Aquila scarcely remembered the noble's name.
Something from House Valemont or Varemont. Perhaps it was neither.
She smiled when etiquette demanded, glided effortlessly across the dance floor, and nodded at intervals that suggested she was listening.
She wasn't.
Her attention had settled elsewhere long before the orchestra began.
Turquoise.
Across the room, Princess Zuleika stood surrounded by yet another cluster of admirers.
She answered each with graceful smiles, though every now and then those crimson eyes wandered.
Toward her.
Aquila noticed the first glance.
Then the second.
By the fourth...
She almost smiled.
So you're watching.
Interesting.
Without a word, she allowed herself to lean a little closer to her dance partner as he rambled on about trade, nodding as though whatever he was saying deserved her complete attention.
She didn't miss the way Zuleika's smile grew just a little stiffer.
Nor the way she emptied the rest of her wine.
How amusing.
The noble laughed at something he'd said.
Aquila hadn't heard a single word.
"...Your Highness?"
"Hm?"
"I was asking if perhaps our families might discuss—"
"I'm afraid not."
She answered absently, though her gaze had already drifted back across the ballroom.
The space where Zuleika had stood...
Was empty.
...
Aquila blinked once.
Gone?
Her eyes swept across the hall. No turquoise. No crimson. Only nobles.
"Excuse me."
The noble looked startled.
"...Your Highness?"
"I suddenly remembered something."
Before he could answer, Aquila released his hand.
His expression lingered somewhere between confusion and disappointment as she walked away, heels clicking steadily across the marble.
She ignored the curious stares.
Ignored the servants bowing as she passed.
Where had she gone?
She reached the edge of the ballroom just in time to catch the side door easing shut.
"...Running away?"
A quiet scoff escaped her.
How unlike the Princess of Nexus to flee a room without ceremony. Or perhaps... Not unlike her at all.
She did have a habit of disappearing whenever something displeased her.
The corridor beyond was blissfully silent.
No orchestra. No tedious conversations. Only the echo of her footsteps.
Then—
"I can't believe it..."
Aquila stopped.
The voice drifted from a nearby chamber.
"...Why am I so grumpy?"
...
She stared at the closed door.
Was she...
Talking to herself?
"...You're ridiculous."
Aquila lowered her wine, the corner of her mouth twitching despite herself.
So the composed, elegant Princess of Nexus lectured her own reflection when no one was watching.
How unexpectedly childish.
"...Can't even recognize who that noble was."
That made it worse.
She truly had been watching.
Aquila let out the faintest breath through her nose, something dangerously close to a laugh.
She moved soundlessly until she stood beside the doorway, resting one shoulder against the frame just as the bathroom door opened.
Zuleika stepped out. Then froze. Their eyes met.
The Princess looked as though she'd been caught stealing from the royal kitchens.
Aquila lifted her glass slightly.
"I like this wine."
A simple greeting.
Though judging by the way Zuleika immediately refused to meet her eyes...
It had already accomplished exactly what Aquila wanted.
Aquila closed the distance slowly.
One step.
Then another.
Until only a breath remained between them.
She lifted her chin just enough to meet Zuleika's eyes.
Crimson.
Usually so infuriatingly stubborn.
Usually filled with arguments, defiance, or some maddening idealism that made Aquila want to wipe that unwavering conviction from her face.
Now...
They looked lost.
Zuleika wasn't speaking.
She simply stared.
Her gaze wandered over Aquila's face with almost embarrassing honesty—as though memorizing every feature before it disappeared. Her lashes fluttered once, her lips parting without a sound.
...
What was she doing?
Aquila had only meant to tease her.
Nothing more.
She had wanted to watch Princess Nexus fumble for words again. To see that proud composure crack.
So why...
Why was she the one who couldn't look away?
The silence stretched between them, strangely gentle despite everything they'd become to one another.
Months ago, that silence would've been filled with insults.
Threats. Promises of war. Now it was... different. Heavy.
Aquila could hear their breathing. Could feel the warmth radiating from Zuleika despite the coolness of the chamber.
Too close.
She should've stepped back.
Instead...
She stayed.
Then Zuleika spoke.
"...Can I kiss you?"
The question struck harder than any insult ever had.
Not because of what she'd asked. But because she'd asked at all.
Aquila blinked. She had expected recklessness. Expected Zuleika to act first and apologize later.
Instead... She was asking. Waiting. Giving Aquila the choice.
Her fingers loosened around the stem of the wine glass.
A faint clink echoed through the room as she set it aside.
She looked into those crimson eyes again.
There was no arrogance there. No confidence.
Only someone who looked as though a single word could either save or shatter her.
A strange ache settled beneath Aquila's ribs.
"...You may."
The words escaped before she questioned them. The instant they left her lips—
Zuleika moved.
Warmth.
That was Aquila's first thought.
Not the kiss. Not surprise. Warmth.
Zuleika kissed her as though she'd been holding herself back for months, yet even in that desperation there was hesitation—as though she feared Aquila would disappear if she held on too tightly.
It lasted only moments. Then whatever restraint Zuleika possessed unraveled.
The kiss deepened. Need replaced caution. Aquila felt herself smiling before she even realized she was doing it.
How ridiculous.
Princess Zuleika... The same woman who stood before emperors without flinching... Was trembling.Because of her.
Aquila's hands rose almost instinctively, resting lightly around Zuleika's neck.
When had she decided to return the kiss?
She couldn't remember. Perhaps she never had. Perhaps her body had chosen long before her pride could object.
The world narrowed until there was nothing beyond the two of them.
No Empire. No Nexus. No war. Only breath.
Heartbeat.
Warm lips stained faintly with wine.
Then suddenly— The world shifted.
Aquila let out a startled breath as Zuleika lifted her effortlessly onto the nearby table. Somewhere beside them, crystal struck wood.
A splash followed. Wine. Spilled.
Neither of them cared. Their foreheads rested together for only the briefest moment.
Aquila laughed quietly between uneven breaths.
This was absurd. Completely absurd.
She had spent months convincing herself she despised this woman.
Yet here she was... Laughing.
The kiss found her again before she could gather another thought.
This time it was fiercer. Hungrier.
Aquila felt Zuleika's hands tremble where they rested against her waist, as though she still couldn't believe she was allowed to touch her.
Allowed.
The word echoed unexpectedly.
Aquila had allowed this.
No...
She wanted this.
That realization frightened her far more than the kiss itself.
"We..."
The word dissolved beneath another kiss.
"...shouldn't..."
She tried again, though even to her own ears it sounded painfully unconvincing.
"...be doing this..."
If she truly wanted it to stop...
She would've pushed Zuleika away.
She didn't.
Instead, her fingers tightened against Zuleika's shoulders, holding on just a little more firmly.
Coward.
The thought almost made her laugh.
She, Princess Aquila of Revazkerio, who had never feared a battlefield... Could not find the courage to end a kiss.
Then Zuleika whispered against her skin.
"Tell me to stop."
Aquila closed her eyes.
She searched herself for the answer.
For duty. For reason. For hatred.
but...Nothing came.
Not a single word. Only silence. And somehow... Silence became permission.
...
By the time the frantic desperation softened, Aquila finally managed to steady her breathing.
Zuleika rested against her, head pressed lightly to her chest.
Listening. The frantic rhythm beneath her ribs made Aquila want to scoff.
Don't listen.
You'll hear how badly you've ruined me.
Slowly, she slid her hand into Zuleika's hair before guiding her face upward.
Crimson eyes met silver once more.
Still unbearably honest.
Then...
Something completely unexpected happened.
Zuleika caught Aquila's hand.
Not roughly. Almost reverently.
She turned it ever so slightly...
...and pressed a gentle kiss into her palm.
Aquila stared.
"..."
What...
Was that?
The woman who had nearly devoured her moments ago suddenly looked...
Sulky.
Almost pitiful.
As though she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
...Is she pouting?
The thought was so absurd that Aquila nearly laughed.
Then Zuleika spoke.
"You're so pretty..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"...it hurts."
Aquila froze.
She'd expected compliments before.
Court poets practically lived on them.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Radiant.
Meaningless words.
This...
This was different.
It wasn't admiration.
It wasn't flattery.
It sounded...
Painful.
As though looking at Aquila demanded more from Zuleika than she knew how to give.
As though beauty itself had become unbearable.
For reasons Aquila couldn't explain...
Her chest tightened.
"...Annoying."
She muttered the only word she trusted.
Not because she believed it. But because anything kinder would've been far more dangerous.
She exhaled slowly before placing both hands against Zuleika's shoulders.
"We should return."
Zuleika pouted immediately.
There it is.
That ridiculous face again.
Aquila almost smiled.
Once she slid from the table, she caught sight of Zuleika trying to smooth her hair into something resembling respectability.
Then...
Her eyes drifted lower. Lipstick.
Across Zuleika's lips. Her own.
A laugh escaped before she could stop it.
"What?"
Zuleika asked, genuinely confused.
How could someone so intelligent...
Be so oblivious?
Aquila stepped closer.
Brushed her thumb gently across the stained corner of Zuleika's mouth.
There.
Better.
She should've stopped there.
Almost on instinct...
She cupped Zuleika's chin.
Leaned forward.
And pressed the lightest kiss against her cheek.
A reward?
A farewell?
A tease?
Aquila wasn't certain.
She only knew the expression on Zuleika's face afterward was worth every reckless decision she'd made that evening.
Wide crimson eyes. Frozen. Speechless.
...
Adorable.
Aquila turned before Zuleika could recover, hiding the smile threatening to betray her.
Back in the ballroom, she resumed her seat with all the elegance expected of Revazkerio's princess.
Across the hall, Zuleika had become... impossible.
She was smiling at everyone. Listening to proposals. Laughing.
Even the old merchants looked bewildered by the transformation. Aquila rested her chin lightly against one hand.
So that's all it took?
One kiss...
And the Princess of Nexus became agreeable.
How laughably simple.
She took another sip of wine.
...No.
Not simple.
Because she could still feel it.
The warmth of Zuleika's lips.
The trembling in her voice when she'd asked permission.
And those foolish words.
"You're so pretty... it hurts."
Aquila still didn't fully understand them.
But for some inexplicable reason...
She hadn't stopped thinking about them since.