[System Quest: Sleep in the Crown Prince's Chambers]
Objective: Remain in his private suite overnight. Maintain your role as his fiancée. Bonus affection if Heart Rate Sync is triggered.
Risk: Emotional collapse if past trauma resurfaces. Caution advised.
Timer: 10 hours remaining.
Evening — Crown Prince's Private Wing
The royal guard opened the carved ebony doors.
Selene stepped inside… and nearly turned back.
His chambers were darker than she remembered. Towering windows overlooked the moonlit cliffs. A single hearth flickered. Everything smelled like him — clean, cold, sharp.
Kaelion stood near the bed, removing his gloves slowly.
"I'll sleep on the chaise," he said flatly.
Selene said nothing.
But the system had other plans.
[System Alert: Special Event Triggered: "True Proximity Required"]
New Objective: Sleep within 1 meter of the target. Failure will result in Quest Penalty: -15 Charm, -10 Affection.
She turned to him with a smile too sweet.
"Actually, we'll share the bed."
Kaelion blinked. "That's unnecessary."
"It's strategic," she replied, settling onto the edge. "The nobles are watching. If a servant talks, our engagement fails."
He stared for too long. Said nothing. Then sat beside her.
Later That Night
They lay on opposite sides of the bed. Backs turned. Breathing too carefully.
The silence burned.
Finally, he said, "You haven't asked why I accepted."
Selene didn't move. "I don't need to."
"I wanted to control the narrative," he muttered. "I didn't expect to feel…"
She turned her head. "Feel what?"
Silence.
[System Notification: Heart Rate Sync Detected. Emotional Threshold Exceeded. Kaelion Affection: +26 → +32]
Then softly—so softly—
"…Relief," he said.
Selene's breath caught.
[System Alert: Emotional Vulnerability Achieved. New Passive Unlocked: "Bonded Thread."]
She closed her eyes.
And for the first time since her return…
She didn't feel alone.
But hours later—when the moon reached its peak—
Selene awoke to the system screaming:
[WARNING: FOREIGN CODE DETECTED]
SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS…
Authorizing Emergency Protocol: Soul Link Engagement
Warning: This was not supposed to happen yet.
She sat up in the bed—
And saw Kaelion glowing with the same mark that once branded her the night she died.