Rebecca’s eyes flickered with a flash of shock. Her breath caught for a brief mont. Her shoulders trembled slightly, but she quickly composed herself. She straightened her silver hair, but her gaze remained locked onto mine. Hard. Strong. Like a cracked wall refusing to collapse.
"Don’t be ridiculous," she said. Her words were sharp, but her voice... soft. As if her instincts had kicked in defensively, but even her own ears didn’t quite buy what she was saying.
I tilted my head slightly. "This ability doesn’t lie, Rebecca. Your mind can deceive you. Your heart can play tricks on you. But this technique... it touches the very essence of your soul."
A tense silence. Even the wind in the garden seed to hold its breath.
I stepped forward, shrinking the distance between us. "And don’t worry," I continued, now my tone was more sarcastic, but undeniably flirtatious.. "I didn’t say that to judge you. You just needed to know... I think"
Her fists clenched. Her pupils widened. Watching her inner conflict was almost entertaining. A disciplined warrior battling dark desires, she couldn’t even admit to herself. It was a performance. Just for .
"Unlike most people, I don’t think those kinds of feelings are anything to be ashad of. All you have to do is seduce ... And with that body, I doubt it would be difficult."
My words were sarcastic, but for a brief mont, I caught a glimr of hope in her eyes. The instant she realized I might be joking, though, she snapped back to herself.
Rebecca took a deep breath, her chest rising subtly. That familiar, composed expression returned to her face, but I could see the cracks spreading beneath. There was a war in her eyes.
With herself.
With .
With her past.
With the now.
"Is that how far you’ve fallen, Leo?" she said, her voice hoarse and cutting. "You’re provoking even your own sister now?"
I shrugged, a careless grin spreading across my face.
"I haven’t fallen, Rebecca. I’ve just stopped closing my eyes. Everyone in this world is a slave to sothing...power, money, religion. But not . I’m the master. Of my soul, of my desires. I believe in whatever I want, I chase what I crave. You’d enjoy life a lot more if you were like ."
Rebecca’s eyes trembled for a second before she turned her head. Did she blush? Yeah, just a faint redness in her cheeks. Perfect.
"When did you beco such a philosopher?" she muttered, but her voice had softened. And then I saw it. Her fingers grazing her lips unconsciously. Her mind was absolute chaos now.
She bit her lip, glancing at from the corner of her eye, still trying to pull herself together. But I had already tasted victory. Breaking down the walls of a strong woman... now that’s an art.
I crossed my arms, lowering my voice, but keeping the sarcasm sharp.
"I’m no philosopher, Rebecca. I just slap the truth right across your face. And you like that. Admit it, sotis you need soone to shake you with honesty. Otherwise, you drown in your own lies."
She rolled her eyes. But I didn’t miss the storm behind them. Her discipline was like a broken chain now. Every word I said tore off another link.
Her breathing quickened, though she tried to hide it with a light throat-clear. "Leo... just shut up and go. I’m too tired for your bullshit."
But her eyes told a different story. You know that mont when soone says "go" but they’re screaming, stay inside? Yeah. That.
"I’m going, anyway. You won’t be seeing for a while."
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed, the deep blue growing even darker. That signature warrior’s tension tightened her muscles, but thanks to my newly awakened passive ability, I could now read the cracks in her armor. Her gaze challenged but trembled with a worry she’d never admit.
"Where?"
Her voice was sharp, and her jaw clenched. I could hear her teeth grinding. Seconds passed in silence. Then I gave her the answer.
"To go et my future wife."
A slight twitch flickered across her face. Her brows furrowed, but her eyes... widened. The silence thickened. She couldn’t speak. Jealousy and curiosity practically spilled from her chest.
"Your wife?" she whispered, the words barely escaping her lips.
I just grinned. Slowly, I walked past her, our shoulders nearly touching. "Yes... my future wife," I said, stretching the words with deliberate satisfaction. "And I have a feeling... she’ll be quite a demanding one."
I saw her shoulders tremble slightly. Whether it was from rage, jealousy, or sothing else. I couldn’t have asked for a more entertaining mystery. Even with my back turned, I knew her eyes were still on .
I stopped at the doorway, just for one last look. "But don’t worry, Rebecca," I said softly, winking, "I’ve got enough to go around."
I had just turned to leave when I felt a sudden gust of air behind . I instinctively sidestepped and heard the whoosh of a shoe zipping past and slamming into one of the garden pillars with a loud crack.
"LEO!!!" Rebecca’s shout rang out behind , a mix of fury and embarrassnt in that delicious tone of hers.
Naturally, I bolted. Straight back to the manor. Maybe I pushed it a bit too far, but damn, it was fun.
Oh, and by the way, I’ve been slipping more and more into my real self lately, straying from the original reserved persona of Leonardo. Hopefully, it won’t cause problems later. I an, I can’t pretend to be a boring prick forever. Still, if my change is slow and subtle, it’ll raise less suspicion.
Anyway... I’ll be leaving this beautiful manor again tomorrow. Ti to get ready.
The next morning, I woke up early and got ready right away.
Rebecca hadn’t spoken to since yesterday, and I understood why. But Annabel? Why was she avoiding ?! Damn it, I’d never done anything wrong with her. I even gave her an insanely rare and powerful skill-enhancing item!
If I sold that thing, I could probably live in luxury for the rest of my life. Won... I really don’t get them. At least Rebecca agreed to train her and help her absorb the item.
Unlike the won, though, my brat of a son had finally ward up to . Why? Because I gave him a little honey and milk. That’s it. Simple.
Sotis I wonder, are n just stupidly simple, or are won unnecessarily complicated? Whatever. If I keep talking about this, I’ll turn into that bald idiot from my past life.
Today, I’ll deal with so of the backed-up responsibilities of the county. Then, under the cover of night, I’ll leave again.
Even though I’ve imagined what it’ll be like when I et the hero’s mother, life rarely goes the way you plan. So I’d better prepare so backup plans.
"This... is such a drag. I wish I could just eat, sleep, and fuck every day without doing anything else."
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