---
The morning light barely touched the sky when Lucien stepped into the school compound. He looked the same, yet something was different. His sharp, jet-black hair was styled better, his usual all-black outfit now had a more refined touch. He didn't do much, but the subtle change made a big impact.
As expected, people noticed.
"Who is that?" one girl whispered.
"No way—that's Lucien Falkner?! Since when did he look like that?"
Evelyn, who was walking past, caught bits of their conversation. She instinctively turned to look at Lucien—then quickly looked away when she realized she was staring.
Why is everyone making such a big deal out of it? It's just hair.
But even she couldn't deny it. Lucien looked... different. And it was annoying how much people were noticing.
---
In class, Ryan was the first to approach Lucien, grinning like an idiot.
"Oh. My. God." Ryan dramatically held his chest. "Who are you, and what have you done to my brooding, all-black, edgy friend?"
Lucien gave him a deadpan look. "Shut up."
Lena joined in, gasping as if she'd seen a celebrity. "Oh no, this is dangerous. You already had the silent bad boy aura, but now? Now you look like someone straight out of a movie."
Lucien sighed. "You're both idiots."
Evelyn, who was sitting a few seats away, tried to focus on her book. Ignore them. It's just Ryan and Lena being Ryan and Lena.
But for some reason, she found herself flipping through the same page three times.
---
Last night, at the bar, Damian had been annoyingly persistent.
"It's not about words," Damian had said, swirling his drink lazily. "It's about presence. The way you hold yourself, the way you look at them."
"And this is supposed to help me how?" Lucien had asked, unimpressed.
"You're naturally intimidating. If you soften that just a little, girls won't know what hit them."
Lucien, curious but skeptical, decided to test it out.
And Evelyn was his first target.
---
During class, Lucien did something different. He didn't ignore Evelyn like usual. Instead, he observed her.
Every time she glanced his way, he held her gaze. No expression, no words—just direct, unwavering eye contact.
Evelyn, always composed, found herself slightly unsettled.
Why does he keep looking at me like that?
After a few more times, she gave up trying to ignore it. "What?" she whispered, annoyed.
Lucien just smirked. "Nothing."
That annoying smirk.
Evelyn turned away, frustrated. Since when does Lucien smirk?!
---
Lucien took it a step further.
As Evelyn walked past him during lunch, he casually said, "You look tense. You okay?"
Evelyn stopped mid-step.
"What?"
"You heard me."
She frowned, confused. "I'm fine."
Lucien gave her a slow once-over before nodding. "Hm. Sure."
And then he walked away.
Evelyn blinked. What... just happened?
---
At lunch, Evelyn sat with Lena and Ryan, but she barely touched her food.
"You okay?" Lena asked. "You're spacing out."
"I'm fine. Just... thinking."
Ryan smirked. "Thinking about who, exactly?"
Evelyn shot him a glare. "Shut up, Ryan."
Ryan just laughed, while Lena looked between them, sensing something.
---
That night, as Lucien sat in his apartment, his phone vibrated.
Damian: So? Tried it out?
Lucien stared at the message before replying.
Lucien: Maybe.
Damian: And?
Lucien hesitated, then typed: I think it worked.
Almost immediately, Damian sent a voice message—just him laughing victoriously.
Lucien sighed, shaking his head.
---
Meanwhile, in her room, Evelyn sat by the window, looking outside absentmindedly.
She replayed the events of the day—Lucien's glances, his words, that smirk.
She didn't like it. Not because it was bad, but because she didn't know why it was affecting her.
She whispered to herself, "He's different..."
And she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.
---
End of Chapter 41.