Sheila Gracefell, the third and last daughter of the Gracefell family, was the daughter of a grand duke and the fiancée of Aurelius—an unchanging fact, even in his future vision. She was perhaps the only person who truly cared about the young Morningstar, and at first, the young prince felt the same way about her, perhaps even more deeply than she felt for him.
The young prince loved his fiancée dearly, and his constant visits to her dukedom were testament to that. He enjoyed being in her company, talking to her, telling her about the torments he endured at the hands of his siblings, and watching her get mad over him (perhaps he enjoyed that more than he could admit). They had a close-knit bond, one that seemed like it could never break… but it did.
Aurelius met a certain girl at the academy who became his best friend, and that same girl later introduced him to the source of the problem—Amelia. For reasons he couldn't explain, he fell head over heels for her, and as things would have it, she felt the same way about him. Slowly but surely, he drifted away from Sheila, building a stronger connection with Amelia.
Of course, she noticed, and the Gracefell daughter felt betrayed… deeply. Unlike what she showed, she had always been in love with him—long before the engagement, long before he came to see her as his confidant. She tried to hate him, but she couldn't. Instead, she fell into an unhealthy cycle of chasing after him, trying to make him see how foolish he was being, trying to show him how much she loved him, trying to prove that Amelia was using him, and trying to make him understand how much he was hurting her—but to no avail.
He remained blinded by whatever feelings he thought he had, not even realizing when Amelia began drifting away toward his so-called 'friend.' He didn't realize how foolish he was to trust them. Those people hated the young Morningstar just as much as they hated every other Morningstar who walked those halls, though they hid it well… or maybe they didn't. Maybe he was simply too desperate for attention to notice.
And then… one day, there he was—crying and begging for the only girl who truly loved him to wake up, holding her in a pool of her own blood. Even after everything he had done to hurt her, she hadn't hesitated to sacrifice her life for his sake, protecting the weak prince until her last breath.
"…Sheila," he muttered, his voice barely steady.
And there she was, standing right in front of him, alive, glaring at him.
"Yes, that's my name. Surprised? Well, I'm not leaving until you give me a convincing reason," she said, crossing her arms as her gaze stayed locked on him.
But that was the least of what was on his mind. Still dazed, he took a step toward her, then another, then a third, and before he realized it, he broke into a sprint.
"What are you—?!" she started, but the words cut off as he suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, and the force of it made her stiffen in shock.
Her face turned bright red, and instinct took over.
BAM.
"Holy—!" he staggered back, both hands clutching his most prized jewels.
"Your Highness!" the guards shouted as blades slid free, but he lifted a hand quickly, stopping them before anything escalated.
"I-it's okay… I'm fine," Aurelius forced out, though his voice strained as he fought the urge to collapse.
Sheila stood frozen, her leg still slightly raised before she quickly lowered it, her expression shifting from shock to panic.
"I… I'm so, so sorry!" she blurted, words tumbling over each other as she stepped forward. "You startled me! Why would you suddenly run at me like that?! I thought— I mean—"
She stopped, groaning under her breath.
"Ugh, no, this is my fault. I'm sorry. I just… reacted on instinct…" she added, though the way she avoided his eyes made it less convincing.
He looked at her for a moment, then sighed lightly. "…You're not sorry," Aurelius said flatly, and she immediately snapped her head up.
"W-what kind of thing is that to say?! I just apologized!" she shot back, her brows knitting together.
"…You kicked me," he replied, his tone steady, and she flinched slightly.
"You ran at me!" she argued, pointing at him as if that settled it.
He tilted his head, watching her for a second. "…You aimed," Aurelius added, and she instantly looked away, twirling a strand of her hair. (Of course… she still had that kink. If he had to guess, this was her objective from the very start.)
He exhaled and straightened, then reached out and grabbed her wrist, his grip firm but not rough. "Come with me," he said, already starting to move.
She blinked, caught off guard, and stumbled half a step before regaining balance. "Excuse me?" Sheila asked, trying to pull back, though not with much force (more for form than anything else).
He didn't stop.
"Hey, wait! You don't just get to grab me like that. Where are you even taking me?!" she protested, her voice rising as she kept pace beside him.
"…You'll see," he replied, not looking back.
"That is not an answer," she muttered, frowning, though her steps didn't slow.
He glanced at her then, just briefly. "Don't you trust me?"
The question caught her off guard, and she hesitated before answering. "…I do," she admitted, quieter now.
"Then follow me," Aurelius said, facing forward again, and this time she didn't resist at all.
'When did the normally shy Aurelius, who could blush just from holding my hand, become this bold? …This can't be the same person,' she thought, though a small smile still crept onto her face.
"Hold on," she said as they reached the stairs, slowing slightly. "At least tell me where we're going."
He kept walking.
"…Aurelius."
"Yes?"
"This isn't the way to the living room," she pointed out, her eyes narrowing as she followed.
"No, it isn't."
She frowned deeper. "…Then where—"
The words stopped as realization hit, and her steps slowed for a moment.
"…Wait."
He didn't respond.
"…Wait, don't tell me…"
Her heart skipped. "…Are you taking me to your room?"
He glanced back at her, just enough for her to catch the look. "Would that be a problem?"
Her face flushed instantly.
"Would that—? Of course it would be a problem! What do you even mean by that?!" she snapped, her voice jumping an octave.
He kept walking, and that only made it worse.
'His room? Why his room? No, wait… there's no way… but what if—?!'
She suddenly pulled back. "This is too soon!" she blurted. "I… I'm not ready for that!"
That finally made him stop.
He turned slowly, looking at her. "For what?"
She froze. "I… you know exactly what!"
"…I don't," he replied, calm as ever.
"You do!"
He tilted his head slightly. "…Enlighten me."
"I am not saying it out loud!" she snapped, her face burning even more.
He watched her for a moment, then spoke again, quieter this time. "Sheila."
"…What?"
"I only want to talk."
She blinked. "…Talk?"
"Yes."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
She studied his face, searching for anything else. "…You're serious."
"I am."
"…Then why your room?"
There was a brief pause. "…Because I want us to be alone."
She hesitated, her expression softening just a little.
Then—
"Or," he added, a faint hint of amusement slipping through, "did you want something else?"
Her entire face went red again.
"N-no! Of course not!" she stammered.
He looked at her for a second. "…You're very red."
"I am not!"
"You are."
"I said I'm not!"
"…Then look at me."
She immediately turned her head away. 'Stupid prince,' she thought, though a small smile still found its way onto her lips.