137. Sweet failure
Marcelline reappeared in her villa with a soft ripple of space — quiet, controlled, almost like she hadn't moved at all.
The afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows, casting golden streaks across the polished marble floors. Her hair caught the light, glimmering faintly, but her expression… perfectly unreadable. Except for a faint, almost imperceptible smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips.
She remembered the hallway — Maximilian's sharp intake of breath, the heat on his skin as she had drawn closer, the flush on his face as she had toyed with him just enough to leave him helpless. That moment had been… enticingly sweet.
She didn't admit it aloud. Not to Leo. Not to anyone. But the thought made her lips twitch with restrained amusement.
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Leo appeared behind her, materializing in a ripple of light. He was her brother, and despite knowing her better than anyone, his eyebrows shot up.
Leo (confused, serious): "Elli… the teleportation—did it succeed? You arrived safely?"
Marcelline turned slowly to him, smirk still faint, her eyes glinting with the memory of Maximilian's flustered expression. She let a beat pass before speaking, her tone teasingly neutral:
Marcelline: "It… didn't exactly work as intended."
Leo froze, his brow furrowing.
Leo: "…Huh?"
Marcelline's smirk deepened slightly, almost devilish, as she crossed her arms.
Marcelline: "Let's just say I landed exactly where I wanted to… and almost didn't avoid detection."
Leo's face paled.
Leo: "Where… where exactly?"
Marcelline's gaze flicked briefly toward the window, imagining the hallway, the flickering seal, the air charged with danger — and Maximilian, utterly at her mercy.
Marcelline: "Near the sealed entity."
Leo's mouth went dry.
Leo: "…WHAT?!"
Marcelline allowed herself a quiet chuckle, almost imperceptible, though it carried a dangerous undertone. She didn't elaborate — he didn't need to know she had… enjoyed the chaos Maximilian's helplessness had created.
---
Leo rubbed his temples, overwhelmed.
Leo: "The seal… it should've held. You should've been transported safely. Why—?"
Marcelline turned her eyes to him, expression calm, voice soft yet piercing:
Marcelline: "The seal was cracking. It was about to break . As I teleported it sensed me and tried to break free the seal.
And I reinforced it… quietly. No flashy displays. No one saw. Not a thing."
Leo swallowed, incredulous.
Leo: "The entity… it sensed you?"
Marcelline's smirk vanished, replaced with a cold, calculating gaze.
Marcelline: "Yes. It recognized me. And now it knows I'm here. It won't stay silent."
Leo's breath caught.
Leo: "You revealed… your power?"
Marcelline's eyes glimmered with quiet amusement.
Marcelline: "A little. Barely enough to register.
No one saw. Nobody knows. It's… inconsequential."
Leo blinked, unconvinced.
Leo: "Elli, when you say 'a little,' it usually means—"
Marcelline cut him off with a small, devilish smirk, letting the memory of Maximilian's helpless, flushed face linger in her mind. She didn't say why that failure of teleportation had been… entertaining. Only she knew the truth.
Marcelline: "…It's under control."
Leo exhaled shakily, but his concern didn't fade.
Leo: "If the entity's aware and searching… things are escalating rapidly. Afternoon, you said? That means it has the whole day to…"
Marcelline turned toward the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, her figure tall, elegant, and commanding.
Marcelline: "Then let it search. I'll be ready."
Leo hesitated, glancing at her.
Leo: "And Maximilian?"
Marcelline's lips curved faintly, but this time in thought rather than teasing. She remembered the heat, the tension, the way he had been completely at her mercy — and how little of herself she had actually revealed.
Marcelline (softly, almost to herself): "He won't stay away…
Even if I try."
Leo nodded slowly, understanding.
Leo: "Then you prepare the barriers. I'll help. But be careful — if the entity goes berserk…"
Marcelline's smirk returned, sharper this time, eyes glinting with danger and anticipation.
Marcelline: "…Then it will find out just how dangerous I can be."
The afternoon air trembled lightly in the villa, power coiled beneath her skin. A calm before the storm.
And somewhere in the distance, the entity stirred, aware that the game had begun.
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