A thick, charged of silence wrapped around the booth as the music and laughter faded into a distant murmur. Inside, a portly man with a bushy beard trembled, his eyes darting nervously as he stared into Sebastian's glowering eyes, while shadows played across his face like dark clouds ready to unleash a storm. Holding a gun in his hand that glinted under the flickering lights, the portly man's breath quickened, his palms slick against the wooden counter, as if it were the only thing anchoring him to the ground.
"Plea-Please have me-mercy, Your Grace!"
The man pleaded, kneeling to the ground, reflecting the fear he felt amidst the chaos inside the booth.
1 hour earlier...
"Keep Your Grip High and Tight…"
Sebastian whispered in Julianne's ear as he provided support, holding his hands as Julianne tightly gripped the Flobert gun in his hand.
"Don't pull the trigger yet until you see that your sights are aligned with those glass bottles."
Too close!
Julianne's face flushed; his eyes were swirling with nerves as his hands pointed toward the stunt glass in the shooting booth.
"Now shoot!"
*BANG!*
As Julianne pulled the trigger, the bullet struck directly toward the glass bottle, creating a sharp, high-pitched tinkle of shattering glass.
"Well done!"
A proud smile crept across Sebastian's lips as he watched Julianne.
He reached out to hold his hand, trying to assist him for the second time, but Julianne walked backward, attempting to hide his flushed face in his scarf, unable to conceal the warmth that spread across his cheeks.
"I-I think I can do it on my own now!"
Julianne's voice trembled slightly as Sebastian smiled gently before releasing his grip.
Now, only five bottles left…
Julianne struck a pose, mimicking the stance Sebastian had taught him, leaving the portly man with the bushy beard and Sebastian with wide-eyed as Julianne prepared to shoot.
Don't pull the trigger yet… don't pull… and…
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
To everyone's surprise, he hit the glass bottles with perfect accuracy, each shot ringing out like a sharp crack in the air.
*BANG!*
But to their shock, the last glass bottle remained standing, untouched, not a single crack marring its surface. It vibrated slightly upon being struck, leaving both Sebastian and Julianne bewildered, their expressions a mix of scorn and confusion.
That's odd. I'm sure I hit it…
With three bullets remaining, Julianne took a deep breath and aimed again. He hit the stunt glass perfectly once more, missing only once, but the remaining bottles stood intact. That's when he noticed the smirk on the owner's face, his hands rubbing together in a sinister satisfaction.
"I swear I hit it!"
"Mister, I think something is wrong with that bottle!"
Julianne insisted, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Now you're accusing me of cheating just because you couldn't hit the bottle!"
The man exclaimed, his voice rising in anger as he confronted Julianne with his imposing figure, but instead of showing fear, Julianne stood firm, gripping his own hands tightly in frustration. Seeing this, Sebastian chuckled softly, his eyes glinting like a predator's, sending an icy shiver down the man's spine.
"There's only one way to find out."
Sebastian pulled out a gun from his suit, aiming it at the shelf where the stunt glasses were precariously arranged.
"That's not a real gun, right?! Who would even bring a real gun to a festival?"
"Probably ME."
Sebastian replied, a mischievous glint gleaming in his eyes.
*BANG!*
He fired at the bottle, but it didn't shatter. Instead, the sound echoed through the booth, leaving a tense silence in its wake.
"Ha!"
Sebastian scoffed, pointing the gun at the man without a moment's hesitation.
"You—you can't do this! This is a crime!"
The man panicked, his eyes widening as he realized Sebastian was holding a real 99 mm handgun, its metallic surface gleaming ominously in the dim light.
*BANG!*
As he shot at the glass bottles inside the booth, their sharp shattering reverberated like thunder. Most of the bottles remained unbroken, standing defiantly as shards of glass tinkled down like rain.
"Isn't it you who committed a crime using borosilicate glass to defraud?!"
The man trembled as he denied Sebastian's accusation, standing prideful and stubborn as he resort to anger.
"Who are you to—
"WHO? Maybe you should start by shielding your head with those glasses. Perhaps that way, it wouldn't hit your PEA-SIZED brain."
Sebastian retorted, his blue eyes piercing through the dim light. In that moment, the man realized he was facing not just any ordinary civilian, but the marshal of the soldiers and the heir to the dukedom.
"Plea—Please have mercy, Your Grace!"
The man begged, dropping to his knees.
As Julianne noticed the crowd gathering, drawn by the commotion, he grasped Sebastian's hand firmly who's still holding a 99mm handgun on his hand pointing towards the man.
"Tha-that's enough!"
The man, visibly shaking, stood up and quickly darted towards a display of small toys, candies and trinkets.
"Plea-please just ta-take any prize you want!"
He stammered, desperation lacing his voice.
"It's okay. We're just going to take this one. Make sure it doesn't happen again."
Julianne stated as he took the gold plated sapphire of cufflinks before pulling Sebastian away from the scene.
Moments passed as the long night felt like a momentary fantasy. They found themselves having fun wandering through the various booths, savoring delicious delicacies with laughter mingling in the air, before finally settling on a bench away from the throngs of people. Just then, Sebastian extended his hand toward Julianne, offering him a dance as the music began to envelop the entire fair.
"May I have this dance?"
Sebastian asked as he offered him his hand, his face elated with joy.
As Julianne stared at Sebastian for a minute, seeing the delighted smile reflecting in his eyes, he took his hand, his face beaming with joy. As their hands felt each other's warmth, the music faded into the background, leaving only the rhythm of their hearts as they danced. In that moment, their faces were just inches apart, feeling each other's breath mingling in the cool night air. As the music went on, Julianne reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of cufflinks, offering them to Sebastian.
"May I present you with this humble gift of mine?"
Julianne spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, but to his surprise, Sebastian only accepted one of the cufflinks, his gaze locking onto his eyes, drowning him in their depths.
"I'll leave the other for my other half."
Sebastian declared, his eyes slowly drifting down to Julianne's lips, leaning in as if to place a gentle kiss when all of a sudden...
"Sebastian!"
Keith called out, drenched in sweat as he stopped to catch his breath.
"Oh! Dear me! His Grace…
He took a deep breath as he continued to speak.
"The Duke! Huff!- yo-your father! is furiously looking for you!"
Sebastian's face darkened as worry etched itself into his features, anxiously gripping Julianne's hand all the way until they reached the temple.
His hand has been cold since earlier…
He was taken by surprise when Sebastian suddenly placed Julianne's hand on his face, his breath warming his palm before he gently pressed his lips to his hand.
"Don't worry.. I'll be fine… we'll be fine…"
Sebastian whispered into the air, but Julianne could feel the anxiety in his voice, hiding it behind his smiling façade.
Just then, Julianne took his hand on Sebastian's face, and without much thought, he placed a kiss on his cheek leaving him momentary shook before suddenly dashing out of the car, where he found himself at the back of the temple, where a secret passage awaited for him.
"You're finally back—"
Royse stated nervously, but he stopped mid-sentence, his jaw dropping as Julianne looked past him. There stood Keith, his hair glowing in the dim light like a midnight hue.
"Enchanting…"
"I appreciate the compliment."
Keith replied, a blush creeping onto Royse's cheeks as he shook his head and took Julianne's hand.
"The head priest is on his way to your chamber!"
Royse exclaimed, urgency creeping into his tone.
Julianne's eyes widened as he quickly turned to Keith, bowing his head in respect before they dashed inside the temple. But as they took each step toward the door, Royse couldn't help but steal glances at Keith every time he had a chance, feeling his heart could burst at any moment.
Meanwhile, at the Duke's dome, the place was covered in chaos as the Duke himself, accompanied by servants with fear painted on their faces, stomped toward Sebastian's room, wearing an ominous look on his face, alongside the head priest, who was about to enter Julianne's chamber when…
*BANG!*
A deafening sound of a handgun echoed through the hallway. There, Sebastian burst into the living room, covered in crimson blood while holding a lifeless deer in his hand. Meanwhile, Julianne pretended to have just woken up, feigning surprise while clutching the cufflink tightly in his hand, hidden under the blanket.
******
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