The servants must have informed Leroy and Jeffrey about my departure, because by the time I made it back to the front entrance of Dawnrose Hall, I found both of them waiting for me just outside. They stood next to the House Sturm carriage.

Leroy studied me as I marched towards them. Something in my expression must have betrayed my thoughts, because he frowned.

“Is everything all right, young master?” Leroy asked.

“No,” I said in a vicious tone. “Everything is not all right.” I looked at Jeffrey, and made an effort to keep my temper in check. Just because I was fucking furious didn’t mean I needed to take it out on my servants. “Just drop me off at the nearest corner and head back to the hotel. After that, you’re free for the rest of the day.”

Jeffrey blinked in surprise, but didn’t question me. He just nodded and climbed into the carriage’s driver’s seat. After Leroy and I climbed into the carriage, we were off.

“What happened, young master?” Leroy asked. “Did Lady Rosewood say or do anything untoward? Did you?”

“No,” I said, crossing my arms and staring out the carriage window. “Lady Rosewood and I had a pleasant conversation.”

There had been some bumps, but otherwise things worked out well between us.

“Then why are you in such a state?”

“Lady Annabelle Thorne,” I said.

“The Otherworlder who…?” Leroy trailed off.

“Who almost crippled me?” I said, finishing his question. “Yes. She’s a guest at Dawnrose Hall. Lord Bertrand arranged for us to run into each other.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Leroy nod, as if what I just said explained everything. He opened his mouth to say something, but then the carriage stopped. As I commanded, we were at the nearest corner. I climbed out of the carriage before Leroy could move, and turned around.

“I need to be alone right now,” I said. “Go back to the hotel with Jeffrey and wait for me.”

“Young master, I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave you alone when you’re in this state,” Leroy said, looking ready to push past me.

“That wasn’t a suggestion, Leroy,” I said, giving him a hard look. “Just do as I say. I’ll meet you at the hotel.”

I slammed the door shut before he could respond, and Jeffrey pulled the carriage away. Given his proficiency with internal Earth magic, Leroy could have jumped out of the moving carriage without issue. He didn’t, however.

I watched as the carriage drove away. When I lost sight of it, I started walking. I didn’t have a particular destination in mind. Instead, I just wandered around, letting my feet take me where they would. I felt a buzzing in my brain, and it was getting more and more difficult to keep my emotions in check. It was like trying to redirect a hurricane with a paper fan.

It didn’t help that I had a tail. Even in my current state of mind, I kept an eye out for threats. Avianna, Annabelle’s bodyguard, followed me from a distance. She was good, I had to admit. If it weren’t for my divine sense, I wouldn’t have noticed her at all. She even practiced some kind of magic that made it harder to detect her, though it was useless against me.

Either Annabelle told her to keep an eye on me, or Avianna decided to follow me on her own. If the former, I didn’t have to worry about anything. Annabelle wasn’t the type to have people murdered in secret. However, if it was the latter, then I needed to keep an eye out. House Thorne didn’t like me after what happened between Annabelle and I. They might have instructed Avianna to get rid of potential threats to their adopted daughter.

Still, as long as she didn’t try anything, Avianna could follow me all she wanted. In my current state, if she tried something, I would not hesitate to put her down. Even if she was Annabelle’s bodyguard, there were limits to my patience.

Do you want to talk about it now, Gabriel? Aurora asked.

Through our connection, I felt her worry and concern.

‘I don’t know if I’m ready for that, Aurora,’ I said. ‘I just…’

I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence.

It’s okay, she said. Take your time. It isn’t like I’m going anywhere. Tell me when you’re ready.

‘Thank you.’

After that, I stopped paying attention to where I was going altogether. I still kept an eye out for threats, Avianna in particular, but I otherwise checked out mentally. I was too preoccupied with trying to sort out my emotions, and the memories of Brandon Norwood’s life.

As I walked around in a dazed state, I must have seemed like an easy target to criminals and predators. One dumb mortal fuck came at me with a knife, no doubt to try and rob me, but a single look from me was enough to stop him in his tracks.

I hit him with my intent. As an early stage Energy Condensation cultivator, it wasn’t much. However, against a mortal, it was more than enough. The man dropped his knife and fell back on his ass.

“You should rethink your life choices,” I told him, before moving on.

I didn’t bother waiting for a response. Either he would listen to my words, or he wouldn’t. Regardless, I didn’t care. I continued on my way.

I don’t know how much time passed before I heard Aurora’s voice in my head again.

Watch out, Gabriel.

She said this as I heard a splash, and my foot got wet. I came back to myself and saw that I was in a park of some kind. It was large, easily the size of several city blocks, with an artificial lake in the middle. A trail wrapped around the lake, and I saw several people out and about, enjoying the fine summer weather.

In my daze, I had almost walked into the lake.

Huh. So that’s how it was.

I looked out towards the lake. Other than some ducks and geese, the surface of the lake was clear. It wasn’t the kind of lake that people swam in, or boated around on. It was just there for decoration. To be fair, it was a pretty lake. The surface looked calm and tranquil.

This gave me an idea.

Gabriel, I think you should head back to the hotel, Aurora said. You almost walked into a lake without realizing it.

‘No,’ I said. ‘I have a better idea.’

I pulled my leg out of the lake, before coating both my feet with mana. It was a basic technique that cultivators used to walk on the surface of water. Even the weakest cultivator could do it after enough practice. At higher levels, this same technique could be used to walk on air. While it wasn’t as good as flying, it was still pretty neat.

I stepped onto the surface of the lake. My foot sank a little. The water held my weight. I stepped onto the lake with my other foot and started walking towards the center. My footsteps rippled out. Once I could use the Lighter Than Air technique, I’d be able to walk on water without disturbing it.

It didn’t take long for me to draw attention from the others in the park.

Water-walking wasn’t a common ability on Lumina. Water wizards could do it, with enough practice, but they usually didn’t bother. It was difficult to maintain, and required more mana than they were willing to spend. They usually rode in boats, or on the backs of aquatic magic beasts. For cultivators, water-walking was child’s play.

When I reached the center of the lake, I laid down and let myself float. The cool water soaked my clothes, though it felt good against my skin. I could’ve coated my entire body with mana to stay dry, but that would have defeated the entire point of coming out here.

Avianna reached the edge of the lake and just stared at me from a distance. No doubt, I must have seemed odd to her.

With the sky above me, and the water below me, I felt weightless. The afternoon sun hung in the sky, heading towards the horizon. All around me, people enjoyed the park. More than a few stopped and stared at the strange person floating in the middle of the lake.

I closed my eyes and tuned it all out. Everything fell away. I even retracted my divine sense. There was nothing but me, and the water that supported me. I floated there, weightless and free. I matched my breathing to the rhythm of the water.

In. Out.

I fell into a meditative trance. Little by little, the same tranquility that pervaded the lake seeped into my being. It washed through me like a purifying flood.

In. Out.

With each breath, my emotions grew calmer. They didn’t go away, but they no longer tormented me. Serenity filled my soul as I became one with the lake.

In. Out.

I became the water, and the water became me.

Calm. Tranquil. Pure.

I don’t know how long I stayed like that, meditating while floating in the middle of the lake. I just stayed like that for as long as it took me to calm down. My inner turmoil faded away, leaving only peace.

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was setting. I cast my divine sense around. There were few people in the park now. Avianna remained where I last saw her. A pair of guards stood at the edge of the lake, bickering with each other on what to do about me.

Feeling better now? Aurora asked.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I haven’t done this in a long time. I had almost forgotten how it felt.’

Good. Perhaps now you can explain to me just who this Annabelle is to you, and why you reacted to her the way you did. Do you know how worried I was?

‘Aw, I didn’t know you cared,’ I said.

Of course I care, you ass, Aurora said. We’re one now, remember? What affects you affects me.

I felt chastised by her words.

‘I apologize.’ I let out a mental sigh. ‘To give you some context, let me tell you the story of a boy named Brandon Norwood.’

----------------------------------------

Brandon Norwood never knew his parents. He spent his earliest years in an orphanage, before he was put into foster care. From there, he was shuffled from one uncaring foster home to another.

His foster families never abused or neglected him. They saw to his needs, making sure he was fed, clothed, and educated. However, he found no love in those homes. The only thing his foster families cared about was the money they received from the state for taking care of him.

Not that Brandon minded. To him, the world was a dull and gray place. There was no pain and sorrow, but neither was there joy and laughter. Everything was muted, as if there was a veil that separated Brandon from everything else. Not even the bullies at school bothered him. Like everyone else, they left him alone.

He was loved by no one, and he loved no one in return.

The only thing that brought any semblance of joy to Brandon were the stories he found in books and movies and games. Stories of fantastical worlds filled with strange creatures. Magic spells, divine artifacts, mighty heroes, and terrible villains. Brandon soaked these stories in the same way a sponge soaked in water. It was if they fed a part of his soul that starved for something more than this mundane life of his.

Brandon spent most of his life like this, lost in his own little world. He shuffled through life like a sleepwalker waiting to wake up.

One day, Brandon was sent to a new foster home in a new town. This meant going to a new school, filled with new people that he had no interest in getting to know; with one exception.

At this new school was an angel named Annabelle. She was the most popular girl in school. Everyone loved her. She was funny, charismatic, and kind. Well, not everyone. There were those who envied her, spreading rumors and hurtful gossip. However, these spiteful souls were in the minority. Everyone else adored Annabelle, and she had a large circle of friends.

Not only that, but Annabelle was a prodigy. She excelled at everything she tried her hand at. She was a straight-A student and a star athlete. She ran track, as well as practiced martial arts. Not only that, but she also participated in theater. She could do everything.

She seemed perfect.

To Brandon, Annabelle was like a bright spot of color in an otherwise dull and dreary world. He wanted to get close to her, to be her friend like everyone else. Yet, he kept his distance. Someone like her could never be friends with someone like him, or so he liked to tell himself.

In truth, he was just scared to try and make friends with her. He never had to before. Until Annabelle, he never wanted to. It scared him.

And so, Brandon kept his distance.

However, one fateful day, everything changed.

Brandon liked to frequent a used bookstore in the center of the town he lived in. It was his sanctuary away from the troubles and tribulations of life. It even had its own reading nook, which he claimed as his own.

One day, Brandon found someone crying in his reading nook. It was Annabelle. To call him shocked would be an understatement. Perfect Annabelle, crying in his reading nook? It was as if gravity had reversed itself, and he found himself floating away. It just made no sense.

Brandon almost turned away from Annabelle. However, he didn’t. Instead, he did something he had never done before. He held his hand out to someone in need. Annabelle took advantage of poor, innocent Brandon and pulled him into a bear hug that almost snapped his spine. Seriously, she treated him like a stress ball. Do you know how-…

Moving on.

After almost killing Brandon, and soaking his shirt with a gallon of tears, Annabelle poured her heart out to him. At the time, he wondered why she would be so open with a weird loner like him. Later on, after they started dating, she told him it was because he was a weird loner that she opened herself up to him. She didn’t have to pretend with him. She could just be herself.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

It turned out that the perfect mask Annabelle wore was just that, a mask. She wasn’t an angel. She was human, like everyone else. And like everyone else, she had her flaws and hang ups.

Annabelle came from a broken home. On the surface, they seemed like the perfect family. Her father was a successful lawyer and her mother was a doting housewife. They lived in a perfect home with a perfect lawn.

Beneath the surface, however, Annabelle’s father was a verbally abusive asshole and her mother was a spiteful alcoholic. Both constantly criticized Annabelle for every flaw she had, for every mistake she made, for her every imperfection.

Nothing was ever good enough for them. No matter how smart she was, no matter what she accomplished, it was never enough.

She was never good enough.

Annabelle spent her whole life trying to earn her parents’ love and affection. That was why she worked so hard at school and everywhere else. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she never received what she craved the most.

That was why she started to wear the perfect mask. She didn’t want anyone to see what a worthless failure she was. She was afraid of what would happen if everyone realized that she was nothing more than a fraud, an imposter.

Everyone except the weird loner, who didn’t seem to care about anything or anyone.

When Brandon heard Annabelle’s story, his regard for her didn’t diminish. If anything, it grew stronger. He wanted to know more about the real Annabelle, not the mask everyone else got to see. She brought color and light to his life, and he wanted more.

The two of them formed an odd friendship. Annabelle could be herself around Brandon, and she helped bring him out of his shell. At first they would just meet at the used bookstore, but soon they started meeting outside of it. Their feelings for each other deepened and grew stronger, before blossoming into love. It didn’t take long for them to start dating.

Everyone opposed their relationship. Annabelle’s friends, her parents, the teachers at school. Everyone. They all thought that Brandon wasn’t good enough for Annabelle, that he was a bad influence on her. It was tough, facing so much opposition, but the two of them persevered. They made plans to build a life together after school, and worked hard to see those plans come to fruition.

One night, when graduation neared, Brandon died. Just like that, his life was snuffed out. After coming close to living the life he wanted, with the woman he loved, a drunk driver hit Brandon and killed him.

Of course, that wasn’t the end for him. Brandon was reborn in a new world, one with magic and monsters. In this new life, Brandon had everything he lacked in his previous one. A loving family, wealth, power. Due to his talent with magic, he was hailed as a genius. The more people praised him, the more arrogant he grew.

One day, a woman who would shatter Brandon’s new life appeared; an Otherworlder. She was better than him at everything, including magic. Compared to her, he was nothing more than a toad in a well, looking out at the world through a narrow hole.

Envy and jealousy consumed Brandon, to the point of madness. He bullied and tormented her, but no matter what he tried, she continued to outshine him. It culminated in a duel, where Brandon tried to kill the Otherworlder. He failed, and she shattered his Circles, almost killing him in the process.

However, when Brandon hovered on the threshold between life and death, he regained the memories of his previous two lives. It was then that Brandon realized that the Otherworlder he so hated, and the woman he loved in his previous life, were one and the same.

Annabelle.

When he saw what he had done, Brandon loathed himself.

----------------------------------------

I fell silent when I finished speaking. Aurora didn’t respond right away. That was fine. I stared at the sky while I waited for her to speak. Night had fallen while I told Aurora Brandon Norwood’s story. Almost everyone else had left the park. More guards had joined the first two, bringing a boat with them. I assumed they had done so in order to deal with me. However, another person arrived, and after a brief discussion, all the guards left.

When I saw who it was, my left eye twitched.

Damn it. Why couldn’t she leave me alone? I just managed to calm myself down after seeing her again. What was she doing here? How had she found me?

That was an interesting story, Gabriel, Aurora said after a while. I can see why you were so conflicted when you saw Lady Annabelle again. You feel guilty over what you did to her, don’t you?

‘Guilt and shame, yes,’ I said.

Is that why you fled to the Icefall Region? Aurora asked.

I didn’t like her use of the word “fled”, but in this case, it was accurate.

‘That’s part of it,’ I admitted. ‘My family has land up there, and I did want to practice cultivation in peace, but yes. Part of the reason why I fled to the Icefall Region was to avoid seeing Annabelle ever again. You can see how well that worked out.’

I glanced at the newcomer with my divine sense. She stood at the edge of the lake, watching me. Avianna watched me as well, though she remained in hiding.

Have you considered talking with Annabelle and telling her the truth? Aurora asked in a dry voice. That seems far more productive and less drastic than running away from the problem.

‘It's a little more complicated than that,’ I said. ‘Just because I regained the memories of my life as Brandon Norwood, doesn’t mean that my feelings as Lord Gabriel disappeared. A part of me still hates Annabelle for taking everything that I believed was rightfully mine. Envy and jealousy are insidious, poisonous emotions. Mine have faded away, but they haven’t disappeared.’ I let out a mental sigh. ‘Sometimes it feels like I’m at war with myself, and that isn’t even taking into consideration my memories as Immortal Celestial Thunder.’

That would be the divine aspect of your being, correct?

‘Yes.’

Aurora didn’t say anything for a while.

I still say you should talk with her.

I shook my head.

‘No,’ I said. ‘It’s better if she doesn’t find out. She hates Lord Gabriel, remember? I don’t want to taint her memories of Brandon. It’s better to let her think that he died. She doesn’t need an old ghost from her past coming back to haunt her.’

Hmmm, Aurora said. You’re just afraid of how she’ll react when she finds out, aren’t you?

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I am. Annabelle is my greatest weakness. I’m not afraid to admit that.’

Wait a minute. How old was Annabelle when Brandon died?

‘About eighteen years old.’

Aurora paused.

She doesn’t look that much older than that now.

‘She isn’t. I think she’s twenty years old at this point, though I’m not sure.’

But how? You’re almost the same age as her now. She should be much older by this point.

‘Time fuckery, I assume.’

Time fuckery?

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘That’s the official term. Maybe time moves faster here on Lumina than it does back on Earth. Maybe I traveled back in time when I died. Maybe she traveled forward in time when she arrived here on Lumina. I don’t know, I wasn’t there. Thus, time fuckery.’

You are an odd one, you know that right?

‘I’m a reincarnated Immortal. I was never going to be normal.’

The two of us fell silent as I floated there in the water. The night contained traces of the day’s warmth, but after laying in the water for several hours, I felt cold. I could have used Water internal magic to resist the cold, but I didn’t bother.

You can’t avoid her forever.

I let out an actual sigh.

‘I know,’ I said. ‘I should get out of the water. The others must be worried about me by now.’

I grimaced. I knew Leroy was going to give me a judgmental look when I returned to the hotel, if not outright lecture me. He couldn’t actually stop me from doing what I wanted, except under specific circumstances or unless ordered to by my father, but that wouldn’t stop him from laying on the guilt.

I let myself sink into the water, before propelling myself upward using mana. I landed on the surface of the lake and dried myself off with a minor spell, before I walked towards the shore.

Annabelle stood at the edge of the lake with her arms crossed, glaring at me. She wore the same blue dress she had on before. Under the light of the crescent moon, she looked like some kind of water goddess.

I pretended to ignore her, and went out of my way to avoid her, but she walked over and blocked my path. A sigh escaped my lips. With my divine sense, I noticed Avianna moving in our direction, though she remained in hiding.

“What do you want, Lady Annabelle?” I asked, giving her a flat look. “I thought we said everything we needed to say to each other during our last encounter.”

“You mean after that piss poor excuse of an apology you gave me?” she asked.

Piss poor…?

My left eye twitched at her words. I crossed my own arms and faced her head on. The air seemed to crackle with energy as the tension between us built.

“My heartfelt and genuine apology, yes,” I said.

“Ha! If it was truly heartfelt and genuine, you wouldn’t have run away before I could respond,” she said.

I felt a headache coming on as the tranquility and peace I achieved while meditating in the water faded away. Was it possible to both love and hate someone? Because I certainly felt both towards Annabelle at that moment.

“I had an appointment with Lady Rosewood that I needed to keep,” I said.

“Liar. You ran away.”

My left eye twitched again as I imagined throttling Annabelle. Somehow, I managed to rein the impulse in.

When I calmed down again, I gave Annabelle a fake smile.

“Fine,” I said. “You’re right. I did run away before you could respond. How rude of me. Why don’t we finish where we left off? I believe it’s your turn. Please, go ahead.”

“Apology not accepted,” she said.

Of fucking course.

“I thought that would be the case,” I said. “Now, if that’s all, please excuse me. It’s getting late. Goodnight, Lady Annabelle.”

I started to walk off, but Annabelle blocked my path again.

“Agh!” I said, my frustration breaking through. “Will you stop getting in my way, you infuriating woman?”

Avianna revealed herself and moved to put herself between me and Annabelle. However, Annabelle waved her off. The bodyguard looked upset by this, and glared at me, as if it was my fault.

“We’re not done talking,” Annabelle said.

“I am,” I ground out. “Now, leave me alone.”

“See?” she said, pointing a finger at me. “This is why I rejected your apology. You weren’t really sorry, were you? It was never about me. It was about you. It was always about you. You felt guilty about the things you did, so you decided to alleviate your guilt by giving me a shitty apology. And after getting what you wanted, you moved on, like the self-centered dickhead that you are. You never took my feelings into consideration at all, did you?”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

She isn’t wrong, you know, Aurora said in my mind.

‘Quiet you.’

I opened my eyes again and glared at Annabelle.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I want an apology from you. A proper apology. You think a few pretty words are enough to make up for all the shit you put me through, Lord Gabriel?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. A part of me was tempted to just leave, but I couldn’t. Rather, I wouldn’t. Despite my desire to run as far away from Annabelle as possible, I also yearned for her the same way a flower buried underneath the snow yearned for the sun.

It took a considerable amount of willpower not to take her into my arms. However, if I did that, Avianna would kill me. If she didn’t, Annabelle would.

“In that case, what would be enough to make up for my misdeed, Lady Annabelle?” I asked. “Tell me, so we can put this behind us and never see each other again.”

A triumphant smirk appeared on Annabelle’s lips.

“Three favors.”

“What?”

“You heard me,” she said. “I want three favors of my choosing from you. Anytime, any place. Agree to this, and I’ll forgive you. I’ll even talk to Mom and Dad on your behalf.”

I glared at her.

“Absolutely fucking not.”

Annabelle blinked at me, taken aback by my words.

“What did you just say?”

“Absolutely fucking not,” I repeated. “Three open ended favors is too much.” I held up a finger. “One favor. That’s all I’ll agree to.”

Annabelle gave me an incredulous look.

“This isn’t a negotiation,” she said in disbelief. “This is supposed to be your apology to me.”

“Oh, but it is a negotiation.” I grinned at her. “You want something from me. I don’t know what it is, but I know you do. Otherwise, why would you bother demanding anything from me at all? We have nothing to do with each other.”

Annabelle narrowed her eyes at me. She didn’t say anything for several long moments.

“Two favors,” she said after a while.

Ha! I fucking knew it!

“One, or I walk.”

Annabelle snorted.

“You can try, but I won’t let you. Even if you run, I’ll have Avianna chase you down. You’re fast, but she’s faster.”

True, unless I used Lightning Flash. However, using that right now would reveal one of my trump cards. I didn’t want to do that unless I had to. Plus, my body still needed to recover from the fight with the Black Wolf Gang.

“You know,” I said. “It’s not a favor if you hold me hostage and extort it out of me. That’s called coercion.”

Annabelle gave me a thoughtful look.

“You’re right,” she said. “Forcing you is coercion. I have a better idea.”

A chill ran down my spine at her words. I had a bad feeling about this.

Annabelle took a step forward. I stepped back on instinct. She stepped forward again, and I took another step back. I felt like a mouse being stalked by a cat.

We kept going, until I stepped into the lake again. I was trapped.

Well, not really. I could have water-walked, but that would be running away again, and I didn’t want to do that.

Since I had nowhere else to go, Annabelle walked forward until we were less than a foot apart. Her perfume teased my nose. It smelled like vanilla.

Annabelle then looked down.

Uh oh. I recognized that gesture. I knew what was coming.

Back when I was Brandon Norwood, Annabelle developed a number of ways to coax and cajole me. This was how she drew me out of my shell.

The first was what I called “Annabelle’s Puppy Eyes”.

As if on cue, Annabelle looked up. She wore a pitiable expression on her face. Her beautiful blue eyes were wide open, and full of sorrow.

“Is two favors really that much, Lord Gabriel?” she asked, her tone matching her expression. “I mean, after everything you put me through, it’s the least you can do.”

Fuck. I developed an immunity to this look in my previous life, but it seemed like I had no defense against it in this life. It hit me for full effect.

Annabelle used Puppy Eyes Attack against Gabriel.

It’s Super Effective!

My face heated up. I looked away, scowling to hide my embarrassment.

Get it together, Gabriel. You’re a reincarnated Immortal. There’s no way you can let yourself get outplayed by a twenty something year old woman.

Another part of me piped up.

Rebuttal: You are seventeen years old in this life.

So? That’s just this body. My soul is much older than that. I have several millennia worth of life experience.

Rebuttal: You love Annabelle, and you do owe her for what you did.

So what? Love was a fleeting emotion.

Rebuttal: Yours transcended death. Also, she was your first love. Ever.

I…I had no argument against that. During my life as Immortal Celestial Thunder, I had been too busy with fighting and cultivation to worry about romance. I mean, I had friends, disciples, and a foster daughter. That was enough for me.

Annabelle had quite literally been my first love, even taking all three of my lives into account. And they did say that the first love hits the hardest.

While I debated with myself on whether or not to accept her deal, Annabelle put a hand on my arm. I froze at the touch. Every fiber of my being focused on that point of contact. I felt her warmth, even through my clothing. My skin tingled.

“Please?” she said, sounding even more pitiable than before.

I let out a frustrated groan.

“All right,” I said. “Fine. Two favors.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Annabelle’s pitiable look morph into a shit eating grin. In my dantian, Aurora put another mark on Annabelle’s side of the scoreboard.

“Why, Lord Gabriel,” she said in an insufferably smug tone. “I didn’t know you were such a softie. If I had known that, I would have tried something like this a long time ago. Maybe we could have avoided all that unpleasantness between us.”

I glared at her.

“The only reason why that worked was because I still feel guilty,” I said. “Despite what you might think, your feelings do matter to me. I know you hate me, and I thought it was best to remove myself as soon as possible.”

Annabelle’s expression dropped, and something else flashed across her face. Before I could identify it, however, the shit eating grin returned.

“Whatever you say, Gabe,” she said, patting my arm.

“Excuse me?”

Her grin widened.

“That’s the first favor I want,” Annabelle said. “I get to call you Gabe from now on. In perpetuity.”

I stared at her in growing horror.

“No,” I whispered. “You wouldn’t.”

If she started calling me Gabe, others would follow.

“Oh, I would.”

“Please don’t.”

“Too late!” Annabelle said in a cheerful voice.

Before I could respond, she whirled around and hurried away from me. Avianna fell into step behind her.

“Wait, what about the second favor?” I called out after her.

“I’ll save it for a rainy day,” she replied back, not stopping or looking back.

I watched as Annabelle headed towards a carriage that waited nearby. It had the symbol of House Thorne on its side: a circle of thorns surrounding a stylized flame. She entered the carriage, which drove off and disappeared from sight.

I like her, Aurora said.

I sighed and let out a little laugh.

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘I do too.

I stood there for several more seconds, before making my way back to the hotel.