The dinner table was long, polished white, and covered with soft candlelight.

It was past 6 PM, and the rain was still pouring relentlessly. Though the dining hall didn't have any windows.

Ezra sat at the head. Leon to her front. Alice sat next to him, facing Ezra, with Veronica leaning on her chair at the far end of the table like a boss.

Her eyes swept across her little brother and then Alice.

'What a wonderful day it is…'  she thought.

Her servants moved quietly, setting dishes on the table.

No one spoke at first.

Alice, seated in front of her, didn't meet Ezra's gaze. She looked at her plate as the maids decorated her plate and poured her some wine.

Ezra lifted her glass and glanced at her once.

"I didn't know Lady Nightson was so close to my son," Ezra said again, calm and clear. "You're not exactly known for… good company, you know."

From her tone, it was clear that she was drunk.

Veronica lowered her cup, the corner of her mouth twitching.

'Mother…? Ah… she's drunk.'

Veronica gave a side glare to one of her maids. The maid flinched, shaking her head, as if telling, 'it wasn't me!'

Leon didn't even blink.

"Wow," Alice said. "You really don't hold back, huh? Should I say thank you or should I just choke?"

Ezra's smile didn't falter.

"Whichever suits you best, Lady Nightson."

Alice stabbed the steak a little harder than necessary on her plate. She brought it near her mouth and bit on it.

Ezra tilted her head slightly, her eyes moving between Leon and Alice.

"You were never the social type; everyone knows that. Yet here you are. With Leon. With my son. That's interesting."

Her eyes cunningly narrowed at Leon.

Leon's fork stopped for a second.

'She can think rationally even though she's drunk…' Leon thought, glancing at her.

'What a monster.'

Leon understood the hidden meaning behind her words. His mother was testing them.

Alice squinted at her.

"What, you think I'm here to steal your precious son or something?"

Ezra hummed softly.

"I wouldn't say steal. But it's a good thing the engagement with the Third Princess is no longer happening. I suppose… this arrangement could work just as well. What do you think, Leon?"

Leon's fork fell on the plate.

Alice blinked.

Ezra leaned back, her voice suddenly turning sharper, with no trace of alcohol in it.

"I'll have a talk with Duke Raizen about your hand."

Alice slammed her hands on the table. "What did you just say, you old ha—EKKKK!"

Leon pressed his foot down hard on hers under the table.

Her glare could have burned through steel.

"What was that?" Veronica asked casually, lifting her wine like nothing had happened.

Ezra didn't look away.

"I said… I'll speak with Duke Raizen about your hand."

Leon said, flatly. "No."

Alice said, louder. "No!"

Ezra tapped her nails against the glass. "You two said that at the same time. That's cute."

Veronica covered her mouth.

Alice pointed a finger at Leon. "Don't you dare drag me into your family circus."

"I didn't," Leon said.

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Look at that. You two seem rather comfortable together. She's the loud one, and you're the one who doesn't talk much. Balance is important in a relationship. It's a match, don't you think, Leon?"

She glanced at Leon once more.

Leon perfectly understood her game.

Ezra Valentine was the type who valued status above everything.

Now that Leon had achieved such results in Eclipse, she suddenly started talking to him like a son she had always been proud of.

Back when she found out about Leon's crush on the Third Princess, she made a clever move by convincing the king to consider it. But the princess rejected the offer herself. Even so, Ezra had never let go of that hope. She saw it as something that could still be turned into reality.

Compared to that, Alice Nightson was the complete opposite. Sure, her family had fame and status, but Alice herself was not the kind of person noble ladies like Ezra would ever accept easily. Her mouth alone made Ezra think twice.

There was no way Ezra Valentine would want someone like her as a daughter-in-law.

Leon knew that. He could read his mother like an open book.

That was why he stayed calm and quietly enjoyed the steak on his plate.

Alice clicked her tongue. "Lady Ezra, with all due respect, I'd rather marry a goblin with bad breath than your stick-up-his-ass son."

Leon froze mid-bite. "…Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she shot back without a single pause.

Ezra chuckled softly. "Oh. I can see why he keeps you around."

Veronica leaned back, clearly entertained. She waved lightly at her maid. "Pour me some more."

Leon sighed and finally spoke. "Mother, I'm not marrying anyone at your dinner table."

Ezra smirked. "Of course not, son. We will use the ballroom for the official announcement."

Alice's grip on the fork tightened like she was ready to throw it. "Try me."

The table went silent for a moment.

Veronica laughed first, no longer bothering to hold it in. The sound broke the tension that hung in the air.

Ezra took a slow sip of wine. "I'll take this silence as a yes."

— — —

After the dinner ended, Ezra Veronica, Leon's mother, excused herself and went before them. Alice had tried to argue and curse at her, but Leon stopped her every time. He later told Alice that his mother was just playing and that she fell for it.

And that made Alice even angrier. Her curse shifted to Leon this time.

"...You're quiet," Leon said after a while.

"I'm cursing you in my head," Alice replied flatly as she gazed outside the window.

Leon exhaled. "I figured."

The carriage rolled on the streets as they both headed to Eclipse all alone.

Myra didn't join, telling Leon that she had some work to do in Blood Tower.

Leon knew that she was going to tell everything to Veronica, everything that had happened in that forest and inside Lumina's house.

'That's good…' he thought, gazing at Alice.

She shifted her position, glaring at him half-heartedly. "You have any idea the amount of shit I had to deal with because of you tonight?"

"I didn't make you curse at my mother."

"You stopped me."

"That's my job."

"Asshole."

Leon didn't respond. Alice clicked her tongue and looked out the window.

"…Your sister's not bad," she muttered after a beat.

Leon blinked. "What?"

"I said she's not bad. I expected her to be a snobby, stuck-up person like everyone said," she said. "But she's actually… cool. I like her."

Leon rested his chin on his hand. "Those are just rumors."

Alice let out a dry laugh. "Yeah… right. Rumors."

Alice tapped her finger against the wood paneling, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"...This is still your fault, though."

"What is?"

"The damn rose."

Leon stiffened.

Alice narrowed her eyes. "How the hell did you even know I hate red roses?"

"Huh? You do? Well damn." Leon shifted slightly. "I just sent them out of… gesture of concern."

"Gesture of concern, my ass." Alice leaned forward a little, her voice low and annoyed. "You of all people, doing that is diabolical."

Leon gave her a look.

"Hey, don't throw words like 'ass' around so easily. That's why you have a bad reputation."

For a moment, she didn't say anything.

Leon frowned, a little confused by the silence.

He glanced at her.

Alice's teeth clenched like she was about to spit another curse. But she didn't.

She leaned back, exhaled slowly, and muttered,

"Well… I don't care if people hate me." Alice scoffed and turned toward the window.

Her reflection blurred against the glass, but the line she dropped didn't disappear.

Leon leaned his head against his knuckles, as his eyes fixed on his own reflection on the window.

An old memory crawled in his without asking.

Haru, at the back of the classroom. Haru, eating lunch all alone in his university cafeteria.

All those whispers that taunted him felt as if they were making fun of him. Haru brushed off everything until one day, they stopped trying. Until he made it.

He recalled a phone call in his office as he sat on his lavish chair.

"Boss, do you know someone named Sayaka? Umm… she claimed to be your old high school friend."

He would just answer.

"First time hearing that name. Don't bother and do your job."

Seated on the carriage, Leon clicked his tongue softly. "Tch."

Alice raised an eyebrow without turning fully. "What?"

Leon shifted his gaze at her. "…People talk. That's their job."

Leon knew what Alice had gone through. And honestly, he hated it. He never liked it. He never liked her. That was why, back then, he even tried to delete her character.

Alice reminded him of his old days. The old Haru, the one before he made it big.

Alice tilted her head slightly. "That's your big speech?"

"Yeah." His voice stayed flat. "And then one day, they'll stop. Not because they suddenly like you. It'll be because they won't matter to you anymore."

Alice stared at him for a beat, her lips parting like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

Then she let out a short, dry laugh. "You're so damn weird."

"Good," Leon muttered.

"Ass."

"Stop that."

"Ass."

Leon rolled his eyes. "You never learn."

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