Rose came to a sudden halt in the hallway, each stomp she’d taken on the way here still echoing through the walls. Her rage was palpable, radiating from her tense frame, like a volcano barely held back from erupting. She stood there for a moment, chest heaving, struggling to rein in her emotions. Finally, she turned to face me, her expression tight with frustration.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she muttered, her voice low but crackling with leftover anger.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like it’s a bad thing,” I replied, trying to ease the tension in the air with a casual tone. “Honestly, I should be thanking you for putting your former family in their place. It sucks that you had to deal with those assholes throughout your childhood and teenage years.”
Rose forced a bitter smile, the corners of her mouth twitching as if the expression didn’t quite fit. “If you’d seen how bad it was back then, you’d know just how much of a nightmare those three were. And it wasn’t just them. My grandparents were just as rotten. Honestly, I’m kind of glad they’re dead now.”
Thanking fate for the death of your grandparents would usually sound heartless, but in Rose’s case, it made sense. Her entire life, she’d been their puppet, dancing on strings they pulled at will. Even after they’d thrown her out, they still tried to steer her life, like she was some pawn in their power games. They kept sending her marriage proposals, hoping to marry her off and tighten their grip on alliances with other wealthy families.
I guess being born into a rich family comes with its share of hidden curses. My own parents, when they were alive, never pushed me into anything I didn’t want. It gave me this idealized idea of what family should be—safe, supportive. But sometimes, families can be the ones who stab you in the back. Like Akane’s father, who was a miserable drunk. That was why Akane’s mom left him, choosing another man instead. Akane got left behind with her drunk father, suffering his beatings. It’s why she spent so many nights at my place back then—it was the only place where we could escape, even just for a little while.
There are a couple of reasons I want to go back to Earth. One, I’m itching for revenge against the bastards who wronged my sister. And two, I need to check on Akane, see if she’s still okay. But knowing how strong she is, both physically and emotionally, I doubt there’s much to worry about.
“Now then, let’s get back to the topic, shall we?”
“What topic?”
“You being the owner of Leonamon,” she spat out, barely containing her frustration.
“Oh, that? Wait, hadn’t I told you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, playing at casual despite the fire in her eyes.
“No!” she all but screamed, her disbelief boiling over. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I can’t believe this… You’re actually the owner of Leonamon? You’re not just messing with me, right?”
“Well, Duke Merca confirmed it himself,” I replied, shrugging like it was no big deal, though the tension in the air crackled between us. “Besides, it’s not like I go around bragging that I’m the owner of Leonamon. It’s not some kind of requirement to throw in people’s faces. And honestly, sometimes, I just don’t bother. Plus, I’d rather keep my face hidden, which is why I’m showing up here as Christopher Faust—a charming, white-haired, bespectacled young man—not Leon from the academy. The last thing I want is for people to find out I’m still just a cadet there.”
“That’s definitely going to be trouble,” she muttered, shaking her head, though the disbelief hadn’t quite left her expression. “But still, I can’t believe you dyed your hair like that and made it long. How the hell did you manage to grow it out so fast?”
“Well, that’s a little secret I can’t share just yet,” I said with a sly smile.
“Fine, whatever,” she huffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, the annoyance clear in her posture. “So, what exactly are you planning here?”
“Can’t you already guess? I’m here for Sesillian,” I said.
“Didn’t you say we don’t have to do anything about him yet, since we don’t have any proof that he’s actually evil? People are falling for his charm, and instead of exposing him, he might just turn the tables on us.”
She had a point—exposing Sesillian as a cult leader of the Eclipse wasn’t going to be a simple task. But there was a certain power in slipping into a more refined role, disguising myself as someone of influence, someone who radiated charisma far beyond my usual look. Sometimes, dressing up as the part made things easier, especially when the stakes were this high.
“Relax, I’ve got this. I might not look it, but I’m pretty charming, you know?” I shot her a cocky grin, letting my voice drip with a mix of confidence and playfulness, as if this whole situation was just a game to me. My smirk widened, hoping to throw her off just enough.
Rose’s eyebrow shot up, a hard look in her eyes, like she was trying to drill through my facade. Suspicion practically rolled off her in waves. “What exactly are you planning?” she asked, crossing her arms tightly, like she was bracing for the worst.
“I just have to play the honeytrap for Sesillian,” I explained, leaning in closer, my voice dropping to a hushed tone. “Get him to loosen up, drop his guard, and spill whatever he’s hiding. It’s way easier to get him to talk that way than by trying to pry it out of him with force.”
She huffed, clearly unimpressed, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. “And why exactly do you think charm is going to get you the information you need about Sesillian?”
Rose still hadn’t caught on. She hadn’t realized that Sesillian had a taste for men. That’s why he kept staring earlier, his eyes practically undressing me, like he was picturing what he could do if he got his hands on me. But it wasn’t just any guy he went for; Sesillian was picky. He liked a mix of muscle and leanness, with a face that had a princely charm. I’d crafted this entire look just for that—down to every strand of white hair.
“Well,” I said, flashing her a knowing smile, “you’ll just have to find out after the party.”
