(Y/n) precisely focused her meticulous hands as she wiped down the cleaning liquid on the shiny window surface. After clearing away the dust particles and miniature specks of debris that resided on the smooth glass, she huffed with fatigue before immediately beginning to scrub away at the floor until the carpet began transitioning into the most pristine condition it's ever appeared in.

Since her arrival, her motivation and determination to pour as much work and attention into her job as possible had drastically increased. All her mind was allowed to focus on was her intent regime. Meanwhile, the stagnant worries and disquieted crevices of her mind were shoved away to the very back of her head. It gave her a synthetic sense of pacification as her anxiety was hampered from emerging. With making sure to clean the desk chairs and tables in the room, right after dusting every corner and almost unreachable areas of gathered particles, the environment seemed to transform into a completely renovated room.

As her hard-bristled brush dug into each strand and tuft of the carpet, she used all her strength to scrub away any impurities before dunking the brush back into the watery solution. When she neared finishing the soft layer of the ground, she was allowed to feel the strain and lactic acid built up in her active muscles, causing her arms to slightly burn. She ignored the soreness and continued finishing off her work without presenting much care to her fatiguing body.

(Y/n) released the breath inside her lungs once she finished off the last corner of the ground cover. The girl took the moment of rest to gather her last scraps of stamina. When the female tried to stand herself up, she immediately felt her knees giving up on her and forcing her to stay back down. Even after using the wall as a supporting structure, she was barely able to grip on with her tired hands before sliding to the floor again.

She damned herself once she realised the dilemma weighing on her. 'Not getting a second of rest last night and then planning on overworking myself for today is really starting to backfire.' As she made a last attempt to heave herself into her feet, she experienced a searing pang in her head. As though her brain had tripled in weight, the girl felt her mind pressing her to the clean floor.

Running on the last bit of energy, her body refused to endure any more strain, causing her to lean her form against the wall where she felt the first sense of rest in a long while. Despite one part of her mind protesting against her functions shutting down, another voice inside her was soothing her with the promise of serenity and rejecting any more subjection to labour. Eventually, she was led to simply relax her aching structure and welcome the warmth of the radiating sunlight that began peeking through the spotless windows. The thermal radiation replicated the sensation of covers wrapping around her stilted form, keeping her comforted and content with the atmosphere.

Her consciousness began fluttering away, feeling a slow shutdown of her motor functions, the worker was left to indulge in her more tempted side. 'I'll just take a rest for a few minutes...' As her resolve began drowning in her state of exhaustion, the girl completely embraced her needed break as her eyelids automatically closed to grant her the privilege of sleep.

A delicate scent of spices and freshly mixed goods circulated through the air. A light clinking symphony resonated into the muffled hearing of the resting body. As the peace in her blank mind began echoing with chinks and her senses were invaded with the new smells, her consciousness began stirring.

(Y/n)'s eyes slowly began opening. As her vision became unobstructed, her attention was drawn towards the items being placed in front of her sedated body. After her eyesight managed to clear away the drowsiness, her concentration developed, allowing her to witness the scene in front of her.

Looking towards the ground, she noticed hands laying down a plate of freshly prepared food in front of her. She stared at the delectable meal for a few seconds, realising how large her appetite had become after not being in the mood to stomach anything. Her eyes trailed up the arms of the individual that granted her the polite offering, only to find one of the unlikeliest males to be performing the courteous gesture. "Padraig?" The name didn't seem too correct to be associated with the implicit actions, however, her eyes were wide awake after making the discovery.

The boy stared back at the bewildered girl, standing immobile once he made eye contact with her. "Aha!" He triumphantly declared, catching the girl off guard as he confirmingly pointed his index finger at her with a big self-indulgent smile. "You were awoken by the smell of my delicious cooking! You can praise me as you see fit!" Crossing his arms and standing up tall and straight, he victoriously waited to hear the girl's reaction.

"What are you doing?"

Padraig couldn't help but grumble at the response that didn't highlight his deed, but remained composed as he turned to regard her. "I'm giving you food. Isn't it obvious?" He sternly declared, maintaining his haughty manner while the girl could just stare with even more confusion to the scene.

"Why?"

The newcomer seemed irritated by the question, aggravated over what he would admit to himself before even a word could escape his mouth. "Because I had a plate of food I didn't want and decided to give it to someone." He snapped, turning his back to the girl so as to avoid their eyes meeting.

(Y/n) began analysing the logistics of his answer before she was left in further puzzlement. "But this study room is quite far away from the kitchen. Even if you thought of me, you'd definitely find someone else along the way to give the food to." She loudly thought to herself, intending most of her break down to be evaluated by her. The female's analytical explanation caused the boy to stiffen as his mind began panicking and hoping for her to dismiss the rest of her theory. But before he could even finish his prayer, the girl curiously turned her attention back to the boy with a pondering question. "Were you voluntarily looking for me?"

"Just eat the damn food!" He bit back, glaring at the girl to set the subject aside to comply with his wishes. (Y/n) rolled her eyes at his finicky mannerisms before proceeding to take the cutlery that leaned onto the plate.

She looked at the vibrant, cooked vegetables and sizzling fish fillet decorated in different spices with sharp and subtle aromas. The girl was surprised to witness the amount of effort that was put into the dish and proceeded to separate a piece away to place it in her mouth. Upon tasting the pristinely prepared food, the girl came to a downhearted realisation as she tried to taste the delicious consumables. The, what would have been a meal fit for a restaurant, didn't leave a trace of substance on her taste buds. Even after trying each separate ingredient piled on the plate, she was left simply chewing at a tasteless texture. Her senses seemed dulled out and disinterested in indulging the girl in flavours that could stimulate her happiness, while her hunger no longer seemed to be a motivating factor for her to eat. She wished she could associate the lack of substance with simply inadequate cooking but she was too aware the problem was with her.

Padraig noticed the downfallen expression on the girl's mellow features and immediately began experiencing a moment of panic in his mind. His paranoias forced to wonder if he had inaccurately prepared the goods. The male's mind became catatonic, his heart pounding at the prospect of decreasing the girl's fondness towards him and leaving a bad impression on her. "What? Don't you like it?" He exclaimed in a rush, approaching the girl to assess how much damage had been done.

Instead, (Y/n) slowly shook her head to deprecate the boy's misunderstanding. "That's not the problem. I'm sure the food tastes good but...I just can't taste it that well..." She sadly declared, losing her appetite for the cooking she was afore enthused about.

The worker wished that her sense of taste was the only thing affected but couldn't deny the dullness that consisted all around her. Every colour that the world presented to her was muted and monotonous through her tired eyes and all her feelings and mind seemed numb and had to be forced out to give a raw emotion. With such a jejune outlook, she felt incapable to experience life in the same way again. Looking towards her company's crestfallen visage, she felt a strike of guilt at her inability to give a proper opinion.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not that hungry." She politely declared, pushing the plate away. The boy shoved down the feelings of frustration and great disappointment, trying to remind himself of his worth compared to her own.

"I don't care..." (Y/n) glanced towards her company who held his sights away from her, coveting his true internal reflection as a cold voice seeped out of his lips. "I don't care. You can throw it away for all it's worth." He bitterly stated before turning towards the door. The female tried to quickly figure out any sort of sentence that would revert the boy's temperament but remained speechless as he made a thorough exit out of the room.

(Y/n) gazed down towards the food she wished she could fully savour. As she thought over the male's gesture, she couldn't help but feel mellow at her rejection of his attentive presentation. Especially considering his usual mannerisms. Sighing at her predicament, the girl reassessed her situation and considered the dish.

After contemplating for a moment she picked up the utensils once again and began consuming the food. Driven by her insensitive display, she silently took down the goods with the only solace that it didn't have a foul taste to deter her.

(Y/n) placed the now empty dish inside the sink along with the few other porcelain plates and silverware. She gave Chef a polite and thankful smile for obliging to clean her share of the platter before shuffling out of the kitchen.

As she entered the silence of the corridor, the female could sense the skin on her back tighten, netting through the rest of her body as her senses were drawn on high alert. Her eyelids began rapidly blinking as her eyes darted around the lifeless area, searching for as peck of evidence that would justify her alarmed reaction. She scrunched her brow in a perplexed expression, staring ahead of herself and stilling her progress in expectancy for another figure to come onto the scene and reveal that her paranoia had substance.

However, her presence was not accompanied by another, leaving her to ease her clenched shoulders and muscles into a more relaxed posture. As she breathed out her uneasiness, the skin on her arms began pricking and sending jitters coursing through her limbs and body as she felt the touch of fingers sliding from her wrists, through the length of her arm, to rest on her shoulders. (Y/n) spun around at the unprecedented contact to face a smirking face.

"Did I scare you, sweetheart?" A cheerful tone chirped as his dark blue eyes played with her form where his mind frolicked with her image in ways which his body was denied to. Lilito's wolf-like grin accentuated his intended mischief that did not sit well in her conscious.

(Y/n) exhaled a shaky breath as she pointed the boy with an irritated glare. "Where did you come from? How did you even sneak behind me?" She begrudgingly uttered, steering her body back towards the corridor as she expected her questions to be answered with the smallest regard from the male as possible.

Lilito chuckled at her bewilderedness and edged closer to her. "I've got skills in many areas that might surprise you." He boastfully informed, playfully sawing his body as he circled the female to assess her. (Y/n) slightly reverted back at the predatory behaviour and sharpened her senses out of reflex.

"Did you want something?" She uncertainly questioned, standing her ground while the household member eyed her with consideration.

"Oh, I want a lot of things from you." He cooed, obfuscating the intentions behind his tone before finally coming to a stop in front of the girl. She watchfully stared at him as the obscurity in his actions made her feel vulnerable and disadvantaged.

"Is it going to take long? I still have a job to do..." She warily dismissed, earning a light chuckle from the esoteric boy who relished in her confusion.

"You can give me a smile." He humoured, lifting the girl's dropped chin up where she paralleled her features with his own. Lilito watched her with amusement as a sceptical shadow lay across his expression. "You seem very distracted by something." As his assumption left his lips the girl defensively gave him a silent scowl, trying to create an invisible wall between herself and her interrogator. However, he simply scoffed at her hampering attempts while gently dragging his finger across her jaw. "I can read your body like a book. I've made sure to pay very close attention to every fibre, every movement, every expression, every gesture and habit you make." (Y/n)'s eyes hardened as her brow converged in a disapproving glare. "Something heavy is weighing down on you."

"That's all assumption..." She finally answered, maintaining her voice steady and passive with her quiet response.

"Hmm?" He melodically hummed, displaying how lightly he was taking her excuse. Lilito slowly glided his fingers against her flesh as he lowered his hand to her neck where he inspectingly trailed across the area. He soon stopped as he pressed his thumb against a certain indicative artery that displayed her internal dilemma to him. "Your pulse is abnormally fast. Am I getting onto something?" He playfully quizzed, intending the question to be more of a knowing statement that revealed how open the female was to him. Lilito proceeded to give a small gasp of hyperbolised realisation while the girl could only reservedly scowl. "Oh wait, I think I already have a hint of what the issue might be." The young worker froze on the spot, her concerned eyes focusing on the boy while she chanted in her mind for him to completely drop out of the conversation. Trying to communicate her objections with her gaze, Lilito either remained oblivious or dismissive of her subliminal hopes. "So, how is your mother? I heard she had an accident yesterday. Is she doing better?"

"I need to go." (Y/n) darted her sights to the ground as she attempted to step past the male and proceed with her day with the intention of forgetting about the interaction.

"But we're mid-conversation." Lilito lightheartedly cooed, grabbing the female's arm with more clamour than his vocals would reveal "Come on, don't ruin the mood." The male jested, forcing her to stand in front of him again.

"What do you want?" (Y/n) aggravatingly questioned, losing all motivation to hold her patience with the vehement boy.

"I want to see you happy." A sweetened voice seeped into her ears while a hand reached up to prop her head up by her chin. "I want to make you happy, (Y/n)." He earnestly informed with a promising gaze. Lilito slowly traced her cheek while his eyes held a glimmer of fixation as they reflected the girl from them. "I want to make all your troubles disappear. Everything that is occupying your mind will be thrown away the moment I enter it." (Y/n) stared at the boy as her mind processes each action and word, feeling a hand slide around her waist to pull her closer to the ecstatic male. "Just put your trust in me and relax." The soft tone melted into her ears as Lilito proceeded to minimise the gap between their faces by leaning in to capture her lips and seal her in the moment.

"Disgusting."

The boy's immediately senses all colour drain from his face as his previously rushing blood that courses with delight stopped in his veins. Lilito reeled back to stare into the grimacing expression of the appalled female. "Why did you just use that word...?" He questioned in an attempted joking tone, trying to lower the intensity of the remark.

"You're disgusting...how low can you be?" She simply responded with evident disapproval and disbelief lining her words.

"(Y/n)?" Lilito called her name, trying to comprehend the complete turn that the situation had taken and gazed at her with fear of where the conversation was going. (Y/n) proceeded to shove his hand off of from her face and step out of his enveloping arm to glare at him from a distance.

"Are you serious?" The question was injected with disbelief and disapproval while she tried to comprehend the presumptuous nature of her pursuer. "Are you seriously that horrible that you'll take advantage of my emotional vulnerability?" Lilito's expression faltered as he was left speechless and susceptible to the girl's assumptions.

Attempting to bring a lighter tone to the mood, he tried to reassure the girl with a dismissive grin. "(Y/n), come on now, that's not-"

"If you thought I was upset then why would you try to entice me with the promise of making me feel better?" Lilito fell silent as he felt his own eyes straying to meet the girl's line of vision before the worker shook her head with deep disdain for the male's intentions. "I thought you were better than that." The house member in question quickly shook his head as he approached her, trying to catch the girl's words before they could permanently be cemented into the conversation.

"No, no! You've got it all wrong. I was just playing around. I never even directly stated I wanted to do anything like that with you. The joke was in bad taste, but I had no intention of taking it that far." He bluffed, intending to exchange the truth. However, even his dishonest attempt did not sit well with the girl.

"You joked about my mother's accident? It happened just yesterday, that's beyond insensitive." Realising the pit he had found himself into, Lilito halted any desperate delusions of tries before her daggered gaze could become sharp enough to really cut him.

"Please, (Y/n). Don't look at me like that..." Surrendering to the inescapable loop he had created for himself, he retreated in on himself as he apologetically stared to the ground. (Y/n) watched his silent form, assessing his crestfallen structure that no longer held the confidence and charisma from his previous state.

Her quiet glare analysed the situation, considering his words and his usual mannerisms. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she calmly but sternly regarded him. "Last chance." Lilito dared to direct his vision towards the girl with suspended relief and shock. "This is your last chance. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time and believe you didn't mean any offence with that. But be careful with how you talk to me the next time we see each other." Her cold voice seeped into the boy's subconscious, leading him to heed the statement into his heart. Before she could regret lending him a chance, she proceeded to walk past him, her departure being carefully observed by the stoic male. Before fully leaving the area, she paused her steps to give him the last few words that scratched her mind. "At least respect my feelings. Think of somebody else for once."

Lilito did not take his eyes off her, even after she had exited the scene he continued staring at the open space where her body was last scene. His bent posture did not fix itself as all he could do was reassess his behaviour and approach to tempting the girl. Placing a hand over his chest, he tried to soothe the ache of grief and regret in his heart where it yearned for his attempts to have been fruitful. Even his lungs were unable to completely inhale a satisfying breath of air.

He pondered over her words as all of them struck daggers into his guilt. 'Think of somebody else for once...' He repeated to himself. He afforded to scoff at that remark as it was the only statement that didn't seem to make sense to him. 'That's the problem.' Lilito proceeded to touch his own neck as a surrogate to the desired body he yearned to hold. 'All I can think about is you.' Bitterly remarking in his head, the male proceeded to shake the thoughts out in an attempt to clear his mind.

(Y/n) shook her head to dilute her sour mood and clear her thoughts before she could fully continue the rest of her chores. She proceeded to knock against the door that held the destination to her next task behind it. There was a moment of hesitance for a few seconds after her call and (Y/n) was almost tempted to repeat the action, had an irritated voice not resonated from within.

"What do you want?" Padraig's irascible tone exclaimed out, causing the girl to internally wince at his unwelcoming coldness.

"I came to clean your room. Remember?" She tried to soften her speech and lift the mood but she could practically feel the malicious aura radiating from within the moment her presence was fully confirmed.

"Come in and be quick." She heard his snappy vocals permit. (Y/n)'s gaze fell to the ground in reflexive shame before entering the room. Her eyes were reluctant to focus on the condemning presence that lay beyond her vision and had to force her entire head up in order to catch sight of him.

Upon stepping inside, she noticed the boy sitting at his desk, facing away from her. He remained unresponsive to her presence while the girl shuffled into the room with only the clinks of her washing equipment being heard. As she settled her tools down and began evaluating what should be cleaned inside the room, the cleaner was too aware of the suffocating thick air that resided in her surroundings, intending to make her experience more irksome. Looking over to the busy boy she noticed his hands sporadically drawing and writing as though he were releasing all his frustration and anger on the piece of paper, with his pen being the weapon of emotion.

She felt slightly bad for leading him to that state and thought in her mind of what she could do to melt away some of the frost of spite in his heart. Before she made any move to perform her her tasks, she slowly approached the aggravated boy to check his state.

"Hey Padraig, how's it going?" Her curious, sweet tone lingered over the male but he objected to answering her. (Y/n) sulked at the bereft energy in the boy's reaction. Lightly massaging her fingers in her agitated state, she understood the problem that had to be addressed. "Padraig, I'm sorry I rejected your food. It was a very kind gesture and it wasn't your fault that I found it hard to eat." Padraig continued distracting himself with the work on his desk, swiftly replacing the piece of paper he had filled up with his pen, with a blank one. (Y/n) gave another attempt at bringing him to her level of understanding and hopefully filling in the cracks she had caused. "I ate it in the end. Every last bit of it. So that shows that it wasn't the food itself that was the problem." Piping up with optimism the girl was responded to with the same distant treatment as before.

Padraig continued focusing on his own business as he did not even send the girl a glance or regard for her attentive explanation. "As I said: I don't care. You can do whatever you want with it." He remarked, completely disregarding her words as he proceeded with his own work.

(Y/n)'s mood slightly simmered as she tried to compose herself and switch her tactics. "Listen at least before you judge the situation. Just hear me out and I won't try to persuade you on anything." Her level and nurturing tone resonated with the boy as he did not create eye contact with her but stopped his movements to illustrate he was regarding her with his ears. "I don't know what's wrong with me...but I just couldn't really get a good sense of taste. It feels like my body has completely shut down all enjoyment since...-" She caught herself before she could exposit too much information and felt her heart tightening at the reminder. Taking a moment to compose herself, she shook off the unsettled feeling to continue. "I'm currently going through something rough in my life at the moment and I'm only starting to realise how it's affecting me now...I don't want you to actually feel bad for something that is my issue. So I'm asking you to understand."

Padraig remained unmoving for a few moments before he replayed the girl's explanation in his head and subtly jolted at an indicative line. "Something rough in your life?" As a realisation began to seep in, different kind of emotions began replacing the spiteful ones. "That's..."

(Y/n) quickly waved off the caught line before she was forced to delve into it. "Don't worry about it, it's something personal. I'd rather not involve anyone into it." The sculptor's body slowly sagged as an awareness began to blur his conscience.

"I see..." Silently replying, the male proceeded to slowly progress with his own work on his desk. "It's alright...You're just a commoner so I don't care really." His conceited mannerisms began shimmering through, relieving the girl at his returning pompous attitude. She curiously approached him to witness what had his attention so engrossed and stared at the piece of paper he was filling out.

"What are you doing over there?" The once blank sheet had been quickly filled in with small sketches of poses and anatomy trials that were intended to be guidelines. There were a few mathematical calculations based on the angles and amount of material required to fill in the volume of the figure scribbled all around each shape, as well as occasional footnotes and comments to accompany each failing style. "Are you sketching another statue? Looks complicated."

"It's a bother, that's what it is. Lately I haven't been able to perfect my crafts and make an exquisite design like usual." He complained with exaggerated angst before propping his forehead up with his palm. "It's like my head is clogged with junk and worthlessness."

(Y/n) switched her gaze from the conflicted male back on the drawings to comment on their aesthetic. "You're right. It doesn't look interesting and appealing at all."

"What did you say?!" Padraig immediately snapped, puffing his chest out and stiffing his shoulders in defiance. "It might not be as perfect as all my other creations but any creation of mine is a work of art." He glorified, facing the female for the first time since she had entered the room. "How dare you say that? Why did it even come up?"

"Because I know you can do so much better." At her simple reply, the artist's attitude was put on a standstill as he stared at her with surprise. "I'm not going to sit here and blow up your ego by saying every statue and design you've made are masterpieces. But when you get it right, you get it damn right." Padraig wasn't able to respond to the comment verbally but instead felt his body heating up as the surrounding air suddenly became stuffy for him. "Gilbert is my personal favourite. I can tell how much work you put into him. Effort resonates with the audience." The boy averted his gaze away before he could get caught up in the moment and proceeded to focus on his table work.

"My mind just feels so clouded..." He muttered with irritation. His head felt cramped and heavy as though smoke was lingering just above his brain.

"Well, keep this in mind then." (Y/n) began, bearing the male with an assuring smile. "Behind every dark cloud, the sun is waiting right there. And eventually, it will shine through." She optimistically informed. Padraig was caught off guard by he nurturing statement and found his eyes straying away from his crafts to place all focus on the girl. (Y/n) lightly scoffed before fluttering her fingers over the hypnotised male like smog hovering above his conscience. "Don't worry Prince, you'll be experiencing storms in your future so a few dark clouds will just be a minor obstacle-" The worker was stunned into silence as she felt her hand getting gently clasped in a hold. Padraig stared at her limb, entranced by its solid state and to who it belonged to for it to seem so valuable to him. As he found himself distracted with memorising each detail contour of her hand, the girl piped up at the peculiar behaviour. "Padraig?"

The boy immediately let go of her after realising his actions and hesitantly turned his attention back to the desk. "Go do your work now. You're distracting me..." He excused, suppressing his eyes from rolling towards his company. (Y/n) only raised an eyebrow at the confusing reaction but proceeded to do as she was suggested.

"I am not doing this." (Y/n) simply stated, looking up to her next area of concern.

"I told you since the beginning to clean the mirror. It's about time you got onto it." Padraig retorted, having little concern over the girl's opinion on the topic.

The female stared up at the relflective glass positioned above his bed and pondered at its mere existence. "I'm going to completely bypass the question of why you even need it and say that it's a mirror attached to the ceiling facing down. There's no possible way dust can gather." Her logical analysis began picking away at the boy's patience as he began straining with irritation.

"Just clean the thing and you can go." He stated, commanding the task in hopes of elongating the girl's time around him.

"But the chance of it being dirty is as good as Gennai giving to charity." (Y/n) informed, assessing the item in search of a method to its execution.

"Just clean the damn thing!" Padraig snapped.

"I don't know how! How do I even reach up there?"

"I'm pretty sure even you have a brain, now use it!" His aggravated shout didn't hold much weight to the female as she still remained unconvinced to perform the task.

"Fine, if you're that insistent I'll come back later to check up on how I can clean it." After her promising return, the male was left in a dilemma while he watched the female collecting her supplies with the intention of leaving. "I'll see you later then."

Padraig stared at her form that was making its gradual way towards the exit. His head began brewing and panicking at the idea of losing her from his sights. 'Going?' The thought of her departure caused his body to run cold as his mind searched for a solution to the crisis.

(Y/n) spun around as she heard a thud against the carpet, only to notice a glass of juice tipped over on the floor. As the coloured liquid slowly soaked into the soft surface, her cleaner habits got the better of her, causing the worker to momentarily step away from the door. The glass lay near the male's feet, indicating it had dropped from his desk due to a supposed accident.

"Oh, sorry..." Padraig's glib tone uttered as he carefully watched the girl return for the fresh stain.

"Don't worry about it. It's my job." She assured him before kneeling down in front of the damp spot with a sponge.

Padraig couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at her return as her company triggered many pleasant reactions in his head. The content was only bettered by her remaining beside him on the floor. To the male, the scene seemed much more representative as he was allowed to indulge in his guilty pleasure without admitting to his craving for his urges. 'That's right. You're below me.' He reminded himself, noting her descended position beside him where she remained at his feet while he watched her like a hawk from a vantage point. 'Yes, I can remain happy like this. I don't have to admit anything to myself and the pecking order won't be broken.'

His satisfaction for their placements only lasted until the male became enamoured by her comfort and presence. As he watched her it became more strenuous to compose himself. When his patience deteriorated, he slowly reached out his hand towards her head where he could stroke her hair and assure himself she was a solid living figure that remained beside him. A living reality that brought both peace and discord into his mind. All he required was a single touch to convince himself she was nowhere else but by his side.

(Y/n) whipped her head around to stare up at the boy next to her. She watched his distracted form busily scribbling and scribing down notations on his papers, inside his own bubble of privacy. She blinked a few times with a perplexed gaze before lifting her hand up to stroke her head. The young worker could have sworn her instincts warned her of a ghost of a touch until she had broken out of her concentration.

Shaking her head to dismiss the occurrence, she stood herself up and placed the now empty glass back on the table to finalise her finished task. "Alright, I'm officially done here." She proudly declared, only itching the male's reasonability even further.

"You're leaving?" He quietly interrogated, carefully analysing her as she prepared to separate from him.

"Yeah, I still have the library to clean up." She informed, approaching the door once again while her back was being drilled into by a pair of eyes. "And then I promised Giovanni I'll visit him to sort out a cake I wanted."

"What?" Padraig's breathless question was filled with malevolence and spite, feeling completely dejected as she placed another above him.

"I'll talk to you later. Wish you the best of luck with your work-" As the girl politely bid him her farewell, she didn't have time to touch the handle to the door before her entire form rattled and shook as her body was shoved against a wall. Her hands reflexively reached up to clench the wrist that belonged to the male who had wrapped his fingers around her throat in a bafflingly secure and strong hold. The grip was not tight enough to strangle her or block her airway but performed exceptionally in holding her in place and restricting her movements. "Padraig, what-?!" (Y/n) exhaled out but was interrupted as a loud, abrasive voice jittered her to the bone.

"Are you mocking me?" His furious exclamation exploded through the room, causing the restrained girl to freeze in shock and fright. "You would rather spend your time with him rather than me?" Insulted by the mere idea, Padraig's glare became unwavering and pointed as he maintained eye contact with the intimidated female. "It's because you think I'm unimportant, isn't it? That I'm below someone like Giovanni. I'm not even prioritised in your eyes!" His anger was unlike his previous frustrated outbursts. As though a personal cord had been plucked and snapped to create the explosion which evaporated through his every pore like a toxic gas.

"What are you talking about?" (Y/n) managed to question, hoping to rescind his deliriousness and grasp an understanding of what had caused the pent up aggression.

"You!" He growled out, finally releasing the identity of the one plaguing his mind from his heart. "You consider me as low and nothing, don't you?" His captive could only gawk with wide eyes, petrified to even input to his delirium. Even if she had the freedom of her joint to shake her head it would be in her better judgement not to provoke the boy with any gestures. "To you, I'm just another random person that you can forget about. To you I'm the commoner, isn't that right?!" Hysteria lined his tone as he became convinced of his suspicions while the female could not make sense of the ambiguous and confusing statements.

"Padraig..." She finally attempted to send her voice out and reach him to bring any sort of sensibility that still remained in him.

However, her quiet words did not register in his senses. "I'm above you!" His statement held more purpose than simply convincing the girl of his truth. His violet eyes held a wild reflection in them, kin what the girl had witnessed from Akai's behaviour. "You should be honoured I even allow you to stay in my presence. You're the one privileged to be with me, do you understand?" As his fingers stiffened, the girl could feel the great strain the boy was enduring for the sake of not strangling her with his tense grip.

"Padraig." Attempting a second time to stir him out of his frenzy, she stabilised her tone only for it to completely pass over the boy's head.

"I won't let you make an idiot out of me. I won't let you grasp onto my judgement with your words." Upon uttering the reminder of what had caused his change of heart in the first place, the male almost immediately softened as he was reminded of who he was facing. Recalling back to their shared moments, he couldn't help but dissolve as he thought back to what made him question his reality. "Your smile." His gaze lingered on her lips for a while as he took the time of temporary composure to gather his breath from his raging claims. But before he could lose himself and his sensibility, it felt as though another voice in his head was chanting to him his suspicions and accusations. "Your actions...it's all just pity and lies. I won't let you control my conscience then decide that you would rather be with someone else. I won't allow it. I won't allow someone of your class to humiliate me like this." Lightly shaking the girl by the throat, Padraig stepped forwards to close the gap between them and take his anger to be witnessed right up close. "You will know your place, and then I'll be the one telling you who you'll be with. And I'll make sure you don't complain about it."

"Padraig, you're scaring me." (Y/n) finally managed a level and loud enough tone that was soothing but stern enough to catch a reaction from the boy.

"Scaring you?" As though realising it for the first time, Padraig breathed out in surprise and intrigue as his enraged face contorted to one of shock. (Y/n) couldn't believe his bewilderment to the idea that she would be intimidated by his display, and had to reside in staring back at him.

The pair heard a knock from the door as a newcomer made himself present. It felt as though time began to move once again and reminded the girl that there were more people in the world beside her and her aggressor. "Master Padraig, I have some information on your delivery."

Padraig's muscles eventually slacked, giving the female a chance to tear herself away from him and run to the door. Nori jumped back as the frame swung open for the young worker to dart out of the room and sprint away from the scene. The older man stared at her running figure before deciding to enter the chambers in search for answers.

"Master Padraig, why was-?" The staff member muted himself when his eyes fell on the boy who was staring at the hand that had ringed around the girl's delicate neck, and recalled back to her words. "Master Padraig, is everything alright?" Nori's concerned tone seeped through, catching the already surprised boy off guard.

The sculptor simply stared at him with a blank expression as the male seemed to have temporarily forgotten the man's identity, much like the reality he had stepped out of for a split moment. "Yes, Nori. Everything is fine." A small smile etched itself on his expression as realisations he had denied made themselves facts to him. "Everything is clear now."

Authors Note:
Do you like this story? Did you like my other story? Well, a very kind fan of mine ( AlexandraLeshae  ) created an Amino based around my writing and I feel obligated to share this with anyone interested. If you like my writing and stories then feel free to join the 'Infatuation' group where there will be discussions on all my stories, events, fan art, polls and anything you would like to share with me. I will be there too of course and will remain as active as possible. So if you like to interact with me on a more personal level and have more 'in-depth' talks with other awesome readers then do feel free to check it out and support the creator of the Amino. The link will be on my profile.

This is also a chance for me to say thank you so much for all the fantastic support from everyone, and I'm always so glad to hear that my story is being enjoyed. Enough with chatter, see you in the next chapter.