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corinneecrivaine · 6 months

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The Day You Healed My Soul.

Le Jour où tu as Guéri mon Âme

Chapitre 6

Entre Passé et Présent

Sapphic Romance Fanfiction

Main characters Kit and Jade (Willow 2022)

Une douce lumière matinale réveilla doucement Kit de ses songes, bercée par les souvenirs d’Emma qui imprégnaient encore chaque recoin de sa chambre. Elle se leva, laissant son carnet sur la table de chevet, se préparant pour sa nouvelle journée. Cependant, les évènements de la veille l’avaient déstabilisée, se manifestant subtilement dans chacun de ses gestes hésitants et son regard troublé qu’elle croisa furtivement dans le miroir.

Arrivée au restaurant, elle échangea un sourire timide avec Jade avant de se plonger dans le travail. La journée s’écoula entre les services et les cocktails, les échanges complices et les regards qui en disaient plus que des mots.

Jade évoqua l’invitation de Boorman.

— Prête pour ce soir ? Demanda-t-elle.

Kit hésita, ses yeux reflétant une profonde incertitude. Se rendre à cette soirée représentait une confrontation avec ses émotions complexes et cette étincelle qui naissait au fond d’elle, une étincelle nommée Jade. Elle laissa échapper un soupir avant de répondre.

— Je ne suis pas sûre que ce soit une bonne idée que je vienne.

Mais Jade insista.

— Et louper les fêtes de Boorman dont toute l’île parle, impossible. (Elle posa sa main sur l’épaule de son amie.) Ce sera juste l’occasion de s’amuser un peu. On peut y aller ensemble si tu veux.

Bien que l’idée de se retrouver à cette fête la remplissait d’appréhension, elle finit par accepter.

L’heure approcha. Lorsqu’elle ouvrit la porte, les yeux pétillants de Jade éveillèrent en elle une lueur d’émerveillement. Une attirance mutuelle capturée dans leurs regards complices s’installa. Bien que toujours réservée, Kit prit une profonde inspiration, se préparant à affronter la vie qui continuait de s’écouler autour d’elle.

Arrivées sur place, les deux amies se retrouvèrent immergées dans une ambiance féerique et envoûtante. Les guirlandes lumineuses, entourant la façade de l’entrepôt de Boorman, projetaient leur éclat dansant sur la robe étincelante de Jade, la rendant encore plus séduisante. À ses côtés, vêtue d’un pantalon élégant en toile noire et d’un chemisier de soie bleu marine, Kit rayonnait d’une aura de mystère et de charme.

Le son mystique des notes de musique, parfois douces et mélodieuses, parfois percutantes, mêlé aux odeurs enchanteresses du jasmin, portées par une légère brise, submergeaient Kit d’un sentiment de plénitude.

Les deux amies se mêlaient aux invités parés de tenues extravagantes, lorsque Boorman, toujours aussi excentrique, troquant son gilet orné de taches de peinture contre une veste aux motifs psychédéliques, un pantalon assorti, arborant des bijoux fantaisistes, les rejoignit. Il écarquilla les yeux, un sourire enthousiasme.

— Vous êtes resplendissantes !

Jade le regarda et répondit avec malice.

— Merci Boorman, mais n’en rajoute pas.

Il posa une main sur son cœur d’un air dramatique.

— Vous faites un magnifique couple.

Légèrement embarrassée, Kit répliqua rapidement.

— Nous sommes amies.

A l’instant même, une voix féminine empreinte d’excitation, s’éleva au loin.

— Jade !!!

Elora rayonnait d’une beauté irréelle. Vêtue d’un pantalon blanc qui soulignait harmonieusement sa démarche, assorti à un bustier de dentelles. Les lignes et la coupe sophistiquée de sa tenue, mettait en valeur sa grâce naturelle, caressée par la magie. Le visage illuminé d’un sourire radieux, elle s’empressa de prendre son amie dans ses bras. Dans un élan de joie, Jade fit les présentations.

— Elora, je te présente Kit.

Kit esquissa un sourire chaleureux.

— Kit, voici Elora, la magicienne des pâtisseries de l’île et notre précieuse boulangère. C’est elle qui fournit notre resto en pains.

— Mesdemoiselles, je ne voudrais pas interrompre ce magnifique moment sentimental, mais si vous voulez bien vous diriger vers le buffet. S’exclama Boorman en écartant les bras, dévoilant les mets copieux qui n’attendaient qu’à être dégustés.

— Très bonne idée, je meurs de faim. S’exprima Elora avec enthousiasme.

Kit découvrait un buffet aux mille couleurs, des pyramides de fruits exotiques, aux côtés de rivières de chocolat fondus s’écoulant le long de fontaines gourmandes, ainsi que de véritables sculptures comestibles aux noms paradisiaques. Une variété de plats à base de fruits de mer, des cocktails rafraîchissants et phosphorescents.

— Tu as raison, Jade, Boorman ne fait pas les choses à moitié !

Jade prit une brochette de fruits de mer délicatement grillés qu’elle tendit à Kit.

— Tiens, goûte moi ça.

Une explosion de saveurs caressa chaque papille de sa langue, entre les sensations salées et la tendresse des fruits de mer grillés, épicés. Kit se sentait transporter dans un océan de délices. Son regard croisa celui de Jade, créant une connexion sensorielle silencieuse entre les deux jeunes femmes.

— J’ignorais que derrière cet être excentrique, se cachait un fameux cuisinier.

Elora s’empressa de répondre à Kit.

— Oh non, ce n’est pas Boorman qui a préparé tous ces plats mais son ami et mon boulanger : Lori.

Kit sourit avant de répondre.

— En tout cas ce Lori semble être un artiste en cuisine. On dirait que chaque plat est une œuvre d’art comestible. Et toi, Elora, quelle est ta spécialité ?

Elora rit doucement.

— Mes pâtisseries. Elles ont une petite touche féerique, en particulier mes muffins. .

Jade ne put s’empêcher d’intervenir et d’ajouter espièglement.

— Tu es bien modeste Elora. Lori n’a pas cuisiné tout seul et les noms de chaque préparations te reviennent de droit.

Embarrassée, la jeune femme changea de sujet.

— Je te souhaite la bienvenue Kit dans notre univers enchanté. Laisse-toi te perdre dans la magie qui t’entoure.

A l’instant même, un jeune homme arriva, avec une élégance décontractée et un sourire malicieux. Il ajusta légèrement sa veste, regarda Kit avec un air de curiosité et déclara d’une voix douce et mélodieuse.

— Si la magie ne t’a pas encore envoûtée, princesse, peut-être qu’une mélodie poétique pourrait y remédier.

Tout en s’exprimant, il s’approcha de Kit et lui fit une révérence, déposant un doux baiser sur le dos de sa main.

— Permets-moi de me présenter : Graydon.

La jeune femme fut troublée par cet homme aux longs cheveux noirs flottant sauvagement autour de son visage, une barbe naissance accentuant son allure soignée et élégante, faisant de lui, un être issu d’une époque révolue. Il arborait un costume aux tons sombres, agrémenté d’une chemise de satin blanc. Son gilet, orné de motifs de fleurs de lys, et un fin foulard de soie, accentuaient son style aristocratique.

Elora sourit et répondit à Kit avec une pointe d’humour.

— J’ignore pour quelle raison mais il a toujours tendance à se prendre pour un prince des temps anciens. (Elle se tourna gracieusement vers Graydon) Mon poète princier. Lui dit-elle avant de l’embrasser.

Graydon lui répondit amoureusement.

— Tu rayonnes d’élégance mon amour. J’adore lorsque tu portes ce pantalon et ce bustier raffinés. Ils magnifient l’éclat de tes yeux et ton charme naturel.

Exaspérée, Jade répliqua.

— On va faire un tour. Dit-elle avant de s’éloigner avec Kit.

Les deux amies se laissaient emportées par la magie envoûtante de la fête, perdues dans la féerie d’une foule vibrante au rythme de la musique. Les boissons enivrantes phosphorescentes projetaient une lueur verdoyante, rappelant des lucioles dansantes en pleine nuit dans une forêt enchantée. A chaque gorgée, une explosion fruitée de saveurs exotiques, embrasait le palais. Chaque sourire échangé, chaque silence partagé tissait un lien émotionnel qui se resserrait. Kit sentait le poids de ses émotions s’intensifier, crescendo, passionnels, au fil de ces moments partagés avec Jade. Leurs regards se croisèrent, reflétant une lueur de tendresse complice.

Un peu plus tard dans la soirée, tous se retrouvèrent assis autour d’un feu de camp dont les flammes dorées se mêlaient au bleu de la nuit étoilée. Graydon jouait de sa flûte, accompagné de musiciens locaux qui improvisaient une douce mélodie. L’air était chargé d’arômes, mélanges de la fumée du feu de bois, du parfum salé de l’océan et des effluves d’encens évoquant un sentiment de mystère. La brise marine caressait doucement chaque membre du groupe, apaisante. Scorpia les avait rejoints, blottie contre Boorman, les yeux rivés sur Kit.

Alors que tous se laissaient bercer par la musique, Boorman prit une profonde inspiration et partagea quelques mots avec Kit.

— Les parents de Graydon dirigent la distillerie familiale la plus réputée de l’île depuis des générations. Ils attendent impatiemment que Graydon prenne la relève.

— Que veut faire Graydon ? Demanda Kit, curieuse.

Boorman sourit, tenant délicatement une tasse de thé infusé de plantes locales.

— Et bien, il préfère écrire des poésies, jouer de la musique. Sa grand-mère disait souvent que la musique est un baume pour l’âme. Il trouve son accomplissement dans les arts, contrairement à l’entreprise familiale conventionnelle.

Le visage de Kit s’assombrit légèrement, ses pensées errant inconsciemment vers Emma. Elle soupira avant de demander.

— Est-ce donc si difficile pour lui de concilier ses aspirations artistiques et les attentes de sa famille ?

Boorman haussa les épaules.

— Je suppose que c’est un combat quotidien auquel il doit faire face entre ses obligations et ses choix.

Kit acquiesça et inspira profondément, appréciant la brise marine et la chaleur du feu de camp. Elle vit dans l’histoire de Graydon son propre combat émotionnel.

La musique s’interrompit doucement et les musiciens posèrent leurs instruments. Scorpia se tourna vers Elora.

— Si tu nous racontais l’histoire du gardien de l’île.

Tout le monde l’encouragea chaleureusement.

— Ok. Il y a bien longtemps, un être cherchant la rédemption pour tous ces actes passés, se perdit en mer. Seul sur sa barque, voué à une mort certaine, il fut comme attiré par un appel lointain. Les esprits bienveillants, protecteurs de l’île et la nature venaient de lui sauver la vie. En découvrant les beautés de cet endroit, il se laissa guider par les chants dans chaque arbre, chaque feuillage, chaque ruissellement des vagues.

Considéré comme un lien vivant entre la magie et les habitants, il devint le gardien de l’île. Certains prétendent qu’il est toujours là, présent, son esprit lié à cet endroit enchanté. Dans des moments calmes au milieu de la nuit, il est possible d’entendre ses murmures dans le bruit du vent. D’autres prétendent avoir vu des lumières guidant les âmes perdues.

Lori arriva à l’instant même, tout en se joignant au groupe, il ajouta.

— Autant cette île possède un côté lumineux, salvateur, autant elle possède un côté qui engloutira quiconque dans les abysses de son âme.

Scorpia en colère s’emporta.

— Bon sang, Lori, tu viens de gâcher toute l’ambiance !

Mais Lori insista.

— Allez Scorpia, ne me dis pas que tu n’as jamais eu l’impression qu’il y avait quelque chose de sinistre.

Scorpia secoua la tête.

— Non, je ne ressens rien de tel. Cet endroit est une source de guérison et de paix. C��est tout ce qui compte pour moi.

— Très bien, pense comme tu veux. Mais chacun sait qu’il ne peut y avoir de paradis sans son côté sombre. C’est la dualité de toutes choses existantes. L’ombre ne peut exister sans la lumière.

Afin d’apaiser la tension, Boorman se leva et invita chacun à le suivre.

— Mes fidèles amis, il est temps d’honorer notre tradition des lanternes à souhaits.

Il les guida vers un lieu où des tas de lanternes scintillaient comme des feux follets.

Jade, dont le visage était baigné par la douce lumière d’une lanterne, partagea avec Kit les secrets de cette coutume enchantée.

— C’est une ancienne tradition. On écrit sur ce petit parchemin notre souhait, qu’on dépose dans cette lanterne. On relâche le tout dans le ciel, et l’univers le réalise. Tiens, à ton tour.

Elle donna à Kit un petit bout de parchemin et une lanterne. Cette dernière hésita, sceptique à cette idée, et murmura.

— Un souhait… Entre le possible et l’imaginaire.

Enthousiasmée par le côté mystique de l’instant, Jade poussa son amie à accepter.

— Tu as bien un souhait, Kit. Tout le monde en a un.

— Après tout, nous sommes sur une île magique. Répondit-elle en souriant.

Kit prit le petit bout de parchemin et la lanterne et se lança dans cette aventure. Au fur et à mesure qu’elle écrivait son souhait, il lui semblait que ce geste intime était porteur de sens, comme si chaque mot posé sur ce petit bout de parchemin la reliait simultanément à Emma tout en la libérant de sa souffrance.

Alors qu’elles lancèrent ensemble, chacune leur lanterne, observant leur ascension jusqu’à ce qu’elle disparaissent dans le fond étoilé, Kit, les yeux rivés vers son souhait, laissa une pensée légèrement mélancolique tournée vers Emma.

Graydon les extirpa de leurs songes en les entourant toutes les deux de ses bras, et avec un grand sourire, partagea l’existence d’une présence mystique à la fête.

— Mesdames, seriez-vous partantes pour une escapade en territoire mystique. Une source sûre m’a affirmé que la diseuse d’aventure la plus exceptionnelle de l’île est présente à la soirée.

Kit et Jade échangèrent un regard. Sans leur laisser le temps de réagir, Graydon les guida à travers la foule, dirigeant leur attention vers une petite tente située à l’écart. Les voiles rouges dansaient avec la brise nocturne, laissant filtrer une lueur tamisée

Avant de les laisser, il s’exprima avec passion.

— Prêtes à vous laisser guider dans les méandres du spiritisme ?

— Je crois qu’en matière de magie ou appelez ça comme vous voulez, ça ira pour moi. Répondit sèchement Kit.

Mais Jade, les yeux pétillants d’excitation, n’écoutait plus son amie.

— Absolument Graydon, nous sommes prêtes. Dit-elle avec engouement.

Elle ignora le regard sceptique de Kit et se dirigea vers la petite tente. Cette dernière soupira avant de la suivre et se murmura à elle-même : « Tu ressembles trop à Emma, Jade. »

Graydon, les laissa, un clin d’œil et un sourire en coin.

A l’intérieur, une femme énigmatique, les attendait, assise à une petite table ronde drapée d’un voile de velours blanc, sur laquelle reposaient divers outils ésotériques. Ses mains gantées de fines dentelles noires étaient jointes devant elle et son allure mystérieuse, accentuée par son long manteau sombre qui masquait presque tout son corps. Ses cheveux d’un noir profond, désordonnés, encadraient son visage aux traits indiscernables, dissimulé par la lumière vacillante des bougies posées sur la table.

D’un geste gracieux de la main, elle invita les deux amies à s’asseoir. Les jeunes femmes s’exécutèrent, se regardant l’une et l’autre, silencieuses avant de prendre place.

La diseuse d’aventure prit doucement la main de chacune, ses doigts gantés glissant tendrement sur leur peau. Malgré l’aura de mystère qui l’entourait, cette femme semblait empreinte de bienveillance. Lorsqu’elle s’exprima, sa voix douce et mélodieuse résonna comme un écho dans leur esprit.

Tout en murmurant, elle leur dit :

— Nous allons explorer ensemble les profondeurs de votre être, là où résident vos aspirations les plus secrètes et vos peurs les plus enfouies. Je vous invite à vous abandonner à cette expérience, à vous laisser aller et à faire confiance au processus. Soyez ouvertes et honnêtes envers vous-mêmes.

Elle ferma les yeux et inspira profondément pour harmoniser ses propres vibrations avec celles de Kit et Jade. Après quelques secondes, elle releva les paupières et fixa les deux amies mais son attention se portait particulièrement sur Kit.

— Il y a tant d’ombres dans ton regard Kit, le passé qui s’entremêle au présent, liés tous deux par une forte douleur de l’âme, un fardeau que tu ne peux plus porter ni cacher derrière ce bandage.

Kit frissonna à l’entente de ces mots, les lumières des bougies vacillant au rythme de son cœur angoissé. Sa voix tremblait légèrement lorsqu’elle demanda :

— Qui êtes-vous ? Comment connaissez-vous mon nom et que savez-vous de ma douleur ?

Préoccupée par ce qu’elle venait d’entendre et la réaction de son amie, Jade posa délicatement une main réconfortante sur son bras tout en lui murmurant avec douceur :

— Ça va aller, Kit. Ce n’est qu’une séance.

La diseuse d’aventure esquissa un léger sourire en observant la réaction de Jade puis inspira profondément avant de répondre à Kit.

— Je suis la messagère du passé et du présent. Je perçois au-delà des apparences et ressens les émotions les plus profondes de l’âme. Ta douleur est si visible dans ton aura, une souffrance qui te hante depuis bien trop longtemps. Subsistent, une absence, un amour, tous deux inachevés. Ton père connaissait les mystères de cette île. Ta bien-aimée Emma a laissé en toi une flamme qui te consume.

Les mots frappèrent Kit comme un coup de poing glacial à l’âme. Son cœur battait la chamade, balayant toute tentative de calme intérieur. Ne sachant plus quoi penser ni quoi ressentir, entre colère, tristesse, et peut-être l’espoir. Elle tenta de dissimuler ses émotions mais le ton de sa voix la trahissait lorsqu’elle demanda :

— Mon père… Que savez-vous sur mon père ?

Stupéfaite par l’évolution de la séance, alors qu’elle prenait conscience de l’intense douleur liée à ce père absent qui tourmentait l’âme de son amie, Jade resserra son étreinte sur le bras de Kit pour lui témoigner sa présence et son soutien, lui adressant un regard empreint de sollicitude.

La diseuse d’aventures continua de s’adresser à Kit d’une voix douce et apaisante.

— Explore cette île, Kit, découvre ses mystères, plonge au plus profond de ton âme. Il est temps de libérer ces émotions et ces pensées qui te retiennent. N'aie pas peur de ce que tu pourrais découvrir, car c'est dans l'exploration de tes vérités les plus profondes que tu trouveras la paix.

Prise de rage, une tempête de fureur tourbillonnant en elle, Kit se leva brusquement.

— Ça suffit !!! S’exclama-t-elle en partant.

Jade se retourna vers la diseuse d’aventure, le visage marqué par l’inquiétude.

— Désolée.

Mais avant qu’elle ne puisse quitter la pièce, la femme mystérieuse l’interpella.

— Vous étiez destinées à vous retrouver en ce lieu, Jade. Vos destins sont intimement liés.

*******

Submergée par ses émotions, Kit décida de s’isoler, marchant au milieu de cette foule ivre et joyeuse, elle sentit comme un appel mystérieux qui la guida vers l’entrepôt de Boorman.

Alors qu’elle explorait cet endroit insolite, temple de tas d’objets plus étranges les uns que les autres, les lumières vacillèrent, créant des ombres dansantes sur chaque étagère. Ses pas la menèrent vers la moto. Elle s’adressa à Emma.

— Qu’est ce que je fous ici, Emma ? Je ne sais plus quoi penser, quoi ressentir.

Elle posa sa main sur le siège de la moto, ferma les yeux et se laissa emporter par le silence.

Soudain, une présence à ses côtés, brisa le calme de ses pensées. Kit rouvrit les yeux et vit une ombre s’approchant d’elle. Pendant un court instant, elle crut voir le visage d’Emma, mais lorsque la silhouette se précisa, elle réalisa que c’était Jade. Cette dernière lui adressa un regard compatissant.

— Je… Je suis désolée Kit de ce qui s’est passé à la séance de spiritisme. Murmura-t-elle tendrement.

Mais devant le silence de son amie, le regard tourné vers la moto, Jade essaya de radoucir la situation.

— Tu vas la remettre en état ?

Kit prit une profonde inspiration et hocha la tête.

— Je ne peux pas.

— Kit, accepter l’offre de Boorman ne veut pas dire que tu trahiras la mémoire d’Emma. (Elle fit une pause avant d’ajouter.) Crois-tu qu’elle aurait souhaité que tu t’arrêtes de vivre ?

— Que sais-tu de ce qu’elle aurait souhaité ou pas ! Tu ne l’as connais pas !

— Kit, écoute-moi, je…

Jade tenta de la calmer, mais Kit, les poings serrés, prit une profonde inspiration, ses émotions bouillonnaient toujours en elle et coupa court la conversation.

— Venir ici fut une véritable erreur !

Elle partit, laissant Jade seule, silencieuse, méditant sur ce qui venait de se produire.

Lorsque la jeune femme regagna son groupe d’amis, Scorpia ne put s’empêcher d’intervenir en voyant le visage de sa sœur marqué par la tristesse.

— Où est-elle ? Demanda Scorpia d’un ton sec.

— Arrête, je n’ai ni l’envie ni la force de me disputer avec toi. Répondit Jade exaspérée.

Afin de calmer la tension entre les deux sœurs, Elora s’adressa à Jade avec une grande douceur.

— Viens avec moi.

Elle l’éloigna de sa sœur et commença à la questionner.

— Que s’est-il passé ?

— J’ai blessé Kit involontairement en mentionnant Emma. Elle s’est enfermée dans sa colère. Répondit-elle tristement.

Elora lui prit les mains.

— C’est douloureux pour elle, coincée entre ses émotions passées et le présent. Retrouve-la. Dis-lui simplement que tu regrettes. Je ne pense pas que sa colère soit dirigée contre toi mais plutôt contre elle-même.

*******

Kit marchait le long de la plage baignée par la lueur de la lune, cherchant un peu de solitude pour apaiser son esprit. Elle fixait l’horizon où les étoiles, scintillant à la surface de l’océan, berçaient son âme avec la douce mélodie des vagues. La solitude et la contemplation de cette immensité naturelle étaient pour elle un refuge face à la tempête émotionnelle qui la submergeait. Lorsqu’elle tourna la tête, son regard croisa celui de Jade, immobile, à quelques mètres. Sans un mot, un torrent d’émotions passa entre elles. La brise légère caressait leurs visages et accompagnait les pas de Jade, un écho de tendresse vibrait dans l’air de cette nuit magique.

Elle s’arrêta près de Kit et leurs yeux se fixaient mutuellement. Elle s’exprima tendrement.

— Je suis désolée Kit, mon intention n’était pas de te blesser. Je sais combien c’est difficile pour toi, cette souffrance que tu traverses.

Jade lui prit doucement la main. Kit frissonna involontairement à ce contact et contre toute attente, accueillit ce geste en resserrant ses doigts autour de ceux de Jade.

— Je suis désolée Jade de m’être emportée de la sorte. Je ne sais pas comment faire face à tout cela, mes émotions, ma douleur.

— Tu n’es pas obligée d’y faire face seule.

Kit esquissa un léger sourire, puis s’abandonna contre Jade. Les deux femmes restèrent silencieuses, se laissant bercer par la douce mélodie des vagues. Les battements de leur cœur s’accordaient, et un sentiment de paix les submergea. La lune éclairait leurs silhouettes. Elles restèrent, ainsi, enlacées profitant de cet instant.

*******

Seule, chez-elle, Kit ne pouvait chasser de son esprit les paroles de la diseuse d’aventure. Assise sur son lit, elle tenta de comprendre le sens de ses propos.

Elle se murmura à elle-même « Quel lien mon père peut-il avoir avec cette île ?.»

A l’instant même, elle plongea sa main dans la couverture de son carnet et en sortit la photo d’Emma. Tandis qu’elle observait le portrait, elle repensa à la vision de l’entrepôt.

« Étais-tu réellement là ? Cet endroit est en train de me rendre folle. » Pensa-t-elle, submergée par un mélange de confusion et d’appréhension.

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jasmariswonderland · 2 years

Text

Shining Hearts Chapter 16 ~ The True Fairest One

Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

Chapter Summary: The Vocal and Dance Championship finally comes to a conclusion and the winners are announced. With plenty of heartache along with triumph. Be sure to read the A/N at the end of the chapter.

A/N: Thank you all for your patience with me as I originally posted this chapter last week but decided to delete it and rework several passages. I am SO MUCH HAPPIER with how this chapter is now, even if the content is still hella angsty. 😭

⚠General Warning For Chapters 12-17⚠: First off, thank you for sticking around with this fic for this long. As we inch closer to the moment of the overblot and it’s aftermath, be forewarned, the final chapters of this fic are gonna get…kind of intense. And may or may not include the following: Vil being mean, Rook being tactless, canon typical violence, language, sex*al harassment, misogyny, near de*th experiences, suic*dal thoughts and very, VERY HEAVY angst.

Warnings Specific To This Chapter: IMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRY

~~~

“Winning the girls’ division of this year’s Vocal and Dance Championship, by a RECORD BREAKING landslide is…”

A loud and suspenseful drumroll held everyone’s breath, followed by a few seconds of silence before the announcer declared the winners. Danica briefly closed her eyes and held onto Taima and Ione’s hands. Across from them, Lilianne and Minette held onto each other, hearts racing as they all silently prayed for the same outcome.

Please let them win. That’s all I want! Let Dani win!

Please, please, pleeeeaaassee! Let us be victorious.

“…NIGHT RAVEN COLLEGE!!!”

A thunderous roar of applause followed that was momentarily deafening. Danica was still holding her breath. When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was their school emblem along with her face, and those of her teammates, illuminating the jumbo screens of the coliseum. She still hadn’t comprehended what was happening and it was only when Taima and Iman threw their arms around her that it all began to sink in.

I…we…we won? We really won?!

“WE DID IT!!!” Taima cried. “YES! WE DID IT! WE REALLY DID IT!!!”

More golden confetti rained down upon them and Danica watched their reflections on the jumbo screens, tears streaming down their eyes as they were all seized with excitement and joy. Jumping up and down, confetti in their hair, and holding each other as the audience cheered and shared in their euphoria.

“Night Raven Colleges girls unit, the Black Swan Quintet, is led by the phenomenal Miss Danica Ledelle,” the announcer continued. “Their powerful vocals and incredible dancing made for an amazing performance! They left the entire audience spellbound, myself included!”

“YAYYYYY!!!!” Kalim smiled and clapped his hands wildly. “Go Black Swans! You brought home the gold for NRC!”

“C'est beaute!” Rook smiled as well. “Félicitations, mesdemoiselles!”

“If the Black Swans won, that makes me confident for us too!” Deuce grinned.

“It’s so awesome. They really deserve it!” Epel added. “Especially you, Danica! You’re extra-awesome! A badass black swan!”

“Thank you, Epel! Ohhh…it’s…unreal…we really won!” Danica cried happily. “I can’t believe it!”

“Believe it, Missy!” Iman smiled through joyful tears. “And don’t look so shocked. We won by a landslide!”

“The first real victory over RSA in decades,” Taima grinned. “And we did this!”

“It’s like a dream!” Vidaria added.

“The most wonderful, beautiful dream!” Ione wept happily. “One I never want to wake from!”

“Black Swan Quintet, please step forward to claim your prize!!”

Two shimmering silver trophies stood at the center podium; the announcer picked one up and handed it to Danica graciously. Several blinding camera clicks went off as she accepted the award, and her teammates each took turns holding up the trophy for the eager press photographers. Danica held it a little longer than the rest of them, looking reverently at the full fruit of all of her labor. And not just hers. In her hand, she held the result of all their determination and drive. This trophy represented Ione’s blossoming confidence, Taima’s unwavering loyalty, Iman and Vidaria’s softening personalities, and most of all, Danica’s leadership.

Through the ups and downs, successes and setbacks, the Black Swan Quintet had conquered all that was thrown their way. And now, together, each of them would be a stronger person because of it.

“This trophy is as much yours as it is mine,” said Danica, holding it up to her teammates, tears falling down her face. “We all earned this. Thank you, you guys, for helping make this dream a reality!”

“Yes, and thank you, Danica,” Vidaria smiled. “Thank you for putting up with us and leading us to this amazing victory.”

The girls turned their heads to the NRC Tribe, who were clapping with genuine joy for their female counterparts. For a brief moment, Vil and Danica locked glances. His smile, proud and knowing, conveyed a world of unspoken congratulations, and she mirrored his expression with a heartfelt grin.

Well done, my little potato. You’ve earned this moment; I hope you are proud of yourself.

I finally kept my promise, Vil-san! I know this wasn’t what you had in mind, but I hope you’re still pleased.

From the other side of the stage, Lilianne watched the Black Swan Quintet with not even the smallest measurement of sadness at her defeat. For her, Danica’s victory was as much hers as a much-needed relief after weeks of distress. She never wanted to compete against her friends in the first place, and finally, it was all over. With the victory of the NRC girls came half of her bet with Neige settled. She would not have to kiss him after all and very soon, he would leave her alone completely.

“Thank you, girls,” Lilianne smiled at her teammates. “We put on the best show we could, and thanks to Dani’s help, it wasn’t a complete mess. You should all be proud.”

“But also, thank you for voting for the Black Swan Quintet,” Minette added. “I’m sure that was difficult, but it was needed for Lili’s sake.”

“It wasn’t difficult at all!” exclaimed Ivy. “Their performance was amazing. My eyes were glued to them every moment they were on stage! I still would have voted for them if I were in the audience!”

“Same here! Those girls got skill,” Nadia added. “The boys too. They earned our votes, each and every one of them.”

“And it was the least we could do after Danica helped us with our routine!” Ayse smiled.

“Now, the NRC Tribe needs to win, and everything will finally be right with the world!” Isabel said. “And then we can celebrate with the NRC ladies!”

The RSA Divas accepted their defeat with all the grace and nobility befitting their school’s mission statement, clapping and feeling a genuine sense of happiness for their rivals only in name. Meanwhile, not too far from them, Neige and his dwarf friends clapped for the Black Swan Quintet as well. Grum, one of the dwarves, softly complained about how they weren’t as good as the RSA Diva’s but Neige secretly disagreed. He smiled, but inside, a sharpness seized his stomach.

As disappointing as it was that he now wouldn’t be able to kiss Lilianne, he had to admit that the NRC ladies had an incredible stage presence. Considering that Danica was Vil’s protégé, it only made sense as he was another that Neige felt was a performer above all others. He grudgingly accepted that their victory was well-earned, yet it reignited his fears about how he and his friends would fare.

And with his decision to cast votes for both NRC teams, Neige wouldn't be shocked if RSA found themselves in an unprecedented second place for the first time in decades. He watched Lilianne and the other RSA Divas approach the Black Swan Quintet, Lilianne shook Danica’s hand and then threw her arms around her in a public display of goodwill and friendship. It warmed his heart but also sank it at the same time.

She looks so happy, and she’ll probably be happier when Vil wins. I wonder, if we win, will she be happy too? Will she…

“Hey, Neige!” Grum snapped at him, roughly yanking on his sleeve. “Get your head out the clouds, will ya?! They’re about to announce the boy winners!”

Neige quickly shook himself out of his thoughts as the announcer took the mic again to continue announcing the other winners.

“Let’s hear it one more time for the Black Swan Quintet!” he said to the continued applause of the audience. “And now, it’s the moment of truth for the boys! First place in the boy’s division of this year's Vocal and Dance Championship is…”

Neige, the dwarves, and the NRC Tribe all held their breaths, hearts racing as the announcer unfolded and opened another envelope with the winners of the boys’ division folded inside. Another suspenseful drumroll preceded the fateful announcement.

“…ROYAL SWORD ACADEMY!!!”

W…WHAT?!

“The entire audience was captivated by their fairy tale performance! They warmed the hearts of everyone in the coliseum!”

The calm, kind look Vil wore as Danica and her team accepted their victory immediately melted into horror. At first, he thought he might have misheard, but as the seconds passed, he felt his hands tremble, and his eyes began to burn at the realization of his worst nightmare. A nightmare years in the making, tormenting him throughout his professional life and wreaking havoc all throughout the VDC training camp. A nightmare and a curse that Vil now understood he would never be free of.

No…no…and after all we…I’ve done, and it still wasn’t…no…

He had failed. Once again second best to Neige Leblanche. And worst of all, he had brought this defeat upon himself. In his unsightly display of ugliness, he nearly cursed Neige and doomed his teammates. And his paranoia and cruelty to Danica forced her to become a black swan, destroying the one hope they had for victory even if everything else went up in smoke. Now once again, the world was enamored by the infantile charms of Vil’s rival, leaving him with no place except as the clear villain in this story.

And in the end, villains never won, and they certainly never stood upon the stage until the end. It didn’t matter how hard he worked, how determined he was, or even that he refused to ever take the easy way out. It never would. Villains were never rewarded in real life, so why should this be any different?

At that moment, Vil wanted so badly to retreat back into the coliseum, lock himself in his dressing room, and cry and lament all that was lost. But though this was the most recent in a string of losses to his adorable rival, it was one brought upon by his own actions. For that reason alone, Vil knew he had no right to feel anything but anger at himself. He had done this, and he had no one else but himself to blame. And yet…

Even if I momentarily contemplated the unthinkable. Even if we weren’t at our best. We were outdone by a children's song! How could we be outdone by a children's song, coupled with such lackluster stage presence? What did we do wrong? What did I do…no…no…

Neige Leblanche was the true fairest one. He always was, and he always would be, regardless of whatever Vil did. This was a reality Vil accepted a long time ago. And yet…and yet…

It's always been this way! Why can’t they see?! Why won’t anyone ever acknowledge how hard I work?! I’m not resting on laurels or familial ties. So why can’t they see for once everything I do to…no…no…

“Night Raven College comes in second place. They lost out to first place by only a single vote, but their vocals and moves were a tour de force! Let’s give them a round of applause as well!”

A…SINGLE VOTE?! Really?!

Danica and her teammates immediately went over to their defeated boys. Each trying to fix her face in one befitting sympathy, but their mutual shock betrayed them. That their boys, their talented and determined boys, could really be upstaged by a performance so childish it would barely be suitable for kindergarteners. That Vil, with all of his incredible talent and drive, was still considered second best to Neige after it was clear as day how much work he put into his performance. That Neige would be rewarded for something so clearly inferior without even putting in half the work if Lilianne’s words were to be believed. And all by a single vote no less, to their mind, it should have easily been another landslide victory.

And in Vil’s eyes, Danica once again saw all the anguish and loss she had seen when she was confronted by his overblotted form. It was beyond heartbreaking, so much so that for a few frantic moments, she honestly worried that he might suffer the same affliction a second time right there on the stage. She began to open her arms, looking as if she were about to embrace him, but Vil sharply shook his head. His eyes, though brimming with a silent plea for tenderness, conveyed a clear message—don’t even think about it, not here, not now. Even in his deepest despair, he would not allow his vulnerabilities to be laid bare before the world.

“Oh…oh my gosh! We really got the top spot? Really?!”

“No…no…NONONONONONO!!! It can’t be!”

From the leaders of both RSA teams, came two vastly different responses to Neige’s victory. Lilianne’s heart sank and she suddenly found herself short of breath as her teammates consoled her. She had been so close, so very close, all they needed was one more vote and she would finally be free. But even if she no longer had to kiss Neige, a promise was still a promise and she would be compelled to go out with him immediately after the VDC was over.

Neige was unlikely to waste any time after pressuring her for this for weeks and so it also went unsaid that her team’s plans with the Black Swan Quintet were now canceled. And Neige was unlikely to end his pursuit of Lilianne now that they were about to spend more time together.

Why?! Why did I make this bargain with him?! I was so sure Vil would win but…it’s all over now!

The one who gave Neige the winning vote, whoever they were, would never know the devastation their decision would cause Lilianne. On the other hand, they would also never realize that their decision allowed for Neige’s greatest wish to finally come true. He almost didn’t care about the prize money or even the acclaim his victory would bring to his career. For Neige, the greatest thing was that now, Lilianne would keep her end of their bargain and go out with him. Whatever fears he previously had about losing, were now nonexistent. He had wished, dreamed, hoped, and now his hopes were answered.

And surely, in time, Lilianne would come around and he would see her smile once again, at him. After all, just like the fairytales and storybooks he read as a child, Neige and Lilianne were brought together by song. Surely that meant she was destined to be his one true love. All he had to do now was be a little more patient and true love’s kiss was sure to follow.

She…looks kind of sad, maybe because Vi-kun lost. But it’s okay, we’ll have ice cream together and soon her smile will return—this time, for me.

“We won!” Neige beamed. “We really won!”

“Oh, pick your jaw up off the floor, Neige!” Grum snapped, but he was smiling. “Let’s go get that trophy!”

He, Neige, and the six other dwarves scurried over to the podium as the announcer handed them a glittering trophy identical to the one given to Danica. Neige graciously accepted this holding the trophy in much the same way Danica held hers, with reverence and disbelief. He smiled as several photographers took pictures of Neige with his prize but Grum soon snatched it from him, wanting to hold it for himself. Another of the dwarves snatched it from Grum and soon enough they were all loudly squabbling among themselves over who could hold the trophy next. Neige tried to calm them down but they wouldn’t listen and ended up dropping the trophy in the process.

The audience seemed enamored by their antics but the NRC performers watched with equal parts astoundment and disgust. They couldn’t even accept their victory with integrity.

The winning teams were then called to give an encore performance of their songs, Danica and her teammates began to step forward but in their excitement, the dwarves all began singing over them. The audience’s response to this was once again endearing and the cheerful melody of their song began to play. Neige took the mic and began singing with them—completely ignoring that Danica had also won and was called to sing as well.

But his obliviousness was just as well as in truth, neither Danica nor any of the Black Swans were up to singing after watching their boys get robbed, as they felt it to be. As Neige and his friends continued to sing, the RSA Divas approached the NRC performers, with Danica wrapping her arms around Lilianne again as the latter tried her best to hold back her tears.

“It’s not fair!” Lilianne whimpered, her voice breaking. “Their song sucked! I don’t want to date him!”

“I know, I know, Lili. It’s alright,” Danica tried to comfort her, despite feeling quite the opposite. “I know you’re disappointed, so am I, but keep your head up,”

“PLEASE tell me we’re being trolled!” Taima shook her head. “Someone say sike! Please say sike right now 'cause this ain’t funny!”

“How the hell could this happen?!” Vidaria snapped. “This is an outrage!”

“I would be inclined to agree with you, Your Highness,” Ayse sighed. “This is pretty cruddy.”

“Maaaaaaan, just one vote!” Ace sulked. “We were so close!”

“RIGHT?!” Iman fumed, gritting her teeth. “To think! Some idiot really saw Jamil’s moves and thought ‘no, lemme give it to Neige and his seven little clowns, I trust them!’ I demand a recount!”

“Yeah a recount might be in order, methinks,” replied Taima.

“No, guys. Rule 445 of the Queen of Hearts states that all votes are final once the people have spoken,” Ione sighed. “Regardless of how idiotic their opinions are.”

“If it’s any consolation, we all voted for you guys,” said Isabel, trying to offer comfort.

“And after we worked so hard,” Epel murmured, a few tears running down his face.

“Nooooooo,” tears formed in Kalim’s eyes that he tried to repress, but his intense disappointment was too much for him and he loudly began weeping. “I’m trying to hold back but… it buuurrrnsss…it burns so baaaadddd…”

“Oh, Kalim…” Seeing her normally jovial clubmate so forlorn was enough for Danica to temporarily forget herself as she was also betrayed to tears. “I know it burns…it…you guys were so good, I’m so sorry!”

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Vil barked. “You’re all still on stage, cease with this pitiful display at once! Especially you, Danica! Your team was victorious so act accordingly!”

“Vil-san…but…”

“No buts! As for you boys, stand tall, and don’t forget to give our rivals a sporting round of applause.”

“Y…yes, Sir…”

Danica had to commend Vil for his ability to remain calm and poised in such a painful moment. She realized at once that she had underestimated him to think he might overblot again and managed to smile at him in spite of what they were both surely feeling at that moment. Yet he appeared as he always did, not giving even the slightest hint at his anguish or anger. Though she was certain she saw tears in the corner of his eyes—a testament to the struggle he concealed.

“It’s not fair, but he’s so calm,” Lilianne whispered to her. “He’s so admirable.”

“He is pretty calm, almost too calm,” Danica replied, and then said to Vil, “It couldn’t be me, but I guess you’re used to this by now. Right, Vil-san?”

“Heh, heh. Calm? Used to it?” Vil chuckled, but there was no humor in his tone nor gaze. More tears formed at the corner of his eyes that he quickly blinked away. Replaced with fiery rage. “OF COURSE I’M NOT!”

“Vil-san!”

“I want to walk over there and kick all those boys right off the stage!”

At this, Vil’s fellow NRC performers stared at him and he took a deep breath as he felt the tears burn past his eyes. His sorrow was as shocking to him as it was for them. Villains had no right to cry, he knew this, knew it all too well. But he couldn’t help it, regardless of everything else, their performance was still so poor. How could this happen?

“Someone knock me out before I unleash a tirade of verbal abuse that will mince them to shreds!”

Danica bit back a small giggle. As unprofessional as such would be, at that moment, she couldn’t help but want to see something like that more than anything in the world.

“Ah Roi du Poison, I hope you can forgive me,” Rook sighed. “But I’m afraid the one more deserving of your ire is me.”

“What?” Vil momentarily forgot his anger long enough to look curiously at Rook. “What do you mean? You’re the one most deserving of my ire?”

“Rook…” Danica looked at him as well. “What do you…you didn’t, did you…surely…”

Sadly for her, Rook then held up his phone to them—confirming the worst. On the screen was his VDC vote for the best boys’ team, a vote for Royal Sword Academy. Rook had given the deciding vote and in doing so, had betrayed not only Vil and his teammates, but all of NRC.

Rook gave a wistful smile but Vil was speechless and whatever resolve he had to remain calm quickly vanished.

“N…no…Rook…”

Vil’s tears now flowed freely down his face, coupled with very visible shaking in his hands. A whirlwind of emotions all seized him at once but, interestingly enough, none of them was rage. Rather than feeling angry at his faithless dorm leader, Vil felt devastated.

“How…how could you?!”

“Whoa! Vil, hold it together!” Kalim and Jamil quickly went to hold Vil up as he appeared close to collapsing. Both of them were as baffled as he.

“ROOK ARE YOU NUTS?!” shouted Ace. “Why would you vote for RSA?!”

“NRC Tribe could have won if you had voted for them!” Danica cried. “Why, Rook?! WHY?!”

“Wh…what?!”

Ace and Danica’s voices were loud enough to be within the hearing range of the RSA Divas. Minette and Isabel, already tense, saw as Vil’s face crumbled and then looked at the source of that anguish. The very same who physically accosted Minette earlier. And the reason why none of them felt safe in the coliseum.

It wasn’t enough for him to make unwelcome advances on them. Rook had now doomed their team leader to a date she didn’t want to go on and probably months of continued advances she would be hard-pressed to refuse. They both glared at him with poison that could rival any crafted by Vil.

“WHAT?!” Ayse shouted. “Vil-san lost because of him?! And now Lili has to go on that date with Neige because of HIM?!”

“Why?! WHY?! What could possibly be his reasoning?!” added Athena.

Rook then went into an impassioned speech regarding his vote. Despite all that he and his teammates had gone through, he felt that Neige and his friends sang with all their hearts and believed in themselves. For that reason alone, he found their performance superior to Vil’s. Rook believed Vil lacked the confidence to give a truly beautiful performance, and his lack of confidence made Neige superior by comparison.

He said this, but would never know how Neige’s heart raced with insecurity as he beheld theirs, prompting him to give NRC Tribe his own vote.

“Rook, you honestly felt they outperformed you and the rest of NRC Tribe?!” Danica asked, biting back more tears. “You really think that?!”

“Oui!” Rook smiled. “Seeing them together on stage, they struck me as powerful. The fairest of all in that moment!”

“Powerful…” Danica quickly found herself becoming dizzy, so much so that Taima and Ione went to her in case she also needed to be kept upright. “Powerful…but…we were powerful too. Why…what power could you see when…”

“Rook…” Vil sniffed, looking more defeated than ever. “Rook…”

“Vil, nobody should believe in your beauty more than yourself,” said Rook. “It is most becoming, the way you maintain such self-restraint while polishing yourself over your rival. But no amount of validation from the rest of the world will ever leave you fulfilled.” He smiled again. “At this moment you are truly the fairest one of all.”

“But…no…I’m…not…”

“Roi du Poison, fairest Vil, I implore you to believe in yourself more. The strength and pride to believe in yourself is what marks the true fairest one of all.”

“No…”

For once, Vil was at a loss for words, his head hung with sorrow as tried to comprehend what Rook was saying to him. But he couldn’t for the life of him. He was confident in his performance, he had believed in himself and they had all done their best. But it still wasn’t enough in the end, even for Rook. Why should Vil feel any confidence when it would always be this way? When he would always be seen as something he wasn’t? When he couldn’t even convince the one closest to him of his beauty?

Any confidence, in that case, would only be considered arrogance. It was easier for Vil to concede that he would never be the fairest one of all. He knew it, Danica knew it, the entire world knew it, and it was now clear Rook knew it as well. His struggle to reconcile his self-perception with the apparent perception of others left him isolated, even in the midst of his those around him.

“Poor Vil,”

The RSA Divas were still watching this exchange but the longer they stood there listening, the more incensed they all became. Minette in particular couldn’t believe what she was hearing and before she knew it, a tight fist was forming in her hand.

“But Vil…his team…they were so…UGHHH WHAT IS HIS DEAL?!”

“Hell no, I ain’t going for this,” Isabel began walking over to Rook with Minette following behind her. “Screw being nice, retribution is called for!”

“Stop it, you guys!” Lilianne placed herself in front of her teammates before they could do anything unwise, though her eyes remained on Rook. “I won’t have either of you starting something you can’t finish!”

“I don’t start fights Lili, I finish them!” Minette sharply replied. “You know that!”

“I won’t have you finishing anything either!” Lilianne pushed a little harder upon her teammates. “Neither of you is getting in trouble because of him! Calm down, you and Isabel are both better than this!”

“But Lili…”

“You both are better than this…but…” she pushed her friends back, rage burning in her eyes. “BUT I’M NOT! LET ME DO IT!”

“No! You stop too!" Despite all the feelings crushing upon Danica’s heart, she could see her friend was close to doing something she would regret. She hugged Lilianne even as Lilianne began to cry and struggled against her.“Lili, I know you’re hurt, but please think! You don’t want to do this!”

“YES I DO!” She continued pushing violently against Danica, thrashing and crying and wanting nothing more than to tear Rook apart. “Let me go, Dani! It’s not right and you know it!”

“I know it’s not fair, trust me I know!” Danica gently pushed her back once she stopped struggling and she was sure she wouldn’t go after Rook. “None of this is fair, but life often isn’t fair…” She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth through more tears. “Life isn’t fair, that’s…something Vil-san has always said to me.

“Dani…”

“Everyone is still watching us so you’ve gotta calm down, Lili. And you’ve gotta smile. We all have to.”

Danica said this, and she did indeed smile for good measure, even if it galled her to do so. The other Black Swans smiled as well to be sure. It was all too much for Lilianne and she returned Danica’s embrace, burying her face in her neck as she continued crying. Danica gently rubbed her back, soothing her and managing to forget her own devastation long enough to be a comfort to her friend. Giving her the comfort she couldn’t give to Vil. Taima soon joined in on the hug and Minette did as well.

Meanwhile, Vil and the rest of NRC Tribe continued to stare at their traitorous, detached teammate, who in turn continued watching Neige and his friends sing without a care in the world. Completely oblivious to the turmoil he had caused.

When the song was over, Neige waved to the enchanted audience and then went over to the other side of the stage where the other performers were standing. It was his intention to congratulate the Black Swan Quintet and show his trophy to Lilianne, a symbol of their developing romance in his mind. But he was immediately caught off guard at the sight of Vil.

“Vi!” he gasped. “I’ve…never seen you cry outside of an acting role before…”

“Well, you caught me at a bad time,” Vil replied amiably. “Heh, I’m…always second best to you…”

Even with tears in his eyes, Vil managed to smile at Neige. His rival and the catalyst for everything wrong and cruel in his world, a symbol of everything he wasn’t and never would be. He smiled as though his heart wasn’t shattered in the slightest. A testament to his professionalism, Danica thought.

“Maybe that’s what the numbers said,” Neige smiled. “But your group is number one in the hearts of everybody who voted for you.”

And mine…you were number one in my heart too…

“Roi des Neiges is right,” Rook chuckled. “Your smile is far more becoming than your tears, Vil.”

“Yeah! So smile, Vi-kun! You still gave a performance no one else could pull off!”

That’s easy for you to say, you’ll always be number one!

Danica bit down on her tongue, hard enough to taste the salty tinge of her own blood. She glared at Neige and Taima took her hand in case she were to do something impulsive. But just when they thought things were terrible enough, things were about to take another turn in the worst way imaginable.

“Hey, you’re the one who hailed me down earlier!” Neige said to Rook, a large smile blooming on his face. “You’re ‘R’ aren’t you? The one who comes to all of my fan meets and writes all me all of those letters?”

“Ah…pardon?!”

“What?!” Danica and Vil looked at Rook with sudden shock and Danica added, “Rook! Do you…know Neige Leblanche?”

Before Rook could say anything further, Neige continued, exposing his devoted fan to his bewildered, betrayed teammates.

“There’s only one fan of mine who writes me letters addressing me as Roi des Neiges. And I knew R buys each of my photos at fan events and composes poems to share their impression of each picture…”

“FAN EVENTS?!” Ace gasped.

“And…PHOTOS?!” added Epel. “Rook is a fan of Neige Leblanche?!”

“OHHH SO THAT’S WHY YOUR ASS WENT ROGUE!” Iman scoffed.

“Wait a minute, what about that heavy photo album you brought with you to the training camp,” Jamil thought aloud before his face was also betrayed into shock. “Wait…was that ENTIRE album nothing but photos of Neige Leblanche?!”

“The photo album he didn’t want any of us looking at?! So…that means…

Taima’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped, not just with surprise but also guilt. She was so convinced that the album was full of photos of Danica, a thought she had led Danica to believe. But just like her belief of Rook’s feelings for her, turned out not to be the case.

The other boys suggested Rook approach Neige for an autograph, which he did with some surprising hesitation before he actually began weeping, to the further bewilderment of his teammates.

“Heh, feeling awkward aren’t we, Rook?” Vil smirked, allowing himself to take back a small amount of power in this situation.

Rook did not hear him, he was too busy addressing Neige in the way he wished he could earlier when he stopped him from coming under Vil’s poisoned curse. A vision of tender perfection set against Vil’s intense regality. Not only was Rook a fan of Neige Leblanche, he was apparently also a member of his fan club and had a membership number in the single digits—meaning he had been following Neige’s work for a very long time. Long before coming to NRC and long before meeting Vil.

But for Danica, none of this mattered. What was most heartbreaking to her wasn’t that Rook had betrayed Vil or even that he was a fan of Neige. It was the way Rook looked at Neige as he was shaking his hand. And the words Rook spoke to him that hit a little too close to home for her.

“Roi des Neiges, Neige Leblanche, your work has shone a light upon my life and allowed me to live with hope in my heart,” Rook smiled through his tears. “You truly are an angel walking among mortals and your work holds a very special place in my heart, stirring it in ways I cannot describe.”

She saw in Rook’s eyes the very same he often had when gazing at her, whenever they were alone. It was a look he gave her when he expressed his desire they become lovers. But she had seen him give to Athena earlier that day, to Minette when he cornered her and Isabel in the hallway, and now a look he was giving to Vil’s the source of all Vil’s anguish.

Did Rook even realize what he was saying? How he had used these exact words with Danica and how much they meant to her? She doubted it more than ever.

You stir my heart in a way I cannot describe…you are an angel walking among mortals, cherie…you are very special to me…

Rook…why…this is a nightmare…I thought…no… THIS IS A NIGHTMARE AND I CAN’T WAKE UP!!!

“To add to everything else, he’s also a Neige-stan!” Now it was Lilianne’s turn to comfort Danica as she and the other RSA Divas crowded around her, shielding her from view so none could see her cry. “Are you SURE I can’t beat his ass?!”

“No, Lili!” Athena firmly shook her head. “You know you can’t, regardless of how deserving he is of such.”

“That horrid beast!” Vidaria murmured, taking Danica’s hand while Taima held the other. “Danica, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Taima whispered. “I was so sure…so sure that…”

“So was I…” Danica replied, lowering her head with sadness. “So was I, but that goes to show what an idiot I was to believe he really liked me. After all,” she sighed. “A black swan can never stand by the side of a prince.”

“That might make sense,” Ione interjected. “IF Rook was ACTUALLY a prince!”

“Both he and Vil hurt you,” Iman added sharply. “But at least we won in the end despite Vil’s bitching! Rook on the other hand…ugh!!!”

The girls from both teams stood together in mutual comfort of the heartbroken Danica and somehow, Danica managed to dry her eyes. Long enough to remember that the world was still watching and she had to put on a fitting face. And it was just as well because a member of the press soon approached them, looking to take a picture of both winning team leaders with their trophies. Danica quickly fixed her face with help from her teammates and reluctantly stood beside Neige as they were both photographed.

“You were so great, Dani-chan!” Neige smiled at her. “Congratulations!”

“I told you to call me Danica!” Danica sharply replied, though the smile she wore gave no indication of her contempt. Her smile was such that it even fooled Vil and Rook gently nudged his arm.

“Lovely, aren’t they?” he smiled. “Roi de Neiges and our parfait petit cygne. A storybook prince and his très élégant princesse. Such a beautiful image they make together. Don’t you think so, Vil?”

Vil didn’t respond with words, but nodded sadly. He was trying both to dissociate and remain alert at the same time, but seeing Danica at Neige’s side wasn’t helping. Rook was right—they did look lovely together. From the commercial they shot for Danica’s family to this moment, they presented the image of fairy tale perfection—far more an ideal than any farce Vil had attempted to create with her.

And such a beautiful jewel was worthy only of the fairest one of all, the complete opposite of all that Vil was.

But as soon as the photos were taken, Danica made a point of turning her back on Neige and running back to her teammates. Unfortunately for her, this nightmare wasn’t yet over as Neige then suggested that they all sing together. Of course, they wouldn’t be singing Guilty Heart . He and his dwarf friends began singing and Vil gave them all a look that told them that they should join in.

And from the way Vil sang, one would never guess how much he was dying inside. Clearly, Rook didn’t either as he loudly mused about how beautiful it was to see Vil and Neige together. Further twisting the knife. Neige then grabbed Lilianne’s arm and encouraged her to sing along with them. For the sake of peace, she did so, but she made a point of yanking her arm away from Neige to sing at Epel’s side instead.

Ace, Deuce, and Jamil contributed their voices too, albeit awkwardly, and even Kalim struggled to mask his discomfort. Rook on the other hand was enjoying every moment of this. Danica and her teammates sang along as well, with joyful smiles on their faces that gave not a single inkling to how they were truly feeling.

They had won, after all, the first victory against RSA in decades and the beginning of what would surely be a bright future for them. Danica and Taima had often thought about reviving their idol club at NRC, bringing on new talent, and developing their talent to better fit this new stage in their lives. And considering this victory, and the fact that each of the girls was likely to give their portion of the prize money back to the school as charity, Crowley was sure to grant them this.

All things considered, they had every reason to be happy. And yet all Danica could think of as she sang this childish song was the haunting look in her dorm leader’s eyes. The tears in the corner of his eyes were juxtaposed with his cheerful smile. Vil truly was an incredible actor, more than ready to be a hero. Rook would never realize how much his actions that day had hurt not just Vil but her as well. Making everything sting all the more.

~~~

Before leaving the coliseum and the training camp for the last time, Vil made it clear to the girls that he didn’t want them spreading any gossip about the VDC results. To his mind, he was wholly responsible for Rook’s decision and his lack of beauty was the reason Rook chose to do what he did. Vil did not want to see his vice dorm leader come under fire for something that was his fault, despite having no hand in Rook’s misleading behavior towards Danica.

And as expected, Neige wasted no time asking Lilianne out on their ice cream date. She had no choice but to accept this but that also meant that she wouldn’t be hanging out with Taima and their family after all, nor would there be any celebration at Ramshackle. Instead, all of the NRC performers returned to their own dorm that evening, each with varying emotions.

Despite Vil ordering the Black Swan Quintet to keep quiet about the VDC results, Danica considered Rook’s betrayal a Pomefiore affair and saw no issue in telling others in their dorm. She took it upon herself to release all of her pinned-up frustrations and rage in a magicam group chat which was reserved only for Pomefiore students sans the dorm leaders. By the time she, Vil, Epel and Rook returned to the dorm that evening, nearly every Pomefiore student already aware of why NRC was once again second best to RSA, resulting in some rather awkward tension as those sitting in the lounge both applauded Danica’s victory but stared at Vil and Rook with great uneasiness.

Vil went off down the hallway by himself, Epel decided he needed time alone and went to his room. But Danica and Rook stayed behind for a few moments. Sidonie was actually sitting in the lounge and was the first to greet Danica when she walked in. This was the first time either girl had seen each other since the older one left the training camp and despite all that happened, Danica was glad to see her.

“You were wonderful, my dear!” Sidonie smiled, hugging her tight. “Farron, Savvy, Maxim, and I were watching from the front and we loved every minute of it!”

“Thank you, Sidonie,” Danica returned her hug. “And we won too! I just wish…” hesitantly, “I wish you could have stayed with us until the end.”

“I know, I know, but I’m so proud of you, Danica. You stuck to your beliefs even when it meant defying our dorm leader,” Sidonie pulled back from the embrace to smile at her. “I hope you’re proud of yourself too because you were amazing.”

“Yes, she was,” Rook came up behind them. He smiled, though his voice lacked its usual jovial tone. “Even as a black swan, our petit cygne is indeed amazing.”

Danica turned to glare at him, not at all taken with his flattery if that was even what it was. Sidonie found his statement somewhat uncalled for but she didn’t say anything just yet. She realized that Danica’s eyes were puffy and red.

“Did…something happen?”

This was a question not exactly directed at either of them as she already was aware of most that had transpired in the coliseum, minus Vil’s overblot. Sidonie was hoping that Danica would confide more to her now that the VDC was over as her messages in their group chat contained more anger than actual information. She was even half hoping Rook might admit to more of what happened. But he remained behind them with a silence that was strangely out of character for him.

“Dani, what’s wrong?” Sidonie asked again. “You won. Shouldn’t you be…”

“I’m sorry…” Danica pulled away from Sidonie before her tears could overtake her again in front of others. “I…it’s just been a long day. And I…I need some time to decompress. I’m going to my room, excuse me, Sidonie-san…”

~~~

Danica ran down the hallway, not realizing that Rook and Sidonie both took it upon themselves to follow behind her. Initially, it was her intention to go back to her room for some much-needed rest and to think about the events of that day in a quiet place. But as she made her way down the hall, she saw Vil, standing outside the entrance to the ballroom.

He quietly opened the door and slipped inside without noticing her watching. Immediately she thought about following behind him. There were so many things she needed to talk to him about, and now back in their dorm, without the rest of the world watching, she could finally do so.

“Danica, Mademoiselle Chanteuse, please wait up!”

She clenched her teeth at the sound of Rook’s voice behind her, the last person in all Twisted Wonderland that she wanted to see at that moment. Vil disappeared into the ballroom, shutting the door and leaving Danica alone in the hallway with Rook approaching her and Sidonie following behind him. His smile told her that he was still completely oblivious to the hurt he had caused everyone, especially to her.

In fact, he seemed somewhat confused by her dejected expression, expecting her to still be on cloud nine after winning the VDC despite going against what both he and Vil thought was best for her. She should have been happy, and with that thought, Rook felt it was time to finally get an answer to something he had been wondering for several hours now.

“What is it, Rook-san?” Danica asked blankly. “I’m very tired, I want to rest.”

“I understand your exhaustion, cherie,” he replied. “But before you retire…”

“Do you really understand?!” She turned around, letting him see her angry face. “If you understood, you’d leave me alone! I don’t want to talk now!”

“Very well, but please, will you allow me one question before you return to your room?”

She turned herself fully around to face him, giving an exasperated sigh. “Fine! Just one question! What do you want to ask me.”

Rook hesitated before allowing himself to take a few steps closer to Danica, not noticing at all how she took one step back for every step he made toward her. He reached his hand out to her but she recoiled, a gesture that made a mockery of tenderness and a reminder of how terribly he had deceived her.

“Do you recall what we were discussing?” he asked. “Right before everything happened?”

“Hmm?”

Danica thought for a moment. In truth, everything, before she lost consciousness, was something of a blur to her. She closed her eyes but for a while all she could recall was confronting Vil before his overblot. Danica tried searching her mind for anything beyond that, and that’s when it hit her. She and Rook were indeed discussing something, and the recollection of that conversation was the last thing she needed at that moment for her state of mind.

She scoffed, feeling the weight of those memories pressing down on her. She turned to walk away, but Rook stepped closer, his presence too close for comfort.

“I remember!” she snapped. “I remember everything! And to answer your question, well, you’ve answered it yourself already!”

“What do you mean?”

“I asked what it would mean if we became lovers, and you answered me the entire fucking day with your behavior!” Her heart ached with every painful memory of that day, returning to her in swift succession as she spoke. “The way you were flirting with Athena, the way you assaulted Minette, and the way you put Neige above both me and Vil!”

She lowered her head as she felt her face becoming hot with her rage, fists formed in both of her hands and she had to turn her back to Rook again, biting on them. “HOW CAN I STILL WANT SUCH A PERSON AS MY LOVER?!”

“What?”

Sidonie had caught up to them just in time to hear the last part of Danica’s brief tirade. Her thoughts flashed back to the training camp, to the discovery of Rook’s secret album, and the subsequent message from Danica detailing the events that led to NRC Tribe’s loss. Even if she was aware of the album for weeks prior, something in Sidonie still wanted to believe that Rook wouldn’t be so careless to go against their school, their dorm, and her friend in such a way. But the heartbroken look in Danica’s eyes told her all she needed to know.

“Rook! How…could you?!”

“I do not understand, mademoiselle,” Rook shook her head. “I put no one above you or Vil! My adoration for Neige is something different entirely! And even if I did, why should it matter?”

“Why should it matter? WHY SHOULD IT MATTER?!” Danica banged her fists against the wall. “Rook! For all you claim to know about Vil-san, for all you pay attention to regarding him, you really have no idea how much winning the VDC would have meant to him, do you?! How much it would have meant to all of us! And for all your adoration of me, do you honestly think I’d want to kiss a man who grabbed my best friends’ tail?! How can you be so dense?!”

“I’m sorry, WHAT?!” Sidonie’s eyes widened. “What the hell happened after I dropped out of the training camp?!”

“Oh, I could write a book about it all, Sidonie-san!” Danica sharply replied, her sarcasm barely masking her hurt.

“What is there to be dense about?” Rook asked in an infuriatingly calm manner. “I chose to vote for Neige and his team not because of some prior preference I have for him over Vil, but because I felt his performance was far more beautiful than ours!”

“That doesn’t make any sense! Make it make sense to me, Rook! Cause I really do want to understand your logic!” Danica bit back more tears. “After…all you’ve told me about beauty, what makes someone beautiful…I want to understand. I don’t want to believe you were just…just…”

Were you being insincere to me the entire time? Do I really mean so little to you?

“Mademoiselle, even with their errors, their song, their movements, came from a place of purity and not caring about anything but making the audience happy,” Rook smiled. “That is where their power lay. That is why I gave them my vote.”

“Power…”

Danica glanced down at the sleek black stage costume she was still wearing, a symbol of her own form of power. Though clearly what she felt was different from what Rook was describing. The power she felt indeed came from her desire to captivate her audience, but there was always something deeper, more passionate to the power she desired. She knew it and Rook knew it too. In that moment, she began to wrap her arms around herself, shielding herself from the shame she could feel brewing in her chest.

“And…what about…us? What about the other boys? Do you honestly think we lacked the power to win?”

Rook sighed. “I’m afraid so, cherie. In my humble opinion, neither NRC team could match the pure wholesomeness of Neige Leblanche or the RSA Divas. And because of that, Vil couldn’t possibly have the confidence to…”

“WELL HOW THE HELL COULD HE BE WHEN HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE CONFIDENCE OF HIS RIGHT-HAND MAN?! HOW CAN ANY OF US HAVE CONFIDENCE WHEN YOU'RE SO FUCKING FICKLE THAT…”

“Danica!” Sidonie gasped, having never seen her friend like this. “I know you’re upset, but could you please…”

“NO! NO I WON’T I WON’T LOWER MY VOICE!” Danica cried. “I’VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR TOO LONG AND FOR WHAT?! IF SHOUTING IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE HEARD THEN SO BE IT!”

Sidonie sighed, she was certainly right about not feeling heard. Perhaps Danica’s rage was as much her frustration at all Vil had subjected her to over the last month as it was heartbreak where Rook was concerned. And perhaps after she allowed herself to fully give herself over to her anger, could she finally know peace.

“Maybe approval from the rest of the world won’t give long-lasting validation,” Danica went on. “But sometimes, when people are confused and hurt, they need to be told that they are enough. They need to know they are loved and that they are beautiful!” Tears now streamed freely down her eyes. “We all saw firsthand how deep Vil’s sadness lies and you had the perfect moment to validate him and what did you do?! You humiliated him and then want to wonder why he isn’t more confident!”

“Enough, mademoiselle!” Rook had taken all of this with calm understanding for the most part. But the longer Danica spoke, the more he felt himself being given over to emotions he neither wanted nor felt he could handle.

“Vil’s turmoil is his alone and it’s not my place to believe I could help pull him out of it. I chose to vote for Neige as my way of showing Vil the direction he needs to be upon if he wishes to succeed in the future.”

“That may be so, but it also wasn’t your place to teach him that lesson, Rook,’ replied Danica. “You can’t say it’s not your place to step in to help Vil but then decide it is your place to teach him a lesson!”

“That…does seem a tad hypocritical,” Sidonie admitted.

“Well, who is to say we would have still lost had Vil not…”

“ROOK!”

Sidonie was still standing with them and Danica did not yet want her to know about Vil’s overblot. Rook seemed to understand this at least, even if he still did not understand everything else. He sighed, perhaps a more personal approach would help her understand his perspective and why he felt it to be the right one.

“In the end, mademoiselle, Vil’s pursuit of beauty led him down the path of madness and his inability to be confident in his performance is why I voted for Neige,” Rook said. “It is a lesson you yourself could stand to learn as well, Danica.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“If you had more confidence in yourself, it wouldn’t matter if your family continues to compare you to your sister. And your anguish at trying to live up to her legacy would not be so severe. After all, do you think a dancer as radiant as Fiona Ledelle had any care about what the world thought of her?”

“You…you…”

“Rook…what the…why would you say…”

Even Sidonie was taken aback by this and placed a comforting hand on Danica’s shoulder. But Danica did not feel it or take notice of anything after Rook’s words. And the mention of Fiona was enough to have Danica seeing red. Without even realizing it, Rook had turned a knife in a wound that was never fully healed. No, he didn’t understand, and he never would.

That he could even make such a careless comment spoke volumes of how little he understood about the girl he claimed to adore. And how little he cared about how deeply such a comment would hurt her. Even as Danica closed her eyes, the entire room was spinning with an array of dark thoughts and emotions assaulting her mind at once.

And when she opened them, there she saw the source of them all. The one she had foolishly given her heart to. Only to have it thrown back into her face with his apathy. Sidonie tried to get her attention one more time but she was blind to her, and blind to everything else besides her anger at Rook. Everything else went black.

“You…you know nothing…” she muttered. “And don’t you dare…”

“Pardon?”

“DON’T YOU DARE BRING UP FIONA!!!”

From his place in the ballroom, Vil had heard everything that led up to that moment. Despite finding Danica’s volume grating, he did not have it in him at that moment to go out to the hallway to stop her. He knew she was upset and unlike him, Danica was allowed to be upset at Rook. Vil was tired, he was frustrated, and he knew she was likely frustrated as well as he had been anything but easy on her. A part of him was still upset with Rook himself even if he knew it wasn’t his right. For those reasons alone he was willing to allow Danica to release her anger while he sat alone in the ballroom, his own dark thoughts barely managing to drown out all the screaming.

But the proceeding loud cracking sound followed by a high pitched shriek from Sidonie was enough to fully catch Vil’s attention. Both sounds loudly echoed throughout the hallways and half out of curiosity and half out of annoyance, he finally, very reluctantly, left his solitude. And what Vil came upon when he found Rook, Danica and Sidonie together shocked him even more than the initial argument. He actually gasped out and stopped short of making himself known.

Did…she…just…?

Sidonie’s response immediately brought Danica back to reality. The first thing she saw was the large red wilt she had harshly imprinted on Rook’s face. He stared blankly at her, so completely baffled that there was no room in his heart to be angry or even to feel hurt as his cheek stung from the force of her hand.

Rook only stared at Danica, heavily breathing with a fire in her eyes he never expected to see in one normally so docile and serene. It was as though the girl in front of him now wasn’t Danica at all, not the Danica he was enraptured with, but someone else entirely. Someone vicious, someone intense, with passion beyond her years. He found it strangely enchanting but, more than anything, he found it terrifying.

“Danica…what…what has happened to you?” was all he could ask, and even then, Rook was unsure what else to say to her, or even if anything he could say could possibly get through to her. “This isn’t you. What happened to our parfait petit cygne? What happened to the sweet girl that we all…”

“Sweet girl?! SWEET GIRL?!” Danica began laughing frantically. “First of all, keep my sister’s name out of this! Second of all, nothing has happened! That sweet girl? SHE’S GONE! She’s never coming back and it’s all your fault! And lastly, for all your talk about beauty, you really don’t seem to understand it as well as you think!”

She stepped forward and for the first time since knowing her, Rook found himself stepping back from her. Retreating from the black swan whose passion consumed the girl he adored. Vil on the other hand continued to watch from a corner in the hallway, intrigued by this new side of Danica previously unknown to him. Another facet of her character hidden from him until now.

He certainly felt her anger was uncalled for, and far from befitting a Pomefiore student. But at the same time, Vil felt that Rook had no business bringing up Fiona and therefore deserved rebuke. Beyond that, there was something almost riveting in the way Danica expressed her rage. And all in defense of him no less.

Besides his father, he had never once known someone to advocate so fiercely for him and it made Vil reconsider his initial impression of her reaction; perhaps there was a validity in her anger. And it was enough for Vil to find himself strangely taken with her at that moment and, stranger still, curious as to what she would say next.

“Lastly, you think Vil’s performance wasn’t as beautiful as Neige’s, well do you want to know what I think is beautiful? In spite of all he has gone through, despite going through the darkest moment of his life, Vil was still able to stand upon the stage until the end and give the best performance he could! Perseverance against all odds, against a world that seems to hate him!”

“Oh, Danica,” Sidonie went over to Danica, trying to comfort her but she wouldn’t have it. She actually pushed Sidonie away as she continued her tirade.

“THAT is what truly makes Vil the fairest one of all! THAT IS WHAT MAKES HIM MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN NEIGE!”

No…oh no…she’s…right…no…

Vil was afraid of something like this and soon felt a pang of validation mixed with unease, quickening his heart. Danica had made a perfectly valid point that was both soothing and stinging. It was enough to make Vil briefly resent his vice dorm leader if a freshman could see what he clearly couldn’t.

He quickly pinched himself, reminding himself that what he was feeling was objectively wrong. And yet…and yet…

“Even if he wasn’t feeling confident, he was still able to set all of that aside for the good of his team!” Danica went on. “It’s easy to be beautiful when everything is going right in your world, but if you ask me, being able to present yourself to the world with a smile on your face even when it's not easy, even when you're struggling and your heart is breaking, is the most beautiful thing someone can do!”

No…no…SHE’S RIGHT! Vil gritted his teeth. I worked so hard on Absolutely Beautiful, even composing the music myself as well as the lyrics! We all worked hard and stood on the stage together, and for what?! To be outplayed by such childish tactics!

Vil was wrong for briefly giving himself over to his frustration, and he was wrong for wanting to use Danica to manipulate the audience. But in the end, Vil remained true to his principles and for the most part, never once considered taking the easy way out. Despite the temptations.

Neige would never know the depth of Vil’s struggles. He could never understand what it was like to have the world have preconceived notions of him before ever knowing him. He would never know the anguish of being a villain and knowing people hated him for no other reason besides being beautiful and remarkable. And Neige would certainly never know the lewd objectification Danica had been subjected to.

It’s always been this way! Since we were children! I was never adored! Never given a chance! WHEN WILL MY CHANCE COME?!

These thoughts, while driving him to the brink, made something alarmingly clear. Even if the world was an unfair place, it didn’t mean Vil had to accept it. He was swiftly beginning to see Rook—and perhaps even Danica herself—in a new light. Vil stood conflicted, not knowing whether to respect Danica for her insight or hate her for it.

“I see now that ideas of beauty are based upon nothing but fantasies! You were so caught up in how wholesome Neige was on stage you couldn't see how much they sucked! And for what?! What struggles has Neige ever had, huh?!”

“Neige HAS had his own struggles!” Rook responded, rather sharply. “Vil knows that as well as anyone who pays attention to him on a deeper level! You are clouded by your resentment of him that YOU can’t see all the hard work he put in and the obstacles he had to overcome! Both you and Vil were born with many blessings Neige was not afforded so…”

“So Neige deserved to win because he came from a less fortunate background?” asked Danica. “Not because he’s more talented than Vil, but because…”

“And yet despite all his struggles, Neige continues to strive to be the best version of himself, greeting everyone he encounters with a smile.” Rook folded his arms and, still unaware of Vil’s presence, continued, “That is why he is able to move others in a way Vil will never achieve. After all, Vil couldn’t even handle that there might be one fairer than he, and you see what happened…”

You see what happened…

This statement hit Vil like a truck because of course, it was true. After seeing how well-received Neige was, he couldn’t handle that NRC Tribe was likely to lose. He couldn’t handle it and in a moment of blind rage, acted out in a way that could have been disastrous, nearly costing Danica her life.

A poison derived from an obsession with beauty bordering on madness…

YOU’LL NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH SHE CARED ABOUT YOU! SHE LOVED YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HER?!

“Vil obsession with defeating Neige drove him to madness. He couldn’t handle the madness and that’s why I chose to vote against him.”

Once again, Rook was holding up a mirror, revealing the monster Vil truly was. No. It didn’t matter how hard he worked, it didn’t matter if Neige’s performance was objectively worse. At least Neige’s heart was pure, and it remained pure in spite of all of his aforementioned hardships. He would never think to poison a rival performer and he would never behave in such an undignified manner when things weren’t going his way.

“How can anyone be so mean? He must be pretty messed up.”

“He’s probably just as twisted in his private life.”

“He can never pull off being a hero.”

No. Danica was wrong, she was naive and couldn’t see Vil for the monster he truly was. He had heard enough, he could no longer stand by and listen to how she wrongfully berated his vice dorm leader. When all Rook was ever guilty of was seeing beauty in everything, almost to a fault, and being the only person in Vil’s life willing to be honest with him. He left his corner, walking over to the three as Danica began crying again.

“I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath!” she said. “You know nothing about beauty and nothing about..”

“THAT’S ENOUGH DANICA!”

Vil intervened with a forceful tone, appearing as if he had just walked in on this terrible scene and hadn’t been watching for several minutes. He took one look at Rook’s red face and roughly grabbed Danica’s arm, regarding her coldly.

“I saw everything and I know you know better!” he said. “Putting your hands on your own vice dorm leader, I could have you sent to Crowley for expulsion right now!”

“But Vil-san!” Danica cried. “It’s not right and…”

“No buts! You should be ashamed!” He released her arm with equal roughness. “Such crass behavior is something I wouldn’t even expect from Epel! What has gotten into you?!”

Danica took several steps back from Vil, catching her breath as the realization of what she had done came to her. She didn’t know what had come over to her yet at the same time, a part of her really didn’t care either. Rook was in the wrong here and the mention of her sister was the final straw. But it was Vil’s response that was really confusing her.

“Rook has every right to vote for who he wants to and it’s NOT your place to question it!” Vil to Rook, locking eyes with him as they both shared a silent, hurtful understanding. “Rook is not bound to loyalty, even if his actions hurt, they come from a good place. You’re just too naive to understand that!”

“Naive?!” Sidonie pulled Danica away from both Rook and Vil. “You’re both naive if you think…”

“Stop this!” Rook shouted. He was willing to accept Danica’s rejection, accept her rage, and even accept her hands. But he would not accept his devotion to beauty coming into question. He addressed Danica.

“I do not regret my decision and nothing you say will change that! I only regret that my decision has clearly caused you pain.”

“Do not apologize, Rook,” said Vil, glaring at Danica. “Danica, you apologize to Rook for smacking him. You had no right and you ought to be happy in any case. After all, you won the VDC with your seductive wiles and became the black swan you always wanted to be!”

“I…I…”

“What? Do you honestly think people voted for you because of your talent and skill? Spare me!”

Vil turned his back to Danica, meant as a sign of contempt but in truth so he wouldn’t have to confront her eyes as he tore into her. On his own tears as he said things that sounded almost foreign to his ears.

“You seduced the crowd like the black swan seduced the prince! Seducing the audience and dooming the RSA Divas to defeat! Whatever tactics Neige used to get the crowd’s attention, you’re just as guilty! Hell, you’re even worse!”

“No…no…you don’t…” for the briefest moment, Danica noticed Vil’s hand trembling behind him, clenching into a fist. She cried out, “YOU DON’T REALLY BELIEVE THAT! I refuse to believe that! Not after you said…”

“You’re just jealous you didn’t win!” snapped Sidonie, holding Danica close, as if to protect her from their dorm leaders. “Don’t take it out on Danica, she did nothing wrong and you know it!”

“Believe whatever you want, Little Potato! The truth still remains regardless!” Vil didn’t even bother acknowledging Sidonie’s statement, as this all was painful enough. “Now, I won’t ask you again, apologize to Rook!”

Danica couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stared at both her dorm leaders, feeling short of breath as she struggled to find her words. Far be it from her to apologize to Rook but at the same time, there was one thing she still wished to know.

“Rook-san…” she began, “Will you at least answer me this: which girls’ team did you vote for? Did you at least…”

Rook wasted no words, once again confirming the worst. “Your performance was quite intense, just as you’re acting right now. You and your black swans were incredibly stunning but also frightening. The performance you gave came from a place of anger, just as you are right now,” he shook his head. “Indeed, you are not the same person you once were, and I couldn’t vote for you in good conscience, Danica. I am sorry.”

At this, Danica couldn’t take it anymore. She wouldn’t dare apologize to someone who clearly knew so little about her and thought so little of what he did know.

“NEVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN!!!”

Wholly overwhelmed, she pressed her hands in her face, screaming loudly as she ran past her dorm leaders and didn’t look back. In the distance, the loud sound of a slamming door echoed down the hallway and the three upperclassmen knew Danica was back in her room. They stared down the hallway in silence for several moments before Sidonie finally spoke.

“Swans are beautiful, but they are not fragile,” she murmured. “Do you remember when I said that to you, Rook?”

Rook turned to her, slowly nodding but not saying anything else. Vil scoffed.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Swans are beautiful, but when they’re provoked, when they’re hurt, they fight back…” she glared at both of her dorm leaders, raising her voice. “All Danica wanted was support but both of you only saw her as an object! A pretty white swan to love and adore and not the actual fucking human that she is!”

“Your language!” Vil snapped. “And what do you mean by that?!”

“Just what I said! You and Rook only saw Danica as a pure white swan and your mistake was thinking she would just be that way forever! But now our swan is realizing her power and because neither of you could value her as she is, she’s biting back! So don’t you dare, either of you, look down on her now when she’s only responding to how badly you’ve both treated her!”

Sidonie ran off to her own room and neither Vil nor Rook tried to stop her. Both of them were rendered speechless by every emotion they were feeling. And both of them were too overwhelmed to even try to comprehend them. They stood in mutual silence for several moments before it was Vil that finally broke it, leaning against the wall as the after-effects of his overblot began to overtake him. A painful whimper escaped him but when Rook reached out to him, he surprised him by fiercely swatting his hand away.

"Why, Rook..." he murmured. "Do you really believe that? That we...I couldn't..."

"Ah, Roi du Poison," Rook sighed. "I understand your ire at Danica, but the way you spoke to her, that was quite harsh."

"Harsh? Harsh?! And you don't believe what you said to her wasn't harsh as well?! You don’t think it was harsh evoking her sister’s memory?! Knowing what a sore spot it is for her?!”

Vil turned to his vice dorm leader with a rage burning in his eyes that the latter was not used to seeing.

"I can understand you not wanting to vote for our team but that was tactless and low, period. After everything Danica has been through, everything she endured, don't you think she at least deserved..."

"Everything Danica has gone through, that you put her through yourself. And everything…”

“This isn’t about ME!”

“But it is,” Rook calmly replied. “Whatever Danica has endured, you were the one to subject her to it. Period.”

Vil hesitated, his steely gaze faltering as he took in Rook’s words. He felt a twinge of guilt, knowing he had no right to judge his vice dorm leader when his own actions were just as egregious, maybe even worse.

“Perhaps we both should focus on reflecting on our own actions rather than casting stones from glass houses.”

Despite Vil's body language indicating for him to stay away, Rook boldly placed his hand on his shoulder. Vil tensed up, but he didn't react further. Only silently gritting his teeth as Rook continued telling him things he really didn't want to hear, even if it was all true.

"Sadly, we were not the only ones to fall short of perfection today. But I suppose I should not be surprised, your harshness towards her was very in character for you."

The anger immediately melted from Vil's face. He was correct after all, as much as Vil didn't want to admit it. However much Rook had hurt her, or even hurt him, Vil's lack of beauty was still the catalyst for it all. His vice dorm leader had no reason to lie to him and his overblot only confirmed all of this anyway.

Attempting to shift blame is the height of childishness. It’s not like my own choices have been fully honorable.

After all, Neige Leblanche would surely never be reduced to such a hideous state, such was his pure nature as different from Vil as night was different than day. He shook his head, shaking away all of the negative feelings against Rook as well.

"You’re right, I was incredibly cruel to her," he said. "It seems to be all that I am capable of."

Indeed, stew in your own reflections, Roi du Poison. Do not look too closely at mine.

"After all, every rose has thorns," Rook smiled a little. "Even the fairest ones of all.”

~~~

Pomefiore Dorm ~ Danica’s Room

Finally alone in her own room—her sanctuary from the chaos—Danica collapsed face-first onto her bed. Taking in the familiar scent and soaking the pillows with her tears. Her throat was hoarse from screaming and her limbs were sore, but even then, that wasn’t even the worst of her pain.

Whatever Vil had done, at the very least, Danica could understand his motives even if she did not agree with them. Rook’s actions on the other hand left Danica completely confused and hurt. Her mind returned to winter break and the time they spent together the day before the masquerade.

At that time, Danica was convinced by Rook’s actions that he only had eyes for her, which made her feelings for Vil all the more conflicting. Those moments stayed with her all throughout the training camp and was why she still wished to believe his feelings were true in spite of all she had seen today.

But unlike Vil, who only wished for her to perform the role of a pure white swan, Rook on the other hand expected Danica to be a pure white swan. And when she could not maintain that role in good conscience, he turned his back on her. It was inexcusable, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized how cruel Rook had been to treat her so kindly when he was still capable of such things. This betrayal cut deeper than any critique Vil could have offered.

There was nothing kind about what Rook had done to her or Vil. And Danica knew that if she continued caring for him, she would always only ever be second in his eyes. She would always be second to girls prettier or more charming or to the intriguing beastmen that always caught his attention,

And she would always be second to Neige Leblanche. A person Rook didn’t even really know.But Neige Leblanche was the exact kind of perfect swan that Rook desired and as she had been reminded of for weeks, a black swan couldn’t stand by the side of a prince.

I’m such an idiot! I’m an idiot! I’M AN IDIOT!

Outside the door, Sidonie could hear the loud, hoarse sobbing coming from within. She didn’t even bother to knock and thankfully, the door was still unlocked. Sidonie entered Danica’s room, gently closing the door and locking it before going over to her heartbroken friend. Sidonie watched her for several moments with a heavy heart, before noticing the music box on the nightstand. She took it and wound it up, the soft melody finally catching Danica’s attention and momentarily putting a stop to her tears.

“It’s a wonder you still have tears left to cry, my dear,” Sidonie sighed, tenderly stroking the younger girls’ hair. “After all that you’ve endured.”

“It hurts, it hurts so bad…” Danica replied, her voice muffled by the pillows. “I can’t stop crying, I try but I can’t, everything hurts but crying hurts too…”

“I know, I know, it’s okay,” Sidonie softly shushed her, coaxing Danica to turn around to face her. She smiled. “I don’t know what has happened between you, Vil and Rook, but I know they hurt you and I cannot forgive that. Especially when you've done nothing wrong.”

“B…but I have…” Danica whimpered, turning her face back to the pillows. “Even if we won, I still became a black swan! Vil is right! And now Rook no longer cares about me! It’s all my fault!”

“Hush!” Sidonie gave the pillow a firm tap. “None of this is your fault! If Rook’s love for you was dependent on you remaining innocent and sweet forever, then he never loved you to begin with! He only loved an idea of you that was never real!”

“But Neige Leblanche is real! He’s innocent and sweet and exactly what Vil and Rook wanted me to be,” she sighed. “And because I couldn’t…”

“No, stop right there. We’ve talked about this once already,” said Sidonie. “At the time I didn’t really understand it but I do now. Danica, do you want to know what innocence really is?”

Danica glanced up at her, nodding as she wiped her face with her hand.

“Innocence isn’t about never changing or staying sweet forever. It’s about being true to yourself, about having the courage to face the world as you are, not as others want you to be,” Sidonie explained, her voice warm and reassuring. “True innocence, my dear, is about retaining the purity of your intentions and your heart, even in the face of adversity and change.”

“Sidonie-san…” Danica listened, her eyes reflecting a mix of sorrow and understanding.

“Neige might embody the innocence Rook idolizes, but your journey—your transformation into the black swan—has its own beauty and strength. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s powerful. Even swans must ruffle their feathers sometimes to truly fly.”

Sidonie pulled Danica into a tender embrace, holding her and allowing her to cry into her chest. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Softly rocking back and forth in a way very similar to how she would comfort her when she was still alive.

“I know it hurts, but you aren’t to blame. Fuck Vil for trying to repress you. Fuck Rook for his unwillingness to accept you, and fuck the rest of the world for how they resent people as incredible as you. But you never did anything wrong, and the fact that you won as a black swan is proof of it!”

With teary eyes, Danica gazed up at Sidonie and for the first time in weeks, saw the kindness and support she felt herself lacking for so long. She couldn’t describe it, but something about Sidonie’s gentle manner always reminded her of Fiona. She had been Danica’s greatest support when she was alive and her death left Danica all the more lonely and unsure of herself. But in Sidonie, she felt the same unconditional love and support she could always rely on from her sister and, for the briefest moments, it was enough for her to soothe her.

As the music box continued to play softly in the background, Danica felt a gentle easing of the sadness she had carried. Maybe, just maybe, she could begin to see herself not as a failed attempt at perfection, but as someone beautiful and defiant in her own right.

“You’re the only one who understands,” she sniffed.

“I only want what's best for you, Danica,” replied Sidonie. “Even if they mean well, our dorm leaders really dropped the ball regarding how they’ve treated you.”

And that is why I want to replace Vil. This is why I want to be Pomefiore’s dorm leader.

“You will always be enough, if you continue to strive to be the best performer you can be and compromise yourself for no one.”

“Thank you, Onee…I mean, Sidonie-san…”

“Try to get some rest. Everything will look better and brighter with fresh eyes unsullied by tears.” Sidonie smiled. “I will stay here with you for as long as you need,”

Soon enough, the weight of all Danica was feeling finally became too much for her and mercifully allowed her to finally drift off to sleep. True to her word, Sidonie remained by her side and did not leave for a long time.

As Danica slept, Sionie sat on the bed beside her. On the nightstand next to the music box sat the Pomefiore rosette Farron had crafted for Danica, a commission from a secret admirer. Though Farron was sworn to secrecy, Sidonie was already aware of which of their dorm leaders had requested the gift, as he had let the secret casually drop during a Science Club meeting some weeks prior.

She shook her head, even though she knew, it really was a beautiful accessory and Farron had done a beautiful job crafting it. For that reason, along with how lovely Danica was when she wore it with her dorm uniform, she resolved that she would never tell her that Rook was the one who commissioned it. If she could help it, it would remain a mystery to her forever.

~~~

Sometime During Winter Break…

How did I end up in this predicament?

Danica silently asked herself this as she tried to focus her mind on remaining silent and still and away from the pervasive itch crawling up her back. She was doing so well remaining hidden and her pride wouldn’t allow her to give up now. He would surely hear the movement and she would be found faster than the time it would take to soothe the itch and reposition herself in her hiding place.

Yet, paradoxically, a part of her harbored a secret desire to be found. This was an odd twist in her day—playing hide and seek, a game from her childhood, which she hadn’t thought she’d play again until perhaps someday with her own children. And certainly not with Rook Hunt, of all people, and not in his family villa. But that was exactly what she was doing.

To distract herself from her increasing desire to move around, Danica thought about the events that led up to this and how she found herself here in the first place. Soon after Christmas, her parents had allowed her to take a solo trip to Sunset Savanna to visit Taima, Lilianne and their family. They spent the final days of the year working on music Danica would present to Vil when she returned to school and on the last day of her stay, visited the marketplace together.

While exploring on her own, Danica was surprised to run into Rook and was even more surprised when he told her he was spending his winter break there with his family, she had always figured he was from Shaftlands like her and Vil. After chatting for a bit, Rook invited Danica to spend some time with him and Taima and Lilianne convinced her that she should. She required little convincing though she began to feel nervous when they arrived at his home and she realized they were completely alone.

Cut to a few hours later and somehow he had convinced her to play this impromptu game with him, tempting her with the idea that the many empty rooms would provide ample places to hide.

“No corner of this house is off limits to you, not that you will be able to elude me for very long, ma cherie,” he told her with a teasing little grin. “It’s not a matter of if I will find you, but when.”

The closet of an empty bedroom was where she decided to hide from Rook. She even made a point of not turning on any lights and closing the closet door so this room would appear completely untouched. But as the minutes ticked away, her heart began to race at the idea that she could be discovered at any moment. Rook was strangely very good at finding things, especially people, something Danica knew firsthand.

The outcome of this was inevitable, and as she felt the need to move grow stronger by the second, she wondered if preserving her pride was really worth this discomfort. Especially when she secretly was looking forward to what would happen when Pomefiore’s dashing hunter discovered her.

Through the closet keyhole, Danica could see the faintest sliver of light from the hallway, trickling into the room. Her heart stopped and the itch on her back was temporarily replaced with a strangely pleasant tingling sensation as the light became brighter. Rook walked in and turned on the light, and the fact that he didn’t left right away could only mean one thing. But she remained as silent as the grave, maybe Rook wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary and move on to another room. If such happened, she would finally leave her hiding spot, having bested him.

Looking through the keyhole, Danica eagerly watched as Rook quietly walked around and, strangely enough, placed the photo frames on the nightstand face down. His head turned to the closet and she held her breath, even closing her eyes so as to not catch even the smallest glint of light. A minute passed, followed by a few, and Rook’s movements went silent.

“It appears mon petit cygne is nowhere to be found in this room,” he mused aloud, turning his head from the closet. “I must search another room, it seems.”

The way he sounded, Danica couldn’t decipher if he was truly talking to himself or trying to lure her out. Either way, she resolved to remain silent. Completely forgetting her discomfort as she listened to his footsteps approach the door, before stopping once again.

“Ah, what a lovely fragrance. Soft and sweet, like mon petit cygne.”

Rook’s footsteps were picking up again and Danica pressed her hands to her lips. Her cheeks burned with the realization that he likely smelled the perfume she wore—a scent she had crafted herself and frequently wore at school. She silently damned herself for wearing it but at the same time, how was she to know that she would be playing this game today?

He continued to muse about the scent, deliberately stopping right at the door of the closet as Danica tried to quietly move back further into her hiding place. She felt her back hit the wall, making a soft thump that she was certain that if she heard, Rook did as well. A soft chuckle all but stopped her heart.

“I wonder, were I to follow this lovely scent…” The doorknob turned and on instinct, Danica squeezed her eyes shut even as light poured in and Rook entered the closet, his quarry within his grasp. “…will it lead me to mon petit cygne?”

“Rook-san!”

His name spoken in a high-pitched gasp was all she could muster before she found herself cornered by her charming vice dorm leader. Rook wasted no time wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her out of the closet with him. Danica put up a half-hearted struggle against him but his embrace tightened and quickly conceded defeat, both of them laughing the entire time.

“To think, twice now I’ve had the privilege to hunt such an enchanting creature,” he whispered against her hair.

“Oh…Rook…” Against his chest, Danica felt the heat rising in her chest and undoubtedly showing on her face. She took in his scent and with it, a powerful desire for Rook to never let her go. Without realizing it, she nuzzled against him. “You knew I was there the entire time, didn’t you?”

“Oui,” he confirmed. “And not just by your perfume, the way you shifted in the closet, your footsteps that I heard from downstairs, and the subtle way your breath hitched as I came to this room and turned on the light. All pointed to me discovering you here.”

“Hmmm, I guess I should have known better to think I could hide from you for long,” a soft chuckle rumbled against her chest followed by a gentle hand running down her back. She gazed up at him before quickly lowering her head. His smile made her blush. “But what do you mean by twice? We’ve…never done anything like this before at school.”

“Ah but we have, cherie,” he gently pulled away just enough to lift her chin, ensuring her eyes met his. “Even if you do not realize, from the moment we met, I have always had my hunter’s gaze upon you.”

Danica closed her eyes as she pondered his words. She recalled their first meeting, how Rook came across her trying to hurry back to Pomefiore after sneaking off after orientation. She couldn’t help but wonder how long he was watching her walk down the dark empty halls of the school before finally making himself known to her. At the time, her primary concern was returning to her dorm as fast as she could before she could incur Vil’s wrath, but did Rook also consider this a part of their game?

“How could a hunter like myself not desire to chase something so beautiful?” he asked, pressing her closer and bringing his lips to her ear before continuing with, “and how could I ever allow her to escape me now that she is finally in my arms?”

“Rook-san…what do you mean by…haaaaaa…!!”

In a quick and sudden gesture, Rook swept Danica off the ground. A loud shriek escaped her lips before she could finish her question, surprised by his ability to lift her so easily and thrilled by his strength in doing so. She giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he spun her around, kicking her feet in the air like an excited child.

“I don’t think I could ever escape you, Rook-san,” she blushed. “Even if I wanted to. But could you at least put me down?”

Rook laughed, carrying her over to the bed and placing her back on her feet before taking a seat on the edge of the bed and beckoning her to join him there. She sat beside him, lowering her gaze as he moved closer and placed an arm around her. He was so warm, and she felt a strangely tender sensation being so close to him. It was the same feeling she got whenever she and Vil were alone; tender, comforting, oddly addictive but extremely confusing. Why did her heart have to be so indecisive?

“You were kind enough to indulge one of my deepest whims, ma cherie,” Rook smiled warmly at her. “And for that, merci. May I now have the honor of fulfilling one of your desires?”

“I…really?” She felt the heat return to her face. “If…all you wanted was to play this game with me, I think we could have arranged it sooner. I wouldn’t have minded, maybe not in the dorm though so Vil-san wouldn’t scold us.”

He laughed again, lifting her gaze to his. He murmured something to her in French that Danica only partially understood, but the words “adorable” and “my precious heart” made her heart flutter. Rook was often flirtatious with her, but never like this.

The words he was using, how close he was now, the fact they were alone, everything about their dynamic was quickly taking on a whole new meaning the longer she spent in his presence. There was a strong sense of intimacy in the way he regarded her though they were barely touching. Her heart was confused but he continued in this manner, she wondered if she might finally find the answer she was looking for.

“You…want to grant me one of my desires…?” she softly asked. “I’m afraid I have many, and I’m not sure where to begin.”

“Ahhh, and I would grant every last one if given the opportunity,” he replied, slightly narrowing his gaze towards her face, and leaning into her lips. “But for now, allow me to give you this…”

For the last few hours, Danica sat with Rook and felt as his words slowly began to take on a more intimate feel. She looked into his eyes and felt her heart pounding every time he would smile or compliment her. She agreed to play hide and seek with him and while she tried to make an effort to find a decent hiding place, secretly looked forward to having him find her.

Looking around her, she had the feeling that they were now in his room as the bed she sat upon had a comforting scent that was strangely familiar. And now, he was closer than ever. She watched how his face leaned into hers. And felt how his fingertips softly brushed against her cheek and pulled her face closer to his. But somehow, Danica could not believe that such a thing could happen. Something out of a fairy tale or like the saccharine sweet song lyrics she wrote in middle school. Something so perfectly in alignment with her deepest, most secret desires. This had to be a dream.

But it wasn’t. And as Danica continued pondering such, Rook finally closed the distance between their lips. A soft, hesitant kiss, as if testing the waters, seeking a response before going deeper. A thousand jolts of electricity went off in her body at once but the warmth of his lips against hers quickly melted away any anxiety in her heart, replaced with glowing realization and a burning desire for more. She responded eagerly at first, kissing him back, but when she felt a hand run down her leg, she pulled away.

“Rook-san!” Danica gasped, her face a bright, hot apple red. “Why…you…”

“What’s wrong, cherie?” Rook asked, “I haven’t made you uncomfortable, have I?”

“N…no…” she took several deep breaths, working up the courage to look up and meet his gaze. “I’m not uncomfortable, just…surprised. I never thought…I never imagined that you…that you actually wanted…”

“As I’ve said before, cherie, it is not in my nature to ignore something so beautiful when it is right in front of me.” he gently framed her face with his hands . “It is my greatest desire that you will allow me to pay tribute to your radiance.”

“Rook…”

She placed her hands on top of his and wanted to move them away, but found she couldn’t. But soon enough, he removed them himself, replaced with his arms fully enfolding her as he pushed them back onto the bed.

“Rook…please…”

“You are an angel walking amongst mortals, cherie, and I see in your eyes what your lips hesitate to say.” Rook kissed her again, and again, and again, not leaving a single inch of her face untouched by his lips. “You want this don’t you? So why do you deny your heart what it so earnestly desires?”

Danica didn’t realize that her eyes were closed and when she finally opened them again, she felt her face go ablaze at the way Rook was looking at her. Kindness and desire illuminated in his emerald gaze. She was at a loss for words but knew she had to find them soon before her silence allowed him to do something she feared she might regret.

After all, it would be so much easier if Rook was the only person preoccupying her heart. But he wasn’t. And until she could finally make a decision and cease being so fickle, Rook did not deserve to give his heart to someone who was only half-sure of him. With all the strength she possessed, she forced her body forward, removing herself from his warmth, a very difficult task indeed.

“You’re…right, I do want this,” she sighed. “I want this more than anything in the world right now.”

“Ah, then allow me to grant you your desire, mon petit cygne."

Rook held her again against his chest, peppering her cheek with soft little kisses as she trembled in his embrace. He tried pushing her back on the bed, but she resisted.

"There’s no need to be nervous," he whispered. "I will cherish every inch of you. In the way that lovers do.”

“But that’s just it,” Danica summoned further courage to further pull away. “I…this is a lot…I’ve never felt this way before. No one has ever made me feel so…” she blushed. “…special…I…I need time to think about this…I don’t…ahhh…” He appeared as though he were about to kiss her again and she moved further away. “You want us to be lovers, but, will you allow me some time to think about this?”

“You are very special to me, Danica.” Rook smiled. “You stir my heart in ways I cannot describe.” He reached out to her and pulled away a lock of her dark hair, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. “But I understand what I ask is not to be taken lightly and far be it from me to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry,” Danica sighed as she rose to her feet. “I’m sorry I’m like this, but…”

“Please don’t apologize, cherie. I will give you all the time you need to consider my proposal. And when you are ready to give me your answer, let me know."

He stood up as well, pulling her into one final embrace. It didn’t occur to him at all to feel disappointed by her answer. Rather, he saw her response merely as extending the game between them. There was nothing wrong with a little resistance, it made the hunt all the more intriguing, and all the more delightful when Danica finally surrendered.

“I am looking forward to the day you will allow me to shower you with all my adoration. Just like the prince who adored the white swan.”

~~~

With the sound of her music box playing in the darkness, Danica began to rise from her sleep. Bitter memories of sweeter times long gone haunting her dreams, reminding her of the cruelty of her reality and not allowing her to rest. And when she finally opened her eyes again she realized it was already night time.

Sidonie was long gone, but it didn’t bother her much as she looked at her phone and saw it was past midnight. And she also saw a single text from Iman.

Call me or Taima when you get a chance, and don’t look at magicam until you do.

~~~

(A/N: I really hope you all like this chapter, because it really was a labor to complete it and everytime I came back to it, I was also coming back to some extremely painful memories that I’d rather bury in my past forever.

I’m not going to get into this again but for those who know me, know that I have very deep and personal feelings about all of Book 5 but especially the ending. It’s because of how Book 5 ended is why I ended up throwing out what I originally planned for this story and honestly while I think this fic is much better than what I originally planned, writing it has been quite an emotional journey and not always in a good way. It’s rather remarkable, but also frustrating, how many feelings this anime mickey mouse bishie mobile game can give me but maybe that’s just a testament to the writing.

But now we are almost to the end. The final chapter of this fic will come out a week from today and the remaining VDC dress vignettes will be uploaded within that time. Please look forward to it. And as always, thank you for reading and feedback is appreciated! ❤️)

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #oc: danica #twst vil #twst rook #vil x oc #rook x oc #twst fic #twst writing #things i write #shining hearts ~ melodies and melancholy

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