Adapting to Nobility and Zane Reaction.

The transition from his humble life at the florist shop to the grandeur of the Ravenswood estate is a disorienting and challenging one for Leo. The towering walls of the mansion, the polished marble floors, the hushed conversations about titles and inheritances—all of it is overwhelming. The formalities of noble life, the constant pressure to uphold certain standards of behavior, leave Leo feeling out of place. He has spent most of his life with Elias, learning the simple art of flower arranging and the quiet beauty of nature, where the rhythm of daily life was steady and predictable. Now, he finds himself in a world where every action is scrutinized, where every word he speaks feels like it might be judged.

Leo tries to adjust, but it's hard to shake the deep unease that comes with being in a world so alien to him. He struggles with the expectations placed upon him—etiquette lessons, ballroom dances, formal dinners where every conversation is weighed and measured. He doesn't know how to navigate the intricacies of noble life. The gracious smile he offers at social gatherings feels forced, the polite bow he gives to his new family feels stiff. Though he desperately tries to keep up, a part of him remains stuck in the life he once had—the life where things were simpler, where he didn't have to second-guess every step he took.

More than anything, Leo longs for the peace he had at the florist shop. The smell of roses and lilies, the soft sound of leaves rustling in the breeze, the calming flow of time as he arranged flowers—it all feels like a distant memory. In the midst of the Ravenswood estate's opulence, Leo finds himself yearning for those quiet days, where his only concern was whether a bouquet was balanced or whether a flower was blooming in time. The grandeur of his new life feels like a dream, one that he can't quite wake up from or fully embrace.

He misses Elias, the steady, grounding presence who taught him the value of small, meaningful moments. At the Ravenswoods' dinners, where every gesture is scrutinized and every conversation has a purpose, Leo feels out of sync. He tries to mimic the behavior of those around him, but it always feels unnatural, like he's playing a part in a play where the script doesn't quite fit.

Though the Ravenswood offer him comfort—grand clothes, a beautiful room, meals that seem too lavish to be real—Leo feels like a fish out of water. No matter how much they offer, the weight of being in a world so different from his own only grows heavier. The distance between him and the family that took him in feels immense, not because they are unkind, but because Leo's heart still beats for the life he once had.

He can't help but wonder if he's been taken in because of his resemblance to their lost son, Thomas, rather than who he is. He has no memory of his birth parents, and the uncertainty of his true place in the Ravenswood family only adds to his confusion. No matter how much they try to make him feel welcome, there's always a lingering feeling that something isn't quite right.

More than anything, Leo wants to be true to himself, but he's unsure how to reconcile his past with the life that's been thrust upon him. The Ravenswood estate feels like a cage, and Leo often finds himself retreating to the garden, the only place where he feels a semblance of peace. Here, among the flowers, Leo feels a connection to the person he once was, the person who loved nature and lived a quiet, fulfilling life. But as the days pass, he can't help but wonder if he'll ever truly belong in either world—the world of the florist's shop that raised him, or the world of nobility that now surrounds him.

Confusion and Guilt

Leo's heart is a battlefield of conflicting emotions. The life he once knew, the life he shared with Elias, feels like it's slipping further away with each passing day. He feels an overwhelming sense of guilt that won't let go. Elias had been his father, his protector—someone who treated him with kindness and care when no one else had. How can he abandon that for a world so foreign, so full of expectations that seem to weigh him down at every turn? The Ravenswood are kind to him, yes, but the question lingers in Leo's mind: Do they truly love him, or do they love the idea of having their long-lost son back? Leo feels like an imposter in their world, as if he's been plucked from one life and placed in another, expected to fill shoes that he's not sure fit.

Every time Lady Evangeline smiles at him or the twins, Alistair and Sebastian, show interest in him, a knot forms in Leo's chest. He knows they're trying, but there's always this lingering doubt. He can't shake the feeling that, deep down, they're not loving him—they're loving the son they've been searching for all these years. Leo doesn't know how to fit into this new family. They are strangers to him, no matter how much they try to show him affection. And yet, he feels the weight of their expectations.

Then there's Zane. The feelings for him—raw and unresolved—still tug at Leo's heart. Zane, with his tough, guarded exterior, had shown Leo a side of the world he'd never known. In those moments when Zane had been there for him—when he'd protected Leo from the bullies and shared quiet, meaningful conversations—Leo had felt seen, understood in a way he never had before. Zane's presence had grounded him in a way nothing else had. Even now, far from the florist shop, Leo can't help but feel the weight of his connection to Zane. It's not something he can easily erase or forget, no matter how much time has passed.

Leo knows that part of him wants to let go of the past. He wants to embrace the security and comfort the Ravenswood offer. But the bond he shares with Zane, the way Zane had made him feel safe and valued, is hard to ignore. Zane may not have been able to provide the same stability as Elias or the luxury the Ravenswood can, but Zane had given him something that no one else had: a sense of belonging, a sense of protection. That connection is still there, and Leo isn't sure how to sever it or move past it.

How can he love and care for the Ravenswood part of him still holds on to the past—when part of him still craves the life he once had with Elias, and the way Zane had made him feel less alone? He doesn't know how to reconcile these two worlds: the world of privilege, wealth, and status that now surrounds him, and the world of love, simplicity, and understanding that Elias and Zane had offered. Leo feels torn between two identities, two families, and two lives, unsure of where he truly belongs.

Zane's Reaction to Leo's Adoption:

When Zane first hears the news of Leo's adoption by the Ravenswoods, the revelation hits him like a punch to the gut. At first, he's in shock, his thoughts scrambling to make sense of what he's just heard. He can't fathom how Leo—someone he'd grown so close to, someone who had been the one constant in his life—could just leave him behind for a life of luxury. For the first time in a long while, Zane feels completely helpless, overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions he doesn't know how to process.

The anger comes first. It burns through him like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path. He's furious—not at Leo, but at the entire situation. Zane had always seen Leo as someone who understood the harshness of life, someone who was still pure and untainted by the cruelty of the world. He thought they were in this together, two broken souls navigating the world side by side. But now, Leo is stepping into a life that Zane despises, surrounded by the very wealth and privilege that Zane's never had and never wanted. The thought of Leo, with his soft heart and innocent nature, being thrust into a world of manipulation and status—it feels like a betrayal to Zane, even though he knows Leo didn't choose it. It's like the Ravenswoods are taking something from him that was never theirs to begin with. Leo was his connection to something real, something human in a life that was otherwise cold and unforgiving.

And then comes the hurt. The raw, aching pain that claws at Zane's insides, making him question everything. Was their bond not enough? Did it mean so little to Leo that he could walk away from it so easily? Zane doesn't want to admit how deeply he feels the sting, but every part of him is bruised. He can't understand why Leo would choose a life like this over the one they shared, even if it wasn't perfect. Leo had been a light in Zane's dark world, the one person who made him feel like he wasn't completely alone. And now, that light is slipping away from him.

Zane refuses to let himself cry or show any vulnerability. He's too proud, too hard-edged for that. But deep inside, his heart aches with every thought of Leo becoming someone else's. He's angry at the Ravenswoods for taking him, angry at the world for making Leo believe he could belong to such a place. But most of all, Zane's angry at himself for not being able to keep Leo with him, for not being able to provide the kind of life that Leo now has, even if it's filled with things that Zane knows, deep down, don't matter as much as the bond they once shared.

It doesn't matter how much Zane tries to convince himself that this is for the best, that Leo deserves something better. It doesn't matter that Leo seems happy, or that the Ravenswoods truly believe they've found their lost son. All Zane can see is a world that will chew Leo up and spit him out, and Zane won't be there to protect him anymore. The thought of that, of Leo slipping away from his grasp, fills Zane with a sense of helplessness that he can't shake. He doesn't know how to move forward from this, how to reconcile the Leo he once knew with the boy who's now living in a world so far removed from his own.

Zane's not sure if he'll ever truly accept this, and in a way, he wonders if he'll ever stop caring about Leo. But for now, he holds on to his anger, his hurt, and the hope that somehow, Leo will remember him, even if they're worlds apart.

Zane Sneaks Into the Mansion

Late one evening, when the Ravenswood estate has fallen into its quiet routine, Zane sneaks through the back gate, careful to avoid the watchful eyes of the mansion's staff. His heart pounds in his chest with each step he takes, the cold night air sharp against his skin. He's been avoiding Leo since the adoption, his anger simmering beneath the surface, but tonight he can't take it anymore. The weight of the hurt, the feeling of being abandoned, has pushed him to the edge. He has to confront Leo.

With practiced ease, Zane slips past the servants' quarters and through the halls, silently moving toward the wing where Leo is staying. He knows the mansion by now, having observed it from the shadows over the past few days, waiting for the right moment. Zane doesn't care if he's risking trouble or making a scene. He's burning with a need to understand what happened to Leo, to find out why he's been left behind.

When he finally reaches Leo's room, he stops in the doorway, his presence almost ghostlike, a figure from Leo's past now standing in the heart of his new world.

The moment their eyes meet, the air thickens with unspoken words, a mixture of betrayal and confusion. Leo is caught off guard, his breath catching in his throat as he stands frozen. Zane steps forward, his expression twisted with a raw, desperate energy.

"You really think you belong here, don't you?" Zane spits, his voice thick with bitterness and hurt. "You think they really care about you? They don't give a damn about you. They're just using you because you look like their precious son. And you… you're just going to let them do that?" His words come out sharp, like knives, cutting through the air with the force of his anger.

Leo stands, shocked and trembling, the weight of Zane's words crashing down on him. His chest tightens as he struggles to find his voice, his mind racing to make sense of this confrontation. "I didn't choose this, Zane!" he protests, his voice small and fragile. "I didn't ask for any of this. It's not what I wanted." His heart aches as he tries to make Zane understand, but the words feel hollow in the face of Zane's fury.

Zane's eyes flash with something darker, and his control slips entirely. The walls he's so carefully built around himself crumble away, revealing the hurt and abandonment he's felt since Leo's departure. "You think you're better than me now, huh? You think you're too good for where you came from?" Zane's voice cracks, the emotion raw and unrestrained. "You're just going to forget everything, forget about me, and live like some noble? Like they're your real family?" His words are biting, but there's a deep ache beneath them, a feeling of being pushed aside, forgotten.

The air between them is thick with the pain of their words, both of them trapped in their own versions of reality, unable to bridge the gap between what they've lost. Leo's heart breaks as he watches Zane, this boy he once shared everything with, now standing before him, consumed by jealousy and anger he can't control.

"I haven't forgotten," Leo whispers, stepping forward as if trying to reach Zane, to pull him back from the edge of his fury. "I haven't forgotten you. But this—this is all so complicated. I don't know what's real anymore." His voice quivers, betraying the depth of his confusion and the tear in his heart as he watches Zane, unsure if they can ever be the same again.

But Zane doesn't hear him. The bitterness, the feelings of betrayal, have drowned out everything else. He shakes his head, his expression hardening. "You've changed. You're not the Leo I knew. And I can't be a part of whatever this is now."

The silence that follows is suffocating. Zane turns away, walking out of the room without another word, leaving Leo standing in the aftermath, his heart a heavy weight in his chest. The harsh words, the broken bond, echo in his mind as he tries to reconcile the loyalty he feels for Zane with the new life he's been thrust into.

In the silence, Leo is left heartbroken, lost between his past and his present, unable to fix the rift that now lies between them. He feels the absence of Zane like a wound, raw and painful, but he doesn't know how to heal it. All he can do is watch as Zane slips back into the shadows, and the door closes between them—leaving Leo to face the silence that lingers long after Zane's departure.