Twilight: Darling of Volturi (YURI/GL)

When the mistress of the territory personally told Sophie to leave, there was no room for misunderstanding.

It was, quite plainly, a dismissal.

Sophie lingered where she stood for a long while, unable to make herself leave. A tiny part of her still hoped Jane would suddenly change her mind, turn around, and call her back with one last reminder or a few gentle words. But that hope slowly faded into silence. Jane never returned, and with no other choice, Sophie obediently turned and began the lonely walk back.

By now, the maze-like tunnels beneath the palace had become as familiar to her as the lines on her own hands. A vampire’s flawless memory had no fear of labyrinths, and every turn, every hidden passage, and every stone corridor had already been engraved into her mind.

After returning to her room, clean and refreshed from her bath, Sophie simply collapsed onto the thick sheepskin rug that covered the floor. The sound of running water drifted from the adjoining bathroom, its scent strangely reminiscent of the waterfall pool inside Jane’s territory, and that familiar fragrance stirred memories she had only just begun trying to suppress.

Vampires possessed endless time.

They enjoyed eternal lives, and evolution had long ago robbed them of the need for sleep. There wasn’t even a bed inside the room. Instead, the largest chamber had been transformed into an enormous dressing room overflowing with gowns, cloaks, jewelry, and countless accessories Jane had prepared for her.

Lying flat on her back, Sophie stared blankly at the ceiling while desperately replaying everything that had happened before Jane’s attitude suddenly changed.

She examined every conversation.

Every glance.

Every word.

Yet no matter how many times she retraced those memories, she couldn’t find even the slightest clue.

One moment Jane had been smiling warmly.

The next...

Her expression had become distant.

Wasn’t eternity supposed to last forever?

She changed her attitude faster than a fast-food restaurant could serve a meal.

”When we meet again...” Sophie clenched her fist with renewed determination. ”I’m going to ask her what really happened.”

With that decision made, the knot inside her heart loosened slightly. Rather than locking herself inside her room and torturing herself with endless speculation, she’d much rather devote her energy to something more meaningful.

Like preparing Jane’s gift.

After all...

They had made a promise.

One return gift...

After one hundred gifts received.

Which meant Sophie had to finish preparing something sincere before Jane’s custom-made modern clothes arrived next month.

Looking at it that way...

She really didn’t have much time.

The troublesome thoughts vanished almost instantly.

Sophie sprang upright from the rug with renewed energy, landing neatly on both feet. The silver chains hanging from her skirt chimed softly as they swayed, filling the quiet room with delicate, musical ringing.

Looking around, she quickly realized that almost nothing in the room truly belonged to her.

Only her backpack.

Everything else had been given to her by Jane.

She certainly couldn’t present one of Jane’s own gifts back to her as a return present.

Accepting that reality, Sophie grabbed her backpack, climbed onto the broad windowsill, settled cross-legged beneath the sunlight filtering through the window, and began digging through its contents in search of inspiration.

”Let’s see...” She emptied everything onto the stone beside her.

”A travel guide to Volterra... my airline ticket stub... notebooks...”

One item after another passed through her hands.

”Would vampires even like things from the human world?”

She answered her own question with a sigh.

”Probably not.”

The realization left her somewhat discouraged.

She still knew far too little about vampire society. Almost all of her time since arriving at the Volturi had been devoted to the training grounds.

Strength control.

Combat techniques.

Battle drills...

Suddenly—

Combat?

Sophie’s eyes widened.

A spark of inspiration flashed through her mind.

”Felix and Alec both admitted that my close-combat skills have already surpassed Jane’s!” she exclaimed excitedly. ”She’s not particularly good at hand-to-hand fighting and that’s exactly what I’m best at!”

Combat wasn’t merely about physical strength.

It depended heavily on experience.

The same technique could produce entirely different results depending on a person’s height, body type, balance, or even gender.

Most members of the guard  were men.

That meant much of their practical experience simply wasn’t suited to Jane.

Sophie, however...

Was the perfect training partner.

She had always believed there was a unique beauty to women’s martial arts.

If only Jane would train with me...

That would be wonderful.

Without another thought, Sophie tossed aside her backpack and everything she’d unpacked before rushing to retrieve the fountain pen Jane had once given her.

”I’ll write a combat manual myself...” She hugged the pen tightly. ”...and give it to her!”

After all...

Content creation has always been Sophie’s profession.

She loved exploring anything that captured her interest, carefully organizing what she learned into beautifully illustrated long-form articles before publishing them online. Over three years of dedication, she’d accumulated enough followers to support herself entirely as a full-time blogger.

This is exactly the kind of project she excelled at.

The idea was not only practical...

It suited her perfectly.

From the elegant box of titanium fountain pens, Sophie selected the one resting precisely in the center. Testing the nib lightly with her fingertip, she nodded in satisfaction.

Her control over her own strength had improved tremendously.

At least, she no longer had to worry about accidentally crushing the pen.

”Now all I need...” She murmured thoughtfully. ”...is the right notebook.”

If it was going to become a gift, appearance mattered almost as much as the contents themselves.

Naturally...

There was only one person she could ask for advice.

Alec.

No one understood Jane’s tastes better than her twin brother.

After the banquet concluded, the Guard was finally granted a brief period of rest.

Several guards had been assigned to monitor the Finnish coven until their departure, while others gathered around Chino one last time. Having learned that he had found true love and would soon leave the Volturi forever to join Aurora’s coven, many of his comrades couldn’t hide their regret.

When Sophie finally located Alec using the advanced tracking techniques Dimitri had taught her, he had only just finished saying his farewells to Chino.

Ordinarily, Alec and Jane stood above every other member of the Guard in rank, meaning Chino should have been the one to seek them out first.

But with the Finnish coven departing that very night, nobody bothered worrying about protocol anymore.

Having learned from her previous mistake, Sophie didn’t sneak up on Alec this time.

Instead, she deliberately made her footsteps louder.

Just as she’d expected...

Alec noticed immediately and stopped to wait for her.

”Sophie?” He smiled faintly.

”What brings you all the way here? Are you here to say goodbye to Chino too?”

Alec’s voice possessed the distinctive huskiness of someone caught halfway through adolescence, gentle and soothing whenever he lowered it. Yet after everything they’d been through together, Sophie knew perfectly well how dangerous that gentle exterior truly was.

His strength differed entirely from Jane’s...

But it was no less frightening.

Sophie shook her head.

”I’m not really close to Chino.” She smiled sheepishly. ”I’d just be getting in everyone’s way.”

Alec studied her for only a moment before laughing softly.

”So…you actually came here to find me again.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. 

”How strange. It seems like you always know exactly where I am.”

After a brief pause, he added with obvious amusement,

”I’m beginning to suspect Demetri secretly passed his tracking gift on to you.”

”That’s right!” Sophie answered with mock seriousness. ”I’ve inherited the true essence of Demetri’s teachings.”

She proudly puffed out her chest.

”I’m officially the Volturi’s second-best tracker now!”

The claim was only half a joke. All vampires possessed exceptional tracking abilities to some degree. The difference lay only in how each individual applied them.

As they talked, Sophie casually brushed her fingers across her bare neck. The gesture was intentional.

Just as she’d hoped...

Alec noticed immediately.

Whenever the subject concerned Jane, his attention never missed a thing.

”Where’s the necklace Jane gave you?”

Sophie lowered her eyes.

”There was a small accident last night.” She hesitated just enough. ”The necklace...it broke.”

Carefully steering the conversation toward the topic she actually wanted, Sophie tried not to sound too obvious. If Alec guessed she was secretly preparing a surprise gift for Jane, there was every chance he’d accidentally ruin the surprise by mentioning it to his sister.

Then all the mystery would disappear.

”The last time we talked...” She continued casually. ”You mentioned the necklace’s original design sketches were kept in the library.”

She looked up hopefully.

”If you’re free today. could you take me there? I’d really like to see them.”

Naturally, Alec understood perfectly what Sophie meant by ”a small accident.” He had personally led the guard through the mountains behind the palace all night searching for Charles.

Needless to say...

He was exhausted.

According to what he’d heard, Jane had punished Charles severely before Sophie herself burned the criminal who had trampled upon vampire law.

All in all...

It had ended as well as anyone could have hoped.

Alec considered the request quietly for a few moments before shaking his head with an apologetic smile.

”Last night must have frightened you badly.” He spoke gently. ”I honestly thought you’d want more time to rest.”

”It really was terrifying.” Sophie admitted honestly. ”If Jane hadn’t arrived when she did...”

She gave a helpless laugh.

”I would’ve died the moment the sunlight touched me.” She stepped a little closer.

”So I need to keep myself busy.” Her smile softened.

”If I don’t…I’ll just keep thinking about it.”

Only after moving closer did Sophie suddenly notice something she’d overlooked before.

Alec’s red eyes seemed darker than usual.

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