Zephirion stood by the tall arched window of his castle, his crimson eyes fixed on the woman sitting in the royal garden below.

Aeris.

His fingers idly traced the rim of his goblet, but his mind was elsewhere. He watched as she ran her fingers along the petals of a flower, her long black hair swaying gently in the breeze.

And then... she smiled.

A small, fleeting thing, barely noticeable, but it was there.

His Little Blossom was smiling.

He let out a quiet hum, his deep voice reverberating in the empty chamber.

"So... you can still smile, after all?"

His gaze darkened as his mind drifted back to the day he first saw her.

She had been a trembling thing-fragile, weak, nothing but skin and bone-but her eyes...

Those lifeless, hollow eyes.

And then, her words.

"Kill me."

Zephirion scoffed at the memory.

"How foolish."

He had heard all kinds of pleas before-begging, crying, desperate prayers for mercy.

But she... she had begged for death.

Not with fear. Not with tears.

Just... emptiness.

And that had amused him.

"A woman with nothing left to lose." He chuckled, shaking his head. "What an unusual gift the gods have sent me."

So, he had made a decision that day.

He would not kill her.

Not because he was merciful.

But because he wanted to see what would happen if he gave her something to live for.

And today...

Today, he had seen something change.

His thoughts shifted to earlier that morning, when she had walked into the dining hall wearing the dress he had given her.

A breathtaking sight.

She didn't look like a mere sacrifice anymore.

She looked... like a queen.

Zephirion exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around his goblet.

"I wonder... did you notice, Little Blossom?"

Did she notice how his gaze lingered? How the entire room had gone silent the moment she entered?

No.

She was too focused on her own fear.

She was guarded, cautious.

And yet, when she stepped into the garden just now, all of that seemed to disappear.

He watched as she closed her eyes, inhaling the fresh air, her expression almost... at peace.

Zephirion smirked.

"Are you beginning to feel comfortable here?"

A chuckle rumbled in his chest as he leaned against the window frame.

No.

She wasn't.

He had seen the way her eyes wandered, always searching, always thinking.

Trying to find a way out.

His smirk deepened.

"Run if you wish, Little Blossom. I will find you, even if you are in hell."

It wouldn't matter.

No one could escape him.

And Aeris...?

She was his.

Whether she had realized it yet or not.

To be continued