The first rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains as Javier stirred awake. Something soft and warm was nestled against him, and a sleepy grin spread across his face.
"Hehe… must be Liana," he thought groggily, leaning in to press a deep kiss onto the lips of whoever was beside him.
"I love you…" he murmured softly, his voice laced with affection.
To his surprise, the person beneath him responded, their lips moving in sync with his, and their voice, though shy, whispered back, "I love you too, Javier-sama."
Javier's eyes snapped open, his heart skipping a beat. That wasn't Liana's voice.
"Err… this is not Liana's voice… who is it?" His thoughts raced as he pulled back slightly, blinking in confusion.
His gaze met the wide, sparkling eyes of none other than Gracelle.
"Gracelle?!" Javier's mind screamed. His jaw nearly dropped, but he managed to keep his composure. "Ugh, this must be Liana's plan! Damn her!"
Gracelle, however, looked radiant, her cheeks flushed as she leaned closer to him with a bright smile. "Good morning, Javier-sama," she said sweetly before leaning in again and pressing another kiss onto his lips.
Caught completely off guard, Javier froze for a moment. "Crap! If I push her away, she'll feel rejected, and this whole situation will blow up into something worse!"
So, swallowing his inner panic, he forced a calm smile. "G-Good morning, Gracelle," he said, doing his best to sound natural.
She beamed at him, clearly elated by his response. "I'm so happy, Javier-sama," she said softly, her fingers brushing against his cheek. "I never imagined we'd be this close…"
"Neither did I," Javier thought bitterly. "This is a nightmare!"
As Gracelle continued to look at him with adoration, Javier felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. He needed to escape this situation and fast—but without hurting Gracelle's feelings or making things worse with Liana.
For the first time in his life, he genuinely wished he could just disappear.
Gracelle hugged Javier tightly, her face glow with happiness. Before he could utter a word, she kissed him passionately again, leaving him no room to dodge.
"I can't believe it," she whispered breathlessly. "You have the same feelings as me… You even called me by my name! Javier-sama… I love you!"
"SAME FEELINGS?! Since when?! WHO DECIDED THAT?!"
Panic bubbled up inside him, but he forced his calm, noble demeanor to stay intact.
"Oh… uh… I see," he mumbled awkwardly, feeling like the world was closing in around him.
Inside his mind, however, a storm of chaos was raging.
"Liana!! You conniving, scheming, sadistic elf-devil! You manipulative, grinning elf-witch! You tormenting succubus! This is all your doing! What did I do to deserve this?! I kissed Gracelle once—okay, twice—but that doesn't mean I signed up for a love confession first thing in the morning! What kind of twisted revenge plot is this? Just you wait, you heartless demon! I'll get you back for this!"
He subtly tried to loosen Gracelle's grip without alarming her, but her hold only tightened.
"She's not letting go! Why is she so strong for a ten-year-old?!"
As Gracelle snuggled closer, her head resting against his chest, Javier's eyes darted around the room.
"What's my escape plan? The window? No, three floors up. Fake a stomachache? No, she might try to take care of me. Pretend I'm still asleep? Too late for that."
His eyes darted toward the door. "Wait. Did she lock it? Oh, I bet she locked it! Classic villain move! Damn you, Liana! I'll get my revenge… somehow."
"Great. Now she's completely smitten. How do I explain this without breaking her heart or causing a scandal? Ugh, I'm not ready for this kind of drama at eleven years old! Uh,well,im older enough.ehehe..BUT! I'm supposed to be pretending to be useless, not starring in some bullshit romance play!"
"Stupid me! A kiss? Really? You couldn't have just stopped at a dance or holding her hand? Not to go on full prince charming! Idiot!"
Gracelle tightened her hold, nuzzling against his chest. "Javier, I promise I'll be the perfect wife for you. I'll do my best to make you happy!"
WIFE?! WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT MARRIAGE?! THIS IS MOVING WAY TOO FAST! Someone hit the brakes!!
He kept up his calm façade, gently patting Gracelle's. "Err, that's… very sweet of you, Gracelle. Let's, um… take things slow, alright?"
"Liana, I hope you're laughing your evil elf head off because when I get out of this, I'm going to make you pay!"
Meanwhile, Liana, standing just outside the door, smirked to herself as she overheard bits of the conversation. Her gentle, composed face betrayed none of her inner satisfaction.
"Oh, young master, I told you—don't test me. You kissed another girl in front of me, so consider this your punishment. I hope you're enjoying the consequences."
"She's won this round," Javier thought bitterly. "But I swear, Liana, when I get my hands on you, you'll regret ever crossing me. This is war!"
Liana didn't feel like attending to her young master today. Her frustration from the previous night still lingered, and she decided a break was necessary. Instead, she assigned the household maids to handle his needs.
"But Miss Liana," one of the senior maids hesitated, wringing her hands nervously, "we don't think we can manage him. You know how our young master is. He can be... a handful."
"Don't worry," Liana replied with her usual composed smile, though it lacked its usual warmth. "He has a guest with him today, so he'll behave. Just handle the basics, and you'll be fine."
"If... if you say so, Miss Liana," the maid stammered, though her expression remained doubtful.
Gathering their courage, a small group of maids made their way to Javier's room. One of them knocked timidly, calling out, "Young Master Javier, breakfast will be served in the main dining room shortly. Lady Francesca also asked us to inform Lady Gracelle to join as well."
From inside, they heard a muffled groan followed by the sound of hurried whispers. The maids exchanged puzzled glances but waited patiently outside, bracing themselves for whatever chaos their young master might bring this time.
The group of maids exchanged nervous glances before deciding to open the door to Javier's room, curious and concerned about the delay. What greeted them left their amazed.
There was their young master, sitting up on his bed, being hugged tightly by Lady Gracelle, who looked utterly smitten.
"Javier-sama, I promise I'll try my best to become your wife!" Gracelle declared with determined fervor, her arms tightening around him like a vice.
Javier let out a strained, almost defeated laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now, now, Gracelle… I think the maids just came to inform us about breakfast." He glanced at the maids, silently pleading for some help out of the situation.
"How about we go eat first?"
Gracelle's face lit up as if she'd been offered the moon. "O-Okay, Javier-sama!" she chirped, thrilled that he had addressed her by name without the formal 'Lady.'
As Gracelle clung to his arm while they prepared to leave, Javier maintained his calm, noble demeanor on the outside. Inside, however, his thoughts raced.
Stay composed. Smile. Pretend everything is under control. This is fine. I am a gentleman. A noble.
( End of Chapter )