accidentally yours | claude de alger obelia

a new song for an old heart

claude stood by the window, staring out into the darkness as the last traces of sunlight faded behind the horizon. the estate was quiet, still, but even the calm of the night couldn't settle the restlessness gnawing at him.

he didn't know why he had asked her.

it was a question he never usually bothered with. he didn't care about the personal details of others' lives. not the courtiers, not the servants, not anyone. yet when it came to her-evienne-it had come out without thinking. and it troubled him. why her? why now?

he turned his gaze to the dimming sky, the stars beginning to pierce through the black velvet above him. he should be thinking about the matters of the empire, the things that actually mattered, but instead his thoughts circled back to her. to evienne.

she was nothing like diana.

diana had been like the sun-radiant, warm, and ever-present. her red eyes had been soft like the petals of a rose, full of warmth and understanding. she had carried an effortless grace, a brightness that seemed to fill every room she entered. people had flocked to her, drawn to her light, and claude had always felt like he was standing in the shadow of her brilliance.

but evienne...

evienne's eyes were like blood-sharp, striking, and unyielding. when she looked at him, it was as if she saw right through him, not intimidated, not impressed. just... unbothered. where diana had been the sun, glowing with warmth and light, evienne was the moon-distant, cool, and yet somehow just as mesmerizing. she didn't shine with the same gentleness; her light was colder, more calculating, more like the harsh gleam of silver in the dead of night.

claude didn't know why he cared to think of it like this. he wasn't someone who made comparisons. but with evienne, he found himself doing it almost against his will. she wasn't like anyone he had ever encountered, not in the way she carried herself, not in the way she spoke, nor in the way she didn't bend before him like everyone else.

his fingers tightened on the edge of his desk, irritation bubbling beneath his cool exterior. why had he asked her about herself? why had he needed to know anything? the question had slipped out, and yet it hadn't been a question of curiosity. it had been something else, something deeper, but claude couldn't put his finger on it. maybe it was the way she held herself, with that stubborn defiance, or maybe it was how she always acted like she had something to prove, something to hide.

but what bothered him more than anything was how she had reacted. the way she had dodged his inquiry, deflecting with that familiar smirk, that casual snark. there was something about her that intrigued him-something he didn't want to acknowledge. it made him feel... unsettled.

diana had been open, her warmth wrapping around him like a blanket, offering safety and care. but evienne? evienne's presence was a challenge, a riddle wrapped in contradictions. she wasn't easy to figure out, and that made her frustrating, but it also made her interesting.

he let out a sharp breath and pushed away from the desk, pacing the room as his mind raced. everything about evienne seemed to break the patterns he was used to. she wasn't a servant who feared him, wasn't a noblewoman who'd been raised to submit. she was... different. and he hated that she kept lingering in his thoughts, even when he tried to focus on his duties.

he remembered the way she had stood in front of him, eyes narrowed and defiant, like she was daring him to ask again. it had been infuriating, yet at the same time, oddly satisfying. she didn't need his approval. in fact, she didn't seem to care for his opinion at all. and that was... rare. most people in his empire cringed before him, eager to gain his favor, to remain in his good graces. but evienne? she made no such effort.