"Is that why you felt lonely?"

Palmer asked softly from within the darkness.

His voice echoed lightly through the black room while his gaze rested on Vera, who remained seated with her back against the cold metal door.

"Lonely?"

Vera raised one brow slowly, her face carrying an exaggerated look of confusion.

"I can’t even express it properly, so how exactly am I supposed to feel it?"

She answered with another question.

Palmer couldn’t reply immediately and the darkness returned to silence once more.

Vera lowered her eyes. She couldn’t see anything around her except endless black, yet her mind drifted backward again, dragged into memories she normally wouldn’t bother touching.

***

After the burial ceremony, life around the siblings changed slightly.

Not drastically.

The mansion still looked the same, the servants still bowed their heads and the adults still walked around with their prideful faces, but something inside the Ashenlocke household had shifted after Aroura’s death.

Veda, who was still hurt deeply by losing their mother, tried his best to stay around his siblings more often. Even at that young age, he forced himself to smile, forced himself to talk, and forced himself to make sure neither Vera nor Bale completely drowned in grief, is what he thought.

But Vera...

Vera stayed the same.

Quiet and unreadable.

She still rarely reacted emotionally to anything around her.

Until...

The day she awakened her Cognis at the age of ten.

That single moment ended the entire discussion of who the ’Golden Twin’ and ’Wasted Twin’ truly were.

Everything flipped instantly.

The expectations that once surrounded Veda slowly shifted toward Vera instead with the adults who once ignored her suddenly began appearing one after another.

Elders, relatives, other Nobles from the family’s branch, Teachers and the Servants.

Everyone started paying attention to her.

And Vera could see through all of them easily.

Their greed, their expectations, their excitement, the way their eyes changed whenever they looked at her.

She understood what they wanted before they even spoke.

That was when another problem appeared.

Since everyone suddenly cared about her now, Vera realized she was expected to behave emotionally around them.

Smile, act graceful, show embarrassment to good will, laugh politely and display warmth and at one point, Vera simply thought to herself...

Wouldn’t it be easier to just express emotions the way I think they should look?

That single thought slowly became her new personality.

Vera turned into a girl who exaggerated reactions perfectly.

A soft smile here, a teasing expression there, a playful tone and an amused laugh.

She copied emotions carefully the same way someone copied handwriting from a book, but even after learning all that...

Nothing truly changed inside her.

The world still bored her; people still bored her.

Only her brothers and her mother could slightly hold her interest.

Especially Veda.

But even that became weaker after the adults started separating them more and more, until...

She met Palmer.

It happened during the Coming-of-Age Evening Ball.

The Royal Hall was packed that night with all the High nobles, Low nobles, Children who had just turned ten and members of the royal family.

The giant hall glowed under crystal chandeliers while orchestral music echoed through the air. Expensive perfume mixed together with the smell of food and wine, creating an atmosphere that felt suffocating to Vera.

Little Vera stood quietly among the crowd after greeting noble after noble.

Everywhere she walked, whispers followed.

"The Jewel of Ash..."

"So young..."

"Her Cognis talent is terrifying..."

"She really is beautiful..."

Vera ignored all of it while staring quietly at the grape juice inside her glass cup.

Then...

"Hey... you."

A smug voice called out toward her.

Vera ignored it completely, focusing on the glass cup.

"I’m talking to you, girl with the black hair."

The voice sounded more irritated this time. Still, Vera kept looking at her drink.

"I said I’m talking..."

The boy suddenly reached out to grab her wrist.

Vera slowly lifted her eyes and looked directly into his.

The boy froze instantly.

Wow...She’s really cute.

A faint blush spread across his face.

He coughed awkwardly before straightening his posture quickly.

Beside him, a butler lowered his head politely.

"Young Lady Vera of Ashenlocke," the butler spoke carefully. "This is Young Master Daniel, the Second Prince of Britannia."

The boy folded his arms proudly, clearly waiting for admiration.

Vera quietly observed him from head to toe.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, expensive clothes and clearly, an annoying face.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Vera greeted politely.

Daniel’s grin widened immediately.

"Vera, right?"

He coughed lightly.

"I heard you’re a genius, and you’re also very beautiful. When we both grow older, we’ll become a powerful couple, so I’ll ask Father to arrange our engagement."

His smile became even more smug.

"You should rejoice. This young master has taken interest in you."

He waited confidently for her reaction, either;

Excitement, embarrassment, gratitude or anything.

But Vera simply stared at him silently, then she looked down at the drink in her hand.

"Ah..."

"My drink got ruined."

Without warning...

She let go.

Smash!

The glass cup shattered loudly near Daniel’s legs, purple grape juice splashed across his white trousers and Daniel screamed in shock, falling backward onto the floor.

The loud sound immediately drew attention from nearby nobles.

"What happened?"

"Wasn’t that the Second Prince?"

People quickly turned toward them.

Daniel sat frozen on the floor while trembling.

"Why...Why did you drop it?!"

He shouted without realizing he had already embarrassed himself.

Vera slowly bent down.

Carefully.

She picked up one sharp piece of broken glass from the floor.

"My prince!"

The butler rushed forward to protect Daniel, but the moment Vera’s dark eyes turned toward him...

His body froze.

A strange fear gripped his chest instantly.

Those eyes...

The surrounding nobles also fell silent.

Vera moved the broken glass closer toward Daniel’s face.

"Couples?"

She tilted her head slightly.

"I’m honored, Your Highness, but..."

Her eyes lowered, noticing the wet stain spreading beneath him.

"You’re too stupid."

She moved the glass slightly closer.

"Too foolish."

Closer.

"Too dumb." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Daniel’s lips trembled.

"Too brain-dead."

His breathing became uneven.

"And far too ugly for me to ever find interesting."

The broken glass stopped only inches away from his nose.

Daniel finally broke and he started crying loudly.

The surrounding nobles stared in complete shock.

"She made the Second Prince cry..."

"What kind of child is this?"

"What is happening?"

Guards immediately rushed through the crowd, but before they could arrive...

A young boy suddenly pushed through the crowd and grabbed Vera’s hand tightly.

"Let’s go!"

Without waiting for permission, he pulled her away.

The nobles watched in disbelief while the two children disappeared into the crowd.

After running far enough into one of the quiet garden corridors, the boy finally collapsed onto a bench while gasping heavily for air.

"How... ah... how are you not tired?"

He breathed heavily while staring at Vera.

"It’s fitness."

Vera replied flatly.

"Ahhh..."

The boy leaned back while calming his breathing.

"I guess that makes sense for the greatest talent our family has produced."

He smiled brightly at her.

"You’re a kid from Ashenlocke."

Vera finally spoke after properly observing the boy standing in front of her.

Her dark eyes slowly moved over his appearance again.

White hair, white eyes.

The standard traits of the Ashenlocke bloodline.

Yet unlike the other children she normally saw walking proudly around the mansion halls, this boy looked messy. Dust-stained parts of his clothes, and faint bruises could be seen around his wrist and the side of his neck where the collar had shifted slightly during the run.

"Yes," the boy replied while smiling brightly despite still trying to calm his breathing. "You’re also friends with my older sister."

"You mean Pamela?"

Vera tilted her head slightly as she guessed.

The boy blinked once.

"Wow... straight guess..."

He laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head.

"That’s a genius for you."

"So, you’re the one she always complains about getting bullied by Felix and his group."

Vera’s voice remained flat and emotionless as usual.

The boy laughed again, though this time the embarrassment on his face became clearer.

"Hehe... well..." He looked away for a second. "It’s not that serious."

Vera stared at him quietly.

Not that serious?

The bruises on his sleeves are fresh and there is dirt on the side of his trousers too, like someone had shoved him against the floor earlier.

He clearly got beaten recently.

Yet this same person still rushed into a dangerous situation to drag me away from the royal guards and the nobles, Hmm...

"Why did you pull me away from the crowd?" Vera asked while folding her arms under her chest. "I didn’t need help."

The boy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well...Hehe... Hehe..."

His laugh sounded nervous.

"I just thought it would feel bad leaving you there alone to handle something that wasn’t entirely your fault."

He spoke softly this time.

"And knowing those people... they probably would’ve blamed you just to gain more favor with the royal family."

Vera narrowed her eyes at him again.

Says the person who can’t even protect himself.

Yet...He’s being genuine.

There was no hidden intention in his eyes.

No greed, no attempt to gain favor, no fear while speaking to her either.

It was strangely simple honesty.

For someone like Vera, who could easily notice the hidden intentions behind people’s words, that kind of sincerity felt rare.

A faint smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"Interesting."

The boy blinked in confusion.

"Eh?"

Before he could say anything else, Vera turned around and started walking away immediately.

The boy’s eyes widened.

"Wait...Are you leaving already? At least wait a bit so we can return together!"

He reached his hand out slightly toward her retreating figure.

"No."

Vera replied instantly without even turning back.

"It’s your own fault for sticking your nose into something beyond your ability."

Her tone sounded calm, but there was a teasing edge hidden beneath it.

"Huh?"

The boy stared at her with complete shock.

Vera continued walking casually through the garden corridor while the cold night breeze brushed against her black hair.

"Don’t worry," she added lazily. "If I see Pamela, I’ll tell her where you are."

"Goodbye, hero."

"Hey...wait... wait!"

The boy opened his mouth helplessly while watching her walk farther away beneath the lights of the royal garden.

"She didn’t even ask for my name..."

He sighed deeply while lowering his shoulders.

The cold breeze passed through the corridor quietly.

Meanwhile, Vera’s faint smile remained on her face for a little longer than usual.

For the first time in a while...Someone had managed to amuse her.

***

"After that time, we met... the very next day, you announced me as your fiancé."

Palmer finally broke the silence.

His voice echoed softly through the endless darkness surrounding Vera.

Vera remained seated against the cold metal door behind her, one knee raised slightly while her chin rested lazily on top of it. Even after hearing those words, her face barely changed.

"They were making a huge issue about getting me engaged early," she replied calmly. "You were simply the best option available."

Her tone sounded so casual that it almost felt insulting.

Palmer stared at her quietly.

Even now...

She still speaks about it like she is discussing business.

Vera slowly lifted her eyes toward him.

"Palmer..."

Her dark pupils reflected faintly within the darkness.

"Why are you still here?"

She asked the question without fear or hesitation, it was almost like she genuinely found his existence troublesome rather than frightening.

Palmer smiled faintly.

"Don’t you already know the answer yourself, Vera?"

His voice sounded quieter this time.

Vera looked at him silently for a few seconds before answering.

"It’s definitely not because I regret your death."

She spoke plainly with no shred of guilt and sorrow.

Just honesty.

"That’s why you never truly chased revenge," Palmer replied immediately. "Even after my sister begged you to help her."

The darkness around them shifted strangely.

Without Vera noticing when it happened...

Palmer’s figure was suddenly no longer standing in front of her.

He now stood beside her instead.

Closer.

Much closer.

"The trial was meant for those who were worthy enough to survive," Vera continued without reacting to the strange movement. "Your death wasn’t unfair, so there was no reason for me to hate the killer."

Her voice remained flat.

Yet as she spoke...

The memories replayed clearly inside her mind.

Pamela cried while gripping her clothes tightly.

The desperation in her voice, the hatred she carried toward Ezra.

At the time, Vera only agreed to help because she became curious in seeing the person who killed her fiancé.

At first, Vera never intended to kill Ezra, she only wanted him captured or broken, then handed over to Pamela for revenge.

That was the original plan, so she sent Marcus and four other people to capture him, but after watching Ezra come out almost unharmed against the people, she sent to capture him and after seeing the strange calmness in his eyes...

Vera changed her mind.

She now wanted to test him herself, that’s why she signaled for her group to shoot the arrows at Ezra.

"Vera..."

Palmer’s voice suddenly changed, the softness disappeared completely now it sounded colder and sharper.

"Do you enjoy playing with people’s emotions?"

Vera’s eyes shifted slightly.

Palmer’s figure had moved again, this time he appeared on her other side.

"For someone who doesn’t even understand how to properly act like a normal person..."

His voice lowered further.

"Do you really think this new person you claim to like won’t eventually be abandoned too?"

The darkness trembled faintly.

"Just like you abandoned me."

Suddenly...

Palmer appeared directly in front of her.

Vera’s eyes reflected the bullet hole in the center of his forehead.

Blood slowly trickled down from the wound.

Drip.

Drip.

The blood rolled down his nose, his lips, and onto the floor beneath him.

"At the end of the day..."

His voice echoed heavily now.

"You already know why this hallucination exists."

The blood continued dripping endlessly.

"You understand the reason for all of this."

His gaze locked onto Vera’s unmoving eyes.

"Yet you continue acting like none of it matters."

His expression darkened.

"Because that’s simply the kind of person you are."

"A manipulator."

"Someone who uses people to fill her own empty need for emotion."

The darkness fell silent again, only the sound of dripping blood remained.

"Vera..." His voice echoed once more. "No one will ever truly understand you."

The black room suddenly felt colder.

"No one. Until the day you die...You will continue walking this world alone."

The words hung heavily in the darkness.

Yet...

Vera smiled, not from sadness, not bitterly.

Just amused.

The bored look she normally carried slowly disappeared, replaced by a faint expression of interest, because despite how true Palmer’s words sounded...

Something inside her no longer fully agreed.

"I don’t know about that anymore..."

Her voice came out softer this time.

The image of Ezra replayed vividly inside her mind.

The second trial.

That first moment they stood face to face.

The strange feeling she experienced while looking into his eyes.

The calmness he carried, the way he spoke to her without fear, the way he continued moving forward despite everything trying to crush him, the unique action, knowledge and creations he showed her, something that no one could ever think of doing.

It replayed so clearly that it almost felt recent.

Then suddenly...

"VERA!!!"

Palmer screamed loudly.

Bang!

A gunshot exploded through the darkness.