Midnight cloaked Lionel's mansion in a veil of silver light, the full moon casting ghostly beams through the stained glass windows. The symbol of Arceo twisted into a shadow across the table. Steaming coffee and plum juice —dark red, nearly sanguine— clashed against the chill of the room. Seated in a velvet-black armchair, Lionel toyed with a ring engraved with Arceo's eye, its reflection warped on the surface of the drink.
"Call me with more ease," Lionel murmured, leaning toward Aisha, his golden eyes tracking every microexpression. "After all, you're the key that unlocks cages… even your own."
Aisha held his gaze, fingers trembling against the porcelain cup.
"If my blood is so valuable, why don't you take it and end this?" she challenged, masking fear beneath a steady voice.
Lionel laughed, a sound like cracking ice.
"I prefer silk traps over claws," he said, nodding toward a golden chest in the corner, where a heartbeat echoed in sync with Sanathiel's scar. "Killing you would be... inelegant."
"I don't understand," Aisha replied, unwilling to give more than necessary.
Sipping his coffee, Lionel continued calmly,"I offer you something. If you wish to recover the memories Sanathiel stole from you under the red moon, come with me. He can return them himself."
Aisha raised a brow, suspicious.
"And how exactly would you bring me to him?"
"Two options," Lionel said, raising two fingers. "One: stay by my side and pretend to be my fiancée. Two: we kill him."
The weight of his words hit like ice water.
"If I choose the first, what do you gain?"
Lionel extended a hand, twisting his ring. The light inside the chest flickered. For a fleeting moment, Aisha saw her own shadow with Zaira's eyes.
"Do you really believe Sanathiel let you escape out of love?" Lionel whispered. "Maybe he took you away so you wouldn't remember who you truly are."
He leaned in, smirking once more.
A knock interrupted them. The staff entered to clear the table, efficient and silent.
"Anything else, sir?" asked the lead server.
"No. That'll be all."
As the door opened, Rasen appeared in the doorway, his red hood drenched in rain. Lionel remained unbothered but gripped his ring, activating a glowing rune beneath Rasen's feet, freezing him in place.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice your devotion?" Lionel asked, raising a check. "Thirty thousand euros… for spying on her? Or protecting her? How much is her life worth to you, protector?"
Rasen felt the paper between his fingers. The number was absurd —the price of loyalty.
"I don't want it," he growled, trying to return it.
Lionel clicked his tongue.
"Too late. You've already played your part."
The check burned in Rasen's hands. He shouldn't accept it, but the figure paralyzed him. Thirty thousand… for protecting her? He swallowed hard.
"Thanks," slipped from his lips —more disbelief than gratitude.
Lionel, with a polite but distant smile, added while adjusting his blazer,"You did well."
Rasen left, the opulent silence behind him louder than any words.
Later, in the shadows of the mansion, Aisha found a rune-inscribed earring between the shelves—just like the one Clear wore in Lyon. Her body brushed against Rasen's, a silent jolt. His warm breath grazed her cheek.
"The Lionel I met in the desert doesn't drink juice… he drinks blood."
Leaning casually in the doorway, Lionel observed the scene with a sardonic smile, enjoying the tension.
Aisha, sensing him, pressed her fingers to Rasen's lips, silently pleading for silence.
"My future bride and my best employee... How Shakespearean," Lionel sneered. "Do you know what beats inside the chest, Aisha? The price of your forgetfulness."
"Oh, sorry," Rasen answered dryly, pretending not to care. "Thought he was an intruder."
"He's not."
Frustrated, Rasen left, fists clenched at Aisha's silence.
"Thanks again, protector," Lionel added mockingly before closing the door.
At dawn, Lionel led Aisha to the airport, noting her anxious glances around.
"Let's take a little walk, Aisha."
The world stopped for a moment. Clear's hair tangled in Rasen's fingers. Their closeness. The amber glow on her neck. Something tore inside Aisha —rage, jealousy... or the confirmation that everything had shattered.
By her side, Lionel whispered,
"They made their pact… now we make ours. Choose your cage, Aisha."
Seeing Clear whisper something in Rasen's ear, Aisha nodded, tears of fury burning her eyes.
"Let's play the engaged couple," she said coldly. "But if you lie to me, Lionel… I'll tear your heart out before Arceo can, and walk away."