Ren woke up to the soft glow of the lantern flickering against the wooden walls of his room in the Underwood manor. It was night.
He could feel other people in the room, and he could feel the dull ache in his limbs as he stirred. His head was heavy, but his mind was clear.
The moment he shifted, he was immediately smothered in warmth as Lilith wrapped her arms around him.
"You’re awake." She breathed, squeezing him tightly.
Ren coughed, as he tried to draw breath. He was saved by Elias putting a hand on Lilith’s shoulder. "Easy, Lilith. You’ll kill him at this rate."
Lilith pulled back, inspecting him with misty eyes. "I almost died myself when you fainted. I’ve never felt more relief from hearing that someone fainted from blood loss. Do you have any idea how terrifying that was to watch?"
Thorn chuckled from where he leaned against the wall. "She’s been pacing since we got back. You’d think you died."
Elias sighed as he took a seat beside the bed, crossing his arms. "You took a beating out there. How do you feel?"
Ren stretched his fingers. "Sore. But I’ll live."
Lilith huffed, brushing her fingers across his forehead before pulling away, though the concern in her eyes remained. "Luckily, your wounds were not that serious. You won’t have to eat as much later."
"The healer treated your wounds, but you need to be careful. You’re lucky your body recovers faster than normal thanks to your Bloodbinding. But until your blood is fully replenished, you won’t be able to fight at full capacity."
Ren exhaled. "Well, as long as I recover before the tournament’s first match."
"You’re still fighting in the tournament?" Lilith’s voice rose. "In this state? You already have a million gold coins. What more do you need?"
Thorn smirked. "A Rank 5 artifact."
Ren chuckled before shifting slightly. "That reminds me. What happened with Vesper? And my winnings?"
Elias leaned forward. "Vesper tried to run off but Prince Anders took charge and personally ordered the palace to enforce the wager. Every last belonging of Vesper’s has been seized."
"They’re still counting everything, and as expected, he doesn’t have nearly enough liquid funds to cover the bet. So now they’re confiscating assets. If his family can’t pay the full amount, they’ll use land and titles."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "And the palace?"
"They’ll take a cut for enforcing it." Elias answered. "But you’ll still get the bulk of the winnings. You might just be one of the richest people in the kingdom by the end of the week."
Ren smirked. "Now that’s interesting."
Lilith poked his arm. "You should be focusing on recovering."
Ren chuckled, reaching up to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I know. But first, thank you."
"Aaaand that’s our cue." Thorn drawled. He and Elias shot them grins before strolling out of the room to give them privacy.
"You idiot." Lilith turned back to Ren. "Why are you even thanking me? For what?"
"For not interfering." Ren smiled at her. "I know how much you wanted to."
She sighed, shifting closer. "I almost did. When I saw you bleeding, I wanted nothing more than to rip Roger apart myself. But… I believed in you. And you proved me right."
"Well," Ren smiled softly, "I’m glad to hear it."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before a distant rumble of thunder caught their attention. Before long, the sound of rain reached their ears.
"It’s raining!" Lilith squealed, standing and rushing to the window.
Ren smiled at the view. He knew how much Lilith loved the rain. He stood and joined her at the window, where she was stretching out her hand, trying to catch any droplet of rain that fell towards them.
Ren said nothing, standing behind her as they watched the rain, listening to the comforting pitter patter of it.
Then, Lilith’s eyes lit up as she turned to him, a hint of mischief appearing in it. "The festival is still going on, even in the rain. Let’s go. Just the two of us. Let’s go dance in the rain!"
Ren blinked. "Lilith, I just woke up. I fainted from blood loss."
She huffed. "And you’re awake now. You can walk, can’t you?"
Ren hesitated. "Of course I can, but—"
"Then we’re going." She said with finality, a playful grin on her face.
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Ren sighed, knowing there was no winning this argument. "Fine. But if I collapse, I expect you to carry me back."
Lilith smirked. "Deal."
They waited a few seconds to make sure neither Thorn nor Elias was storming in to stop them. With that confirmed, they sneaked out of the window, laughing like young kids.
They stepped into the rain with laughter and in a few seconds, were soaked to the bone.
"Let’s go!" Lilith grabbed Ren’s hand, dragging him with her. Together, they slipped past the guards and scaled the fence.
As they moved closer to the outer city, the streets were still alive with celebration despite the rain. Lanterns glowed through the mist, and laughter filled the air as people embraced the storm, dancing and drinking without care.
Ren shivered, even as he laughed. "Why did I agree to this again?"
Lilith laughed, twirling in the downpour. "Don’t worry! You’ll change your mind in a moment!"
As she pulled him into the streets, the energy of the city wrapped around them. The music was louder here, people spinning and singing as they celebrated. The stone roads shimmered beneath the rainfall, and for a moment, everything felt like a painting.
Lilith tugged on his hand, spinning him toward her. "Dance with me."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You just want to see me embarrass myself in the rain, don’t you?"
She grinned. "Absolutely."
With a chuckle, he gave in, letting her guide him.
They moved through the streets, slipping between dancing couples, their soaked clothes clinging to their skin. They laughed, the world around them momentarily forgotten.
Then, everything shifted.
There was a gust of wind.
A shadow appeared behind him, and before Ren could react, a knife plunged into his chest.
Pain exploded through his body as the blade buried itself deep, straight through his heart.
His breath caught, the world tilting as he staggered. Blood spilled down his soaked shirt, mixing with the rain. Lilith’s eyes widened in horror, her mouth opening to scream—
And the world faded to black.