Three: Degraded
Characters: Nastasia, Count Bleck

Far below them, the door opened with an ominous creak. The man in red entered, alone aside from the Pixl that always accompanied him. At her side, Nastasia saw Count Bleck flinch, before he got control of his emotions. She looked up at him with concern, a question in her eyes, but he didn't even notice.

She watched silently as her Count made his grand speech to the man in red. No matter what was said, the hero's expression never changed. And then, Tippi came forward and begged him to stop, causing a pang of jealousy and regret. She could have stopped him herself if she had only tried harder.

And then, the unthinkable happened. He sent her away.

She tried to protest, but he was firm, telling her to leave with his eyes if not his words. Keeping her hands clutched to her sides, she did as he asked her, teleporting away to her room.

She wanted to cry, but now was not the time. Chances are, she was never going to see him again. She couldn't waste a single moment.

But what was she to do? All this time, he had looked down upon her. She knew he could love her if he would only try, but he clung stubbornly to the past. What did that mean? Was she worth nothing to him? Why wouldn't he let her into his heart?

Maybe she truly was beneath him. Maybe she was nothing after all.