The sun was beginning to set over the Isle of Awakening, casting a golden hue across the land as the Builder wiped the sweat from their brow. Another day of hard work, another day of progress. The villagers bustled about, putting the finishing touches on a newly constructed watchtower at Anessa's request. She had insisted on fortifying the area, stating that a knight must always be prepared.

Anessa stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching the Builder interact with the villagers. They laughed, smiling brightly as they encouraged the settlers, helping lift heavy logs and offering words of encouragement. A strange warmth stirred within her chest—a feeling that made her tense up and quickly shake her head.

"What nonsense." She scolded herself under her breath. "I am a knight of Moonbrooke. My duty is to serve, not to be distracted by—by—"

"Oi, Anessa!"

A familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Malroth strolled up beside her, arms folded behind his head, wearing that usual cocky smirk. "You've been standing here, glaring at the Builder for a while now. What, planning a surprise attack or something?"

Anessa scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. I was merely observing. A knight must always be vigilant."

Malroth raised an eyebrow. "Right. Observing. And totally not staring with those soft eyes of yours."

"I—what?!" Anessa whipped her head toward him, her face flushing slightly. "I was not staring!"

"Uh-huh." Malroth's smirk widened. "You were totally staring."

Anessa clenched her fists, resisting the urge to throttle him then and there. "Even if I was watching them, it was purely to ensure their safety! The Builder can be reckless, and someone needs to look after them properly."

"Sure, sure," Malroth said, feigning boredom. "Sounds like a lot of excuses, Anessa. Face it—you care about them. And not just in the 'loyal knight' way, either."

Anessa turned sharply toward him. "That is an absurd accusation. I would appreciate it if you refrained from such baseless assumptions."

Malroth chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "Oh, come on. You're scared, aren't you?" He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a teasing whisper. "Scared of being honest about your feelings. You can face off against entire armies, but when it comes to telling the Builder how you feel? You choke."

"I do not choke," Anessa growled.

"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that," Malroth snickered. "You're a hopeless knight in love."

Anessa's eye twitched. "Malroth..."

"Hopeless," he repeated, grinning as he took a step back. "Absolutely hopeless."

Her glare could have melted stone. "I suggest you walk away before I make you regret that statement."

Malroth merely chuckled and stretched his arms. "Alright, alright, I'll leave you to your knightly brooding. Just don't spend too long pining. The Builder's not gonna wait forever, you know."

Before she could snap back, Malroth turned and walked away, his laughter trailing behind him.

Anessa exhaled sharply, crossing her arms once more as she watched the Builder. They were waving at her now, smiling as if nothing was amiss. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Hopeless, huh?" she muttered to herself. "We'll see about that."

The next morning, Anessa had devised a plan.

It was simple: find a natural moment to talk to the Builder, nothing out of the ordinary. She wasn't going to march up to them and make a fool of herself. No, she would keep it casual—just a normal conversation between comrades.

"This is just another mission, another strategy to execute," she reassured herself. "I simply need to approach with precision and patience."

However, things did not go as planned.

Attempt number one: She spotted the Builder near the fields, assisting Rosie with the crops. Perfect—she could step in, offer some advice, and maybe even lend a hand.

But just as she took a step forward—

"Builder!" Lulu's voice rang out as she marched over. "I need your help with my room! It's still not up to my standards!"

Anessa clenched her fists as Lulu quite literally dragged the Builder away, her opportunity vanishing before her eyes.

Attempt number two: The Builder was by the shoreline, chatting with Captain Brownbeard. Anessa saw an opening and strode forward, mentally preparing her words.

"Ahoy there, matey!" Brownbeard bellowed before she could reach them. "Got a new tale for ye! Ever heard about the time I battled a kraken?"

Anessa's shoulders slumped as the Builder, ever curious, gave the pirate their full attention.

Attempt number three: Lunch. Surely, a simple meal would be a good time to sit next to them and have a casual talk. But before she could claim the seat beside the Builder—

"Oi, Builder!" Babs plopped down, sliding in right next to them with a beaming smile. "Got some extra grub for ya! Made it special!"

Anessa ground her teeth as the Builder happily accepted Babs' offering.

And this continued all day.

Every single time she tried to approach, someone else would step in. It wasn't just one or two people—it was the entire settlement. The Builder had forged bonds with everyone, and as much as Anessa respected that, it was beginning to seriously test her patience.

A familiar chuckle sent a shiver of irritation down her spine.

"Wow," Malroth drawled as he walked up beside her. "You really are hopeless."

Anessa turned her head sharply, narrowing her eyes. "Don't you have something better to do?"

Malroth grinned. "Nope. Watching you struggle is way more entertaining."

Anessa exhaled sharply, trying to keep her composure. "I do not struggle."

"Oh, really?" Malroth leaned against the nearby wall, arms crossed. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you've been trying all day to get some alone time with the Builder, and failing miserably."

Anessa scowled, crossing her arms. "It is difficult when half the village constantly interrupts."

Malroth snorted. "Excuses, excuses. Face it, Anessa. You just can't bring yourself to say what you want."

Anessa bristled. "And what, pray tell, do you think I want to say?"

Malroth smirked. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe something along the lines of 'Builder, I think I like you, but I'm too much of a stiff, duty-bound knight to admit it.'" He mimicked her voice in a dramatic, exaggerated way.

Anessa's eye twitched violently. "I swear—"

Malroth held up his hands, still grinning. "Relax, relax. I'm just saying, it's hilarious watching you overthink this."

Anessa shot him a glare so sharp it could have sliced through stone. "You are infuriating."

"And you," Malroth said with a chuckle, "are a hopeless knight in love."

Anessa growled lowly. "Keep talking, and you'll be a hopeless pile of ashes."

Malroth merely shrugged. "Worth it." He patted her shoulder in an infuriatingly casual manner before sauntering off.

Anessa clenched her fists, inhaling deeply to calm herself.

"This is fine," she thought. "Tomorrow, I will simply try again. And this time, I will not fail."

The following day, Anessa had nearly given up for the day. Nearly.

But then, by some miracle, the Builder was alone.

No Lulu, no Rosie, no Warwick, no Babs—no interruptions. Just the Builder, standing near a half-built structure, checking over their blueprint plans.

This was her chance.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she stepped forward, her heart pounding against her armor.

"B-Builder," she called, cursing herself the moment she heard the small waver in her voice.

The Builder turned to her, tilting their head slightly. "Anessa? What's up?"

Anessa froze.

Now that she actually had their full attention, she found herself struggling to form a coherent thought. This was not like planning a battle strategy. She wasn't giving orders or preparing troops—this was different.

She felt warmth rising to her face, but she kept her posture steady, refusing to let her emotions betray her. Keep it together, Anessa. This is just a normal conversation.

"W-Well, I was…" she began, trailing off almost immediately.

At the corner of her eye, she spotted movement.

Malroth.

Leaning casually against a stack of crates just far enough away to not be intruding, but close enough to witness her struggle. His arms were crossed, and—of course—he was smirking.

Her eye twitched.

She had half a mind to hurl something at him, but that would only make her look more ridiculous in front of the Builder. No, she had to focus. Ignore him. This is about you and the Builder. Malroth does not exist right now.

She cleared her throat, gripping the hilt of her sword as if it would ground her. "I—I wanted to speak with you. Alone."

The Builder blinked, looking curious. "Oh? About what?"

"About… um… things."

The Builder tilted their head again. "Things?"

"Y-Yes. Things."

Anessa wanted to die.

This was going terribly.

She was a knight. She was supposed to be articulate and composed, yet here she was—reduced to a stammering mess over a simple conversation.

The Builder scratched their head, looking slightly confused. "Uh… okay? What kind of things?"

Anessa wracked her brain for anything to salvage this moment. "Strategy! Yes, strategy!" she blurted. "I—I wished to discuss new battle formations! Against potential threats! Very important! Yes!"

The Builder gave her a puzzled look. "…You mean the ones we already went over yesterday?"

Anessa cursed internally.

"W-Well, yes, but I thought of new adjustments," she said quickly, forcing herself to sound confident. "Ones that could be beneficial for our future skirmishes."

She wasn't sure if the Builder was buying it, but at least they weren't questioning it too much.

"I guess we could go over them again," the Builder said, rubbing their chin. "Though things have been pretty peaceful lately."

"Yes, of course. But it's always best to be prepared," Anessa insisted, nodding vigorously. "I simply thought it wise to take a moment to, um, strategize. Just the two of us. Alone."

She immediately regretted that last part.

It sounded way more suggestive than she intended.

The Builder just blinked at her, processing her words.

And from behind her—

Pfft—

A barely suppressed snicker.

Anessa's left eye twitched violently. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

Malroth.

Still watching. Still smirking. And definitely enjoying every second of this.

But she refused to react.

She would not give him the satisfaction.

The Builder, still slightly puzzled, eventually smiled and nodded. "Sure, Anessa. I don't mind going over some strategies with you. Did you want to go somewhere specific?"

Anessa felt her heart do an odd little flip, but she ignored it.

"…Yes," she said, regaining a fraction of her composure. "Somewhere quiet."

The Builder simply nodded, none the wiser to her internal struggles. "Alright then! Lead the way!"

As she turned to walk ahead, she made the mistake of glancing at Malroth again.

His smirk was practically radiating smugness. And before she could turn away, he mouthed two words at her—

Hopeless. Knight.

Anessa growled under her breath, but she refused to react further. Not now.

Not in front of the Builder.

But Malroth was definitely going to pay for this later.