Bonus Lingering Glance

I'm editing the rivalry paths, and I hate how much I love this version of Alessa's "enemy" relationship 😩. The bickering is so much fun.

This is the version in which you haven't choked her. If you have, that conversation goes a lot differently.

With Hadrian, I just love his overall confusion whenever you're remotely nice to him 😆. The man is so kind; he can't quite forget how he considered you a friend/crush not too long ago.

---

You lift an annoyed eyebrow at the woman. "No need to take it away," you gruff. "I heard you just fine."

"You speak as if that is reassurance," Alessa retorts, and to drive the point home, she slides the candlestick all the way to her side of the table.

You glare at the thing. "You're being ridiculous."

"I am simply safeguarding it."

"You're trying to annoy me."

"'Twas not I who proposed to share such a simple task." Alessa leans her hip on the back of a chair, raising her chin at you. "If it was not to sabotage me, why have you offered?"

1) You narrow your eyes. "Perhaps I wanted to keep you company. Have you thought about that?"

2) You scoff, turning away. "Whatever it was for, it's a mistake; it's what it was."

-

There’s a beat of silence, and then, to your surprise, Hadrian huffs a bitter laugh. "What do you want to say to me, ${Name}? That you agree with him?"

"No," you say flatly. "I wanted to tell you that I think it's bullshit."

Hadrian blinks. He looks at you with furrowed brows, clearly doubting, but you simply stare back until he’s forced to believe it. "Uh..." Hadrian clears his throat. "Thank you."

You nod.

Silence falls. The kind that weighs on your ears. "We should go," you say, shattering it.

Hadrian falls into step with you, sending you little surprise glances when he thinks you aren't looking.