Darkness.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then—
I inhaled sharply.
Cold floor.
Again.
"…I feel like a flower," I muttered, eyes still closed. "A very delicate one."
A pause.
"Fainting twice a day."
I opened my eyes.
Still on the floor.
Still alive.
Tragic.
"Well," I sighed, pushing myself up, "consistency is important."
"Sir."
I turned my head, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"If you have concluded your… beauty sleep," he said smoothly, "I would suggest we evacuate. Everyone has already left."
Of course they had.
"And Madam is waiting for you."
A pause.
"Along with your sister."
Sister.
The word meant nothing.
"I have no memory of any sister."
"Would you like a DNA test, sir?"
I glanced at him. "You'd do that?"
"That decision is above my authority."
"Really."
"Not really."
…
I made a face. "You're annoying."
"Thank you, sir."
"…That wasn't a compliment."
"Noted."
I exhaled. "Fine. Lead the way."
"Of course. Please follow me."
—
We walked.
Too long.
We stopped in front of a blood-red door.
A guard stepped inside.
Came back.
"You may enter."
—
Two women sat on the sofa.
One was cold. Controlled. The kind of presence who could sentence someone without fighting a finger
The other—
looked like she'd enjoy it.
The second she saw me, she stood.
Turned slightly, flashing the first woman a teasing smile—
Flirtatious.
Then walked straight toward me.
Fast.
Her hand came up—
aimed straight for my face.
I caught it.
She tried again.
Blocked.
Again.
Blocked.
Punch.
Kick.
Head.
All stopped.
Clean.
She froze.
Then clicked her tongue.
"Bastard," she said. "Don't tell me you're not pretending this time ."
"I am pretending."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"Then why didn't you let me hit you?"
I stared at her.
"…Why would I let you hit me?"
"Because you idiot," she snapped, grabbing my collar, "who said we were supposed to stay low."
Her grip tightened.
"For at least one more month."
…
I tilted my head.
"That sounds like something I'd never say."
"Liar, It is something you said," she shot back. "And then you went and burned a whole city."
A pause.
I blinked.
"…I did that?"
She laughed.
Short.
Sharp.
"Oh, don't act surprised now."
She shoved me back.
"Plan was set. Timing was set. Everything was set."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And you just had to play screw it all up one month early."
I straightened slightly.
"If I did it early," I said calmly, "then I probably had a reason."
She went still for a second.
Then scoffed.
"Yeah. You always do after all you are superman with red underwear ."
A pause.
Then casually—
"Oh, and I'm your sister."
I looked at her.
"How am I supposed to believe that?"
She smirked.
"We look identical."
"I don't remember how I look."
A beat.
"And I'm pretty sure my sister had blonde hair with green eyes."
Her eye twitched.
"Don't confuse me with two of your ex-girlfriends."
And then—
from behind me—
soft.
Polite.
But something under it—
sharp.twisted.dangerous.
"So the first thing you remember… is your girlfriend?"
I turned slightly.
He stood there, exactly the same as before.
Composed.
Calm.
But his eyes—
were different.
Burning.
Intense.
Not casually anymore with killing intent even visible under those thick glasses.
…
I blinked.
"?"