The quiet hum of magical energy pulsed softly throughout the lounge chamber in the upper towers of Ranoa University. It was well past curfew, but Ariel Anemoi Asura had grown skilled in creating pockets of privacy amidst public life. This secluded room, shieled by Sylphiette's silence enchantments and reinforced by Luke's ever-present vigilance, was slowly becoming their meeting place hers and Rudeus Greyrat's.
It had started innocently. Discussions about teleportation magic, politics, odd theories about summoning similarities. The type of things that excited minds like Rudeus's. Ariel initially saw these meetings as a tool her method to slowly reel him in. To form trust. Then allegiance. After all, an alliance with Rudeus wasn't just for Sylphiette's sake it was an essntial thread in the delicate web Ariel was weaving to secure her return to the Asuran throne.
But as days passed, things didn't unfold quite as she expected.
Instead of political debates or clever persuasion, their talks meandered from books to bizarre anecdotes from Rudeus's past, even the occasional sarcastic jab at their professors. They'd laugh. A little too long sometimes. Ariel had learned to smile out of necessity, but these moments? They didn't feel rehearsed.
"You're oddly easy to talk to when you're not busy roasting Nanahoshi's experiments," Ariel chuckled one evening, arms crossed, but her posture relaxed for once. She leaned back against the velvet cushion, catching herself watching the slight curl at the edge of Rudeus's mouth.
"I'm oddly easy to talk to because no one's trying to stab me or offer me marriage," Rudeus quipped, eyes drifting to the floating candlelight above. "Well, not yet, anyway."
Ariel smirked. It was dangerous how disarming he could be how quickly he swept past her defenses. She wasn't even sure when her motivations became blurry.
---
Meanwhile...
In the soft, moonlit corridors of their dormitory, Sylphiette sat with her hands curled tightly around a cup of tea, steam brushing past her glasses. Ariel had just returned from her latest "strategy talk" with Rudeus, and now the princess sat cross-legged on the bed, still half-lost in thought.
"...I like him," Sylphiette said suddenly, voice barely above a whisper.
Ariel blinked, pulled from her haze. "Hmm?"
"Rudeus. I... I think I love him."
There was a pause. Not of shock, but of quiet processing. Then, a warm smile from Ariel. "I know. You've had that look in your eyes since the day he arrived."
Sylphiette flushed. "It's embarrassing. What if he doesn't remember me? What if... I'm just a memory to him?"
"You're not," Ariel said softly, walking over and kneeling beside her. "You're more than that. But Sylphy... if you never tell him, how will he ever know?"
There was a moment of stillness between them filled only by the rustling of wind against the tower windows.
Ariel didn't realize it then, but as she offered her support, as she pushed Sylphiette closer to Rudeus with a steady hand and a reassuring smile there was a sting in her own chest she couldn't quite name.
Not yet.
---
Back in the quiet upper chamber, Rudeus was scribbling furiously on parchment, lost in teleportation matrices. Ariel watched him, pretending to be reading her notes.
A stray thought crossed her mind.
If only I had met you under different circumstances... would we still laugh like this?
She quickly buried the thought.
There was no room for such things not for a princess, not for someone with a kingdom to reclaim.
But still... her meetings with Rudeus never quite stayed on track. They always started with purpose and ended with something else. Laughter. Relief. A small taste of freedom she could only find in his company.
---
It had been a little over a month since Ariel's plan began in earnest.
In that short window, Rudeus had become... familiar.
Not just in presence, but in rhythm.
Their private talks were no longer scheduled they were expected. Quiet evenings in the upper study rooms, sometimes under the excuse of magical theory, sometimes with no excuse at all. Ariel didn't have to pretend to enjoy them anymore.
She did.
That was the problem.
---
"This isn't supposed to happen," Ariel thought, watching Rudeus animatedly describe some failed enchantment project involving garden slimes. His hand gestures were clumsy, but his smile was genuine childlike in a way that sharply contrasted the hollow version of him everyone else saw. The Rudeus who trudged through lectures and seemed barely tethered to the world.
Here, with her, he was different. Lighter.
Or perhaps she was the one changing.
---
"You're staring again," he said mid-sentence, raising a brow.
"I'm thinking," she replied smoothly.
"About slimes?"
Ariel chuckled, hiding the tension in her throat. "Yes. I was wondering how anyone manages to make even that topic sound entertaining."
She had gotten too good at this — hiding her heartbeat behind royal poise. But lately, it was growing harder.
Because this wasn't just strategy anymore.
---
Sylphiette was happy.
And Ariel had been proud of that, at first.
Her dear friend had bloomed in the presence of Rudeus blushing more easily, smiling more openly. She often asked Ariel about what Rudeus liked, what made him laugh. Ariel answered, of course. She told Sylphiette what she had observed. She gave her advice. She even pushed her to confess again.
"He'll see you, eventually," she said.
And yet... a quiet ache stirred in her chest every time Sylphiette mentioned his name with that dreamy, vulnerable look.
Because what Ariel saw in Rudeus the version that laughed too long, the one who spoke with a weary softness that no one else seemed to hear that was hers.
No. That was a side of him he showed only to her.
And it wasn't supposed to matter.
She was a princess.
She was supposed to keep her eyes on the crown not on the boy who never looked at her twice in that way.
---
That night, their meeting lasted longer than usual.
Rudeus had lingered, asking about her childhood in the palace her younger days, the burden of nobility. The usual rehearsed tales felt hollow tonight. Instead, she told him about sleepless nights. About fearing betrayal in every corridor. About the first time someone tried to poison her food, and how her hand trembled while pretending to sip.
He hadn't said anything for a long time after that.
Then he said, "Sounds exhausting. I guess neither of us ever really had a childhood."
She laughed, but it was quieter than usual. "No... I suppose we didn't."
Their eyes met.
And for a brief moment it was too quiet. Too heavy.
Ariel looked away first.
---
After he left, Ariel stood at the window for what felt like hours.
The moon hung low. Her reflection in the glass looked too tired, too bare. She had given away more of herself tonight than she meant to.
And worse she wanted to give more.
She wanted him to stay. Not as an ally. Not as a pawn.
But as someone who chose to be there, even when the masks fell away.
A part of her screamed at the absurdity. She was supporting Sylphiette. Her plan hinged on their bond. And still... something else was growing.
And with it came regret.
Regret for using him.
Regret for realizing too late how warm he made the cokdest nights feel.
Regret for knowing... he would never look at her the way he did Sylphiette.
Because to him, she was a noble. A politician. A friend, maybe. A puzzle.
Not someone to love.
---
Meanwhile...
Sylphiette noticed it, of course.
She noticed how Ariel had stopped teasing as often.
How her laughter was more forced when Rudeus came up.
She didn't say anything.
Not yet.
But something in her stomach churned.
---
Later that week...
"You know," Rudeus said, as they sat in the candlelit room, "you're not nearly as composed as people think."
Ariel blinked. "Excuse me?"
He shrugged. "You try so hard to sound in control. But I think you're more honest here than anywhere else."
Ariel stared at him.
He looked tired tonight. His hair was slightly messy. There was ink smudged on his collar. He was a mess.
But she had never seen anything more real.
And it broke her a little.
Because she couldn't say what she wanted to say.
Because if she did she would ruin everything.
So instead, she smiled.
And said nothing.
---
The sun dipped below the horizon, spilling gold across the spires of the university, as Ariel sat at her usual spot in the private library chamber. The room had grown more silent lately — Rudeus hadn't come today. He said he had to assist Nanahoshi again.
Her fingers traced the rim of her porcelain teacup, untouched and cold.
It wasn't like she expected him every day, but... she had grown used to the quiet knock on the door, the way he entered like he didn't belong but stayed like he did. Their talks had started as strategy and persuasion her attempt to convince him to join her court. But somewhere along the way, it became something else.
Not love. No. She was supporting Sylphiette, after all.
But she missed him.
She looked to Sylphiette, who sat nearby, writing something into her spellbook. The half-elf girl looked more radiant lately. Happy. Hopeful. There was a lightness in her step that hadn't been there before.
Ariel smiled softly, recalling the memory from just two nights ago.
---
Flashback:
It had been a quiet evening. The stars were out, and the rooftop garden was empty. Ariel and Sylphiette sat together, legs folded, cloaks wrapped around them.
"Princess," Sylphiette said suddenly, voice trembling. "May I... say something selfish?"
Ariel glanced over, curious. "Of course. Always."
"I think... I really like Rudeus. Not just likeI love him."
Ariel blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Sylphiette's eyes were wide with honesty, shimmering under the moonlight. "I know I've always said I just wanted to protect you. And I *do*. But whenever I see him, my heart starts pounding. I feel seen. Like I matter. Like I'm not just someone in the background."
Ariel's throat tightened. She forced a soft smile. "I'm happy for you, Fitz. Truly. He's a good man."
Sylphiette leaned her head on Ariel's shoulder, and the princess wrapped her arms around her like a protective older sister.
But inside? Something small, quiet, and aching stitted.
---
Present
Now, watching Sylphiette, Ariel knew that feeling hadn't left.
She stood and left the room, murmuring an excuse about needing fresh air. Her guards stayed behind. She needed to be alone.
The stone corridors of the university felt colder than usual. Her footsteps echoed down the halls, steady, regal but her heart was a mess.
Why was she thinking about him?
Was it because of their laughter? The way he challenged her when she teased him? The way his eyes lit up when talking about teleportation magic?
Or maybe it was the little things — the way he listened without interrupting, the dry wit that peeked out when he was relaxed. The way he never once treated her like a fragile doll, unlike the men back in Asura Kingdom.
"Gods," she whispered. "This wasn't supposed to happen."
She turned a corner... and stopped.
Ahead, by the west corridor windows, she saw him.
Rudeus was there with Sylphiette, laughing softly. The girl was holding a stack of books, almost dropping one, and Rudeus reached out to help. Their fingers brushed. Sylphiette flushed, biting her lip.
A soft pat on the head from Rudeus, and her cheeks went redder.
Ariel's heart twisted. It was a small thing. An innocent thing. But it was enough.
She stepped back before they noticed. Turned around.
And walked away.
Not because she was angry. No. She was scared.
Because the ache in her chest wasn't about power, alliances, or loyalty. It was personal. And she didn't know when it had become that way.
—
Later That Night
She stood in her quarters, brushing her long hair in silence. No maids. No guards.
Her reflection in the mirror looked composed. Regal. Perfect.
But her hands trembled.
She thought of Sylphiette's words again. "He makes me feel like I'm not invisible."
Ariel pressed a hand to her chest.
"Why does he make me feel like I've been seen for the first time too?"
She couldn't say it. Couldn't betray Sylphiette. Couldn't ruin the little happiness her friend had found.
But the truth clawed at her silently.
—
That night, she sat in the library again. Alone. Waiting.
The door creaked.
She looked up.
It was Rudeus
He scratched his head. "Hey. Sorry I missed yesterday. Things got busy."
She tried to smile. "It's alright. Sit. I've been... thinking."
He tilted his head. "About what?"
She paused. Then: "Do you think people can lie to themselves so well, they don't know what they're truly feeling?"
Rudeus blinked. "You're getting philosophical on me again."
She chuckled, trying to mask the hurt.
He sat down. Their hands almost brushed. But didn't.
There was tension now. Silent. Unseen. But growing.
As they spoke about magic, about strategy, about nonsense she smiled.
But deep down?
She knew.
She was 'starting to lose' something she never meant to want.
Ariel watched his eyes as he spoke alive, brilliant, distracted. She smiled at his words, but heard none of them. Not really.
Because for the first time, she realized with a deep, burning ache-
"I think I'm falling in love with him. And I'm already too late."