Time Check: 6:30 A.M.
Tina and Lilia had just left the laundry room reserved for G6 and Brenda. "Did Lady Reise tell you she was returning to her training, Miss Tina?" Lilia asked as Tina carried G6's training gear.
"Yes, before I left her room last night. She instructed me to bring this to her, as she intended to resume her morning sessions," Tina answered, unusually calm and seemingly happy.
"But does Lady Reise not usually sneak out before sunrise?" Lilia asked.
"Well, perhaps she simply wished to rest a little longer today. She had a very long day yesterday," Tina said.
As they reached the stairs, they spotted Edmund already on his way up. "Edmund!" Lilia called.
Edmund halted mid-stride and waited for them. "You are as disrespectful as ever. You address Tina with respect, though she is younger than I," Edmund said to Lilia, continuing their usual banter.
"Well, Miss Tina is different. Hmph," Lilia replied, puffing out her cheeks.
"I have not seen you since we returned yesterday, Edmund," Tina remarked as they caught up to him and continued upstairs together.
"It took me quite some time to settle matters at the Utility Magic Department, and by the time I returned, it was already dark. I assumed Lady Reise was occupied, so I went to the Royal Collegium Library instead," Edmund explained truthfully.
"Well, you did the right thing. She was quite tired last night," Tina said.
"Did she not eat the food Alistair prepared, Miss Tina?" Lilia asked.
"No, she refused, claiming she was full," Tina answered.
As they reached the second floor and proceeded down the hall toward G6's room, they encountered Brenda, who was up and ready for the day.
"Good morning, Lady Brenda," the three greeted in unison, offering a curt bow.
"Good morning, everyone! I assume Lady Reise is still asleep? May I join you?" Brenda said, smiling and full of energy.
"Of course, Lady Brenda," Tina replied, and Brenda fell into step with them.
"I gathered you and the others returned quite late last night. Are you not tired, Lady Brenda?" Edmund asked.
"A bit, but it is all manageable now. We have finally finished the preparations. By tomorrow, all the knights sent on expeditions will likely be back to take over most of the new recruits' training," Brenda explained. "And I have already missed several meals with Lady Reise! I miss her," she added, her voice and expression filled with obvious longing.
"They have not eaten together for two days," Lilia whispered to the other two.
"It seems Lady Brenda is genuinely fond of Lady Reise," Tina remarked, smiling—relieved to know someone her lady's age liked her grumpy mistress.
"More like she adores her," Edmund commented under his breath.
"I adore Lady Reise, too!" Lilia chimed in. Edmund simply shook his head, as he had meant a different kind of affection.
When they reached their lady's door, Tina took the lead, knocking twice before opening it. Her foot immediately stumbled over a coat lying on the floor.
"What is this?" Tina asked. Lilia picked it up.
"It is too large; this is not Lady Reise's," Lilia observed.
The adults exchanged glances and stepped further inside. On the floor lay not just a stranger's coat, but also a man's vest.
Their eyes then fell upon the tea table, where two bottles of hard whiskey and an empty wine bottle stood beside two shot glasses and a wine glass. "There are two shot glasses and a wine glass. Did she—" Edmund's words cut off as their collective gaze shifted to their mistress's bed.
Their mistress was there, but someone else lay beside her, sleeping soundly. It was the man she always deemed unworthy. "P-PRINCE DIO?" Tina stammered. The training gear she had been holding clattered to the floor as her hands flew to her mouth in shock.
"Why… why are they…" Lilia stammered, utterly flustered by the scene before her.
"Tell me this is a dream. Wake me up," Brenda said, nearly losing her composure.
"Were you not with her last night, Tina?" Edmund asked, equally lost for words.
"This… this is… should we leave, or should we—" Tina panicked, unable to form a coherent plan.
Brenda clutched her chest, breathing heavily in rage. "It is not a dream! PRINCE DIO, YOU SCUM!" she yelled.
For a moment, the four of them stood frozen, a silent tableau of shock and disbelief. The only sound was Brenda's ragged breathing and the soft rustle of sheets as Prince Dio, still deep in sleep, shifted slightly, his arm brushing against G6's back.
The movement seemed to break the spell. Tina's eyes widened in fresh horror, while Lilia's hands flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Edmund, the ever-pragmatic butler, was the first to move, his mind racing through the political ramifications of this scandal.
He took a quiet, deliberate step forward, his voice a hushed, urgent whisper. "Everyone. Out. Now." He began herding them back toward the door, his face pale. "We were never here. We saw nothing."
Lilia, in her flustered state, took a step backward and bumped sharply into the tea table. The empty whiskey bottles clinked together with a loud, jarring sound that shattered the morning silence.
In the bed, G6's eyes snapped open.
There was no groggy confusion, no slow waking. One moment she was asleep; the next, her grey eyes were wide open and laser-focused, taking in the scene: her three servants and Lady Brenda at the foot of the bed, and the warm weight of a body beside her.
Her head turned slowly, her gaze traveling from the white-grey hair on the pillow to the sleeping face of Prince Dio. Her expression did not change from its flat neutrality, but a deadly chill seemed to radiate from her.
"What the fuck is this?" she said, asking the four people who obviously had no answers.
"L-Lady Reise. We are about to leave," Tina said, already trying to usher the furious Brenda out.
"We are so sorry, Lady Reise," Edmund added, wishing he could pinch Lilia for her carelessness.
The three servants were about to leave with Brenda, who was too furious to speak, when they heard a loud thud. Prince Dio was no longer in the bed, but on the floor. G6's position made it obvious she had kicked him off.
"Lady Reise!" Tina called out, shocked by her mistress's disrespectful act.
Dio slowly sat up, rubbing his aching, alcohol-fogged head. His satin sleep clothes, his graceful posture, and his reddish lips—he was every bit the beautiful prince.
"What is happening? Where am I?" he mumbled, confused about why he was on the floor.
"Why are you still here? Why didn't you leave last night? Why? Why?" G6 asked from the bed, her voice low and flat. It was almost ironic; the scene was obviously scandalous to the four observers, yet her reaction was nowhere near what it should have been.
"Oh my god. Dio, you were allowed to stay here last night! I am not going to stand here and listen to this!" Brenda said, her voice rising as she stormed out of the room.
The three servants, flustered and panicking, hurriedly followed the heartbroken Lady Brenda.
"Did I fall asleep here? What exactly happened?" Prince Dio said, standing up groggily.
"Really? That is your concern? The four people who just stormed out are thinking the worst, and you act like they did not see you? And why are your stupid clothes on the floor?" G6 said, obviously pissed off from both the hangover and the drama.
She stood up from her bed, kicked Prince Dio's coat out of her way, and went directly to the counter where a pitcher of water and glasses were laid.
"I could not care less," Prince Dio said calmly, sitting on G6's bed. "You are my fiancée. Sooner or later, we will be sharing a bed." His voice was not its usual cold self; this time, it sounded proud and taunting.
G6 turned to him and took a sip of water before speaking. "Tch. You just got lucky I'm too drunk to strangle you to death last night. And you owe me for those," she said casually, pointing at the empty bottles.
"Mean, but I was truly glad you let me stay here longer last night," Prince Dio said, walking toward her.
"I only allowed it for a reason," G6 said. "But stop your mind from wandering. I am certain nothing happened."
This stupid Snow White. It is hard to get information out of him. It cost me three bottles, and I still got nothing. Could this world really be that different?
[FLASHBACK: LAST NIGHT…]
G6 was already on her sixth shot, and Dio was on his third.
"So, Snow White. Tell me, why do you hate me?" G6 pressed again.
Prince Dio poured another glass. "I told you. I do not hate you," he said, downing his fourth shot.
"I see. You are not a good liar," G6 said, leaning on the table and staring at him flatly.
"Call me whatever you want, but I never hated you. It is just… I thought I was giving you the freedom you wanted," he said.
G6's eyes scanned his. Those are the eyes of guilt. What exactly happened between you and the real Reise?
"I thought if I acted distant and bluntly showed you that I was also against this marriage, you would find the courage to oppose it," Prince Dio said, his voice almost a whisper.
He is saying something I do not know. The real Reise was also against this marriage? Then what made her crazy in love with this stupid Prince? Could it be what Tina said? Could it be her strong will to fulfill her purpose?
Perhaps it was the alcohol, for a split second, G6's eyes softened. Not from empathy, but from recognition. It was the look of a person trapped by duty and expectation was a language she understood all too well.
Reise… What is the meaning of those eyes? Prince Dio wondered as he observed his usually cold, emotionless fiancée.
Driven by purpose, G6 thought, then smirked bitterly. "What a stupid similarity," she whispered, yet loud enough to be heard. This time, she did not drink from her glass; she grabbed the bottle and drank from it like water.
Prince Dio stood and went to her side. "REISE! YOU ARE GOING TO DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH!" he said, trying to stop her.
"Let go. I told you, if I do not drink this away, I might not be able to stop myself," G6 said, still holding the nearly empty bottle.
Prince Dio sighed and sat down beside her. "Then, you would not mind if I drank it away with you?" he asked.
G6 looked at him and remembered the one who always drank with her—a memory of her partner, Pisces.
"Fine," G6 conceded. She stood and grabbed another bottle of alcohol hidden in the shelves. "Let us be drinking buddies, just for tonight. Consider it payment for being a jerk to the old Reise."
"Old Reise…" Prince Dio whispered. "Then I will do that," he said, looking at G6 with a longing that was difficult to suppress.
G6's face returned to its usual unreadable state. Yet, with every pour and every exchange of words, it felt as though there was a hidden agenda.
For the rest of the night, they exchanged words, though nothing of substance. G6 kept pressing Dio for information based on the book, but she was always met with the same realization: It does not match the book.
They finally emptied two bottles of whiskey. G6 then brought out a bottle of wine. "This is what you call a cool-down," she said, clearly drunk.
"Must we really finish it?" Prince Dio asked, equally drunk.
"Are you stupid? This should be beer! But there is no beer in this fucking place," G6 replied, annoyed.
She opened the wine and filled a glass to the brim, nearly emptying the bottle. "Drink up! You are twenty. Live your life stupidly. Forget political stuff; forget you are a prince. That way, you will feel lighter," G6 said, encouraging the prince to get wasted with her.
Her manipulative attempt to get him drunk felt like comforting words to a prince who felt trapped and tired of political life. This time, his smile was unrestrained. He smiled from the heart, and his eyes sparkled. G6's presence, contrary to her cold behavior, felt warm. In that moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to be with this woman he had once wished to set free.
After a few more glasses of wine, G6 was thoroughly drunk, her world spinning. She tried to pour more wine, but the bottle was empty. "What? It is already finished?" she said, still trying to pour as if it were stuck.
"Let us rest, Reise…" Prince Dio said.
"Tch. Do not boss me around," G6 said, standing up. She took off her robe, threw it on the floor, and collapsed onto her bed. "Out," were her last words before falling asleep.
Prince Dio, also drunk and disoriented, thought he was in his own room. He took off his coat and vest, throwing them on the floor, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto G6's bed. Unaware he was still in her room, he pulled the same sheet over himself and fell asleep beside her.
[END OF FLASHBACK]
Back in the quiet room, where the sun had just begun to rise, Prince Dio had already approached G6.
"I will snap your neck if you think you can get cozy with me just because we slept in the same bed," G6 said flatly.
Prince Dio simply smiled. What the fuck is he smiling about?
He was about to speak again when the door opened. Both he and G6 turned to see Janin standing there. "I suggest you return to your quarters now, Your Highness," Janin said, clearly disapproving of the situation.
"Janin, it is not what you think," Prince Dio said. G6 observed him, noting he seemed almost afraid of being scolded by Janin.
Tch. Seems like Snow White has a soft spot for Janin. "Tell him that," G6 said and moved to her couch, sitting down as if nothing were amiss.
"I will not repeat myself. I am certain word of this will reach everyone in the villa any moment now. And… it will reach the Queen. You know how servants' gossip spreads like the flu," Janin said, picking up Prince Dio's clothes and walking toward him.
"What do you mean?" G6 asked, crossing her arms.
"Lady Brenda is having an outburst, babbling about how she is going to strangle Prince Dio to death with her golem. She was on her way to the dining room," Janin explained, handing the prince his clothes.
"Now, go to your place. Get yourself ready. Alistair is already preparing breakfast, along with remedies for your hangovers," Janin added, ushering Prince Dio out of the room.
"Wait, Janin. I am not yet—" Prince Dio was already out the door, and Janin closed it firmly behind him.
Prince Dio sighed and took a deep breath. "I had fun, Reise," he mused with a smile. Then he walked toward the hall where open bridge is connecting to the Annex-Unus.
Meanwhile, back inside G6's room, Janin stared at the empty bottles.
"Lady Reise, even if you two are engaged, it is still inappropriate for you to share a bed while unwed," Janin said. Her tone was not nagging, but the intent was clear.
She picked up G6's training gear, which had fallen from Tina's grasp earlier.
"Stop nagging. I have no interest in that stupid Prince," G6 said, now clasping her hands against her head. The hangover was clearly setting in.
"Perhaps not. But I will not lie—the Prince has changed, just as you have," Janin replied, emerging from the bathroom with a laundry bag.
She placed the bottles and glasses inside and began removing the pillowcases, which reeked of alcohol. She was cleaning up the mess, leaving no trace of what had happened the night before.
"I have already drawn your bath. The tub should be nearly full by now," she said, still busy cleaning.
"Why are you the one here?" G6 asked as she stood.
"Tina clearly does not know how to face the child she has cared for since infancy after finding her in bed with a man. I took the initiative after hearing the servants' gossip in the kitchen. You should brace yourself for the rumors," Janin answered.
G6 simply smirked. Before entering the bathroom fully, she paused. "I am lucky to have quick-witted people," she said. Though her face showed no smile or expression, it was a clear acknowledgment of Janin's swift action and thinking.
_____
[DINING HALL]
The silver utensils were already set for the usual diners. However, the air was heavy.
Tina and Lilia were nowhere to be found, but Brenda sat next to the head seat, with an equally puzzled Eliza beside her. Across from them sat Earl, with the playful Keith next to him.
Brenda was holding a butter knife and clicking it against her plate, her fury obvious.
"So…" Keith finally ventured, unable to bear the silence. "Brenda… you are saying… Dio and Reise… slept? Together? In a bed? The same one?"
Brenda's eyes twitched. "Do not make me repeat it, Keith. I will have my golem use your head for pottery practice."
"But are you sure, sure?" Keith pressed, leaning forward. "I mean, Reise would rather sleep on a bed of nails than share a room with him. Maybe he just passed out on the floor and you did not see—"
"They were under the same sheets!" Brenda snapped, her voice cracking with fury. "He was next to her—his clothes were on her floor—there were empty bottles everywhere! It was a… a den of iniquity!"
Earl finally spoke, his voice calm and measured as he tried to soothe the tension. "We should not jump to conclusions. There is likely a reasonable explanation. Prince Dio would not overstep so brazenly."
"Reasonable?" Brenda laughed, a sharp, humorless sound. "The only reasonable thing is that he finally succumbed to her unnatural magnetism and took advantage of the situation! I knew his recent change of heart was suspicious!"
"Or," Keith said, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes, "our lovely Reise finally decided to stop threatening him and start taming him. I always said there was a fine line between hatred and—"
A napkin holder flew across the table, aimed squarely at Keith's head. He ducked just in time.
"Do not finish that sentence!" Brenda hissed.
"If I may, I believe Prince Dio would not do anything so brazen as to cause a scandal," Eliza interjected.
"I kind of doubt that. It is obvious Dio is head over heels for Rei—" Once again, Keith was unable to finish his sentence as Earl, under the table, stepped hard on his foot to silence him.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO!" Keith whined in pain, frustrated by the two cousins' treatment.
Just then, the dining room door opened. All four heads snapped toward the entrance, expecting to see either the scandalous prince or the volatile lady.
It was only Prince Dio.
He walked in, impeccably dressed but slightly pale, the picture of royal composure—if one ignored the faint shadows under his eyes. The room fell utterly silent, all eyes fixed on him.
He paused, feeling the weight of their stares. "Oh, you heard?" he asked, his voice even, as if taunting them.
"Thick-faced," Brenda retorted.
"Brenda," Earl called, a quiet signal to calm down in Eliza's presence.
Keith broke the tension with a low whistle. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. Have a good… night, cousin?"
Prince Dio's composure wavered for a split second. He ignored Keith and looked directly at Brenda's icy glare and Earl's analytical gaze.
"It is not what you think," he stated, though the phrase sounded weak even to his own ears.
Brenda slowly stood, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Oh? Then by all means, Your Highness," she said, her voice dripping with venomous sweetness. "Enlighten us. What exactly is it?"
Prince Dio sat next to Keith. "We just… had a good time," he said, smirking at Brenda.
This time, the butter knife she was holding bent in two, as she clearly used a skill from Physical Enhancement Magic in her fury. "I will skin you alive," Brenda said, while Eliza frowned at the prince's behavior.
"Is that why you insisted on leaving first last night?" Earl asked, sipping a glass of water.
"There is nothing wrong with seeing my fiancée," Prince Dio answered arrogantly.
"At such an unseemly hour?" Earl pressed. His voice held no teasing, but a subtle hint of anger that made Prince Dio look at him sharply.
As the tension among the Pillars and the prince grew heavy, the door snapped open.
There she was—the other subject of the scandal. She was clearly in a foul mood, her hangover plaguing her, with Janin close behind.
"Where are Tina and Lilia?" G6 asked Janin as she walked to her usual seat at the head of the table.
"Still in the kitchen, helping Alistair in my stead," Janin answered, following her.
All eyes followed G6 as she moved, acting as if they did not exist and nothing had happened.
When she sat down, she noticed the bent butter knife on Brenda's plate. "What is that? Some new kind of art you are into?" G6 asked.
Brenda looked at her, nearly on the verge of tears. "Lady Reise…" she called, as if begging for an explanation.
G6 raised a brow and looked at each of them in turn. "Do not worry about it. Nothing happened between us. Snow White was just too dumb to find his own room when he was drunk," she said to the worried Brenda.
"Are you certain?" Brenda asked, frowning.
Then G6 smiled at her. It was not warm or lovely, but it was meant for the lady who was so smitten with her. "Believe me," she said.
"Meh, let us not make a big deal of it. If Reise says nothing happened, then it is true," Keith said.
"Right. Janin, please tell the servants to stop spreading rumors," Earl agreed.
"When Reise says it, you believe her. When I say it, you think I am lying?" Prince Dio asked, clearly offended by the others.
G6 simply smirked and leaned back in her chair.
"Well, Reise is more believable," Keith answered.
"Right! I would rather believe Reise than you!" Brenda said, still furious with him.
"I am a prince, mind you," Prince Dio stated.
"So? Lady Reise is Reise!" Brenda shot back.
The absurdity of Brenda's declaration hung in the air, so childish yet so fiercely sincere that it momentarily silenced even Prince Dio. G6's smirk widened a fraction. This blind, irrational loyalty was a weapon she hadn't known she possessed.
"Enough," G6 intervened, as the sound of bickering worsened her headache.
"So you are wearing your training gear. Are you returning to your morning sessions?" Earl asked, steering the conversation away from the scandal.
"Yes," G6 answered. "Right, look." She pulled out the necklace she was wearing beneath her turtleneck.
Earl leaned slightly toward her, noticing she was wearing the necklace he had given her.
"You… you are wearing it," he said, fascinated.
Brenda's brows furrowed, Keith looked confused, and Prince Dio, beneath his neutral expression, sensed something odd in Earl's behavior.
"You said it can store mana. I am curious about how it works," G6 said.
"Wait," Prince Dio interjected. "You gave her a necklace?"
G6 looked at Dio, and Earl exhaled before speaking. "It is merely a magic tool from Omnia," he said.
"That is odd. Magic tools from Omnia are not usually so delicately designed," Prince Dio pressed.
"What is the matter?" G6 asked, completely unaware of the underlying tension and unable to recognize genuine feelings.
"My father used to say that the other way to show affection, besides a ring, is a necklace," Eliza commented, smiling.
Her words, though innocent, carried weight. All eyes turned to her, as if her ignorance could stir chaos among the young heirs.
"Affection? What are you, five?" G6 said, her voice laced with mockery. She tucked the necklace back beneath her turtleneck.
"What else could it mean?" Prince Dio asked G6, though his gaze remained fixed on Earl. Keith, sitting between them, looked uncomfortable.
"Earl gave me a ring. Does that mean he wants to marry me?" G6's blunt question momentarily calmed the room.
"Right. I did not mean anything by it. This is still part of our agreement regarding her training," Earl agreed, trying to downplay his true intentions. "As long as she wears the mana restraint, she remains under my supervision."
"I will stab you if you make it sound like I am under you again," G6 said, clearly offended.
Janin, observing quietly, noted that the tension in the group always seemed to revolve around G6.
"Well, that is true. I have not yet given mine," Prince Dio conceded, shrugging off his suspicions toward Earl.
"Right, you promised me that stupid sword," G6 said.
"I am not yet satisfied with what I am seeing," Prince Dio replied, smiling at G6.
His words, however, were interpreted differently by the others. Keith flicked water droplets at Dio's face. "You are sick!" he commented.
"How dare you say that in front of me!" Brenda exclaimed, now dangerously close to snapping her fork in two.
"Again?" Alistair's voice cut through the tension. "Seriously, every time I enter this room, something is happening." Tina and Lilia followed behind him.
Janin helped the two girls serve the food, and Alistair placed a tonic for hangovers in front of Prince Dio before turning to G6.
"Here," Alistair said, handing her the same liquid tonic he had given her before. "Can you tone it down? I am starting to wonder what kind of tonic I will have to make next."
"Maybe a tonic to shut your mouth," G6 retorted, drinking the bitter liquid in one go.
Seeing G6 finish her tonic, Prince Dio drank his as well but immediately grabbed a napkin to cover his mouth.
"What is wrong, Prince Dio?" Eliza asked, full of concern.
Alistair smiled, looking satisfied. G6 side-eyed him and observed Dio.
"Alistair…" Dio said, his mouth still covered. "Why is mine so spicy?"
"Spicy?" Earl asked, confused.
"Ah, forgive me, Your Highness. I may have accidentally added chili to yours," Alistair said, feigning ignorance. He placed a sweet in front of Dio. "Fortunately, I have this. It will help soothe the burning." He smiled.
Tch, that stupid old man. He did that on purpose, G6 thought, smirking.
Brenda and Keith exchanged glances, struggling not to laugh.
"Here is yours," Alistair said, placing a cupcake in front of G6. "And I will give you only soup for breakfast. I will pack a sandwich for you." He spoke to her as if she were his own child.
G6 did not reply and simply reached for her soup. "Then, enjoy your breakfast. I will be leaving now," Alistair said, offering a casual nod.
As he passed Prince Dio, he whispered, "Next time, it will be worse."
It was a warning, like that of a protective father figure watching over a son—for in G6's strong, rough demeanor, Alistair saw not a delicate daughter, but a resilient heir he felt compelled to guard.
Prince Dio clicked his tongue in annoyance and ate the sweet to ease the spice.
"Lady Reise, we have already eaten while helping Alistair. We will wait here instead," Lilia said as she and Tina moved to their usual corner.
"Suit yourself," G6 replied, already focused on her food.
"Then, Lady Reise, I too will take my leave," Janin said, bowing.
Before she could be dismissed, G6 noticed Edmund's absence. "Where is Edmund?" she asked.
"We do not know, Lady Reise. He disappeared suddenly earlier," Tina replied.
"Ah, before I go, the Queen asked for him," Janin added.
G6 dropped her spoon onto the table with enough force to make it shake.
"What is wrong, Lady Reise?" Brenda asked.
What does she want with him? That bitch, G6 thought, her eyes growing frighteningly cold.
Janin, noticing her rising anger, spoke again. "I am sure it is nothing serious. Please, continue your meal."
G6 did not answer, falling into a silence so heavy it felt deafening.
What is she playing at? Is she trying to squeeze information out of him? she wondered.
The others could not continue their meals in her silence. She was unconsciously radiating a murderous aura that unsettled everyone.
Then the door opened, and Edmund entered. G6's head snapped toward him.
"What did the Queen want with you?" she asked, so directly that she seemed oblivious to the others in the room.
"She merely discussed your proposal regarding the Utility Magic Department. I will brief you after your meal, my lady," Edmund answered, bowing.
G6 twitched one brow, picked up her spoon, and resumed eating her soup.
"Seriously, Reise?" Keith said. "After you made us all freeze?"
"I do not care. That is what you get for dining in my home," G6 replied.
"I only stopped because you are too beautiful, Lady Reise." Brenda said, lightening the mood.
"She is engaged to me," Prince Dio commented casually between bites. "And why did Alistair not give me any soup?"
"First, stop flaunting that you are politically engaged to Lady Reise. And second, be careful—Alistair might slip more chilli into your food," Brenda said, making Dio glance warily at his plate.
Keith laughed at his cousin's rare gullibility, earning a slight kick from Dio under the table.
Earl simply shook his head and returned to his meal.
And so, breakfast continued, a precarious truce held together by routine and G6's imposing presence.
While focusing on her soup, she smirked. It wasn't from joy at their care, but from cold satisfaction. They saw a person to cherish; she saw only strings to pull.
The clatter of utensils and forced small talk painted a picture of normalcy, but it was a fragile illusion. Every glance, every unspoken word, every secret kept and given, all orbited the silent, brooding figure at the head of the table. G6 had become the sun around which their world now turned, and her sudden chill was a warning that the warmth of this peace was a temporary, fleeting thing.
—To be continued...—