Twilight: Darling of Volturi (YURI/GL)

Among vampires, the fullness of one's hunger was reflected in the color of their eyes. The darker the irises became, the greater their need to feed. Alec's eyes, which were usually a brilliant red, had already deepened into a rich brown.

Sophie looked at him with concern. "I'm sorry... were you on your way to the cold storage to feed?"

"No." Alec smiled faintly and gently corrected her misunderstanding. "We don't drink the blood stored in the cold room. Heidi has already prepared something fresh for us." He paused for a moment before changing the subject. "Since I happen to have some free time now... come on. I'll take you to see Jane's design sketches."

In truth, Alec had been working almost nonstop for several days. The burning thirst clawing at his throat had become increasingly intense, reminding him constantly that he desperately needed blood. Whether Sophie was frightened or not mattered very little to him at the moment. If anyone truly wanted to rest, it was Alec himself.

Yet it didn't take long for Alec to realize that every topic Sophie cautiously circled around eventually led back to Jane. She tried to disguise her intentions, but to someone as observant as him, her efforts were almost transparent. After a brief moment of consideration, Alec quietly changed his mind.

He extended his hand toward her.

"Would you mind if I held your hand?"

"I don't mind."

Sophie looked at his outstretched palm with slight hesitation before asking seriously, "Your numbing mist... it can't spread through physical contact, can it?" Before he could answer, she reached out and took his hand herself. A second later, she visibly relaxed and laughed in relief. "Good... I can still feel everything."

…..

The underground archives housed an astonishing collection accumulated over countless centuries. The guards responsible for maintaining the records had meticulously organized every document according to its age and importance, creating an enormous library whose order bordered on perfection.

Alec led Sophie to a room she had never visited before. Stopping before a heavy bronze door engraved with overlapping fish-scale patterns, he pushed it open and glanced inside.

"It should be this room."

The chamber had been carved entirely from solid stone, making it naturally resistant to fire. High upon one wall, a single narrow window admitted a shaft of sunlight that illuminated one particular corner of the otherwise dim room. Someone had thoughtfully arranged a simple desk and two chairs within that pool of natural light, and despite the room's age, the tabletop remained spotless.

Without hesitation, Alec headed straight toward a towering row of bookshelves disappearing into the darkness above. Each shelf stretched from floor to ceiling, secured at both the top and bottom with reinforced supports. Instead of ladders, narrow iron rails had been installed, allowing vampires to move effortlessly through the towering stacks.

Nearly two centuries had passed since 1843.

Naturally, Jane's original sketchbook had long since been stored on one of the highest shelves.

Alec bent his knees slightly before launching himself upward in a single graceful leap. Catching hold of the iron railing just beneath the ceiling, he climbed effortlessly along the shelf until he located the worn sketchbook exactly where memory told him it would be.

As he released the railing and landed lightly on the floor, the thin layer of dust clinging to the ancient shelves drifted into the air, sparkling lazily beneath the beam of sunlight.

"Sophie." He held out the old volume with a small smile. "Here's the sketchbook you wanted."

The sketchbook was roughly the same size as an ordinary artist's notebook and had obviously been preserved with extraordinary care. Even so, nearly two hundred years had left faint yellow traces of oxidation creeping across the edges of its pages.

Sophie hesitated.

Rather than accepting it immediately, she drew her hand back slightly.

"The paper's so fragile..." She looked genuinely nervous. "I'm afraid I'll damage it."

Alec nodded understandingly and withdrew the book.

"My mistake." He glanced toward the desk bathed in sunlight. "Let's sit over there. I'll turn the pages for you."

The arrangement was perfect.

Two chairs.

One for each of them.

After they had settled down, Alec carefully opened the sketchbook to the appropriate page before gently sliding it toward Sophie.

The necklace's original design immediately came into view.

Sophie cautiously extended a single finger and lightly rested it against the edge of the page without applying the slightest pressure.

Drawn in bold black charcoal, the intricate patterns appeared astonishingly vivid. Comparing the illustration with the necklace she remembered, she found almost no difference between the concept and the finished piece.

With Alec patiently turning the pages one by one, Sophie gradually browsed through Jane's entire nineteenth-century collection.

An unexpected thought quietly surfaced in her mind.

When Jane eventually repaired the broken necklace, she would almost certainly need this sketchbook again.

And if she discovered someone had already borrowed it...

She might come looking for Sophie herself.

Which meant...

They would have another chance to meet.

The more Sophie considered the idea, the more reasonable it seemed.

Trying to sound as casual as possible, she asked, "Alec,  would it be all right if I borrowed this sketchbook? I promise I'll be very careful with it."

Alec looked at Sophie and couldn't help smiling.

She was terrible at hiding her emotions.

Every expression on her face practically announced that she was planning something.

Whether someone browsed or borrowed this sketchbook made virtually no difference to the archives. Still, after observing her long enough, Alec had already pieced together the real purpose behind every question she'd asked.

"You want to prepare a gift for Jane."

It wasn't phrased as a question.

It was a calm statement of fact.

Sophie stared at him in complete shock.

"You..." She pointed at him with wide eyes. "Did you read my mind, Alec?"

"No." Alec laughed softly. "You're simply too obvious."

Patiently, he began listing every clue she'd unknowingly left behind.

"You specifically wanted to study Jane's old sketches so you could understand her artistic tastes. Then you planned to borrow the sketchbook, creating an excuse for Jane to come looking for you later." He folded his arms thoughtfully before reaching the obvious conclusion. "That means you're preparing something you'll know she'll like... and you intend to hand it to her personally."

He tilted his head.

"Was it really that difficult to guess?"

"Completely correct." Sophie gave an embarrassed shrug.

"I guess I just have one of those faces that can't keep secrets."

Once her intentions had been exposed, Sophie no longer saw any point pretending otherwise. She honestly explained her entire plan to create a combat guide as a gift for Jane.

Alec listened with genuine interest.

Long ago, both he and Jane had forgotten the dates of their true birthdays. The last time either of them had received something simply because it was a gift...

Their mother had still been alive.

"A hand-to-hand combat guide..."

He nodded thoughtfully.

"That actually sounds rather interesting. As for the notebook you mentioned..." He smiled reassuringly.

"Leave that to me. When I find one suitable, I'll have it delivered directly to your room."

Just like that, the two of them became secret collaborators.

Alec even promised not to reveal anything to Jane.

Then, with a teasing smile, he added, "Honestly, why bother borrowing the sketchbook just to create an excuse for Jane to see you again? Once everyone's schedules settle down, the two of you will probably go back to spending every day together like before." He sighed dramatically before grinning. "To tell the truth... I'm starting to feel a little jealous."

Sophie lowered her eyes.

Her fingertips gently brushed across the closed cover of the sketchbook.

After hesitating for a while, she quietly confessed,

"But today, Chelsea came to take Jane away." She paused. And when Jane left she didn't even say goodbye."

The instant Alec heard Chelsea's name, his brows knitted together almost imperceptibly.

Sophie, however, remained focused on the sketchbook in front of her and completely missed the subtle change in his expression.

"Chelsea personally came to summon my sister..." Alec murmured almost to himself.

Sophie looked up curiously.

"Is something wrong?" She thought back carefully. "Chelsea seems to hold a very high position within the Guard..."

"But she never participated in Master Caius's training."

This time...

It was Alec's turn to hesitate.

"Well..." He looked away briefly before answering.

"That's right. Chelsea's mate participated in the training. As for Chelsea, she didn't need to."

Realizing the conversation had drifted dangerously close to discussing relationships among the Volturi's core members, Alec wisely ended the topic there.

"Well." He stood up and closed the sketchbook. "I'd say we've accomplished everything we came here to do today."

He smiled warmly.

"Let's head back. I'm looking forward to seeing the gift you made for Jane."

After carefully returning the furniture to exactly the way they had found it, the two of them quietly left the archive room, which had gone undisturbed for countless years. Worried that Sophie might lose her way within the endless underground passages, Alec insisted on escorting her all the way back to her room.

Though...

For some reason...

He seemed unusually eager to leave afterward.

Alec's obvious attempt to avoid discussing Chelsea only deepened Sophie's curiosity.

After he departed, she climbed onto the windowsill and leaned quietly against the stone wall, gazing out toward the mountains behind the palace.

Who exactly is Chelsea?

Was Jane's sudden coldness really connected to her appearance?

The old sketchbook rested in the very spot where Jane herself had once sat. A strong gust of wind swept through the open window, flipping its yellowed pages with a rapid rustling sound. Afraid the precious volume might be carried away, Sophie hurriedly gathered it into her arms and held it protectively against her chest.

Late that same night, the Finnish coven quietly departed from Volterra, bringing their newest companion with them.

Aro personally led the Guard as an escort beyond the city's borders.

Jane and Alec walked faithfully at his side.

Although Sophie had remained little more than a bystander throughout the grand banquet Aro had orchestrated, many of the events that would unfold in the future could ultimately be traced back to that very night.

Looking back much later...

It became clear that fate had already buried countless foreshadowings within the banquet's seemingly ordinary conclusion.

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