5: I Won.

Eve.

"Watch him. He’s unpredictable." My father once said

Too late for that warning, Daddy.

I sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed again, watching Flavian put his shirt back on in silence. The air between us felt heavier than it had any right to. Neither of us had spoken for several minutes. The only movement in the room was the slow, deliberate way he fastened each button, as if the simple act required all of his concentration.

I should have felt triumphant. Or ashamed. Or angry. Instead I felt strangely hollow, as if something important had been taken out of me and nothing solid had replaced it yet. My hands were steady when I smoothed my clothes, but my thoughts were not. They kept circling the same quiet realization: there was no version of this night that could be undone.

Finally he turned. His expression was unreadable, calm in a way that made my pulse quicken for an entirely different reason. The softness that had been in his face earlier was gone. In its place was the version of Flavian the rest of the world usually saw: controlled, distant, and completely certain of himself.

“This never happened,” he said flatly. “Do you understand me?”

I met his eyes and held them. “It did.”

“No.” He stepped closer, voice low and controlled. "Now you listen, princess. I'm no subject of yours... as a matter of fact I'll live every day to make sure you never succeed Keaton, the sooner you back out the better"

“Threats,” I said. The word came out quieter than I intended. “Finally honest.”

“I know my brother.” He didn’t raise his voice, but something in it sharpened. “Don’t let his soft words convince you an outsider can wear the crown. It has never happened. It will never happen. The last person who tried still has his skull on display in the family museum.”

I knew the museum. I had walked its quiet halls more times than I could count when I was younger, trailing behind my dad while he pointed out portraits and artifacts as if they were lessons. I had seen the skull—polished, mounted, sitting in its glass case like a warning no one ever explained out loud. The reminder landed heavier than I expected. For a moment I couldn’t think of anything clever to say.

“I’m not an outside dear uncle...,” I said eventually, quieter than before. “Your brother made that clear years ago.”

He almost smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

"Everyone has freedom to shape their own reality. However the repercussions are inevitable my sweet girl." He spoke with more amusement in his voice while chuckling.

"Uncle... I know it's your birthright to take over from your brother however daddy dear has made it official... your only options here is—"

I opened my mouth. The reckless part of me was already forming the words, marriage, alliance, anything that might force a different ending and bind him to me in a way he couldn’t easily escape. He cut me off with a single look

"To eliminate me. But you can't since the reasons are clear as day to us...othwrwise...Marry me." I declared

Yes yes... the only way to settle this amicably is marriage.

My lips parted again to back up my last statement but in time he slipped his fingers in, pushing to the back of my throat until I couldn't breathe, the urge to puke stirred at my throat.

"Silly girl. You don't get to say that. You don't get say A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G. like I said the sooner you back out the better, you have a future anywhere else but in this family." His words were harsh yet his fingers caressed my cheek carefully.

"Now princess, for the sake of peace...This night never happened. Got it?"

Yes it did happen.

Yes you fucked your own niece.

Yes you are my rival... Yes you crossed the line... yes I won't let you go scot-free.

He finished dressing in silence. When he reached the door he paused with his hand on the handle, as if he might say something more. The moment stretched. I waited, half hoping he would turn back, half hoping he wouldn’t. He didn’t. He simply opened the door and left without a backward glance, as if the woman on the bed had already ceased to exist.

I stayed where I was long after the door closed. The room felt larger without him in it. Only the quiet remained, and the slow, steady realization of what I had just done.

I stood, smoothed my clothes once more, and walked to the window. Outside, the estate lights glowed against the dark. Somewhere in this estate my father still believed the future was already decided, meanwhile Flavian has decided that I, Eve, was undeserving of that future.

I rested my forehead against the cool glass and closed my eyes for a moment. The night air pressed against the window. My reflection looked calmer than I felt.

What was done could not be undone.

And I had no intention of pretending otherwise. Let him try.​