~Back to Leo and Rina's location, the garden.
The sun bathed the flowers in radiant light, and the gentle fragrance of roses and lilies lingered in the warm air. Gardeners moved discreetly between paths, tending to the beds of flowers, while birds hopped from branch to branch, filling the atmosphere with cheerful chirps.
To the casual observer, it was paradise. A perfect afternoon.
But for one person, hiding in the shadows just beyond the trimmed hedges, the sight before him was nothing short of torment.
Artur crouched low, his golden hair damp with sweat, his breathing quiet but uneven. He had slipped away from the training grounds under the pretense of exhaustion, yet his steps had carried him here—drawn, as if by cruel fate, to the garden where laughter echoed. He couldn't stop himself from coming here, turning into a stalker just to observe.
There, in the pavilion surrounded by climbing vines of jasmine, sat Leo and Rina.
Leo leaned lazily against the wooden frame, his sapphire-blue eyes gleaming mischievously as he spoke. Rina sat across from him, her pink hair catching the sunlight like threads of rose quartz, her cheeks flushed a shade that rivaled the very flowers around them, so enchanting.
A maid had just placed another tray of steaming tea and an assortment of delicate cookies between them. The faint scent of butter and sugar mixed with the floral air, a sweetness that only deepened the scene's warmth.
Artur's hands curled into fists against the grass. His nails dug into his palms until pain lanced through them, but he did not loosen his grip. His golden eyes, normally so bright, were clouded with shadow as he watched the two.
She's blushing… for him this slut. It should have been me instead.
He remembered her expression when he confessed that morning—cold, firm, and merciless. Yet here she was, her eyes lowered shyly, her lips trembling in a smile as Leo teased her.
It was a sight that made Artur's heart ache, yet he could not look away.
Leo reached for a cookie, deliberately choosing the one Rina had been eyeing. He took a slow bite, pretending to savor it dramatically.
"Mm, not bad," he said with his head tilted to the side before adding.
"But I bet it tastes sweeter if you try it." he ended the sentence with a knowing smile.
Rina puffed her cheeks, indignant. "Y-you're insufferable! I was going to eat that one you know!"
''Hehehe! Too bad!"
Leo chuckled, his laughter light, boyish, and infuriatingly carefree.
"Then take this one. I'll allow it." He slid the plate closer to her, his grin sharp as if he had won some unspoken game.
Rina hesitated, glaring at him with narrowed eyes, but her blush betrayed her emotions.
Finally, she snatched the cookie with quick hands, biting into it defiantly. "Hmph! Fine!"
Leo leaned back, satisfied, his smile broadening. "See? Tastes better when I give it to you, doesn't it?"
Rina sputtered, coughing on the crumbs, her face turning crimson. She waved her hands frantically. "D-don't say ridiculous things! Who would think that?!"
Watching from the shadows, Artur's chest constricted painfully as if someone was wriggling it.
Why… why does she laugh for him? Why does she act so… alive, so radiant, when it's him? Why it has to be him not me?
He bit his lip until the metallic tang of blood filled his mouth.
As the minutes passed, Leo continued to tease, Rina continued to blush, and the two danced in that playful rhythm only childhood friends could share. Their banter was light, yet there was a tenderness beneath it, an intimacy that made Artur's stomach twist.
Then, without warning, Leo leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, and gave Rina a look that was both serious and mischievous.
"Hey, Rina," he said softly, his tone lower than before, it was as if he had finally come to a certain decision.
She blinked, caught off guard. "…What?"
"Let's go on a date."
Those five words hung in the air, as bright and sudden as a spark in the dark.
Rina froze, her teacup halfway to her lips. Her pink eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as she didn't immediately register those words before finally, "Eh—? A-a date?!"
Leo grinned, unfazed but inwardly he was panicking, he had to do it, he had to act.
"Yeah. Just you and me. Tomorrow, maybe? We can sneak out to the city. There's a new pastry shop I heard about. You love sweets, don't you?"
Her heart leapt, evident in the way her face flushed an even deeper red. She tried to stammer a response, her lips moving but no sound coming out. Finally, she hid her face behind her hands, muttering in embarrassment.
"You can't just say things like that so casually…"
Leo leaned closer, his voice teasing yet sincere. "So, is that a yes?"
Her silence was answer enough. The way her lips curved upward, the way her shoulders trembled—it was unmistakable.
Crash!
Artur's world shattered.
Hidden behind the hedge, his vision blurred with rage. The cheerful garden suddenly felt suffocating, the sweet scent of flowers sickening. He wanted to storm in, to drag Rina away, to strike Leo down where he sat laughing so easily.
Why him? Why not me? For fuck sake why not me? Just fucking why?
He clutched the dirt beneath him so tightly that clumps of soil broke apart in his hands. His breathing grew shallow, his body trembling as something vile clawed its way up from the depths of his heart.
He could hear their voices still. Rina's shy laughter, Leo's confident chuckle. Each sound was like a dagger twisting deeper into his chest.
She refused me. She rejected me without a shred of hesitation, resolutely and firmly. And yet for him… she glows. For him, she blushes. For him, she agrees.
His teeth ground together.
"Heh! So while I'm suffering from heartbreak, you two laugh and even prepare going on date? Good, laugh while you can.''
The wind rustled the hedge leaves, carrying away his whispered vow.
In the pavilion, unaware of the storm brewing just beyond the flowers, Rina shyly sipped her tea while Leo grinned, already planning their outing with boyish enthusiasm.
To them, it was a simple moment of joy. To Artur, it was a painful moment, he prayed the mysterious God to send divine punishment on them, especially Leo, to make him experience despair.
And as he finally turned away, retreating deeper into the estate's shadows, the darkness in his heart grew heavier, thicker—like tar spreading through his veins.
The boy who once wore a benevolent smile was vanishing.
In his place, something far more dangerous was beginning to awaken.