When Thea reached the bottom of the stairs, voices drifted clearly from the living room.
Her steps slowed.
Her fingers tingled, numb and restless, as if her body were warning her before her mind could catch up. Her heart pounded hard enough to make her chest ache.
Calm down…
She inhaled, then exhaled carefully.
Even after yesterday, this still felt like the first time.
This was no longer a chance encounter in a grocery store.This was the moment she would face him as his fiancée.
Her stomach twisted.
Would he be pleased?Would he regret it?Would fate punish her for daring to want him again?
She cleared her throat quietly and forced herself to move.
The moment Grandpa Thomas saw her, his face lit up.
He rose from his seat, pride evident in every wrinkle of his smile.
"My dear," he said warmly, waving her closer. "Come here. I want you to meet your fiancé."
Thea nodded, smoothing the front of her dress as she walked forward. Her heels echoed sharply against the marble floor, each click syncing with the frantic beat of her heart.
Then she saw him.
Broad shoulders. Straight back. A presence that commanded the room without effort.
When Erick turned—
Thea forgot how to breathe.
Yesterday, she had known he was handsome.
Today, he was dangerously handsome.
Raven-black hair framed a sharp, disciplined face. Dark eyes burned quietly beneath his composure, steady and dangerous. The pinstriped suit hugged his body like it had been made for him alone, outlining strength earned through years of training and battle.
He looked unreal.
Like a prince from the stories her mother used to read to her—except this one was real. Alive. Standing right in front of her.
Her cheeks warmed instantly.
I missed you…I missed you so much it hurts.
"Thea," Grandpa Thomas said proudly, "this is one of our country's youngest generals—General Erick Warton."
Thea swallowed.
"It's… nice to finally meet you, General Warton."
Her voice was calm.
Her heart was not.
Erick froze.
The sound of heels had reached him first. Then the feeling—a strange pull that made his chest tighten before he even turned.
When he looked—
The woman from yesterday stood before him.
The same eyes.The same soft smile.The same presence that had haunted his thoughts all night.
No way…
For the first time in years, the disciplined general forgot how to react.
His seniors' voices echoed in his head, laughing, teasing—
When you meet the one, everything stops.Your body knows before your mind does.
He had always dismissed it.
Now his palms were damp. His mind blank. His heart unstable.
Destiny.
He finally understood.
Thea shifted slightly, nervous.
He wasn't speaking.
Her heart dropped. Sweat formed at her temple.
Is he disappointed?
She gathered her courage and spoke softly.
"G-General…?"
Her voice pulled him back.
Erick blinked, then immediately straightened, embarrassed by his lapse.
"I— I'm sorry," he said quickly, extending his hand. "I was caught off guard. Lady La Roche, it's a pleasure to meet you."
She placed her hand in his.
Electricity surged.
Her breath hitched.
He felt it too—a spark that made his fingers tighten before he could stop himself.
Trying to regain control, Erick blurted the first thing that came to mind—
"I thought you had a fiancé?"
Thea blinked, then laughed softly, eyes glinting with mischief.
"I told you that yesterday, remember?"
His brows furrowed slightly.
She leaned closer, voice dropping just enough to make his ears burn.
"And that fiancé… is you, General Erick Warton."
She brushed invisible dust from his sleeve, her fingers grazing him lightly.
Erick's ears turned crimson.
His thoughts scattered.
He couldn't stop looking at her—the faint blush on her cheeks, the way her lashes fluttered when she smiled, the tiny freckles scattered across her nose.
Cute…
The thought struck him like a bullet.
He swallowed hard, suddenly very aware of how close she was.
"L-Lady La Roche," he said again, flustered, "it's a pleasure to meet you."
She laughed softly.
"You already said that, General."
He rubbed the back of his neck, mortified.
"I did? Sorry… I just—" he paused, then admitted honestly, "I was shocked that the beautiful woman I met yesterday was my fiancée."
Her eyes softened.
"You think I'm beautiful?"
His answer came instantly.
"Yes."
Then, realizing how fast he'd said it, he cleared his throat.
"I'm… glad it's you."
Her smile deepened.
"Then call me Thea."
"…Erick," he replied, without thinking.
Grandpa Thomas watched them quietly.
And for the first time since arranging this engagement, his heart finally eased.
This might actually work.
He cleared his throat loudly.
"You two already know each other?"
Thea slipped her arm through Erick's without hesitation.
"It's a long story, Grandpa. But if we keep talking, Erick will get hungry."
Erick blinked, startled.
She was already pulling him along.
"Well then," Thomas chuckled, "let's eat. My granddaughter prepared the meal herself."
Erick glanced down at Thea.
She smiled—bright, confident, dangerous in a way he didn't yet understand.
"Come on, Erick."
And just like that, the general who had never wavered on the battlefield found himself being dragged toward the dining room by a woman who made his heart forget all discipline.
Behind them, Thomas La Roche smiled.
Unaware—
That fate had already begun tightening its grip.