Maria Frost paced around her private alchemy room, her long coat brushing against shelves lined with neat rows of beakers, cracked tomes, and parchment covered in ink stains. This place was supposed to be her sanctuary, the one gift from the academy that recognized her prodigious talent. Here, with only bubbling mixtures and glowing sigils for company, she could breathe.
But tonight, the very air pressed down on her chest.
It wasn't the fumes, or the clutter.
It was a face.
"That face."
"Why, of all people, did I have to bump into him?" she whispered to herself, her fingers digging into her temples hard enough to hurt. "And yet… he didn't even chase me afterward. Not that day, not the next day. Maybe… maybe this time too, he won't. Yes… maybe he doesn't even remember me."
Her laugh cracked in the empty room, a jagged sound that wanted to be relief but came out closer to a sob.
"Right. Why would someone like Evan Ravenshade bother remembering me? He must've already forgotten. He must have…"
Her voice faltered. The silence that followed only made the pounding of her heart louder.
Maria clasped her hands together, whispering like a child forced to memorize a prayer.
"Hush, Maria. Don't panic. Everything will be fine. I'm a good person. I go to church on Sundays, I donate coins, I light candles for the Goddess… The Goddess wouldn't betray me now. Right? Right?"
Knock, knock.
The sound ripped through her like lightning. Maria jumped, nearly knocking a vial of glowing liquid to the floor, the table rattling under her palms.
"Wh-who is it?" she managed, her voice too shrill, too thin.
"Miss Maria, it's Susan."
Maria let out a sharp, shaky breath, pressing a hand to her chest. "Oh… Susan. You nearly stopped my heart. What is it?"
"Miss…" Susan's voice wavered, hesitant. "There's a man outside. He insists on meeting you."
Maria frowned. "A man? Tell him I don't meet strangers. I'm working. Send him away."
A pause. A hesitation. Then Susan's voice came back, low and uneasy.
"He says… he saw you bump into Lord Evan Ravenshade today at cafeteria."
Maria froze in place. Her pulse thudded painfully in her ears.
"W-what?!"
"And… he also says Lord Ravenshade has been asking very angrily if anyone knows who you are."
Maria's lips parted, but no sound came. The ground seemed to tilt under her feet. No. No, this was a lie. It had to be.
Then, a new voice. A man's. Deep, steady, and laced with menace.
"Lady Frost. I know it was you. Open this door, and we can talk quietly. If not… I'll go straight to Lord Ravenshade and tell him everything myself."
Maria staggered back from the door, clutching her chest. "Y-you… you can't!"
The man chuckled, slow and cruel. "Can't I? The young lord has been furious ever since. Do you really want him to hear from me that it was you?"
Her eyes darted wildly to Susan, standing pale in the corner. "Why would you even bring someone like this to my door?! You know I don't meet people like this!"
Susan wrung her hands helplessly. "Miss, I—I tried! He wouldn't leave. He kept insisting. I thought it was safer to at least tell you—"
"Safer?!" Maria's voice cracked into something shrill, half-hysterical. "This is the opposite of safe!"
Another knock rattled the wood, harder this time.
"Well, Miss Frost? What will it be? Open the door… or should I pay Lord Ravenshade a visit?"
Maria's knees threatened to give. She pressed her back against the door, whispering to herself like a madwoman.
"Goddess above… what do I do…? What if Evan really remembers? What if he's been searching this whole time?"
Her thoughts spiraled. Or maybe… maybe this man was bluffing. Just some parasite looking for coin. But if he wasn't—if he really did know Evan—
Her lips trembled. "I… I can't… I can't let this happen…"
Maria closed her eyes, her breaths short and ragged. "Do I even have a choice…? Fine. Wait! I'll open the door."
Her feet stumbled over scattered papers as she dragged herself forward, the room tilting with each frantic step. At the door, her hand hovered on the knob, trembling as though it might burn her. She turned it, just barely, and pulled it open a crack.
"Well, why are you so eager to meet me—"
Her words died in her throat.
The man waiting on the other side wasn't the bluffing parasite.
It was the very nightmare she had prayed to escape.
Evan Ravenshade.
Maria gasped, the air lodging sharp in her throat. In the next heartbeat she tried to slam the door shut with all her strength—
But a pale hand shot out. Fingers like iron. The wood stopped dead, no matter how desperately she pushed.
"Well, well, Miss Maria," Evan drawled. His tone was smooth, almost lazy, but his eyes gleamed with razor-sharp amusement. "Isn't it rather rude to slam a door in someone's face without even a hello?"
Maria's lips quivered as she stammered. "Y-you! Why are you even here?! And Susan—Susan! Why didn't you tell me it was him! Evan Ravenshade himself!"
Susan bowed quickly, her hands wringing together. "Forgive me, Miss, but Lord Evan is the son of a Marquis. How could someone humble like me refuse him?"
"Liar!" Maria spat, panic sharpening into venom. "You were bribed! You always swap sides for money!"
Susan's face went pale, then red. "N-no! How dare I a loyal—"
But then, with cruel timing, a gold coin slipped loose from her purse and clinked onto the stone floor.
"Oops…" Susan muttered, scrambling to snatch it back.
Maria's eyes blazed. "You wretched little snake—!"
Evan chuckled, brushing past them both, pushing the door wide open as if her resistance were laughable. His boots clicked softly against the stone floor as he entered, every step unhurried, deliberate.
"Well, now that you've vented at your loyal servant, perhaps you and I should chat. A civil talk. Clear up some… misunderstandings." His lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. "Yes, that sounds nice."
He cast Susan a sidelong glance, sharp enough to cut. "Be a dear and fetch us some tea, won't you?"
"At once, My Lord," Susan stammered, stuffing the coin into her purse and fleeing like a whipped dog.
"Susan! Don't you dare leave me alone with him!" Maria cried, her voice breaking with desperation. But the servant didn't look back—the door clicked shut behind her, leaving the chamber in a suffocating silence.
Maria's breath came in shallow gasps. Her hands fumbled with her skirts as she stumbled back a step, then another. "Y-you… you have no right barging into a lady's private room! This is harassment!"
Evan smirked, advancing one slow, measured step closer. "Oh, come now, Miss Maria. Don't look at me like I'm the villain. I only came to talk."
"Talk?!" Maria nearly shrieked, her voice ragged. "You terrify me half to death, bribe my attendant, force my door open—and now you say you want to talk?" She clutched her chest as though she could cage her frantic heart. "The Goddess herself must be testing me today…"
Evan's eyes glinted, sharp and mocking. "Or perhaps the Goddess simply wished us to meet again."
Maria froze, her throat dry. Her lips barely moved.
"Don't you dare twist this into fate. There's no fate, no destiny—only nightmares. And you… you are one of them."
"Well, it looks like it's going to take a lot more time to have a proper conversation, just because this kitten really can't be tamed at the first meeting," I murmured under my breath.
______
Evan POV
It took much longer than I anticipated to calm Maria down and convince her that I had just come here to talk and not with any ill intentions. It was like trying to tell a stray cat that I just wanted to pet her, nothing more—you know how hard it is to convince them, right?
Well, anyway, we were finally both sitting in her workroom with a hot cup of tea that Susan had brought us. She was sipping her tea, but her eyes never left me. She was still highly cautious, like I might leap at her throat any second.
"Miss Maria," I began, putting on my best nobleman charm, "it seems our encounters so far have been quite… dramatic. But now that we're properly seated, with warm tea and no witnesses, perhaps you could lower your guard just a little?"
Maria's hands tightened around the cup. "W-well, please forgive me, Lord Evan. It's something I do unconsciously. I… I tend to be wary." Her voice wavered. "But you're not holding anything ill against me, right? If I've offended you in any way, I apologize in advance."
I waved it off with a light chuckle, taking a sip. "No, no, no need. If I held grudges over every awkward stumble or sharp word, I'd have no one left to talk to. Still—" I leaned forward slightly, resting my chin on my hand. "I can't help but wonder. Why run away from me twice? Once in the hallway, once in the cafeteria. I thought nobles were supposed to walk with dignity, not sprint like frightened rabbits."
Her shoulders flinched. "I-It wasn't like that…"
"Oh?" I arched a brow. "Then enlighten me."
Maria fumbled for words, her gaze darting everywhere but me. "It's just… I'm not good at socializing. And you are… well… you are you. I didn't want to be rude, or draw attention, so I—well—I panicked."
"Panicked?" I pretended to sigh. "Miss Maria, do I really look that terrifying? Or is my face so hideous that one glance makes you flee?"
Her head shot up. "No! No, Lord Evan, that's not it at all. Your face is… perfectly fine. Handsome, even." She winced as if she'd said too much, then quickly hid behind her teacup.
I chuckled low. "Handsome, hm? That's a relief. For a moment, I thought I'd have to start wearing a mask."
Her cheeks colored faintly. "I only meant that it wasn't your looks. It's just… our positions are different. I don't hold a high place in noble society. I'm just the daughter of merchants. If I offended you by accident, I thought it could ruin me. So without much thought, I… ran."
"Ah." I leaned back, swirling the tea idly. "So that's it? I thought it was something far more dramatic. Perhaps you mistook me for a villain sneaking out of a murder scene."
Maria's lips twitched. "No, Lord Evan, nothing like that."
"Well, what a shame. I was hoping for a grander reason." I let my disappointment show, just a little. "Running away over nerves is… cute, I suppose. But anticlimactic."
Her brow furrowed at my teasing, though her shoulders finally relaxed a touch. "Please don't mock me."
"Mock you?" I placed a hand over my chest, feigning injury. "Never. If anything, I'm complimenting you. At least you're honest, unlike most who plaster on fake smiles. I prefer sincerity… even if it comes in the form of a rabbit sprinting away."
"Y-you really are strange," she muttered.
"Strange?" I smiled faintly. "Better strange than dull. Besides, this way I get to see your real reactions."
Susan, who had been standing quietly by the shelf, finally spoke up. "Perhaps Lady Maria is simply unused to such directness, my Lord. Most nobles would have let the matter go."
I glanced her way with a small smirk. "And that is why most nobles bore me."
Maria lowered her eyes, mumbling something I pretended not to hear: Hush, maybe he really doesn't remember me…
"Hmm? Did you say something, Miss Maria?"
"N-no, nothing."
I smiled, letting it slide. "Well, then. At least now our little misunderstandings are clear, yes?"
Maria nodded quickly. "Yes, Lord Evan. Every misunderstanding is clear."
"Good." I tapped my finger lightly against the teacup, studying her expression.
"Though… for some reason, I still feel as though you're hiding something."
Her grip tightened again on the fragile porcelain, though she forced a polite, almost painful smile. "You imagine too much, my Lord. I assure you."
I swirled the tea in my cup, watching the surface ripple, prolonging the tension. "Perhaps. But my intuition is rarely wrong." I met her gaze pointedly. "That's good to hear, though. Because for a moment, I thought you ran because of our first meeting."
Her head snapped up, her expression momentarily blank with confusion. "…Huh?"
"You know. The real first time," I clarified, my tone gentle, conversational. "Right after the academy break ended." I spoke as though recalling a slightly odd, but fond memory, my voice steady and measured. "There was an incident. In a quiet alley. A lady was cornered by a thief, and she called for help. And being the good person that I am…" I smiled faintly, but my eyes never left hers. "…I helped her. I knocked the thief down and saved her from being robbed."
Maria's hands shook violently. The cup rattled against the saucer, sending a small splash of tea onto the wood.
"But do you know," I continued, leaning slightly closer, "what I received in return for my noble intervention?"
She swallowed, her throat clicking audibly, unable to look away. "W-what did you receive?"
"A slap." My voice dropped, becoming flat and cold. "Right across the face. It still stings, even now, when I think about it. No thank you, no second glance. Just that slap… and then she ran into the darkness."
Maria's breath hitched, her knuckles white around the cup, her composure completely gone. Her eyes were suddenly wide, not with fear of a noble, but with pure, absolute terror.
"So, Maria," I asked softly, my voice curling like smoke, leaning back slightly to enjoy the payoff.
"Why did you slap me and run?"
Her head snapped up, eyes horrified. "You… you remember?"
I smiled. Slow. Unblinking. "Yes. How could I ever forget the first time someone struck a noble for saving them?"