Sebastian has always been expressive, that smirk forever playing at the corner of his mouth, that quick, easy wit that fills a room like firelight. But this? This is different.

He’s almost… dreamy. Distracted. The kind of distracted that makes him forget to mock Garreth’s latest exploding cauldron or even glance toward the duelling circle he usually dominates.

You notice it first in the Undercroft. He’s sprawled on one of the old sofas, hair mussed, eyes unfocused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You know,” he says suddenly, “Adelaide, she’s just remarkable, isn’t she?”

You nearly drop your gobstone, even Ominis blanches with confusion.

He continues without noticing, voice soft and reverent. “The way she says my name, Merlin, it’s music. And her hair, did you know it smells like rosewater? Of course you didn’t. Why would you?” He laughs a little too loudly, utterly oblivious to how your expression tightens with dawning horror.

You open your mouth to speak, but he barrels on, utterly enraptured. “She’s so kind, too. I told her about my work in the catacombs, and she actually listened! Said I’m brave, can you imagine?” His grin is absurdly wide, eyes glazed in a way that makes your stomach drop.

That’s when you notice it, the flask protruding from his satchel. You've seen it before, Adelaide uses those exact flasks to store her potions. And suddenly, it all falls into place, your stomach dropping when you see the rim of the flask sparkling with a faint pink shimmer.

Adelaide has actually managed to slip him a love potion. And Sebastian, rule-bender, top dueller, sits before you starry-eyed and hopelessly bewitched.