After Jade asked Riguel not to say anything to Daniel, he kept his word… but he went straight to find Sofia. He had no doubt that she was the reason Jade had fainted.
Sofia was in her room when Riguel stormed in, clearly irritated.
"Hey! Why are you barging in like that?" she asked, startled.
"What did you do to Jade?" he snapped, not quite shouting but visibly angry.
"Nothing," she replied calmly, almost too calmly.
"Then why was she lying unconscious on the ground?"
Sofia stood up, suddenly looking worried.
"What?! Unconscious?"
"I only scared her a little. I swear, brother—I didn't do anything more," Sofia said, her voice shaky now.
Riguel's expression darkened as he stepped toward her, a cold aura surrounding him. His eyes were sharp, unreadable.
Sofia froze. She knew that side of her brother—the dangerous one. She instinctively stepped back, heart racing.
"I hope for your sake that's true," Riguel said in a low voice, still emanating that menacing aura.
"I swear it is! I just told her about… the Ooman curse," she confessed quickly.
Riguel's eyes widened. "You what?!"
"If Father finds out, you're dead," he added sharply, but his voice was now back to its usual calm, which somehow made it worse.
Sofia exhaled in relief at seeing him return to his normal self.
"I only told her that there's been a curse passed down through generations in the Ooman family, and that this time… it's Daniel's turn," she explained.
"You've said too much," he muttered, turning toward the door.
"And we don't even know if Daniel has it," he added as he opened the door.
"Just make sure Father never hears a word of this. And pray Jade says nothing to Daniel."
He was about to step out when Sofia called after him:
"Brother… you're getting a little too interested in that Jade girl."
Without turning around, Riguel replied coolly,
"And you… your feelings for cousin Daniel are clouding your judgment."
He shut the door behind him.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Jade was lying on her bed, her thoughts spiraling. The word *"Vesperis"* still echoed in her mind. What was it? A name? A curse? A place? Her heart raced as she replayed Sofia's words. She didn't want to believe it, but the signs were there.
There was a soft knock at the door.
She sat up quickly, startled. "Who is it?"
"It's me," Daniel's voice came through.
She hesitated. "Come in."
Daniel entered, his expression unreadable as usual, but his eyes scanned her face like he already sensed something was off.
"You disappeared after dinner. Are you okay?"
Jade forced a smile. "Yeah, I just needed some fresh air."
He stepped closer. "You don't look okay."
"I'm fine, Daniel," she said, a little too sharply.
He tilted his head, watching her carefully. "Did someone say something to you?"
Jade was still thinking about *Vesperis*. She had already decided—once they returned to the city, she'd do her own research. But for now, she needed to deflect.
With a smirk, she replied, "No one says anything to me, Daniel. Remember? I'm the one they're all supposed to fear."
Daniel narrowed his eyes slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement.
Daniel raised an eyebrow at her bold reply, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Ah, of course. The terrifying little tornado," he said, amused. "But even storms get tired, don't they?"
Jade crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Only when they've wrecked everything in their path."
He chuckled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He stepped forward again, more slowly this time, as if approaching a fragile thing he wasn't sure he had the right to touch.
"You act like nothing gets to you," he said in a low voice. "But something has. I can see it."
She rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to read me like one of your business contracts. I'm full of footnotes and conditions you'll never understand."
Daniel stared at her for a moment. "Maybe. But I'm a persistent reader."
The room fell into a strange silence, charged with something between tension and longing. Jade's heart beat faster, but she refused to show it.
He finally spoke again, softer this time. "We're leaving tomorrow. Back to the city. Are you ready?"
"Born ready," she replied quickly, almost too quickly.
Daniel stepped even closer. "Then get some rest, hurricane girl. You'll need your strength."
"Exactly," she added, pulling the blanket around her like a royal cloak. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a kingdom to rule… in my dreams."
He gave her one last look, clearly unconvinced that nothing happened to her today, but didn't press further.
"But you forgot my night kiss," Daniel said casually, one brow raised.
"Don't act like a baby, Mr. Midnight," she teased, rolling her eyes.
"I knew you will sleep here today that's why but actually you're not"
"Yes, I have work to do, so I will barely sleep"
Still wrapped in her blanket, she huffed but stepped out and padded over to him. Standing on her toes, she leaned in to give him a quick kiss—only to yelp in surprise as he suddenly lifted her off the ground.
"Daniel! What are you doing?!" she stammered, now cradled against him, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. Their faces were just inches apart, and his intense eyes locked on hers, stealing her breath.
"Remember," he murmured, his voice low and teasing, "I'm the one who decides how I want the kiss to be. It's in the contract."
"I know but still! Put me down!" she squirmed, trying to wriggle free, but his grip only tightened slightly, firm but gentle.
Then she felt it—his hands slipping under her pajama top, resting warmly on the small of her back. Her entire body tensed, heat rushing to her cheeks like wildfire.
"Daniel…" she whispered, barely audible.
He smirked, his lips ghosting near her ear. "Relax, Miss Tornado. I already told you—you'll be the one begging me one day to make you feel like a woman. But until then… I'll wait. Unless," he added playfully, "you give me permission."
With one final, lingering kiss—slow, confident, maddeningly soft—he set her down like nothing had happened and casually walked to the door.
Jade stood frozen, still processing, then flailed her hands in front of her face.
"Heat. There's heat," she muttered, fanning herself. "Where's the fire extinguisher when I need it?"