I burst into the dormitory, slamming the door behind me as if that would somehow erase the memory of what had just happened. My heart was still pounding, my cheeks burning so hot I was convinced I could light a candle with them.
"What the hell just happened?" I mumbled to myself, still dazed.
I went straight for my wardrobe, ripping off the maid outfit like it was cursed and throwing on my regular uniform. Something normal. Something safe. I exhaled slowly, trying to get my thoughts in order.
I needed air.
And more importantly, I needed peace.
Which was why, after a few deep breaths, I decided to head to the garden. Not only was it my turn to tend to it anyway, but it was also one of the only places in this academy where I could have a moment to myself.
Hopefully.
The moment I stepped into the academy's grand garden, a familiar wave of calm washed over me. The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees, casting golden rays across the stone pathways, and the scent of blooming flowers filled the air.
Perfect. This was exactly what I needed.
I made my way toward the flower beds, rolling up my sleeves before grabbing the watering can. There was something oddly therapeutic about gardening. Maybe it was the repetitive motions or the simple fact that flowers didn't try to flirt with you in a maid café like certain infuriating individuals.
I sighed, kneeling down to check on a row of roses. "Finally, some peace and quiet…"
A soft chuckle interrupted my thoughts.
Oh no.
I froze, my hands still in the dirt, before slowly, painstakingly turning my head.
Lillian Aurora.
Standing a few steps away, watching me with an amused smile.
"Peace and quiet?" she mused, her emerald eyes glinting. "Were we really that much of a handful back there?"
I immediately looked away, ears burning all over again. "Don't even bring that up."
She laughed softly, stepping closer, her presence as warm as the sunlight filtering through the trees. "Come now, Sera. You can't say you didn't have a little fun."
"Fun?!" I snapped my head back toward her, eyes wide. "I was being publicly harassed in a maid café!"
Lillian tilted her head, her smile turning playfully thoughtful. "Publicly adored, I think you mean."
I made a dying sound in the back of my throat. "Oh my god, you too?!"
She knelt down beside me, her skirt brushing against the soft grass as she reached forward, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"You're cute when you're flustered," she said casually.
I nearly toppled over into the flower bed.
She just giggled.
UNFAIR.
I cleared my throat, desperately trying to ignore the way my heartbeat went wild. "A-Anyway," I muttered, focusing very hard on watering the flowers, "what are you doing here? I thought you were still busy with the café."
"I was," she admitted, brushing off her skirt. "But I realized I hadn't had the chance to see you after you ran off. And since I know you so well, I figured I'd find you here."
I paused for a second before glancing at her, unable to hide the tiny, stupid, traitorous smile tugging at my lips. "You really do know me well, huh?"
Lillian's smile softened. "I like to think so."
For some reason, that simple sentence made my chest feel lighter.
We stayed like that for a moment, the warmth of the garden surrounding us. I went back to tending to the flowers, and Lillian, instead of leaving, sat beside me, watching in comfortable silence.
And maybe… just maybe… having her here wasn't so bad.
"As long as you don't bring up anything about that stupid café again," I muttered under my breath, focusing very hard on adjusting a rose stem, as if that would somehow protect me from this conversation.
Lillian, being the gracious and elegant princess that she was, clearly ignored my plea.
"I apologize if we took it a bit too far," she said, her voice soft with sincerity. "We got a little carried away."
I let out a sigh, loosening my grip on the watering can. "…It's fine," I admitted, rolling my shoulders. "I'm just… not used to everything. It wasn't that bad, but…" I hesitated, feeling the heat creep back into my face. "It was just… embarrassing, okay?"
Lillian was quiet for a moment. Then, ever so smoothly, she leaned in slightly, her breath brushing against my cheek as she murmured:
"So you're saying you enjoyed it?"
My fingers tensed around the watering can.
Slowly—very slowly—I turned my head away, my entire face burning. "I am not answering that," I mumbled, voice barely above a whisper.
Lillian laughed softly, her gaze twinkling with amusement. "Oh, Sera."
I pointedly ignored her, focusing on the plants as if my life depended on it. But the warmth spreading in my chest wasn't just from embarrassment. There was something comforting about how easily Lillian could tease me—how effortlessly she read me, like she knew exactly how I'd react before I even did.
And maybe… just maybe… a tiny part of me had enjoyed it.
Just a little.
Not that I'd ever admit it.
And that's when she hugged me.
Warm arms wrapped snugly around my waist, pulling me gently against her. My breath hitched as I felt the soft rise and fall of her chest, her chin resting lightly atop my head.
I froze.
H-Huh?!
"L-Lillian?" My voice came out way too high-pitched, and I cursed myself internally.
She hummed in response, completely unbothered by my spiraling reaction. "You looked like you needed a hug," she murmured, her voice calm, steady—like this was the most normal thing in the world.
I DIDN'T NEED A HUG.
I was perfectly fine tending to the garden, minding my own business, and not thinking about certain mortifying moments from the festival. And yet, here we were.
"I—! That's—! W-What kind of logic—?!" My thoughts short-circuited as I felt her shift slightly, tightening her hold just enough to make my heart race.
"You're always so tense," she continued, her tone light, teasing. "You should relax more, you know?"
"Relax? Relax?!" I squirmed, though not very hard. "How am I supposed to relax when you suddenly—!?"
Her laughter was soft, like a melody carried by the wind, and for some reason, that only made my face burn more.
"You're adorable, Sera," she said, pressing a feather-light kiss to the top of my head.
I immediately went stiff. MELTDOWN. FULL MELTDOWN.
"A-Ah—! You—! H-Hold on—!!" My brain had completely shut down.
Lillian finally pulled back, her emerald eyes glinting with playful amusement as she gazed down at me. "Better now?"
NO. NO, I AM NOT BETTER. I AM HAVING A CRISIS.
But, for some reason, instead of shoving her away, instead of running for my life, I found myself nodding.
"…Yeah," I muttered, looking away, ears burning.
Because, if I was being honest?
That hug had felt… nice.
Way too nice.
"It's been a while since we've known each other," she mused, her voice gentle, as if she were speaking a thought aloud. "But I'm really glad you weren't like the rumors that were said about you on the first day of the academy."
I blinked, caught off guard. "Rumors?"
Oh. Right. I had completely forgotten about that—about the whispers that followed the original Sera Vandren.
"They said you were mean," Lillian continued, watching me with an unreadable expression. "Egoistic. Arrogant. Cruel."
She reached up, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear, her touch painfully soft.
"But looking at you now," she said, smiling, "I wouldn't have believed a single word of it."
My breath hitched.
"You're just a cute girl—"
EH?!
"—and someone who's always way too on guard. Too tense for their own good."
I whipped my head up to glare at her, but the warm amusement in her emerald eyes made it very difficult to look intimidating.
"You act like you don't care about us," she continued, tilting her head slightly. "Or, at least, you try to. But you always fail miserably."
I opened my mouth to protest—I do not fail miserably!—but she just chuckled, pressing a single finger to my lips before I could get a word out.
"But inside that heart of yours…" Her voice lowered, soft and almost teasing. "We're all in it, aren't we?"
I felt like my soul left my body.
"I—" My voice cracked like a glass pane under pressure.
"You don't have to answer," she said, her smile turning ever so slightly fond.
Her arms wrapped around me again, warm and secure. Too warm. Too secure.
"Just open your heart for us, Sera." Lillian whispered. "You don't have to be on guard around us. You don't have to pretend to be indifferent. We care about you."
She pulled back, just enough to look into my eyes, her expression impossibly soft.
"I care about you."
My heart stopped.
My entire system short-circuited.
I was not okay.
Not at all.
"L-Lillian…" My voice barely made it past my lips, breathless and shaky, as if the sheer weight of her words had stolen all the air from my lungs. My mind scrambled for something—anything—to say, to do, to pull myself out of whatever spell she had just cast over me.
Because, honestly?
If she kept looking at me like that—if she kept holding me like this—
I was going to fall.
Hard.
She held me closer, her arms firm yet tender around me, as if she wasn't planning to let go anytime soon. My heartbeat was erratic, my face burning, and yet I didn't pull away. I couldn't.
Not when she was looking at me with such quiet intensity, with those deep, emerald-green eyes that made it impossible to think about anything else but her.
And then, softly—oh so softly—she whispered:
"That's why… let me say it now."
My breath hitched as she pulled me even closer, so close I could feel the faint warmth of her breath ghosting over my skin.
"Even though I'm a princess, I should be selfless," she murmured. "Caring about the people around me, putting them first, always thinking of my duty above all else."
Her fingers trailed down my arm, sending a shiver racing up my spine before she gently took my hand in hers.
"But despite that, Sera…" Lillian slowly placed my palm against her chest, right over her heart. The steady rhythm pounded beneath my fingertips—fast. Uneven. Just like mine.
"I don't want to be selfless when it comes to you."
My breath caught.
"I don't want to be just a princess who exists for others. I don't want to be the noble figure who always does what's right. I want to be selfish. I want to be greedy."
Her fingers tightened around mine, pressing my palm firmer against her heart.
"I want to keep you all to myself."
I was definitely going to pass out.
"So listen to me, Sera," she whispered. "Listen to my heart."
I swallowed hard. It was so loud. Or maybe that was just mine? I couldn't even tell anymore.
And then—
The words that completely shattered what was left of my sanity:
"I like you, Sera. A lot."
My breath stilled. My entire body tensed.
No way.
No way.
Did I just hear that correctly?
I lifted my gaze, barely able to process the raw sincerity in Lillian's expression.
And just as my lips parted—just as I was about to say something, anything—
A voice suddenly called out from behind us.
"Oh? What's this?"
I froze.
That voice—
It was Camille.
And she sounded very, very amused.