Seoul - "Cheong Wa Dae - Blue House", former presidential residence.
With smooth, orderly steps, Yoo Yeonha, the heiress of the "Yoo" family and future leader of the "Essence of the Straits", walked through the door while staring at the hall in front of her.
Her purple eyes were calm and serene, but her mind was already thinking about what came next.
'Hah! This is going to suck.'
She looked around the hall, observing each person present.
Politicians, journalists, heroes and members of prestigious families were there to "celebrate" Chae Jinyoon's return, even if they didn't know that's what the event was about.
That should have been the biggest reason, but the truth was that they were no more than snakes, all exchanging formal greetings and maintaining polite expressions while watching each other with the wariness of predators in a jungle of gold and power.
Yeonha walked with grace, her posture impeccable, as if her every step was calculated to convey authority and confidence. Her long dress, in a deep shade of violet, seemed tailor-made for her, enhancing her allure and beauty.
'This always feels more like a cold war than a social event.'
Yeonha approached her mother, Jin Yeojung, who was talking to one of the directors of the "Sanctuary of Freezing", Guild, a middle-aged man with a smile as sharp as his ambitions.
"Ah, my child, you've arrived."
Said Jin Yeojung, his face lighting up with a genuine smile.
The director, Mr. Hyeon, bowed slightly, his smile as polished as his words.
"Young Yoo Yeonha, always so impressive."
Yeonha returned the greeting with an equally refined but empty smile.
"Good evening, mother. Good night, Hyeon-nim."
Ever since she was little, Yeonha had mastered the art of diplomacy. She knew how to be warm, how to be distant and, above all, how to feign interest. But today, tiredness was winning out over patience.
'Where are they?'
Her eyes scanned the room once more, looking for two figures in particular: Nayun and Theo. At least with them, she could relax a little, away from the falsities of this world.
Before she could delve into her thoughts, however, a new group approached, members of the "Desolate Moon" Guild, people who had probably come in place of Shin Jonghak, led by a man with an affable smile, but whose eyes did not hide his thirst for influence.
'Good. I'd like to be at peace, but I can see that's going to be impossible.'
Because she was close to Shin Jonghak, the heir to the guild, they treated her as if she were an extension of him, almost like a future "leader's wife". Which, let's face it, was absolutely fine, if it was before, now she just wanted to get out of their way.
"Ah, you're still as beautiful as Yeojung-sii."
After greeting her mother, he turned to Yeonha and Hiyeon.
"Yeonha-sii, good evening. Always so elegant."
"Hiyeon-nim, it's good to see you again."
Yeonha kept her perfect smile, but inside she was already counting the seconds until she could get rid of them.
"Thank you!"
She thanked him with a soft voice, but firm enough to make it clear that she wouldn't listen to small talk.
Her mother, sensing her discomfort, gave her a discreet nod, signaling that she could leave if she wished. Yeonha didn't need anything else.
"Mom, I'm going to get some air in the garden. I'll be back before it all starts."
Yeonha ran off, before anyone else showed up again.
As she left, she saw some familiar people, Aileen, Yun Seung-Ah, Yoo Sihyuk and Chae Nayun's father chatting.
She stopped briefly, approached them, gave a slight salute and left.
"Ah! Free."
She leaned on the marble balustrade of the balcony, closing her eyes for a moment. Such stillness was rare in her life.
Spending so much time with Nayun and Theo seemed to be influencing Yeonha more than she would like to admit. Before, she would never have considered simply running away from an important event, even for a few minutes. Now, here she was, hiding on the balcony like someone running away from a noisy place.
_Fleeing the court is a privilege that few have, Princess Yoo .
A soft voice echoed in her mind, taking her by surprise.
Yeonha frowned, looking around, but there was no one but her on the balcony.
_Down here Yoo.
Theo's voice echoed again, now with a more amused tone. She stopped searching the void and looked down towards the gardens.
There, a few meters away from the entrance, walking side by side in relaxed steps, were Nayun and Theo.
Nayun wore a cream-colored, tailored dress, accentuating her curves, she exuded her carefree charm, harmonizing perfectly with her short light brown hair. Her relaxed smile, with its characteristic way of showing one of her canine teeth, transmitted an energy that only she had.
But it was when she looked at Theo that Yeonha felt something different.
Her purple eyes reflected Theo's image, as if she had completely forgotten about Nayun.
Theo was impeccable in his formal attire, a well-tailored black suit that highlighted his broad shoulders and haughty posture. His white shirt, slightly open at the collar, and his discreet but elegant wristwatch completed the picture. It wasn't the first time she had noticed how handsome he was, but that night, in the moonlight, something made her hold her breath for a second.
It was as if Theo's charm was now elevated to another level tonight, making her stare at him.
"How beautiful..."
The words escaped her lips before her brain could intercept them.
"Fuuu!"
Heat hit her ear, followed by a low, teasing voice:
"Thanks for the compliment. You're breathtaking too."
Yeonha jumped backwards, almost tripping over the hem of her dress. Her heart raced, from the fright, yes, but also from his unexpected proximity.
'How the hell did they get up here?'
Mere seconds ago, Theo and Nayun were downstairs, at least fifteen meters away. Now they were in front of her, Theo with that mischievous smile she knew all too well, the same one he wore whenever he knew he had caught her off guard.
Nayun appeared right behind, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Wow, Yeonha, you jumped like a scaredy-cat!"
She laughed, pointing to her face.
"And you're red!"
Heat tinged her cheeks, and she looked away, feeling the warmth spread across her cheeks.
"You two are unbearable!"
Yeonha huffed, raising her chin in a haughty gesture as she tried, and failed miserably, to regain her composure. The reason? She couldn't look Theo in the eye.
"...Theo, you can't just appear out of nowhere like that!"
He raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"But I didn't just appear out of nowhere. You were so distracted that you didn't even see me come up."
Theo had clearly used flight magic to climb up to the balcony. If Yeonha had really been paying attention, she would have noticed.
"Distracted? I wasn't..."
Nayun interrupted with a click of her tongue, walking past Yeonha.
"Tsk!, of course not, just drooling while staring at Theo."
'Shit.'
Yeonha cursed herself.
That was why she tried to avoid him. Ever since the day those things happened in the Cube corridor, she had tried her best not to interact so "closely" with him the next day, because every time, that scene of her glued to his body, while being held tightly by the waist, had appeared in her mind.
Nayun wasn't stupid. Far from it. That look stolen from Yeonha, that instant of pure admiration, did not go unnoticed by her.
Yeonha felt the heat rise violently from her ears to her cheeks, but worse than the shame was the fear that chilled her insides.
'Was I really looking at him like that?'
Yes, she really was.
But if Nayun interpreted it as something more... And she thought Yeonha was one of those who coveted what wasn't hers...
A chill ran down her spine at the thought of it.
"I wasn't drooling!... I was just surprised that you two arrived together. I thought you didn't want to show your relationship publicly. But when I saw you show up practically arm in arm... Well, it was a shock. Yes, that's all."
She was blatantly lying because, with her intelligence, she had already assumed that Theo and Nayun would announce their relationship today, so her words above were a way of deceiving Nayun's doubts.
"Hehehe! I'm making fun of Yeonha. I don't mind you looking at him like that... I know how handsome my boyfriend is, so it's normal..."
Yeonha felt her throat go dry for a moment.
Nayun didn't believe her lie, but instead of getting angry or judging her. She didn't seem to care, was that it?
Theo, who heard Nayun, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. That reaction... It wasn't what he had expected. Where were the jealousy, the incisive questions, Nayun's characteristic fire? Instead, she almost seemed to be... Encouraging the situation.
'Hum! Did she like the "positions" so much that she doesn't even mind me flirting with other girls?'
"Anyway."
Nayun continued, stretching her arms above her head with a nonchalant air.
"You can stay here. I'm going inside to talk to Papa. When things are close to starting, I'll come and get you."
Before Yeonha could protest or even fully process what had happened, Nayun was already walking away, leaving behind a silence between Theo and Yeonha.
"Apparently, i'm going to have to study a bit more to increase my repertoire of love techniques."
Theo commented, while jotting down this task in his mind.
...
Note: "Don't forget to comment on how mi new writing style is going.
If it's bad, I can switch back to "first person - MC"