Home Sweet Home (Identity V Fanfic)

Candy 01

It has been a year since Norton Campbell met Juliet Pandora. At first, he didn't like her confident demeanor, but as time passed, he began liking her company as she always knows what he likes and doesn't like. It began with a small present for his birthday, then the amazing food he had never tasted, and then came the only thing he least expected: money.

For Norton, Juliet was the most generous person in the world. Unlike that 'certain woman' who was arrogant, Juliet shared her fortune with him and supported his hard work while the others ridicule him for being desperate. One of the quotes he remembered was, "Be proud of your scars, Campbell. It is proof that you have survived what others wouldn't. You are strong." And from that moment, Norton knew she was different from those filthy rich people. He made her an exception and became her friend.

For Juliet, gaining Norton's trust was a piece of cake, and him being a materialistic person made the job easier, but maintaining the trust was the difficult part. Sometimes, she fears that one day, Norton would leave her after all she had done for him. She had heard about the mining incident and why Norton has the scar on his cheek. She knew that he left his father's friend, Benny, to seek the gold alone and feared that Norton would do the same to her as well.

It was midnight, and Juliet hadn't gone to bed yet as she was still busy with the piece of art she had to finish by the next day. It was a commission from her former classmate, Edgar Valden, who said he needed the painting for a collaboration piece. Edgar may be a talented painter, but his weakness was drawing portraits, and Juliet, being the only person he saw fit, Edgar said that he had no choice but to commission her to draw a portrait of Queen Mary Antoinette while he worked on the background.

Juliet gently pressed the paintbrush on the canvas and stroked it to fill up the white space on the queen's face. The atmosphere was calm, with the artist listening to the sound of the brush being stroked on the canvas. It was peaceful until she heard three knocks. Juliet halted, then turned around to face the door where she saw her housemate, Norton, peaking into the room. Normally, any woman would immediately 'shoo' him away to avoid any "scandal". A man and a woman alone in a room at night was greatly frowned upon in society. But Juliet didn't mind. She has been waiting for something to happen between them anyways... she always had.

"You're still awake?" She asked.

"Can't sleep." Norton replied with a low voice.

For some reason, the artist finds it cute of him to come to her for company whenever he couldn't sleep. It was like a child going to their mother to search for comfort after having a nightmare. Juliet set the brush aside, then stood up with an elegant smile. She walked up to Norton and examined his face. She could see his dark circles getting clearer than before, telling her that he hadn't been sleeping properly. "Your eyes are a bit darker." She commented, "How long have you been unable to sleep?"

"A couple of weeks." Norton averted away, "I was thinking of watching you paint, but if it is distracting­– "

"No, not at all." Juliet shook her head, not wanting to end their precious chat, "Let me warm up some milk to help you sleep first. You can wait here if you want."

"Sure." The man replied. Then, Juliet watched him walk to the nearby sofa before she quickly left the art studio to grab two bottles of warm milk. She wished she could just send a maid to do it for her like usual, but since it was past midnight, she would feel bad if she disturbs their beauty sleep to grab some mere milk. After some time, Juliet finally went back to the studio where she saw Norton slouching lazily on the sofa with his elbows on his knees. From that point onwards, she knew something has been troubling the man.

Another thing she learned about Norton was that he was a difficult person with a mood as changeable as the weather. She heard he used to be extremely gloomy to the point where he would explode when bothered. Norton was a ticking bomb, and Juliet could say that she was honored to be able to win his comfort when nobody else could. She remembered how the ex-miner would only say a couple of things before secluding himself from people, and if someone tries to pry into his business, they would end up being punched in the face. Up till now, Norton still has a bad reputation in society, but to Juliet, he was as peaceful as an angel. Perhaps, Norton just wanted someone to be with.