Melody’s eyes immediately filled with tears, and her voice trembled as she looked at him.

"How can you talk to me like that? Do you not consider me your sister anymore?"

The moment those words left her lips, Axel suddenly found the entire situation absurd.

Sister? Who exactly was he supposed to be calling his sister? Where had that sister been when the woman he loved had been thrown away like garbage?

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Sometimes," he muttered in a low voice, "I truly wonder whether you’re genuinely innocent or whether you’ve only been pretending to be a good sister all these years."

Melody’s face paled. Axel opened his eyes and stared directly at her. "Did you forget how I begged you back then?"

His voice gradually grew colder.

"Did you forget how I pleaded with you to take care of my girlfriend while I was away at the competition? I trusted you. I entrusted her to you because I thought you were the one person who would never let anything happen to her."

His fists tightened. "But what did you do?"

A painful silence followed. "Do you remember?"

Guilt flooded Melody’s expression.

"It was my mistake back then," she hurriedly replied. "I know it was wrong. Haven’t I already been trying to make up for it? I’ve mobilized countless subordinates and even hired special investigators. This entire time, I’ve been searching for your girlfriend. Please don’t worry. I’ll definitely..."

"No need."

Axel cut her off before she could finish. "I already have a better plan. So leave the matter."

A faint mocking smile appeared on his face. "Especially when you stand there looking so innocent."

His gaze was sharp enough to pierce through her. "So please don’t talk about repentance."

He shook his head. "It makes me feel as though you’re a good person."

His voice became colder with every word. "But from my perspective, you aren’t."

Axel slowly rose from his seat.

Before leaving, he stopped and turned toward her one final time. "Melody."

His voice carried exhaustion more than anger now. "Just remember this. You knew the truth about Thessy."

His eyes darkened. "And despite knowing everything, you still chose to defend her."

He paused briefly. "You were simply biased toward her."

A bitter laugh escaped his lips. "And because of that bias, you asked Lana to adjust."

His eyes filled with disappointment. "That was below the belt, Melody."

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and walked away.

His departing figure looked lonely. As he left, memories that had been buried for years resurfaced one after another.

Back then, he had been just like Melody. Naive. Innocent.

Completely ignorant of how cruel the world could be.

At that time, he was already studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the country and had been selected to represent his institution in the International Mystic Cultivator Competition.

It was an opportunity that countless students could only dream about.

However, participating in the competition meant temporarily cutting off contact with the outside world.

Before leaving, there had only been one thing weighing heavily on his heart.

His girlfriend. His parents despised her.

Every time her name was mentioned, they would sneer and call her a gold digger.

They refused to acknowledge her no matter what she did. Unable to convince them, Axel turned to the one person he trusted.

His younger sister. Holding Melody’s shoulders, he had practically begged her.

"Please take care of her while I’m gone. Ensure that my parents and my girlfriend don’t do anything stupid."

At that time, Axel didn’t even know his girlfriend was pregnant.

He simply wanted someone he trusted to watch over the woman he loved.

Believing everything would be fine, he left for the competition.

But when he returned... his entire world collapsed.

The truth struck him like a bolt of lightning. His parents had secretly contacted his girlfriend.

In order to force her out of his life, they demanded that she leave.

His girlfriend, desperate and unwilling to give up, had asked them what she needed to do to gain their acceptance.

At the time, Melody had believed she was helping. She knew their parents would never accept a girl from such a humble background.

The more his girlfriend fought back, the harsher their parents would become.

Trying to calm the situation, Melody had casually made a suggestion. An innocent yet foolish suggestion.

She had told Axel’s girlfriend that if she truly wished to prove her sincerity and sacrifice, perhaps she should enter the Mystic Realm.

Melody had never imagined those words would be taken seriously.

She had spoken without thinking. Without understanding the consequences.

Yet Axel’s girlfriend had indeed begun considering it, and so did Axel’s parents.

And while Axel’s girlfriend was still uncertain, Axel’s parents seized the opportunity.

Using Melody, they lured Axel’s girlfriend into the Mystic Realm. Once she entered, they ensured she would never come back out.

When Axel learned the truth, rage consumed him completely.

Without hesitation, he gathered evidence and filed a complaint against them. Unfortunately, his parents possessed influence far beyond his imagination. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The case was buried before it could even begin. Then came the warning.

If he continued pursuing the matter, they would deal with his girlfriend’s parents as well.

Faced with that threat, Axel had no choice but to retreat.

But although he stopped fighting publicly, something inside him died that day.

Without looking back, he severed every connection he had with his parents.

And deep within his heart... he blamed Melody too.

If her innocent suggestion had never been made, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Perhaps his girlfriend would still be alive.

Later, when he discovered his girlfriend had been pregnant the entire time, the pain became even worse.

It felt like a knife twisting deeper into an already shattered heart. He had been so close. So unbelievably close to having the life he dreamed of.

He resented nearly everyone around him. Even his innocent sister.