CHAPTER 175: ADVICES AND A NIGHT OF BONDING

For a moment, only the faint clink of ice in Lux’s glass and the lingering smell of spilt whisky from Adam’s shattered drink filled the air. The tension was almost comical—two childhood friends staring at Nero as though he had just announced he planned to duel a dragon barehanded.

Adam finally leaned forward, his chair creaking, pointing a thick finger at Nero.

"Listen, kid—" Adam still liked to call him "kid," though Nero had proven he was anything but. "You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But Khione? Khione? She’s not just cold; she’s frozen solid. You know how many men—hell, even women—have tried to melt that glacier? All of them failed. Miserably. You’re signing yourself up for heartbreak, Nero. I’ve seen it happen."

Nero didn’t flinch. He sipped his whisky slowly, as if Adam’s words were merely background noise. His crimson eyes didn’t waver.

Lux chuckled softly, swirling his glass in elegant circles before taking a measured sip. "You speak like a man who still feels the sting of rejection, Adam. Weren’t you the one who stood outside her courtyard when we were fourteen, shouting her name until she froze the fountain and nearly froze you in it too?"

Adam scowled. "I told you never to bring that up!"

Lux smirked, but his tone softened when he turned his gaze back to Nero. "Still, Adam isn’t wrong. Khione isn’t like other women. Her pride is iron, her heart colder than ice. Winning her over isn’t a matter of charm or persistence—it’s war. And you’ll bleed before you even reach her walls."

"And yet..." Lux leaned forward, silver eyes narrowing with interest, "you seem certain."

"I am," Nero said plainly. "I like her. She’s strong, and not just in power. I’ve seen her walls, but walls exist for someone to break through. If I’m to pursue someone, I want it to be someone like her."

The conviction in his voice silenced the two for a beat.

Adam groaned loudly, slapping his forehead.

"By the gods, you’re insane. You could have gone for Elreth, the princess! She practically throws herself at you every time you breathe in her direction even she wished to use you, you could have turned the table on her. Hell, even Azalea would’ve been easier—annoying, but easier."

Lux interjected smoothly, "Easier has never been Nero’s style. Have you not noticed? He thrives when the impossible is placed before him. Maybe that’s why he looks at Khione and doesn’t see a wall, but a challenge."

Nero allowed a faint smile. Lux understood him better than he expected.

Adam, however, leaned back, folding his arms. "Fine, fine. Let’s say you do pursue her. How? You gonna write her poetry? Slip roses into her training bag? Hah! She’d freeze them solid and toss them back at you. Khione isn’t the type you win with sweet words."

Nero tapped his glass, thinking. "Then I won’t use sweet words. I’ll show her through actions. Respect, strength... and patience. If she refuses, she refuses. But I’ll fight for it, like I do for everything else. Well, it not like I can’t win her over, I have a positive feeling for this. I’ll things my ways."

Lux’s lips curved upward in genuine amusement. "Patience. Interesting. Most give up when her cold shoulder cuts them the first time. You say you’ll endure it? That alone might set you apart. Khione respects persistence... if it doesn’t annoy her first."

Adam snorted. "Good luck walking that thin line." He poured himself another drink, the burn of whisky chasing down his disbelief.

"Still, I can’t help but root for you. You’re insane, but if anyone could make the Ice Queen thaw, maybe it’s you."

Nero’s eyes softened briefly at that. "I don’t want her to change. I don’t want her to thaw. I just want to understand her. To stand beside her, even if she’s cold to the world."

The weight of his sincerity struck both Lux and Adam. The usual mocking comments hung unspoken in their throats.

Lux finally broke the silence. "You know... when we were younger, Adam and I used to compete for her attention. We thought she was beautiful, untouchable, the ultimate prize. But the truth is, we never once understood her. We only wanted what we couldn’t have."

His silver eyes locked on Nero, sharp but approving. "You’re different. You want her, not the title of conquering her. That may be the only thing that gives you a chance."

Adam groaned again, running a hand over his face. "Damn it, Lux, don’t encourage him! Next thing we know, he’ll be writing love letters in fire and engraving her name in mountains."

Nero chuckled faintly at the image, shaking his head. "No. That’s not me. I’ll simply keep walking beside her until she notices I’m not going anywhere."

The three sat in silence for a moment, the golden glow of the minibar lamps casting long shadows across their faces. Outside, the night pressed quietly against the villa walls, the sound of waves faint in the distance.

Finally, Adam raised his glass with a reluctant grin. "Well, to madness, then. To you, Nero—and your suicidal attempt at romance."

Lux followed, clinking his glass. "To persistence. And perhaps, to the first man who might just touch the untouchable."

Nero lifted his own glass, the whisky catching the light like liquid fire. "To Khione."

The three drank.

And though they laughed afterward, teasing him mercilessly with stories of past rejections and ridiculous failed confessions, deep down Lux and Adam both carried the same thought:

If anyone could succeed where all had failed... it might just be Nero.

The whisky hit harder as the night stretched on, and the glow of Lux’s minibar wrapped the three boys in a cocoon of warmth and mischief. By now, the sharpness of Nero’s "bomb" had dulled into something more... entertaining. Lux’s silver eyes gleamed with amusement, Adam was flushed from both the alcohol and laughter, and Nero, though calmer, allowed himself to relax more than usual.

Adam slammed his glass down with a thud that made the bottles on the shelf tremble.

"Alright, since we’re talking women, let me tell you about my greatest conquest—"

Lux snorted into his drink before Adam even began. "Greatest conquest? More like greatest disaster."

"Shut up! This was before you started showing off your stupid silver eyes and stealing all the attention," Adam shot back, waving a finger like a drunk nobleman. "Back home, there was this merchant’s daughter. Gorgeous—red hair, smile that could light up an entire ballroom. I thought, ’this is it, Adam, the universe is handing you a miracle.’"

Nero leaned back, quietly curious.

"So what happened?"

Adam grinned sheepishly. "I tried to impress her during the midsummer festival. You know the big stage where musicians play?"

Lux groaned. "Oh, gods. Don’t tell me—"

"Yes! I got up there, grabbed a lute, and tried to sing her a song."

Nero raised an eyebrow in amusement, he knew what about to come. "That doesn’t sound so bad."

Lux laughed, nearly choking on his whisky.

"Doesn’t sound so bad? He couldn’t play three chords in tune if his life depended on it. He snapped a string mid-performance, and his voice cracked so loud half the crowd thought a monster had roared."

Adam slammed his glass again, red in the face. "It was the lute’s fault! I swear it was rigged!"

The three burst into laughter.

Adam pointed at him, grinning. "Don’t you dare laugh too much, Nero. You’ve still got your humiliations waiting ahead once you start pursuing Khione. Just you wait."

Lux swirled his drink elegantly, smirking.

"Speaking of humiliations, shall I share one of mine?"

Adam’s grin widened. "Yes! Please. Make it as painful as possible."

Lux set his glass down gently, his voice smooth.

"There was a time, back when I was fifteen, when every girl in the capital seemed eager to court me. Popularity was exhausting, but..." he paused, smiling with mock pride, "I chose the daughter of a powerful subfamily. Refined, intelligent, beautiful. I thought it would be... fitting."

Adam rolled his brown eyes. "Here it comes."

Lux leaned closer, lowering his voice. "The problem? She wasn’t interested in me. At all. In fact, she told me outright that she preferred my older brother."

Adam nearly fell off his chair laughing.

"Ouch! Rejected for the brother—classic! That must’ve stung your perfect little pride."

Lux only smirked, unbothered. "It did sting. But then she tried to use me to get closer to him. That, gentlemen, is what we call the most elegant of humiliations."

Even Nero’s lips twitched at that one. Women must not be underestimated he concluded.

Adam wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.

"Ha! The mighty Lux, reduced to a stepping stone. I’m keeping that one forever."

Lux only shrugged. "Humility is important, even for the popular."

They shared another round, the night slipping further into easy camaraderie.

It wasn’t long before Adam, red-cheeked and grinning, leaned toward Nero again.

"Alright, your turn, kid. Ever had a crush back home? Any stupid story like us? Or were you always the broody crimson-eyed warrior with no time for love?"

Nero took a long sip, the whisky warming his chest, and set the glass down slowly. "I had no time. Back then, survival mattered more than love."

The mood sobered for a moment, but not unpleasantly. Adam and Lux exchanged a glance—they respected him more for it.

Then Nero surprised them with a faint smile.

"Though, when I was younger, there was a baker’s daughter who used to sneak me free bread when I was hungry. I thought... maybe I’d ask her name someday. But before I could, I left."

The honesty in his tone silenced Adam’s laughter, leaving only the crackle of distant cicadas outside. Lux’s silver gaze softened.

"Even that," Lux murmured, "is more genuine than all the shallow conquests we’ve told tonight."

Adam let out a long sigh before smirking again. "Still, doesn’t matter how noble your intentions are, Nero. Mark my words—the day you confess to Khione, she’ll freeze the air solid around you. If you survive that, then maybe, just maybe, I’ll admit you’ve got a chance."

Lux raised his glass in amusement. "And I’ll be there to witness it. The Ice Queen’s fortress meeting Nero’s persistence. That, I think, will be worth watching."

Nero raised his glass as well, crimson eyes steady, no hesitation in his voice.

"Then watch closely. Because I don’t plan to fail."

The three clinked their glasses once more, the sound ringing softly into the night like a promise.

By the time the bottles were nearly empty, Adam was singing a horribly off-key ballad, Lux was laughing with rare abandon, and Nero sat with the ghost of a smile lingering on his lips. For the first time in a long while, he felt sincerity without any hidden motive, no disgust, genuine affection.

Tonight, they were just three friends—sharing drinks, humiliations, and dreams.

’’Mother, rest in peace and watch over me. I think I might have made some nice friends worth walking alongside.’’ A message directed at his late mother.