Chapter 6: Waking Up With A Hangover… And A Problem

Chapter 6: Waking Up With A Hangover… And A Problem

I woke up the next morning with one clear thought.

I am never drinking again.

My head was pounding, my mouth was dry, and worst of all…

I remembered EVERYTHING.

The ball.

The dance.

The accidental flirting.

The tackling of the final boss.

I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head. Maybe if I pretend to be dead, my problems will go away.

"Good morning, my lady!" Lila chirped, pulling open the curtains.

Betrayal.

Sunlight attacked my poor, suffering soul.

I groaned. "Lila, please… let me perish in peace."

She ignored me. "You have letters!"

The Aftermath (a.k.a. My Social Reputation Is In Flames)

Lila dumped a stack of letters on my bed. I peeked at them with dread.

"Lady Seraphina, how dare you steal the attention of our noble men?!" (Wow, rude.)

"The way you collapsed into Duke Blackwood's arms was scandalous!" (Excuse me, that was gravity's fault!)

"Are you truly engaged to the prince, or do you love the duke?!" (WAIT, WHAT?!)

I flipped through the rest—all gossip, all ridiculous, all disastrous.

Lila fidgeted. "Umm, my lady… about Duke Blackwood…"

I froze.

Oh no.

A Certain Dangerous Duke…

I slowly turned to her. "What… about him?"

Lila gulped. "He sent you… a letter."

Silence.

A letter. From Damian Blackwood.

I snatched it with trembling hands.

Inside, one sentence.

"Come to my estate today. I expect you by noon." —D.B.

I stared.

Lila stared.

We both screamed.

The Emergency Plan (a.k.a. Panicking Like an Idiot)

"WHAT DO I DO?!" I shrieked.

Lila paced. "We could fake your death!"

"Too much effort."

"Run away to another country?"

"Too expensive."

"Tell him you lost your memories?"

I gasped. "Genius. I'll pretend I don't remember last night!"

Lila nodded. "That might work!"

Spoiler: It did NOT work.

Damian Blackwood's Estate (a.k.a. My Funeral)

I arrived at his terrifyingly grand mansion, shaking in my heels.

The butler escorted me in.

The moment I stepped into his office—

Damian Blackwood was waiting.

Tall. Dark. Dangerous. And looking far too amused.

"Seraphina," he greeted smoothly. "I was beginning to think you'd run away."

I forced a very fake smile. "Me? Run? Pfft. Nooo."

He leaned back in his chair, studying me. "You seemed quite bold last night."

I gulped. Abort mission. Abort mission.

I cleared my throat. "Actually, funny story! I don't… remember anything!"

Silence.

Damian just… stared.

Then he stood up and slowly walked toward me.

I backed up. "S-So, uh, if I said or did anything weird, just ignore it! I was completely—"

He stopped in front of me, smirking. "You patted my head and called me a 'good vampire'."

DEATH. IMMINENT.

I nearly collapsed.

"N-NO I DIDN'T!"

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Then you also didn't tell me I was 'pretty'?"

I wanted to cry.

"I WAS DRUNK!" I wailed.

Damian chuckled.

"I know," he said, amused. "It was… entertaining."

ENTERTAINING?!

"I thought you'd be angry!" I blurted out.

He tilted his head. "Why would I be?"

"Because I— I tackled you in public!"

A slow smirk. "Do you want to do it again?"

ERROR. SYSTEM FAILURE.

I forgot how to breathe.

Emergency Escape (Again)

I panicked.

"I— I NEED TO GO!" I shrieked.

I turned, ready to run for my life.

But before I could—

Damian grabbed my wrist.

His voice dropped, low and smooth.

"Seraphina," he murmured. "You're… interesting."

OH NO. OH NO. OH NO.

I pulled free and sprinted out the door.

The Aftermath (Again)

Back in my room, I screamed into my pillow.

WHY DID HE SAY THAT?!

He's supposed to be the cold, untouchable final boss! Not… whatever this was!

Was he playing with me? Or worse—was he actually interested?!

I groaned.

I just wanted to survive this game.

But instead…

I was speedrunning the romance routes.

To Be Continued…

Want Chapter 7? Because Damian is NOT done messing with Seraphina yet!