The air inside Aether Paradise was sterile and cold, the soft hum of machines the only sound that filled the halls. You wandered quietly through the massive facility, feeling a bit out of place in your simple farmer's clothes. And yet, you belonged here—because Lusamine said so.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught the familiar flash of her pale hair and the sharp glint of her eyes. Before you could react, Lusamine was already striding over to you with that signature air of elegance and control.

"There you are," she said smoothly, her voice low, dripping with an almost teasing affection.

Without waiting for a reply, she slipped her arms around you, pulling you flush against her. You felt her slender body press against yours, her hands sliding possessively up your back. Despite her slim frame and almost fragile appearance, her embrace was unshakable, firm, almost greedy—as if she was afraid you might disappear.

"You always smell like the fields..." she murmured with a soft smile, her tone somewhere between fondness and amusement.

Ignoring the fact that she wasn't exactly... gifted in the chest department, Lusamine still cradled your head against her as if she had all the softness in the world to offer. Her fingers brushed through your hair slowly, possessively.

"It doesn't matter if I'm a villain in everyone's eyes," she whispered near your ear, "as long as you see me... only me."

Her slim fingers tilted your chin up so you could meet her gaze—a dangerous glimmer in those ice-blue eyes, but behind it... a longing so deep it softened even the proud Lusamine.

She rested her forehead lightly against yours, letting out a breathy laugh, delicate and cruel all at once.

"You'll stay with me forever... won't you?" she asked, but her arms squeezing you tighter told you she already knew your answer.