—Phoenix Empire—
In his mansion, under a gentle breeze that danced through the open windows and carried the scent of exotic flowers from the gardens, Matthew came out of the bathroom.
Her hair still dripped a few drops, messy in a charmingly natural way. A towel was wrapped around her waist, her bare feet touching the heated floor.
He calmly walked to the closet, wearing a loose t-shirt and sweatpants.
As he grabbed his phone from the dresser, the screen immediately lit up with a cascade of notifications.
37 unread messages.
He sighed.
The first was from his cousin. A casual message with insider memes about diplomacy, and another about being seduced by a "witch disguised as a journalist"—him and his romantic hyperbole.
Others were his childhood friends, all minor nobles or sons of ministers.
Messages full of testosterone and stupidity:
@Mir: "Bro, the actress from that erotic series invited me to dinner... do you want me to see if she has a friend?"
Yet another friend, who has been trying to throw women at Matthew.
@lucas@: "My friends keep saying you're so polite... and hot. Come over for dinner sometime, Matthew, before they invade the palace!"
Matthew read it all with the look on his face of someone who wished he was in a coma.
He slid his finger down.
Official messages flashed by. Invitations, announcements, demands.
@ConselhoFênix: "Call for the opening ceremony of the International Solar Aviation Exhibition."
@ConselhoFênix: "His Highness will be the Crown's representative at the inauguration of the Museum..."
@ConselhoFênix: "Attention: your formal attire must follow the protocol of 134 heraldic seals..."
"Of course, because it's absolutely essential that my outfit have enough seals to summon an archangel..." Matthew murmured, already dragging the flap aside.
It was then that he saw her name.
"Chief Malroth."
And a small preview of the message: "I sent it wrong hehe."
Matthew froze.
His fingers hesitated before tapping the notification.
When opening the conversation…
Bum.
A selfie.
Luna in the gym mirror. A perfectly casual pose, a body sculpted by gods with free time, a look that says, "Oh, I didn't even realize I'm hot."
Slightly messy hair.
Natural skin glow.
Perfection summed up in megapixels.
Matthew stared at the photo for five long seconds.
Her eyes widened. Her cheeks grew... hot? "What was that…?"
Another second passed.
He scrolled up the message, looking for context.
Nothing.
Just that.
Just... "I sent it wrong hehe."
"She sent it on purpose." The thought struck him like a lightning bolt.
Matthew dropped his phone on the bed, ran his hand through his hair, and... laughed.
He laughed as if something inside him, a sleeping piece, had received oxygen.
But the expression soon turned serious.
"Idiot..." he muttered, looking at the ceiling. "Why does she affect me like this?"
Even with his heart beating fast and a ridiculous heat in his ears, he stood up, took his cell phone back and stared at the reply icon for a while.
He thought about responding with something provocative.
He thought about telling her she looked beautiful.
He thought about typing and deleting about five times.
In the end... he didn't write anything.
But it saved the photo.
Discreetly.
In a hidden folder with a generic name.
And then, with his heart still racing, Matthew looked back at the official messages, but now... with a small smile at the corner of his mouth.
—Nova York—
The afternoon sun streamed through the glass ceiling of the living room, gilding every corner of the mansion as if the light itself knew that Luna lived there.
Lying on one of the sofas with her legs crossed high, a pillow hugged and her face partially buried in the pillow, Luna was… bored.
And worse, impatient.
On the phone screen, Twitch showed one of the world's most popular streamers—a European influencer with a thick beard and a retro cap—streaming live from the brutal forests of the Verdanis continent.
"And now we're approaching one of the most dangerous clearings in the reserve, known as..." the streamer said, the camera shaking as he climbed a hill, sweating like a pig.
Luna snorted.
She was watching, yes.
But I didn't pay attention.
His eyes, even while feigning interest in the fauna of Verdanis, slid to the top of the screen.
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
"Matthew is typing..."
No.
"Matthew is online..."
No.
"Matthew viewed your message..."
Not even that.
Nothing.
"Ice block."
She grumbled loudly, turning her phone sideways and throwing it over her chest.
The live stream continued, now with the streamer showing tiger footprints, but what really mattered was the lack of response.
"I sent him a FREE selfie. Divine perfection of muscles, abs, sweaty hair, and post-workout glow. And he…" Luna sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically, "…nothing. NOTHING. Not an emoji, not a 'did you send it wrong?' Not a damn 'lol'."
She picked up her cell phone again.
Opened the chat.
He reread his own message.
He smiled at the boldness.
Then he sighed again.
With even more drama.
"Why do I still care about the opinion of a diplomatic iceberg with Turkish soap opera good looks and zero emotional initiative?" she muttered, tossing herself aside.
On Twitch, the streamer screamed, "OH MY GOD, IT'S A GIANT LION!!!"
Luna didn't even blink.
She muttered. "If the lion eats this streamer, maybe I'll have a better distraction than waiting for a slow prince."
Sliding back into Matthew's chat, she typed for a second.
"Still alive?"
But it went out.
Then he typed again.
"Did you like the photo or did your imperial soul freeze your phone?"
But it went out again.
"Ridiculous. Luna Malroth, stressed over an emoji that never came." She snorted, grabbed an imported chocolate from the side table, and popped it into her mouth with the delicacy of someone planning the end of the world.
The cell phone vibrated.
Luna choked on the chocolate.
She grabbed the device in 0.3 seconds with the dexterity of a ninja assassin.
Notification: Matthew liked your photo.
That's all.
Silence.
Luna stared at the screen.
"DID YOU LIKE IT?? THAT'S IT!?" she shouted, indignant, rising from the sofa like a goddess falling into the war arena.
But then, as the expression on her face softened... a stubborn little smile appeared.
"Well... at least you saved it, right? I bet you put it in a folder called 'status documents'."
She chuckled softly, victorious. "Gotcha, Prince Ice Block."
And with a snap of his fingers, he went to play League of Legends, because there's nothing better than beating up some noobs after a camouflaged emotional victory.
The game's ambient music echoed through her headphones as she returned to another match. Her half-closed eyes still held the silent satisfaction of having received a measly like, which, to her, signified a victory worthy of an imperial declaration.
"Let's massacre someone."
The game has started loading.
Player icons have appeared.
And then...
LIS4 – ADC / Aphelios.
Time from Luna.
"Oh?" Luna muttered, raising an eyebrow. "The goddess of the botlane has landed on my team again. What luck."
She was about to write something in the chat when the Discord call invitation appeared in the corner of the screen.
Invitation from LIS4.
"Of course," Luna said, clicking with a smirk.
The connection stabilized and Lisa's soft, slightly shy voice sounded on the other end.
"Hi, is that really Luna Malroth?"
"The very one," Luna replied, resting her chin on her hand and adjusting the microphone like a diva preparing for an interview.
"Wow... I... well, I wanted to thank you. Your donation really helped me. I bought my parents a house... and they stopped fighting over money, you know?"
The sincerity in the girl's voice hit differently.
Luna smiled, but concealed it with her typical elegant irony. "I just wish you wouldn't abandon Aphelios mid-match. It was an investment."
Lisa laughed, and the tension of the conversation broke like thin glass. "Well, I'll make up for it with a win. Let's rock."
The match began. Luna picked up her Lux prestige skin with its unique animation and positioned herself mid.
Lisa took over the botlane as if she owned it.
And as always... he led the calls with military mastery.
"Luna, watch out for the jungler. He's level 4 and will probably try to invade via the river."
"Copied, commander," Luna replied, smiling, already backing away.
"Enemy toplaner missing for 10 seconds, maybe he's coming too."
"I've already set up a ward. Girl, you should teach geopolitics with this mind map."
Lisa laughed, but remained focused.
Throughout the match, the two dominated the game.
The synergy between them was absurd.
Lux flanked, Lisa finished.
Lisa repositioned herself, Luna threw shield and CC on top.
Final score:
Manager – 13/2/14
Lisa – 19/3/10
Overwhelming victory.
At the end, in the post-game lobby, Lisa said excitedly, "Oh! Before I forget... you're going to be in New York next week, right?"
"Maybe. It depends on whether my stock empire and ridiculous schedule allow me to," Luna replied theatrically.
Lisa laughed. "Well, my team, Galáctico Sports, is in the MSI final against the Koreans from Team Iridescent. The final will be at the New York stadium. I wanted to invite you. I can send you a VVIP ticket—backstage, box, everything included."
Luna arched an eyebrow in interest. "Hm... plus the fact that you guys are killing it... maybe I will. But only if I have nothing better to do."
"That's a promise then!" said Lisa with a smile that was noticeable even in her voice.
"Promises of lux and aphelios. What a pair, huh."
The call ended, and Luna stared at the PC screen for a moment with a half smile on her lips.
She took out her cell phone and typed in the girls' group:
@CheiroDeTerraPósChuva: "I received an invitation to the MSI final. Does anyone want to see young adults sweating playing LoL while we eat caviar in the VIP area?"
Nikoly replied in 3 seconds:
@ Nikoly: "If there's real food and a comfortable chair, I'm in."
Victoria sent a gif of a queen on a throne:
@Victória: "After all, someone needs to teach these pro-players how to dress decently."
Lumine just sent a check emoji with a wine glass.
Luna chuckled to herself and murmured, "It'll be fun."