୨୧⠀⠀ALICE DEROSS,⠀Journalist.

Alice’s restlessness was nearly impossible not to notice — even the most inattentive person would have realized how, that week, she couldn’t seem to focus on anything. Her fingers were always fidgeting, and her lower lip was constantly caught between her teeth.

She was in the living room, Orpheus sitting on the sofa, reading one of his own books, while she stared at the piano. “You seem rather absent from this world, Miss Journalist.” the novelist remarked, his eyes never leaving the pages. But when he heard the door open, he looked up.

A short, low chuckle escaped his lips as he saw Alice almost immediately stand up the moment she saw you enter the room. He did the same, giving you a brief nod before walking toward the door. “I believe I left my notebook in my room. Excuse me.”

The journalist was speechless — something that happened often when she looked at your face. You returned her smile. “I’m fairly certain Mr. Orpheus knows about us.”

“Well, he enjoys a bit of drama and romance...” Alice blinked, surprised by the firmness in your tone. You took a step forward.

One of her hands rested on the piano, while the other reached up to touch your cheek. Her breathing was heavy — not with fear, but with anticipation. Her lips brushed against yours, her eyes closed, while yours widened in surprise at her sudden boldness, so unlike her usual shyness.

When you parted, she lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, yet a small smile on her lips. “Would you mind if I visited your room tonight?”

୨୧⠀⠀MELLY PLINIUS,⠀Entomologist.

You were in your room, rummaging through every cabinet, piece of furniture, and object in sight, searching for an old notebook — your travel companion ever since you’d arrived at the manor. You could’ve sworn you hadn’t taken it out of the room, but after checking so many places and still coming up empty-handed, you were beginning to think your own mind was playing tricks on you.

You left the room, a bit irritated with yourself, hoping to run into the butler — maybe he had found the notebook while cleaning. Yet even the old man hadn’t seen the elusive bundle of pages.

“I’m terribly sorry, miss, but I don’t recall finding anything of the sort,” he said. “I’ll be sure to let you know if I come across it.”

With that, he excused himself and left. Melly cleared her throat — you’d entered so preoccupied with your missing item that you hadn’t even greeted her. You opened your mouth to speak, but the entomologist cut you off. “Why don’t we check the greenhouse? You spend quite a bit of time there too, after all.”

Oblivious to the thoughts circling in the brunette’s mind, you followed her. She opened the door, gesturing for you to go in first — and you did. She didn’t wait for you to turn around; with a soft kick, the door shut behind you, followed by the distinct sound of keys.

You looked at the entomologist in mild surprise, but Melly ignored it, removing her hat and the veil that covered her face, tossing them onto the table — the same table she pushed you onto seconds later. Parting your legs, she stepped between them, feeling the light pressure of your thighs against her waist. “Melly, the others—”

⋆⠀Frederick grew up carrying more burdens than he could handle. His father’s rejection, combined with his disorder, instilled in him a constant need to distance himself from others to feel “safe.” The disappointment of realizing he didn’t inherit the natural talent that ran in his family’s veins didn’t help either, and his paranoia only worsened over time.

⋆⠀His perception of the people around him is always the same—neutral, if he even cares enough about them to give them any space in his mind. So, when you were introduced, Frederick was polite and brief, treating you just like anyone else who had entered the manor.

⋆⠀His thoughts about you only began to change after you confronted Orpheus for overstepping into matters that were none of his business. At first, Frederick assumed you were just a people pleaser trying to lower his guard. However, later that same day, he overheard you chatting with Alice and Melly once again, telling them about how you were against being so impolite and disrespectful.

⋆⠀The closeness between you two didn’t happen overnight, but small gestures and actions here and there gradually allowed you both to feel at ease in each other’s presence. He listened to you, engaged in normal conversations, and stopped giving short replies just to end the discussion. He even waited for you to arrive at the table before starting to eat. For others, it was surprising to see Frederick interacting without being defensive, though they simply assumed it was a budding friendship.

⋆⠀In the beginning, that’s all it was. Frederick wasn’t exactly thrilled about having someone he could call a friend, but he wasn’t upset about it either. When he realized his feelings were changing, though, he tried to deny them to himself. Yet, seeing how futile that was, he was left with only one option: acceptance.

⋆⠀Being in a relationship with him can be complicated. Even if he trusts you, he’s unlikely to let you know much about his past—unless it directly affects your relationship. The thought of you abandoning him is something he cannot bear, and he is willing to do anything to prevent that, from killing to opening up about some past traumas.

⋆⠀Frederick’s paranoia is no secret. He feels not only jealousy but also a deep-seated anger toward anyone who dares to take your attention away from him. He firmly believes that people have ill intentions when they approach you and wants you to believe that as well. And if you dismiss it? Oh, God, either he’ll manipulate you with tears, or he’ll accuse you of betraying him.

⋆⠀If you ever get upset with him, he’ll send romantic letters, dedicate songs to you, and do things straight out of a romance novel. Part of these actions can be a sincere apology; the rest, although, can also be just an attempt to make you forget whatever mistake he made.

୨୧⠀⠀FREDERICK KREIBURG,⠀Composer.

"How much longer do you plan to avoid me?" a voice asked behind you. Turning around, you saw Frederick leaning against the doorframe, his eyes watching your every move, barely blinking.

You stayed silent for a few seconds. "You told me it was better if no one knew about our relationship." He took a few steps toward you, his usual serious expression on his face—except for a slight pout. "You really are confusing, Mr. Kreiburg."

"It's Frederick to you, and you know it." He grabbed your chin, preventing you from moving—not that you would, anyway. "You seemed quite happy while talking to that novelist."

You blinked, and a genuine smile formed on your lips. As if reading your thoughts, he frowned. "It's not jealousy. It's about you preferring someone else's company over your partner's."

He didn’t wait for a response, his hands gripping your waist as he pulled you closer, his lips crashing against yours in an almost desperate kiss. You stumbled slightly, but his hands held you firmly in place.

When you finally broke apart, after what felt like hours, to catch your breath, he didn’t stop. Instead, his lips trailed to your neck, nibbling at your skin.

"Visit my room tonight…" you managed to murmur, fighting the soft moans threatening to escape. Frederick paused for a second.

"No," he said, pulling back to look at you. "We’ll… talk here, though I won’t refuse your invitation for later." The composer tilted your chin up, giving you one last kiss, unsurprisingly far from gentle. "Now, don’t act like you don’t know what I want you to do. We have plenty of time and privacy without your "friends" around." he said.

୨୧⠀⠀NORTON CAMPBELL,⠀Prospector.

As soon as your feet touched the grass again, you were pulled back into the stable. Your eyes widened, teeth ready to sink into the hand covering your mouth—until your memory recognized the gloves.

When you stopped struggling against his grip, your boyfriend turned you around, his hands now holding your waist. His sulking scowl softened into a sly smirk when he noticed how startled you were. Before you could scold him, he pressed his lips to yours, pushing you against the wall.

"Hush, now. That stupid scientist is stealing all the attention that should be mine." he muttered against the kiss, his leg slipping between yours and spreading them apart.

"She’s an entomologist," you corrected him, gripping his shoulders. You swore with every passing second that you would push him away, but your body refused to obey. That is, until his hands left your waist and moved to your zipper.

"Enough." Your chest heaved as you fought to catch your breath. "You’ve had your fill, haven’t you?"

Norton grumbled, resting his head on your shoulder and giving your neck a light bite. "I don’t understand why we can’t just act like a couple." You stroked his hair in a small gesture of comfort. "Let’s just get the money and leave this place, go to some place where I can actually fuck you whenever I want, without having to wait for the time those idiots to get distracted."

୨୧⠀⠀ORPHEUS,⠀Novelist.

You were just passing through the stable, checking its condition, when you were suddenly pulled into one of the stalls. Orpheus didn’t even give you time to process what was happening before kissing you without hesitation.

His arm wrapped around your waist, while his other hand cupped your chin. You couldn’t bring yourself to break the kiss, let alone resist, your own arms encircling his neck and pulling him closer.

Pausing the kiss, he smiled. "I missed your lips." His face then leaned into the crook of your neck, burying itself there and taking in your scent. He began trailing kisses down your neck, drawing a soft sigh from you.

His arms pulled you closer, gently lifting you slightly to bring you closer to his height, resuming the kiss. It grew rougher and more passionate with each passing second.

His hands slid up to your shirt, undoing two buttons before you caught his wrist, giving him a teasing smile. “Where are your gentlemanly manners, hm? Aren’t you going to recite poetry in my ear first?”

“Haven’t we moved past that stage?” he asked, sucking the skin on your neck hard enough to leave a mark. “Besides, it’s been so long since I’ve had some quality time with my beloved. Are you really going to blame a man for loving?”

୨୧⠀⠀LUCHINO DIRUSE,⠀Professor.

He’s a demon in your life. Yes, most of the time he helps you and always prioritizes you—which causes some disagreements with the other teammates when he ignores them and ruins a win just to assist you. But that doesn’t mean he’s exactly... normal as a partner.