"Really?" Elaine looked up like a bud opening, her eyes lighting up.
"Absolutely," Alain answered firmly, though inside he still felt uneasy about the promise he'd just made.
She jumped up, grabbed his arm, ecstatic as if she'd found treasure. He was momentarily speechless, half annoyed and half embarrassed. Her tears, it turned out, were a powerful weapon, he'd only just realized a truth about women: tears could wound, but they could also soften a man's heart.
"You promised, no backing out." She gripped his hand seriously, as if signing an invisible contract.
Alain found himself awkwardly trapped. "So… how do you want to handle our relationship?" he asked, trying to learn what boundaries she imagined.
Elaine blinked, confusion and curiosity bright in her violet eyes. "Um… what's the next step?" The question pierced an unfamiliar place in him, she really didn't know what to do after raising such a big issue.
He did not pull his hand away; instead he savored the softness against his skin. A flutter rose in him, he'd treated her all his life like a delicate princess of noble blood, and now, faced with her simple honesty, he wanted to shelter her.
With one hand he slid to her waist and drew her close. His voice was low and husky, laced with a strange allure: "Why don't… I teach you."
The words were both a command and a promise. Elaine felt the warmth of his hand through the uniform fabric; her face flushed, a strange, sweet sensation.
"Teach me? Teach me what?" she asked, eyes wide and innocent like a fawn seeing a storm for the first time.
He smiled, looking straight into her as one would at something both endearing and in need of guidance. "Teach you… how to be proper." His tone carried authority and a quiet, unspoken desire he would not yet admit.
Elaine spun through naïve guesses. "What must we study? Isn't declaring a relationship enough?" She had no experience in romance, but she trusted her capacity to learn, after all, she was a researcher.
Alain watched her innocence, the stubborn streak and primordial beauty. He smiled softly and tightened his hold a little.
"The first step," he said in a low whisper, almost reluctant, "is… to kiss."
Elaine's eyes widened; the word struck her like thunder. "A kiss?! With… with this handsome Nicolas? Wow! What does it feel like?" Her question was both guileless and eager.
Alain felt something undefinable swell inside him, part of him wanted to recoil from such bluntness, another part longed to lead and teach. In the warm afterglow of the piano, standing close like two young wolves stepping into forbidden territory, he leaned in, cupped her face with both hands, eyes deep as night: "If you've come this far, I'll show you, step by step."
Elaine barely had time to react; her heart hammered. In that fateful moment, the auditorium, the rumors, Judy, and even the Ravenhowl royal household faded behind a thin curtain only the two of them remained at the threshold of something new, awkward and irresistible.
Alain fell silent for a moment, as if gripped by an emotion tight across his chest. His guard's earlier reports replayed in his mind, this little rascal really did sneak into Westbridge Haven just to look around; she was craftier than she seemed. He forced a wry smile: what on earth was he doing, letting such an insolent little girl draw him in?
His foot reached the door, but before he could leave Elaine spun toward him and flung out her arms to block his way. "You're not leaving!" she demanded like a stubborn child issuing an order.
"Little rascal, you don't have to go this far." His voice was heavy, laced with a hint of disappointment. He turned, saw the determination on her face, and then unexpectedly, couldn't help a small laugh. Who wouldn't be softened by that naïve obstinacy?
"I want you to do it for me!" she challenged, hurt and defiant at once.
Alain gaped; he didn't fully understand what she was asking. But when she dropped her tone and pleaded, "You're Alain's friend, you can't just let Judy bully me and walk away, right?" the image of her hiding her face against the piano tugged at him. The tear-ploy was cunning and effective.
He bit his lip, his expression softening. "Alright, alright… stop crying." His large hand settled on her shoulder, stroking gently as if to console. The words were simple, but there was a tender regret in them: a twenty-year-old girl humiliated in public did not deserve coldness.
Elaine lifted her face, blooming like a flower. She pulled him, hopped with delight, eyes sparkling. "You promise? No backing out!" Her tone was coaxing and determined.
He frowned part mild irritation, part affection. "So how will you handle our relationship?" he asked again. The question left her puzzled, eyes showing vulnerability: "What comes next?"
In that instant he wanted to keep her close like protecting a fragile blossom. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her near. "Let me teach you," he murmured both an order and a vow.
Elaine's cheeks went scarlet, her chest fluttering. "Teach me what?" she asked honestly. He answered quietly, speaking as much to himself as to her: "The first step, kissing."
The confession made her stare. "Kissing? What is that? With… with someone handsome like you?" Her curiosity shone, unburdened by consequence.
He stepped closer, lifting her face in his hands, his dark eyes studying her like an enigma. "If you've come this far, I'll guide you through every step," he whispered.
She snapped out a half-denial, half-bravado: "Who says I've never kissed? I'm very experienced!" Yet her heart pounded; each time he neared, she wavered. At that precise moment a sneeze shattered the charged silence, she covered her mouth, mortified and crimson.
Alain could not help a rueful mixture of amusement and slight disappointment. The girl alternated between deliberate boldness and accidental clumsiness; it made him feel duped and strangely fond. "I almost..." he started, then clamped down on the thought. Seeing her pretend sobs softened him anew. "Fine. Enough. I agree to teach you."
Elaine burst into elation, clinging to him as if rescued. She babbled, "You promise? You won't change your mind? And… you'll help me get back at Judy too, right?" Her voice was coaxing enough to make him laugh.
"I'll stand up for you," he promised solemnly. "Anyone who bullies you, I will confront."
She looked up at him with trusting, wolf-pup eyes. He felt warmth spread through his chest and then a cautious awareness of the complex game he'd entered: keeping his word to a vulnerable girl, hiding his true identity, and managing the social mess around them.
Elaine murmured, "If you trick me, you're a little mutt." The teasing jab made him smile and shiver, she'd coined a playful insult just for him.
They stood in the quiet piano room, two opposites: an aloof Alpha with a soft center, and a stubborn little rascal who could, at times, be vulnerable. The air between them was taut and gentle at once, like a fine thread slowly being pulled tight.
Alain breathed out, then spoke more softly than before: "Listen, Elaine. We'll start from the basics. First, trust. Then, respect. After that… the rest will follow." His eyes met hers; the promise was vague yet sincere.
Elaine nodded, a small smile curving her lips. She did not know what lay ahead, but in this moment his protection felt like the whole sky. Outside the piano room the noisy world still surged, but here, for a moment, only the piano's faint echo remained and two small hearts began to explore each other, like two young wolves stepping cautiously into the night.
And yet, beneath that fragile peace, something deeper stirred, an instinct neither of them dared name. Elaine felt it first, a strange thrum beneath her ribs, as if the air around them shifted and leaned closer. Alain sensed it too: the faint pull of something ancient, a bond whispering at the edge of their awareness. He looked at her, truly looked and for a fleeting heartbeat, the world narrowed to her violet eyes and the uneven rise of her breath.
Elaine swallowed, suddenly shy. "So… when do we start?" she murmured.
Alain smiled, voice low. "Now, little rascal."