground and chuckling crazily.

"Get. Out!" Van punctuated each word with disgust.

Adelphus Gain smoothed his mustache with a thumb and index finger while glancing out the window at the palace. It'd been announced a few hours ago, so their news sources confirmed: the engagement of the Asturian Princess to the Fanelian King.

Though inconvenient, this was not threatening in the least. The King had a temper. Everybody knew that. And the Princess had a mind of her own. Something was bound to happen before the wedding which would create a scandal.

It was, after all, Fanelia and Asturia's Plan B, and such imprudent unions usually backfired. The worries he had now, unsettling as they were, paled in comparison to the sheer panic he'd felt when Prince Folken and Princess Eries had planned to wed and unite the two countries.

Their siblings had been bred to rule. They'd been the picture book future king and queen. Alas, even royals weren't immortal. Everybody knew that now. Prince Folken's death had marked the first time an heir had failed the rite of dragonslaying in centuries, a disaster of epic proportions.

Just what Zaibach had needed! More time to cultivate their master plan—to bring it to perfect fruition. A plan that would never lead anybody to them when they finally were ready to strike. A plan that was taking longer to complete than expected, but by golly, soon. Like, within the next two months or so.

Sure, it could still be done after the royal wedding, but he knew about the arrangements with Asturia's king to send melef drones and to fortify the energist mines. They were sending firepower Fanelia desperately needed to up production just as soon as the two allied countries were tied by a political union. So, he'd rather get this done before Fanelia was crawling with Asturian robots both in the city and outside of it.

4 A.M. The festivities had finally ended and no sleep was in sight. Not for him. No rest for the wicked.

Van was hanging out in his study again, staring into the last glowing embers in the fireplace before revisiting the spot between the bookshelves.

He roughly raked a hand through his hair when he saw the ladder between the bookshelves. He walked over to it and sighed in resignation, briefly glancing at a book on the floor. The one she'd dropped. His gaze was drawn to it.

Had she been serious when she said she'd been reading? This book?

He picked it up, staring at it in disbelief. Impossible. Probably just a joke.

The cover didn't have any writing on it, but he knew what was inside. Well, not content-wise. Because it was something not a damned person on Gaea could read anymore.

To make sure he wasn't crazy, he leafed through it and sure enough, he couldn't make out a single meaning from the symbols. Pressing his lips together, he snapped the book shut with the hand he'd been holding it with. Damn.

Tbc…