Aveline steps into Lucian's study, her eyes scanning the dimly lit room. Shelves lined with old, leather-bound books stretch toward the ceiling. The scent of aged paper fills the air.

On the desk sits a stack of neatly arranged papers, an inkwell, and a quill, as though they'd just been used. A faint fire crackles in the corner, casting shadows on the stone walls.

Aveline looks around the study in wonderment and speaks softly "it's beautiful.....just like stepping into another century"

" You are in the wrong place if you come for beauty" says lucian dryly.

His tone is cold, but his gaze lingers on her. He gestures toward a chair, and she hesitates before sitting. Lucian remains standing, watching her.

Lucian:

"What is it that you want from me, Miss..."

Aveline interrupts "Aveline. My name is Aveline."

Lucian nods "Miss Aveline, then. Why are you here?"

She pulls out the folded poem she had found earlier and places it on the desk between them.

"This. Your words-they spoke to me. They feel alive, as if they hold something I can't quite grasp. I had to know who wrote them. I had to know you."

Lucian's eyes flicker with a mix of irritation and something deeper-an emotion he refuses to name.

He picks up the poem, his long fingers brushing the edges of the fragile paper. A silence stretches between them before he finally speaks.

Lucian:

"You've pried into something that does not concern you."

Aveline:

"How can you say that? Your words-they're raw, full of sorrow and longing. They do concern me because I feel them. I don't know why, but they resonate with me in a way I can't explain."

Lucian turns away, staring into the flickering flames in the fireplace. His voice softens, almost a whisper.

Lucian:

"Then perhaps you should stop trying to explain them. Some things are better left as they are."

Aveline rises from her chair, frustration clearly flashing in her eyes.

Aveline:

"You think hiding behind your solitude and riddles will keep people away? You wrote these words for a reason-to be heard, to be understood. And now that someone's finally listening, you want to turn them away?"

Lucian turns sharply, his gaze piercing.

Lucian:

"And what is it you think you've understood, Aveline? That pain lingers, that the past is a weight that cannot be cast off? These are truths you do not wish to carry."

Aveline

"Maybe I don't. But maybe you don't want to face the fact that someone finally cares enough to try."

For a moment, Lucian's expression softens, vulnerability flickering in his eyes. He looks at Aveline as if seeing something-or someone-else. But the moment passes, and his usual guarded demeanor returns.

Lucian:

"You're Foolishly stubborn. But very well."

He moves to a cabinet and pulls out a stack of aged papers, carefully tied together with a ribbon. He sets them on the desk in front of her.

Lucian:

"If you insist on digging into my past, start here. These are the forgotten verses you seem so desperate to uncover. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Aveline's hands hover over the papers, her heart pounding. She looks up at him, her voice barely a whisper.

Aveline:

"Thank you."

As Aveline reads, Lucian retreats to the shadows of the room, watching her with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. She turns the pages slowly, her expression shifting from wonder to sadness as the words reveal a story of love, betrayal, and loss. Her voice breaks the silence as she reads aloud a verse.

"In her eyes, I saw the sunrise,

But her heart was veiled in the twilight

She promised eternity,

Yet left me in the void."

Her voice trembles as she looks up at Lucian.

Aveline asked"Who was she? The woman in your poems?"

Lucian stiffens, his jaw tightening. He doesn't answer immediately, his gaze is fixed on the floor.

Lucian replied"She was... someone I loved. Someone who is gone. That is all you need to know."

"But the pain in your words-it feels fresh, as if you've never stopped grieving her. It's more than just loss, isn't it? You are hiding something.

There's something you're not telling me." Says aveline

Lucian's patience snaps, and he steps forward, his voice low and sharp.

Lucian:

"You ask too many questions, Aveline. Some answers are not meant for you."

Aveline stands her ground, her voice steady despite the tension between them.

Aveline:

"Then why let me read your poems? Why let me in at all if you don't want me to understand?"

Lucian's expression falters, and for a moment, he looks almost... defeated. He turns away, his voice barely audible.

Lucian:

"Because I can't seem to stop you."

Aveline carefully gathers the papers, her determination growing.

She glances at Lucian one last time before leaving the study, the faint sound of the haunting melody echoing in the distance as she walks away.