The morning light came through the curtains, soft and shy.
Miria woke up slowly, her head heavy, her body still numb from sleep... and a warm weight against her.
She mechanically tightened her arms around what she thought was a pillow.
Then she felt...muscles.
And a breath.
She opened her eyes.
Asher's face was ten centimeters from hers.
His black hair slightly disheveled, his expression clearly annoyed.
— Wide awake? he grumbled.
Miria blinked for a second… then screamed.
— AAAAAAAAH!
With a perfectly executed kick, she threw him off the bed.
Asher hit the ground with a thud.
— WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?!
Asher struggled to his feet, rubbing his back. Asher crossed his arms, one eyebrow arched.
— Firstly: this is MY room and MY bed.
Second: you crashed last night after drinking too much Ruby Wine. Far too much.
Miria turned tomato red and opened her mouth to protest… then realized something.
She looked down at herself.
Naked.
Completely naked. She turned white as a sheet
— Es… esque… We… we… we slept together?! she stammered, blushing scarlet.
Asher sighed heavily and raised his hands in appeasement.
— Rest assured. Nothing happened. Zero penetration, zero kisses, zero nothing.
He pointed at her.
— Even if you were VERY enterprising.
- WHAT ?! Miria shouted, shocked.
Asher crossed his arms.
— You just stuck to me like a sucker, you groped me in your sleep.
"You insisted that I sleep with you.
—And you even tried to undress me. Several times.
Miria hid her head under the pillow, moaning.
—Kill me right away.
Asher snickered.
—And worse. You begged me to do things to you that I can't repeat without blushing. And believe me, I rarely blush.
Miria hid under the sheet, ashamed.
— But… but why would I want to do that to you?!
Asher smiled, looking amused.
- I don't know. Maybe one of your fantasies.
Miria burst out.
- Anything ! It's more like you!
- Oh yes ? he said, stepping forward, provoking.
— Well, prove it.
Miria, tomato red, growled:
— You talk, you talk... but when you were under the spell... you...
She stopped. Too late.
Asher froze.
His eyes widened slowly.
— WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!
He almost shouted.
Miria turned pale as a sheet.
— Um... nothing... nothing at all...
Asher approached, threatening.
—Miria...
— I swear to you that I'm hiding nothing from you…! she said with a tight smile.
Asher narrowed his eyes. His voice dropped an octave, dangerously calm.
—Miria. Repeat what you just said.
—I said the weather is nice today! Haha! Okay, I'm going to take a shower!
She tried to jump out of bed. The duvet got tangled, she tripped, fell back.
Asher approached slowly, a smile too sweet, too innocent to be reassuring.
— You would have wanted it.
His eyes turned a deep red.
Miria felt magic in the air, an invisible pressure bearing down on her.
She tried to back away.
— Asher… no wait!
Too late.
"Veritas omnia vincit," he murmured in the ancient language.
The spell activated—a compelling spell, relentless, forcing the truth.
"Tell me the truth," Asher ordered, voice low.
—What did you mean?
Miria felt her throat tighten.
Her mouth spoke despite herself.
— Okay okay okay! It was an accident! I swear! A stupid bet with Alix and Kira! I was supposed to cast a spell on you to calm your emotions! Serenitas Mentis! But I panicked, I made a mistake, and… and…
Asher, eyes red, did not move.
- And ? he asked without releasing his grip.
Miria closed her eyes.
— I launched... Veneficium Desiderii.
Silence.
Then—
—WHAT?! Asher yelled.
His eyes suddenly turned black again.
— THE FATE OF SILENT DESIRE?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Miria could no longer escape, even if the spell had stopped.
Asher looked like he was on the verge of a heart attack.
—Wait... wait a second... That means that all these memories where I... where we... where I see myself... with you doing downright obscene things...
—Wasn't that a fantasy?! Nor a dream?!
Miria looked away, ashamed.
— Um… no…
Asher turned scarlet from ear to ear.
—So when I sat you down on the desk and I—
— YES! YES IT'S OK, WE UNDERSTAND! Miria cut in, hiding under the duvet.
Asher dug his hands into his hair.
— But… how did you pull off such a spell?!
— It requires an enormous amount of magic! We're talking about mind control!
Miria raised an eyebrow, suddenly amused.
"So… all you did to me… were your hidden fantasies?"
Asher stood frozen.
Then—
It turned scarlet red.
Miria burst out laughing.
— Ooooh, incredible! The great Asher, the saint-nitouche. is a great repressed pervert in reality.
She burst out laughing when she saw his face.
— Very funny.
His tone became calm again. Much too calm.
He slowly looked up at her...
And his eyes turned red again.
— Do you find it amusing… Miria?
She turned pale.
— Uh… oh! I have to... I have to go to class! I have class in twenty minutes! And I have to go shower! Really ! Right away !
She jumped out of bed, grabbed a sheet, and ran for the door.
— BYE!!
Asher stared after her, amused, his eyes returning to their natural color.
— Run, Miria... Run, little witch... but you know very well that you cannot escape me forever.
He smiles.
— We'll talk about all that again.
And in the hallway, we heard Miria stumble, panicking.