Khione lingered by a shelf of teddy bears, her gaze drawn again and again to a small white one with a ribbon around its neck. She didn't reach for it—perhaps she thought it childish, perhaps she feared letting her façade slip—but Nero saw it. He always saw.
"Go on," he said, his voice low, tinged with amusement. "Pick one."
Her eyes flicked toward him, a trace of pink dusting her cheeks though her expression hardly shifted. "…Don't be absurd. I'm not—"
Before she could finish, Nero reached up and plucked the little white bear from the shelf, holding it out to her with the same ease he might wield his sword. "This one suits you," he remarked, his crimson eyes gleaming with quiet mischief.
For a heartbeat, she hesitated. Then, against her own better judgment, her slender fingers accepted the toy. The contrast was striking—Khione, the Ice Queen with her frosty poise, cradling a soft, fluffy bear in her hands. It was almost surreal, like fire and snow caught in the same frame.
