Vierenna's eyes remained fixed on Deon, awaiting his response. Yet, he merely gazed back at her calmly, saying nothing.

“Don’t you love me in return?” She pinched his side, feigning anger.

A pained expression briefly crossed his face as he tried to push her hand away.

“You know the answer.”

“Say it!”

“No!”

“Why not? Don’t I deserve it?”

At last, he managed to move her hand away and stepped aside.

“You do. But if I say it, I’ll suffer—and I know that.”

He was right, of course. Vierenna would have toyed with him a little, but still…

“I'm angry with you.”

She turned her back to Deon, emphasizing the seriousness of her words.

“You’ll forgive me. How else will I make up for monopolizing the lake in your time?”

Vierenna turned back toward Deon, who now wore a sly smile.

‘A Super villain…’

At the back of her mind, she sensed two figures approaching. Their auras now sharpened into focus, revealing their identities. The twins of House De Ressa, Anna-Accia and Felice.

“You need some fixing. I still don’t feel respected by you.”

Deon stepped slightly back at her words, but Vierenna extended her hand.

“Come here. The twins are heading our way. We ought to be on our best behavior.”

Deon obeyed, moving closer.

“Are you talking about yourself?!”

She slipped her hand under his arm, ensuring they appeared as proper siblings befitting their high status. However, her thoughts betrayed the neutral and gentle expression she wore.

‘He really does need fixing.’

And Vierenna would enjoy doing so—she always did.

…

At that moment, Anna-Accia and Felice emerged from the shrubs surrounding the small lake. The blind girl was slightly ahead of her brother, who trailed only a few steps behind.

“Hello, Accia. How are you?”

Anna-Accia frowned at Vierenna’s sarcastic greeting but caught no mockery in her tone.

“Not as well as I was two hours ago.”

“And are you hoping to do something about that?”

Vierenna released Deon’s hand as he quietly moved to sit on the nearby bench, as though fearing someone might claim it first.

“I can only hope.”

Facing Vierenna, Anna-Accia stood with her brother a few steps behind her, his expression slightly sullen.

“Do you have something in mind?” Vierenna asked again, feigning ignorance.

“Don’t play games Viera. It’s just us here.”

Vierenna smiled at Ana-Accia’s scowl and gestured toward Felicee.

“Your brother is here. To be honest with you, I’m not particularly fond of him right now. I don’t want him here… This place is special to me and my brother.”

“A lovely lake you’ve got,” Felice remarked, ignoring Vierenna’s comments about him.

“Quiet, Felice. You’re not here to sightsee.”

He glared at his sister but fell silent as ordered.

“Why is he here?” Though she already had an idea, Vierenna asked Anna-Accia for confirmation.

“He’s here to atone for his mistakes, if anything can be mended.”

Vierenna glanced at Deon on the bench. His gaze seemed absorbed in the lake, opening and closing his eyes as if lost in thought.

She looked back at Felice, whose expression—apart from a faint frown—remained unfazed.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“He doesn’t seem like it, but that’s not my decision to make.”

Felice smiled calmly behind his sister. “Miss Vierenna is right. I’ll only apologize because I feel guilty toward my sister. Otherwise, I’d never hear the end of it.”

Anna-Accia glared at Felice, her expression twisted with anger. Words failed her, but Vierenna was not so constrained.

“You know I could shatter your face, right?” she remarked calmly, entirely unbothered.

Felice flinched slightly at the threat but did not back down. “I’m aware, and I’d prefer to keep the details of my face intact.”

He smiled again and gestured toward Deon on the bench. “But could he?.. Smash my face, that is?”

Deon glanced at him calmly from where he sat, seeming mildly amused.

Vierenna was ready to fulfill her promise—figuratively, at least—but Deon spoke quietly without even rising.

“Is that why you’re here?”

“No, he’s here to apologize. And he will do just that.”

Anna-Accia grabbed most of her brother’s arm firmly and pulled him closer. Her expression was menacing.

“My sister is right. I was wrong, and I admit it. But I’m not in the habit of apologizing just because I’m at fault. I can compensate you, but you only asked for an apology. Truthfully, you could demand one, but it would be for my sister’s sake—not yours. If you want a sincere apology, you’ll have to earn it.”

Vierenna watched as Deon rose from the bench, an amused expression evident on his face.

He moved to stand beside her, his gaze remained fixed on Felice.

“You can compensate me.”

Felice raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening.

“And what is it that you want?”

He likely thought Deon was afraid of him. However, Vierenna sensed no fear from her brother.

“First, you need to understand that, in my eyes, you’re just a childish idiot. You sabotaged your sister’s opportunity out of sheer arrogance. And in that, I am no different. Out of pride, I ignored my sister’s request. I can’t even recall the last time she asked me for anything—and when she did, I nearly ruined it. I regret that.”

Deon’s gaze did not waver as he stared intently at Felice, the latter’s frown deepened with each word.

“This isn’t about you or me. So, if you truly care about what your sister wants? keep your mouth shut. That’s all I want. I don’t need your apology, let alone to earn it. Just keep your mouth under control if you care for your sister.”

Felice’s eyes burned with fiery anger. He opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out.

His pride had been trampled by someone he deemed inferior. But before he could even attempt to retaliate—

“My brother and I thank the young master Deon for his kindness. We will always be grateful for your magnanimity and kind heart.”

“What… What are you doing?”

Felice stared in disbelief as his sister bowed at a perfect ninety degrees toward Deon.

He couldn’t comprehend why she would do that.

This Deon had just insulted his honor in front of her—

Don’t she care about his honor?

He averted his gaze from Ana-Accia.

‘She’s helpless, but I’m not.’

Looking at the calm Deon before him only fueled his rage. Yet, before he could act or think of doing so…

“You should leave now.”

Vierenna’s melodic voice seeped into his mind, and something deep within him stirred.

A wave of helplessness washed over him. Without understanding why, his body began moving away from the small lake.

The thoughts that had been so clear moments ago faded into a singular notion.

‘I must leave.’

Soon, he disappeared from Vierenna’s view, though her gaze remained fixed in his general direction.

“Did he just… leave?” Deon turned to Vierenna with a questioning look.

“She dismissed him,” came Ana-Accia’s response. While she didn’t seem pleased with what Vierenna had done, she remained silent.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not my fault your brother’s an idiot.”

Vierenna turned her face away from Anna-Accia. This confirmed to Deon that Felice inexplicable exit was indeed her doing.

“He’s not an idiot. Your brother’s just… wiser than his years.”

Deon felt her gaze on him, despite her blindness. He sensed curiosity radiating from her and responded.

“I’m not wise. Just logical.”

Vierenna whipped her head up, staring at Deon with disbelief.

“A logical person wouldn’t think… Mmph—!”

Deon cut her off by clamping a hand over her mouth.

“Wouldn’t think of what?”

“She just likes to play with words,” Deon replied to Anna-Accia’s question as he tightened his grip on Vierenna’s mouth.

Silence fell, filled only with Vierenna’s struggle to free herself.

“Mm… Won’t you let her go?” Anna-Accia asked.

“No, she’s fine,” Deon replied without expression.

“She doesn’t look fine, and I need to talk to her about how we move forward from here.”

“No, you’re fine.”

Anna-Accia fell silent, unsure what to say in response.

‘Am I fine? I…’

“You’re fine. You may leave now… we’ll talk later.”

‘What? He’s not as logical as he claims.’

Anna-Accia studied Vierenna. She knew the girl could free herself if she wanted to—yet she didn’t. It seemed like she was struggling to free herself, yet at the same time, she was comfortable in her brother’s hold. Anna-Accia’s sight told her as much.

‘How strange.’

As Anna-Accia was about to leave, following Felice, whom she sensed walking steadily toward the palace gates, but she noticed Vierenna finally freeing herself from her brother’s hold with minimal resistance—Though she made it seem like a struggle.

“Is this how you treat your sister? Bullying her like this! This is unacceptable. We’re going to work on this later…”

“You promised to keep your mouth shut.”

“No, I said, ‘We don’t want her to think poorly of you.’ Yet here you are, acting like this. You’re not helping your case.”

“You started it.”

“You didn’t even know what I was going to say. This just goes to show your thoughts and proves the validity of my claims, which have now become facts, as we agreed this morning.”

“We agreed on nothing. You just do what you always do. declare something, and poof—it becomes reality.”

“Ah— take that back, mister.”

“I won’t take anything back. What? Don’t you like hearing the truth?”

Anna-Accia stood to the side, listening to their argument, which didn’t mean much to her. But she sensed Vierenna’s enjoyment, unlike Deon, who seemed to be on the oppressed side. That said a lot.

Anna-Accia sighed to herself and intervened to interrupt the squabble. She still had business here.

“Viera? May we talk?”

Vierenna shifted her sharp gaze to Anna-Accia, initially looking angry but quickly calming down as if she understood the reason for the interruption.

“Yes, right. There’s that!”

But before that, she turned her gaze back to Deon, who looked at her expressionlessly in return.

“As for you! Mark my words; I will fix you. I will fix you no matter how long it takes… do you understand?”

Deon didn’t answer; he just stared at Vierenna without expression. However, Anna-Accia felt his heart skip a beat.

She almost pitied him, but she had more important things to discuss right now.

She returned to Vierenna, who was waiting.

But she made a mental note to herself, if she ever became his knight.

‘It seems he needs as much pity as he can get.’