I had to do something about the anxiety surging through my body, so I picked up my phone as I waited for Raven to return. I replied to my parents and friends, letting them know I didn’t have time to talk, but assuring them I was okay. That didn’t stop them from flooding me with more messages, though.

  (Mom) What do you mean you can’t talk? Didn’t I warn you not to go radio silent on me?

  (Dad) Glad you’re okay, son. But your mom looks really intense right now. You should come home before she blows a gasket!

  (Mizuki) Thank you for letting me know you’re okay. But please tell me what you said to Raven.

  (Sensei Dioli) This has to be a publicity stunt, right? She’s so dedicated to her work! By the way, we were supposed to train today…

  (Cynthia) No time to talk? You better get back to me sooner than later. OR ELSE.

  (Eli) You’re one unlucky bastard, Shinsuke. You better give me the inside scoop on this whirlwind romance of yours later. Teehee.

  I’d learned my lesson about neglecting to let my friends and family know I was okay during radical situations, but I wasn’t about to send a billion text messages to each of them about what was going on. They would have to accept simple assurance for the moment.

  I also made a mental note to throttle Eli’s wise ass the next time I saw him in person.

  The second I put my phone down, I caught a glimpse of Raven sauntering back into the room. She had indeed shed her school uniform in favor of a black and dark gray dress, with long, black lace gloves that hooked around her middle finger rather than cover her hands and stretched up to just below her shoulders. The skirt of her dress ended in a lace hem that didn’t travel the full length of her thighs, while the rest of her legs were encased in black lace stockings that matched her gloves, but her feet were entirely covered, unlike her hands.

  It was an undeniably goth look that was as cool and stylish as it was startlingly attractive. It didn’t seem like she was forcing herself to dress to impress, either. She looked perfectly comfortable in what she was wearing.

  “I’m going to make us some tea,” she murmured. “Then we can sit and talk out on the terrace. Is that okay?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “Great. I’ll just be a bit longer, then.”

  She moved to the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove to boil. In the cabinet beside her, she shuffled through boxes of different flavors of tea.

  “I think I’ll have sleepy time,” she softly decided.

  “That sounds good to me.”

  She smiled and prepared a pair of teacups for us. I waited quietly, bouncing my knee rhythmically and trying not to stare awkwardly at her as she moved about the kitchen.

  ***

  The quiet miasma that threatened to smother me was dispelled at last by the whistle of the kettle. Raven poured the hot water into the cups she had set up for us and stirred them thoroughly. When she seemed satisfied with them, she set the teaspoon aside and took both cups in her hand.

  “Right this way, Shinsuke.”

  She guided me outside to the terrace and placed our cups across from one another on a table. The table stood right beside a glass pane that shielded the railing that fenced the edge of the roof. We both sat, and I got a full view of the Valport skyline below. It was already a breathtaking sight from inside the penthouse but overlooking the city so close to the edge of the building made it feel more like I was sitting atop an urban citadel than a high rise.

  Raven brought her cup to her lips and gently blew into it. She sipped a bit of her tea and sighed contentedly. “Delicious.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I followed her lead, using my breath to cool my drink before taking a sip of my own. “It’s really good.”

  She seemed pleased about my satisfaction and set her cup down. “Now that we’re more comfortable, I’d like to apologize again about the way today turned out. I think you should be the one to lead the conversation in light of everything. Ask me anything you like.”

  “Okay. Well, you said before that you’ve had feelings for me since you first saw me. When exactly did you first see me?”

  A blush crept upon her cheeks, and she smiled. “It was the press conference where the king announced you were going to marry the princess. You saving her life was all over the news, but when I saw you at that press conference, I was astonished.”

  Of course it was that press conference. Eli would be laughing his head off right now if he heard her.

  “You and everyone else, apparently. I’ll never live that outburst down,” I grumbled.

  “I meant it in a good way, you know. I knew immediately after watching you that you were someone special.”

  “I don’t get it. How was that your conclusion after watching that disaster?”

  “It wasn’t a disaster,” she objected. “It was inspiring.”

  She sipped more of her tea, and I did the same, knowing that my eyes were undoubtedly transmitting my confusion. She put her cup down and took in the city lights for a spell before continuing.

  “Being in this business is hard, Shinsuke. Especially at my level of fame. I’ve dealt with sleazy agents, backstabbing so-called friends, and I’ve lost count of how many stalkers I have.”

  Her expression grew despondent, and her distant, amethyst eyes met mine.

  “I’ve been playing pretend in more than just my movies, Shinsuke. These people that surround me are vultures, lying in wait to feast on my corpse. They haven’t killed me yet, but they’ve almost killed my love for what I do. But I can’t show it, so I’ve been trapped in this role as the perfect actress. Happy, grateful, humble. Yeah right.”

  She drank more of her tea, setting the cup down a bit harder than before when she had her fill.

  “I felt so stuck, pretending to be something I wasn’t. What choice did I have?” She paused and her demeanor changed again, this time to one that was warm and brimming with admiration. “That’s what I felt until I saw you on TV, Shinsuke. What you did that night wasn’t a disaster, it changed my life!”

  She’s getting a little intense…

  “By the sake of the gods, you stood up and rejected a princess on international television. You defied the will of the world’s most powerful royal family to their faces without a shred of fear! It was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen. It made me realize that I wasn’t trapped, that I could be the person I’ve been suppressing for so long. And most of all, it made me fall in love with you instantly, Shinsuke…”

  Her eyes were burning with a passion that would be impossible to miss even if mine were blindfolded.

  I had no idea what to say. I just wanted to fall out of my chair and off the side of the building. Maybe then I’d have awoken from what had to be a dream.

  “Raven… you don’t know anything about me. How can you love me?”

  “You’re wrong, Shinsuke. I know all that I need to—which is why I arranged to move to Valport immediately after that press conference was over.”

  “What?” I gasped. “The Steylian film industry is in Havenwood, right? That’s all the way in the province of Galitava! Did you seriously move all the way to Fabrea after seeing that?!”

  “I did,” she confirmed. “I was living there to be close to work, but I moved here so I could become your girlfriend. And I intend to make that a reality.”

  “R-Raven, I—”

  “Shh. It’s okay,” she hushed me. “I know I wanted an answer before, but you don’t have to reply right away. I’m here with you now, and since you feel that I don’t know you, I’d like to spend time with you. You can help me get to know you, and I can show you the real me. Then you can give me your answer.”

  What the hell do I say?

  On the surface, my response should have come easily. I knew nothing about Raven, and she knew nothing about me, despite her assertions to the contrary. Considering her romantic proposal didn’t make much sense given that fact. But she had uprooted her entire life just to be close to me. I felt both baffled and a little guilty over that. But besides that, I was intrigued by her. Something about her was drawing me in, and I at least wanted to understand how she could feel so much affection towards me over something as simple as inspiration.

  There was little harm in at least getting to know her.

  Right?

  I couldn’t believe myself, but I nodded and said, “okay, fine. Let’s get to know each other.”

  “I’m overjoyed, Shinsuke.”

  She was beaming as we finished downing the rest of our sleepy time tea. When we were done, she gathered the cups, and we went back inside. She rinsed them thoroughly in the kitchen sink as I stood beside her.

  “How the hell am I going to get home?” I caught myself thinking out loud.

  “Wear the disguise from before, I’ll order you a taxi and tell the driver to pick you up across the street. That way you won’t be mugged by any paparazzi that might be hiding out there.”

  “That’s a great idea, Raven.”

  She giggled. “You have to be crafty to survive when there’s cameras on you all the time.”

  “I may need you to teach me your ways with the way my life has been going lately.”

  She shut the water off and purred, “I’ll teach you anything you want to know, Shinsuke.”

  “Th-thanks.”

  She pulled out her phone and opened a ride share app.

  “I’ll give you my address so—”

  “No need, I know it,” she clarified.

  “You…do?”

  “I know everything about you, Shinsuke.”

  She smiled warmly, but my spine caught a chill.

  Huh?