Hearing his words, Han Arin felt cold sweats running through her back.
âŠA secret.
âDonât tell me he realized that I am a transmigrator?!â
ââŠYouâre born with mercenary skills.â
Saying so, he nodded to himself. Hickson concluded his words, âWell, with that much insight, the art of you moving a personâs mind is considerable.â
Perhaps that is a natural area. Isnât everyone born to be a little murderous?
âI donât think soâŠâ
In any way, Viola is an unusual kid.
âThatâs why you approached me, hiding your true self. You pretended to be a young child looking for help.â
âWhat do I really look like, then?â
âThe image of the iron-blooded princess at the welcoming dinner?â
ââŠIron-blooded princess?â
Viola seemed to have heard that before. Rumor has it that the adopted princess has iron blood in her body. Rumor also has it that the adopted daughter, who is more Verratoux than anyone else, has been adopted in the family.
âI guess there are real rumors going aroundâŠâ
Even though Viola wanted to correct the misunderstanding, she couldnât. That fact that it wasnât a stigma, is falsified.
âYes, iron-blooded princess, a little one that is very ferocious.â
Viola asked back brazenly.
âSo, you donât like it?â
âNo, what? Who said I didnât like you? Itâs just⊠you are just too cute, way too cute.â
Xenon flinched at the word.
âLord Hickson⊠did he notice as well?â
It felt as if someone had revealed his secret that he only wanted to keep to himself, but he didnât express it.
Meanwhile, Tundra peered up. He just wants her to look at him though she didnât even give him a glance. Right now, Viola had her own situation, but Tundra didnât know it.
âPlease look at me.â
At that thought, he kept staring with eagerness. His masterâs eyes lit up.
Viola also read Tundraâs eyes.
âStop staring at me!â
âPlease look at me. I beg youâŠâ
Tundra looked like a little puppy. Still, she couldnât stare at him because the real Viola might come out and take control of her body instead.
Vixen, who had been silently observing the situation until now, read the strange aura. She wasnât making any eye contact with Tundra. Though he doesnât understand why, that makes him feel a little better.
âHehe.â
He couldnât hide his feelings. Vixen smiled, scratching his cheek lightly.
Then, Viola suddenly glanced at him and said, âBrother, can I talk to you for a second?â
ââŠMe and you? The two of us?â
Just the two of us.
Just us two.
Us. two.
Vixenâs eyes shine excitedly at the thought.
âUh, yeah, two of usâŠ?â
âWithout him, too?â
âYes.â
By now, Vixenâs mouth was caught pulled up to his ear. Tundraâs gaze became more severe as she was very conscious about it.
âLetâs go! And talk! Just the two of us!â
Viola, who was already leading the way, did not see Vixenâs big smile.
Â
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Violaâs room.
Vixen sat on the chair. He put his arms between his thighs and pulled his body forward. It seems that he is looking forward to hearing her words.
âWhat are we going to talk about?â
âI saw your eyes fixated on my dog earlier.â
In the novel, it was also mentioned.
[ âIâll kill you.â ]
[ âIâll kill you, tooâ ]
She had already read that these kinds of hot-blooded eye contacts were exchanged. On Violaâs side, it is complicated. Fortunately, she had learned how to handle Vixen with her tactics.
âI know why you lost in the duel earlier.â
âI didnât lose, itâs a draw!â
âYou lost.â
If there are no unusual variables, Vixen should have won.
But, it was a drawâŠ
That meant that he was defeated. He had a draw for his superior performance.
âNo! It is definitely a draw!â
Listening to his protests, Viola sighed.
âObviously, a child is a child. Iâm going to solve it and explain it.â
âBrother is a lot better. Right?â
âYes, of course! Itâs me, after all.â
Vixen is as condescending as he could be. The boy straightened his shoulders and raised his nose.
âNo, itâs not⊠This is not a compliment!â
âEven though if itâs a draw, it means you lose. The stronger person got into a tie with the weaker person.â
Not losing, he still denied vigorously.
âStill, the result is a tie.â
She eventually frowned.
âThatâs not cool.â
âHuhâŠ?â
Vixenâs body flinched.
The killer was so surprised at her words that he almost lost a sense of balance and almost rolled off the chair. Seeing his reaction, Viola thought it might be a big mental shock.
After a long moment of silence, Vixen made his own reasonable reasoning.
âIs it because I lost?â
âNo.â
In fact, Viola didnât care who won.
That fact didnât matter to him in the slightest. For her, just winning doesnât make it cooler. She prefers characters who donât win and donât take risks.
She opened her mouth again.
âIf youâre Verratoux, shouldnât you be making a point about what happened to you but rather think about further development based on the results? Thatâs being reasonable.â
ââŠThatâŠthatââââââ
âBrother lost your composure at the moment, and your movements got too big. Thatâs why you have allowed the much weaker Tundra to attack you. Weak Tundra realized his only weakness and found an opportunity. He did well.â
Han Arin, the true reader, had a quick insight into Vixenâs psychology. As the older brother, he thought that he should be strong!
âIâm strong!â
It seemed like he wanted to strongly insist on this.
âAnd when the fight was over, brother kept glaring at Tundra.â
âYes, I mean, it was a draw. But, youâre only at TundraâŠ.â
âOnly at him?â
âNever mind. I wonât tell you.â
It was a draw, but she only complimented the dog, and she didnât give much attention to him. And, she only cared about him.
The eight-year-old Vixen is grumpy for nothing.
âThatâs not cool.â
âWhat?â
âYouâre a Verratoux.â
By now, Viola has learned a lot about how to handle Vixen.
âBesides, Tundra is just my dog, right?â
âYes.â
âVerratoux must always be strong. Am I wrong?â
âYou are not wrong.â
âI felt it when I saw father at the welcome dinner. Father is relaxed. When I looked at father, I realized that it is the relaxation of the strong.â
With everything she said, Vixen is at a loss for words.
Everything Viola said is correct.
âIf youâre a strong man, you should be able to relax and be calm. Thatâs proof that youâre not yet a strong man.â
ââŠ.â
âI want my brother to be strong.â
Vixen gulped his saliva.
Somehow, he couldnât deny anything she had said.
âSo, donât expose yourself to my dog like that.â
Tundra needs to grow safely and well. That means in the meantime, until then, Vixen should not seriously injure or kill him.
âSo, please! Help the male lead grow up well!â
âThatâs how Verratoux is. Be a strong brother.â
Vixen shook his head with a throb, but in reality, he felt good. Couldnât hide his feelings anymore, he gazed at Viola again.
âHeâs just a dog, and Iâm an older brother, right?â
It feels like the focus is a little bit off.
It isnât wrong, so she agreed to it.
âYes.â
âWell, itâs kind of weird for me to really deal with a guy who acts like a dog, right? Iâm a hell of a Verratoux after all.â
Viola nodded to his words.
âThen, will you not keep your dignity and spare the weak?â
âWould that be cool?â Vixenâs eyes contained strange expectations once again.
There was no such content in the original novel.
There, Vixen and Viola grew into rivals as they showed equal growth speed at the beginning of the book. However, now, she could feel it herself. Strangely, it doesnât feel like they are rivals at all.
It is a strange feeling.
For some reason, Vixen keeps on obsessing over âcoolness.â So, even though it wasnât in the original, it is still good for her anyway. Talking about that, now that sheâs swung a lot of sticks, itâs time to give him a carrot.
âItâll be cool..â
âHehe. Does Viola want Vixen to be cool?â
âAll I want is just to sleep well and donât follow me with a knife.â
Well, she couldnât say that, though.
Thinking so, she just nodded her head helplessly. Then, Vixen smiled more brightly.
âYou need to be cool. To do so, I felt I had to find some ways to relax.â
There was nothing wrong with Violaâs words.
âAs expected, I donât want to kill the dog.â
He thought heâd let the dog off the hook even if it came at him hard. Hence, he decided not to kill the dog.
After a while, eventually, Vixen returned to his room on his own.
Lulu~Â As he was leaving, his humming was heard over the door to Violaâs room. She tilted her head and leaned at the chair exhaustedly.
âIs this going to be okay?â
Overall, she was quite certain it would be going well. Most of it seems to be going well as intended, but she could feel something strangely out of place.
âItâs just my feeling, isnât it?â
Itâs been a few days since that day.
Viola had been waiting for one person every day. In the novel, the exact date is not mentioned, but it should only be a few days laterâŠ
âSoonâŠâ
Itâs time for Hera to come, and itâs time for the next chapter of âMeeting Heraâ to start.
Just as she buttoned up properly on her first encounter with Duke Heron, Viola has to fasten the buttons properly, even at the first meeting with Hera as well. It was because she wanted to live a different life from the original Viola.
âItâs going to be a really important meeting.â
Few days passed once again.
âWhat is it?â
Itâs been two weeks later, but Hera has yet to show up.
âWhy isnât she showing up? Something seemed to have changedâŠ?â As time was ticking away, Viola felt nervous for no reason.
âDonât let too much time passâŠâ
The original content should not be changed too much. Because knowledge is power, she can change things only if she knows.
And so, she decided.
âXenon, send this note to Sister Hera.â
It said, just like a thirsty man digs a well. If Hera doesnât come first, then she would just throw the hook first instead. This matter is too significant to turn a blind eye to.
âWhat is it about?â
âIâm just trying to be friendly.â
Hearing so, he took the note and asked, âShall I deliver it now?â
âYeah.â
The next day.
Knock, knock.
Finally, she could hear a knock from outside the door.
âHere she comes!â
Viola had a hunch it was Hera. A faint sound of a man could be heard, presumably Heraâs butler.
âPrincess Hera is waiting. Do you mind if we come in?â
Xenon asked. âDo you want me to open it?â
âYes.â
The door slowly opened, and Viola greeted the guest.
âCome on in, sister.â
Viola felt like hearing voices in her ears.
Kaching! Sheâs a rich kid.
Viola smiled brightly. It was the brightest since she possessed here.
And so, the butler pushed Heraâs wheelchair.
Entering the room, she could see Hera, who was wearing a modest blue dress. Her silver hair was so shiny, and it matched well with her pale skin. Sitting in a wheelchair, she arrived right in front of Viola.
âButler, please go outside.â
âUnderstood.â
Viola, knowing what she meant, said quickly, too. She was more tactful than ever.
âXenon, go out, too. I want to talk to my sister alone.â
âOkay, shall we prepare some refreshments?â
âI want strawberry ade!â
Although that was what she wanted to say, Viola held the thought in.
âDo you want some refreshments, sister?â
âThis is all right for me.â
After Heraâs words, she replied back to Xenon quickly as well.
âIâm good, too.â
And so, both butlers left the room.
She decided not to go against the murderer brotherâs plan, but she also decided to not go against the rich older sisterâs plan.
Hera and Viola.
*** Read lasted Chapter at website Zinnovel.com Only ***
Only the two of them remained here. There is a strange silence between the two, and the first person to open their mouth is Hera.