In Narra's chamber, the firelight flickers softly, casting shadows over the stone walls. Incense thickens the air, intoxicating and warm. Severino lies on the silken bed, eyes half-closed, lost in a dream spun by magic. His hand drifts absently over Narra's skin, but his mind is far away, holding onto an image of someone else.

"Adelfa..." he whispers, the name slipping from his lips unaware.

A bitter smile curves Narra's lips as she hears it. It doesn't matter now. His mind belongs to her, woven deeply into her magic so he can't see her for what she truly is. In his mind, it isn't Narra who holds him, but the woman he loves—his Adelfa.

"Shh," Narra whispers, pressing a finger to his lips, though a quiet resentment lingers in her voice. "Let me take care of you."

Severino sighs, sinking deeper into the bed as Narra moves closer, her skin flush against his. The sensations are real, but his thoughts remain elsewhere. As he murmurs Adelfa's name again, something dark flickers in Narra's eyes—a simmering anger she buries beneath the surface.

She despises Adelfa, has since she first saw her. Time and again, Narra has tried to rid herself of her rival, cursing Adelfa with sickness and misfortune, only for Severino to find a way to heal and protect her. 

Narra caresses Severino's chest, her touch deceptively gentle. Her mind drifts to the first time she saw him, back when she ventured into the human world, curious about the lives of mortals. She had taken the form of a cat—a small, sleek creature—to move unseen among them. But she hadn't gone unnoticed.

"I remember you, Severino..." she murmurs, tracing her fingers along his jawline. "You don't even know how long I've watched you."

Her memory returns to that day, to the moment that changed everything. She had been cornered by a group of cruel men who delighted in tormenting animals. Trapped and unable to escape in her feline form, she had been powerless, unable to shift or fight back—unwilling to reveal her true form to undeserving mortals.

But then he had come.

Severino had heard her cries in the night, and without hesitation, he had fought off her captors, his strong hands freeing her. She remembers how gently he had lifted her broken body, carrying her away with a care she'd never known.

"You saved me," she murmurs now, her eyes darkening as she gazes down at him, his face peaceful in her arms. "And I have loved you ever since."

Severino's chest rises and falls, lost in the illusion. He can't hear her or know what she's saying. In his mind, he's with Adelfa, the woman he cherishes.

But Narra—Narra has always been there, watching from the shadows, waiting.

She had cursed Adelfa countless times, trying to break her hold on him, but each time Severino had managed to bring her back. He's a protector, his heart loyal and strong. But his love, Narra thinks, is wasted on Adelfa. It is she, Narra, who truly understands him, she who has watched over him, hidden, waiting for this moment.

"You were mine first," she whispers, brushing her lips against his ear as her fingers tangle in his hair. "You just didn't know it."

Her thoughts grow darker as she remembers every moment she watched him and Adelfa together—the way he held her, the soft words of love he spoke. The memories churn her with jealousy, and each time she saw them, her power surged with fury. The knowledge that Severino plans to marry Adelfa had infuriated Narra so much that she had unleashed storms upon the village without a second thought.

But now, in this moment, Severino is with her. His mind may be clouded by her magic, but his body is hers, his presence close. She had waited so long for this.

"I'm the one who's always loved you," Narra says, her voice tightening with the weight of her buried feelings. "I'm the one who's protected you... while she did nothing but take from you."

Her hands trace the scars on his chest, reminders of battles long past, where she had watched over him from afar, always ready to intervene, though she never revealed herself. Severino had always been strong, surviving on his own—until now. Now, she has him under her spell.

"And now..." she whispers, leaning closer, her lips brushing his skin. "Now, you're mine."

In the haze of magic, Severino stirs, murmuring Adelfa's name again, his brow furrowing as if something feels wrong. But Narra pulls him closer, unwilling to let the illusion break.

"You're mine," she whispers again, her voice trembling with both love and bitterness. "You always have been."

Narra knows she can't keep him forever. The dagger Severino secretly forges draws its strength from her own magic, the very essence she unwittingly feeds into his weapon. When the moment is right, he'll strike. But for now, in this moment, Narra is content to pretend, even if it's built on lies.

Because in her heart, she has loved him since the very beginning.