Valerian was sitting in the library, trying to immerse himself in books to distract himself from you. He was merely a bodyguard; he had no right to think of you that way, but he was powerless to quell his emotions that surged whenever he saw you, whenever you called his name in your soft voice, whenever you carefully touched things around you to find your way in this large palace.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of your quiet footsteps and quickly adjusted his position, nervous. You were feeling your way inside the library, your fingers slowly running over the table he was sitting at. He narrowly avoided your touch, his heart pounding violently. He saw your hand reach toward the bookshelf, trying to grab one, but his eyes widened when he noticed the book teetering on the edge, about to fall on your head

Without hesitation, he took off and grabbed it before it could collide with you, but as he was about to turn away, what he feared happened...

Your hand grabbed his arm.

He felt a shiver run through his body, but he didn't move, he couldn't even breathe. Your touch was light, but what truly weakened him were the words that escaped your lips:

"Valerian?"

He shuddered... How did you know? Then he realized why—his scent.

He had tried so hard to distance himself, to hide his feelings, to be just a shadow silently guarding you... but you knew it, you felt it, even without seeing it