CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 32: REVOKING THE GENERAL AGENCY资格

But Artie himself always seemed like someone unaffected.

He never felt that there was anything wrong with doing so.

The Pouting Siren’s sense of security comes from her brother Leo’s constant protection.

But Leo himself never had such protection.

The habit of using handrails on escalators was just one of the hundred questions Miles used to test Leo’s lack of security.

No one can have 100% security.

Anyone who scores six out of ten on this test would not be classified as having psychological issues and can live normally.

If someone scores above eight out of ten, it means they have immense security about themselves and the world around them—Artie probably fits into the above eighty category.

Leo ultimately only scored two out of ten.

The doctor believes it’s severe enough to require medication to assist with psychological treatment.

But Leo refused antidepressants; he chose to keep smiling.

He has a mother and sister he needs to protect; he can’t become a person with serious psychological problems who requires his mother’s and sister’s care instead.

If Talia found out that Leo was taking antidepressants, she would be the first to break down.

Leo won’t allow such a thing to happen.

Depression and the refusal of medication are like inseparable twins.

The scary thing about smile-depression compared to regular depression is that people with smile-depression are better at hiding it.

The closer people are, the less they can feel it.

Why does Leo need to smile?

At eighteen, Leo donned a mask of a smile to smoothly take over Winters Spirits.

After taking over, the priority became smiling for the most important people in his life so they could find peace.

For this reason.

Talia and Artie became the two people in the world least likely to detect Leo’s smile depression.

It isn’t that Talia and Artie don’t care enough; it’s that Leo chose to shut himself off.

This self-isolation is truly something only those who’ve never been depressed can feel.

Moreover, Leo’s depression is cloaked in a garment of smiles.

Artie originally would surely cling to Talia upon returning home.

Now, Talia had arranged the "first-class seat" for Summer, leaving Artie to sit opposite Talia.

Thus, the position opposite Summer naturally became Leo’s.

After saying he’d always give "priority" to Artie, Leo moved to his seat, with the help of the butler’s adjusted chair.

As Leo sat down, he noticed Summer looking at him.

In response, Leo gave Summer an utterly perfect smile.

Summer did not avert her gaze nor spoke; she remained as silent as ever.

For a fleeting moment, Summer’s gaze at Leo left him a bit puzzled.

The Nation’s Gentleman is long accustomed to girls looking at him.

Whether stealing glances or boldly staring.

Whether shy or assertive.

Girls look at him with eyes filled with either admiration, appreciation, or outright infatuation.

All of this is so normal that it became routine in Leo’s life.

But Summer’s gaze was something Leo had never felt before.

Was it sympathy? Pity? Or perhaps both?

Leo’s smile froze a bit.

It’s the first time Leo, the Nation’s Gentleman, has seen a girl look at him with sympathetic and pitiful eyes.

However, the emotions in Summer’s eyes flickered and vanished.

When Leo’s smile stuck on his face, and he tried to confirm again, he couldn’t find any trace of emotion in Summer’s eyes.

Maybe, perhaps, possibly, it was an illusion?

The Nation’s Gentleman’s smile, after freezing for the same brief moment, returned to its perfect gentlemanly state.

Leo, at eighteen, faced the darkness in the world for the first time.

While Summer has been shrouded by a world much darker than Leo’s since she was less than five.

"Mom, do you like the daughter-in-law that Cupid’s Earth General Manager shot back for you? Is she shockingly remarkable?"

"Of course! Mom’s just going to revoke your general manager qualification."

"Ah? Why? Does Mom no longer love Artie? Not only can Artie not be the manager but also can’t even act as the general manager?" The Devilish Lolita pouted in a distressed, charming voice.

"There’s only one son to give away. Artie’s general manager duty is already complete—you’ve pierced the heart with an arrow, and now it’s time to quit while you’re ahead, right?"

"Well, that makes sense! Ah, brother, Artie shot back the shockingly remarkable Summer for you as a wife. How does that sound?" The Pouting Siren persisted.

"I listen to Artie." Leo knew Artie was joking.

If he had expressed even half a disagreement, Artie might mercilessly tease him.

Even without that worry, the Nation’s Gentleman never puts women in an awkward spot.

Leo is adept at handling such situations.

He neither agrees nor disagrees; he merely says he listens to Artie, ensuring no embarrassment—if this topic ends here.

But The Pouting Siren clearly didn’t intend to stop there: "Ah Summer, would you be willing to be the shockingly remarkable Artie’s sister-in-law?"

"..."

One second of silence.

Two seconds of silence.

Three seconds of silence.

As the rescue girl contemplated how to save the scene, a word escaped Summer’s mouth:

"Okay."

"..."