CHAPTER 111: THE LADY OUTSIDE THE BLOOD TOWER?! [2]

Leon’s cheeks ached as Veronica finally let go of his face. He instinctively rubbed them, feeling the faint warmth where her fingers had just been.

’Why does she always do that...’ Leon thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Veronica didn’t say anything at first. She just looked at him with that usual calm expression, one of her brows lifting slightly, as if daring him to complain about it.

Leon, of course didn’t dare to.

"It’s nice to see you this lively, Sister," Leon said at last, trying to keep his tone light.

Her lips curved ever so slightly.

"I should be the one saying that...." She looked at him and added, "It’s rare for you to visit me."

Leon gave a small, half-hearted laugh. "You make me sound like a bad little brother."

"You are."

At this point, they were just messing around.

Crossing her arms, Veronica glanced toward the tree in the courtyard.

"I’ve prepared breakfast for you. Eat before leaving."

"Ah..." Leon scratched his cheek awkwardly.

He’d already eaten earlier that morning.

He glanced at Myra. She immediately averted her eyes, pretending she hadn’t noticed anything.

’She knew it, but still let me eat all that!’

And Alice... well, her jaw was still hanging open, her eyes darting between him and Veronica like she’d stumbled into something weird.

Leon ignored her expression and turned to Veronica, about to ask something, but stopped when he saw her gaze fixed on him.

Her golden eyes were sharp and focused, locking onto his own.

"..."

"..."

She stepped closer, leaning toward him slightly. Her hand rose, cupping his face once again as she tilted it upward, bringing his eyes level with hers.

’What?’ Leon’s mind went blank.

Veronica’s focus narrowed as she studied his eyes.

"Your eyes look dull," she said.

Leon stiffened. ’Don’t tell me she—’

"A mana overload?" she murmured to herself, then frowned slightly. "No... it’s something else. The mana circuit around your eyes is degrading... hmm... I never saw this before... What happened?"

Leon already knew what she was getting at.

’There’s no hiding anything from her,’ he thought, sighing softly.

"It’s due to one of my skills’ side effects," he admitted.

Veronica didn’t react much. She simply tilted her head slightly and said.

"Interesting."

She released his face and turned her attention to the side, toward a black-haired girl standing beside Leon.

Alice blinked, snapping out of her daze before quickly bowing.

"It’s an honor to meet you, my lady."

Veronica stared at her in silence, scanning her from head to toe.

Alice had changed into casual clothes before leaving Eclipse, and she carefully fixed every detail so she’d look presentable.

But the way Veronica’s golden eyes swept over her made her second-guess everything.

’W-What, why she kinda—’

"Alice Nightson," Veronica said.

Alice stiffened the moment her full name left Veronica’s lips.

She looked at Alice, then shifted her gaze to Leon, her eyes narrowing as it paused on him.

"I didn’t expect you to make friends this early," she said.

’Friend?’ Leon thought. ’Who? Her?’

The last thing he wanted was to be associated with this psychopath in any way.

Alice didn’t say anything either, which surprised him. He was half-expecting her to throw a sarcastic jab or curse the moment his name was brought up with her.

’That’s good,’ Leon thought, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. ’At least she knows how to act nicely in front of her.’

Then Leon noticed something.

Veronica’s lips curved slightly, and a teasing glint flashed in her eyes.

’What’s she up to?’

"I thought you liked the Third Princess," she said casually, then glanced at Alice with clear intent. "But it seems I was wrong."

"Never," Leon replied almost immediately.

Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? That was fast."

She turned to Alice.

Alice smirked.

"Pfft, me? Relax. The Third Princess can have him. I prefer my sanity."

Leon let out a dry chuckle.

"Same. I prefer someone sane... not a psychopath."

Alice shot him a sideways glance. "Wow. Took the words right out of my mouth."

Veronica raised a brow at the two of them, clearly entertained by the exchange.

’Cute,’ she thought, glancing at her little brother.

"Anyways, it’s nice having you here," Veronica said, her tone softening slightly. "It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone other than my ’own family’ as a guest."

She turned to Myra.

"Myra, guide them to the hall. Serve them the breakfast I prepared, and then bring them to my office."

Myra gave a polite bow. "As you command."

"Also," Veronica added as she began to walk away, "don’t go through the audience room path. Our mother is there."

Her golden eyes shifted back to Leon.

"She’s rather angry after hearing the news about you, and—"

"It’s fine," Leon interrupted before she could finish. "I don’t want to ruin my mood today either. Thanks for taking care of me, Sister."

Veronica didn’t reply, but the corner of her lips curved faintly before she disappeared down the corridor.

Alice heard the entire conversation. She had already learned a bit about the internal situation of the Valentine Dukedom, and through her grandfather, she knew it wasn’t good... especially for Leon.

It reminded her of her own circumstances a few years back.

’Well, looks like some things never change...’ she thought. ’That’s why... I’ll always... always despise nobles.’

Either way, it was her first time witnessing Leon’s family tension with her own eyes.

Myra turned to Leon and Alice.

"This way, please."

— — —

At the dining hall, the maids served warm brewed coffee along with thick slices of pineapple pastries.

"Your sister is cool," Alice said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Leon focused on his own cup, savoring the familiar bitterness that he had almost forgotten.

’Nice... we have coffee in this world,’ he relaxed, saying, ’I thought I would never get to drink it again.’

Even in the game, he didn’t remember adding any coffee.

’Hmm... so, it added itself?’

Alice leaned back slightly, grinning.

"Didn’t know she loved you this much."

"Yeah, me neither," Leon muttered.

Alice raised her hands and mimicked Leon’s voice, puffing her cheeks and squeezing them. "Oww, sizter itz hurts."

"Haahhh..." Leon sighed and leaned back, staring at the dark liquid in his cup.

His mind drifted back to what Veronica had said earlier... about their mother.

’So she’s here?’ A faint grin crossed his face. ’Should I go say hello after I’m done? That should be... interesting.’

After finishing breakfast, Leon and Alice followed Myra through the corridor. They stepped onto the teleportation platform, and in a flash of light, they reached the top floor of the Blood Tower.

Alice’s mouth fell open slightly as she looked around, gasping quietly at every corner of the interior.

For someone like her, it really was the first time seeing all this. People, both nobles and commoners, were not allowed to set foot inside the Blood Tower without prior permission. And even if they did, Lady Veronica’s office was strictly off-limits.

As she walked behind Leon and Myra, then a thought hit her.

’I’m the first among my siblings to ever step inside here.’

That made her feel proud.

She glanced at Leon’s back and mildly smiled.

’Guess, meeting him wasn’t a waste after all.’

.

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[A/N] : 1 more Chapter coming soon.

Also, we have crossed the 300 PS goal this week, I will throw 1 extra Chapter along side two regular. Thank you all!

Put some more PS! If we cross 100 PS in 24 hours, I will give another extra Chapter!