The cold night air immediately greeted our skin as the glass balcony door closed behind us.
The sound of orchestral music and the low murmur of conversation from the many people inside the hall instantly faded, replaced by the sound of crickets and the soothing whisper of the night wind.
Seraphina finally released her grip. She walked slowly toward the white marble balcony railing, leaning her elbows on it as she looked up at the sky. Her tense shoulders slowly relaxed, as if the weight of the Winters name had fallen away for a moment with her breath.
"Finally..." she sighed deeply. "I thought I'd die of suffocation if I had to keep smiling falsely for another five minutes in there."
I chuckled softly as I smoothed out my slightly rumpled jacket. "You're the one who chose to declare war on the dance floor earlier, Lady Seraphina. You know your name will be in the academy gossip tomorrow morning?"
"Let it be," she muttered without turning her head. "At least there won't be any more annoying flies daring to approach you. Aren't you the one who seems to need peace because you're always hanging out with other people?"
Just then, a male waiter in a formal vest passed by the balcony area carrying a silver tray. On it were rows of glasses filled with a golden liquid that bubbled softly.
"Wait a minute," I called out.
The waiter stopped and bowed respectfully.
Without hesitation, I reached out and took two slender glasses filled with sparkling wine. The golden liquid glowed softly under the moonlight while exuding the sweet aroma of wine.
"Thank you," I said to the waiter before he walked away.
I walked over to Seraphina. The moonlight reflected off her pale skin, making her look even more beautiful in that black dress. She looked like a goddess of the night who had descended to earth to rest.
"To celebrate our successful escape," I said, handing her a glass.
Seraphina turned her head, her silver eyebrows raising slightly when she saw the glass in my hand. "Oho? You're giving me alcohol? I thought you would give me orange juice or warm milk like my chatty servant."
"Considering you just violated aristocratic etiquette. How about we forget about what happened earlier and drink peacefully," I replied casually.
Seraphina chuckled softly. It was a genuine laugh, not a polite aristocratic one. She accepted the glass, her cold fingers briefly touching my warm ones.
"Cheers," she said softly.
The clink of the glasses sounded clear in the silence of the night.
We sipped our drinks together. The sweet taste of sunberries exploded on our tongues, followed by a warm sensation that spread down our throats as the alcohol began to take effect. It was high-quality wine, the kind that could make your head feel light after just a few sips for those who weren't used to it.
"You know, Leon," he said suddenly, his eyes gazing into the darkness of the academy garden. "People always say being a Winters is a blessing. Power, wealth, and authority can be granted easily. But they don't know what it's like to be a Winters."
I stood beside him, leaning my back against the balcony railing. "What's it like?"
"Like wearing a corset sewn directly onto your skin," he replied poetically. He twirled the glass in his hand. "Since I was a child, I wasn't allowed to make mistakes. I couldn't appear weak. I couldn't cry. If I fell, I had to get up before anyone saw. If I was sick, I had to smile."
She took another sip of wine, this time more than before.
"Maybe that's why I hated you when we first met," she continued, turning to me. Her gaze began to soften a little.
"You hated me?"
"Not hate. Maybe jealousy is more accurate," she corrected. She pointed at my chest with her half-empty glass. "You seem so free. You don't care what people think. You destroyed the dragon in your own way, you talked to me without fear, you even dared to teach me to dance in the gazebo."
I smiled slightly. How ironic. She was jealous of my freedom, when in fact I was an agent bound by a contract with the organization. The freedom she saw was just an illusion I had created.
"Everyone has their own prison, Lady Seraphina," I replied. "It's just that my bars aren't made of gold like yours."
"Hmph. You always have a philosophical answer for everything," she snorted, then finished the rest of her drink in one gulp.
"Slow down, Lady."
"I'm not weak, Leon," she protested, but her voice was starting to sound a little hoarse. Her white cheeks were now faintly flushed pink, contrasting with her black dress.
Seraphina placed her empty glass on the edge of the balcony railing a little too hard. She turned to face me completely, staring at me with a different intensity.
"Why aren't you afraid of me? You should already know my secret, shouldn't you?" she asked suddenly. She stepped forward, closing the distance between us.
"Why should I be afraid?"
"Everyone is afraid. Or they only come near me because they want something. My father's power, connections, protection..." She looked up, her eyes red and misty. "But you ... you look at me as if I were just an ordinary girl named Seraphina."
My heart beat a little faster. We were too close. I could smell the sweet scent of wine on her breath.
"Because in my eyes, you are Seraphina," I replied honestly. "Behind the title of Duke's daughter, you're just a girl who stepped on my foot during dance practice and complained about her corset."
Seraphina's eyes widened for a moment, then she chuckled softly. The laugh sounded light, like a soap bubble popping.
"You're really annoying," she muttered, her body suddenly leaning forward.
"Woah!"
With quick reflexes, I caught her shoulders before she crashed into my chest. Her body felt heavier than I expected—not physically heavy, but heavy because her consciousness was starting to fade.
"Lady? Are you okay?"
Seraphina didn't answer. Instead, she rested her forehead on my shoulder, using my chest as a support.
"This world..." she muttered indistinctly, her voice muffled by my coat. "Why is the floor shaking, Leon? Is there an earthquake?"
I sighed deeply. "There's no earthquake, Lady. You're drunk."
"I'm not drunk!" she protested, but she only tightened her grip on my coat collar, as if afraid of falling. "I'm just … a little dizzy. Just a little."
"Yeah, yeah. Just a little, so you can't stand up straight."
I tried to straighten her up, but she refused. Instead, she rubbed her hot cheek against my shoulder, seeking a comfortable position like a spoiled cat. Her cold and haughty nature evaporated without a trace, replaced by the childish side she had kept hidden all this time.
"Leon..." she called again, this time very softly, almost like a whisper.
"Yes?"
"Don't go."
I was silent. My hand, which had been hesitant, finally moved slowly to pat her back, calming her down.
"I'm here."
"Good..." she muttered, closing her eyes. Her breathing began to steady, warm and tickling my neck. "Because you're mine. So you can't go anywhere... hic..."
The small hiccup at the end of her sentence ruined the romantic moment, but somehow, it made her seem a thousand times more human.
I looked up at the night sky above us. The full moon shone brightly, a silent witness to how the most feared Villainess in the academy was now sleeping drunk in the arms of her natural enemy—or perhaps, her protector.
"Such a hassle," I whispered with a small smile, letting her lean a little longer before I had to figure out how to bring her back to the dorm without causing a major scandal.
Tonight, under the moonlight, Seraphina was no longer a noble princess. She was just a lonely girl who had finally found a place to lean on.
*****
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