the morning air was cold against evie's skin.
she tightened her cloak around herself, shivering slightly as she slipped through the halls of the estate. her boots made almost no sound against the polished stone, but the place still felt too loud, too heavy with the kind of silence that buzzed under the skin.
she hadn't slept much. after sneaking out to mira's and ranting half the night, she'd stumbled back into her room just before sunrise. the few hours she managed were broken, restless, full of dreams she couldn't remember.
her reflection in the window told the story clear enough - dark circles smudged under her eyes, skin a little paler than usual. she looked like she'd been punched by exhaustion itself.
perfect.
she just needed to avoid running into anyone important until she could dunk her face in cold water and fake some semblance of normal.
of course, fate hated her.
because as she turned the corner into one of the main hallways - bam - she nearly collided straight into a wall of dark robes.
her stomach dropped. she staggered back a step, heart slamming against her ribs.
it wasn't just anyone.
it was claude.
he looked down at her, face blank, unreadable. the morning light filtering through the windows caught on the gold of his hair, casting a sharp, almost unnatural glow around him. his robes were immaculate, heavy and embroidered, but-
evie caught it immediately.
he looked... tired. not just his usual cold, calculating tired - there was a rawness to the way his eyes were set, a rough edge to his presence.
and worse, as she breathed in - there it was.
a faint, bitter smell clinging to him.
alcohol.
evie froze for half a second, blinking up at him.
then immediately cast her eyes down, pretending she hadn't noticed anything at all.
oh, gods above. kill me now.
"good morning, your majesty," she said quickly, voice a little too bright, too polite.
claude didn't respond right away.
he just kept staring at her, as if seeing something he didn't quite like. his blue eyes sharp, cold. dissecting.
the weight of his gaze made her skin prickle.
she tried not to fidget.
she failed.
after what felt like a year, he finally spoke, voice low and rough at the edges. "you look dreadful."
evie stiffened.
it wasn't what he said - she'd heard way worse - it was how he said it. no warmth, no teasing edge. just sharp, dismissive, like she was something beneath his notice.
a week ago, she wouldn't have cared.
but now...
now it stung more than it should have.
"thank you, your majesty," she said, flashing him a brittle little smile. "i do try."
his eyes narrowed slightly. almost like he was waiting for her to break.
evie straightened her spine instead, lifting her chin a fraction. she wasn't going to let him see it. she wasn't going to let him win.
she started to step aside, desperate to leave the hallway and breathe again, but then claude moved - not much, just enough to block her path without touching her.
YOU ARE READING
accidentally yours | claude de alger obelia
Fantasyone, she fell from the sky and into his arms-bloodied, burning, and already halfway gone. he's been chasing the smoke ever since. two, a monster hunter with too much magic. an emperor with too much power. they were never supposed to find each other...
