One day, a year into the business, she dealt with an incident so traumatic, that Ranran couldn't handle the notion of returning to school for over a month, let alone continue to be The Fox.

During that time, The Boy did not attempt to persuade her to return. He, on the other hand, allowed her to recuperate.

However, he knew had to show her something to get back as time for them is running out.

One day, he phoned her, telling her its about time she learns the truth.

It was around 3 weeks since it happened and Ranran was curious as to why he called around 8 pm time, as he rarely does. "Tomorrow, when your parents aren't around, come over to my place at 10 am sharp in the theatre room. I need to show you something."

And so she did.

On the way to his house, she recalled an unusual moment she used to see whenever she works for him.

During the first 3 months when Fox and Deer began picking up speed, he always used to hand her a story for her to read. Whether it would be a story of a stern yet borderline warm-hearted noble girl misunderstood by many, or a unwanted illegitimate son manipulated by the main character etc, those stories were the things that kept her mind blown.

In her honest opinion: It was not in a good way.

For the past 2 years since she met The Deer, the books that kept heading her way through him were pretty messed up. The main protagonists in general had selfish pricks written all over their damn faces.

For example, in one of the books titled 'Charmed by the Prince, Hated by My Twin', the villainess in the story who worked 8 times harder than the heroine was manipulated by her so-called bestie into sabotaging her sister's engagement, since she has a huge crush onto the prince and was ultimately devastated that the prince choose her lazy sister instead of her.

While there was nothing infatuating about the main protagonist, given that she literally did everything in her power to break her engagement for her sister, the annoying part is surprisingly not the villainess's attempt to sabotage their love, but rather, her bestie.

And guess what? The bestie lived happily ever after upon 'exposing' the villainess's plot! When she was clearly the instigator! Even got married too, with children!

Then there was that other book titled: Between Us and the World where the male lead's love story began when he was adopted into the wealthy female lead's family after his mother abandon him. Gradually from little children to adulthood, they naturally fell in love.

Though, obstacles later got in their way: Parents, friends, as well as their love rivals in general.

Eventually, they all lived happily ever after while the rest of the characters in the book had to pay for their sins. Not that she has anything against them, since they are dumb with no heads of their own.

No, the annoying part is the damn female lead.

Cause Ranran read one part whereby it depicts that as soon as the male lead move into her house, she used to tease him and taunted him as a dog in their manor. A dog! Eventhough she knew he was abandon by his own real mother!

And yet, for someone like her to act cruelly towards him, he can still like someone like her? Who disrespect him that way?! Where is his pride!?

Perhaps all of this is nothing, comparing to the rest of the books that soon follow.

To cut a long story short, much to her annoyance, she obviously wrote a lot of interesting complaints to The Deer later on. Whoever these authors are who wrote this book, they must have suffered decades worth of brain aneurysm to come up with idiotic plots that even a kid like Ranran could tell.

.....................................................................................

The Deer, a figure that not a single person in Edgewood is aware of his real-life existence, aside of their clients. Someone she met after getting lost upon wandering from her group while learning to navigate the neighbourhood and ended up in front of his place.

To be honest, a year ago, the then 3-year-old girl isn't the type to simply take up one's generous offer without being wary of the other. After all, she was trained by her parents not to simply accept anyone who may be 'too kind' or 'too generous', as there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Such as the case for The Deer, since she is certain he has something to do with her being dragged into Edgewood against her own will, it only seemed reasonable as to why she at some point screamed at him to open the gates to his manor so that she could confront him as to why he would do such a thing.

Yet, there was little as to what the 3-year-old could do at that time.

As a child, she had no real power to change anything. The gates at The Deer's manor had loomed large, mocking her frustration and confusion. The gaps itself wasn't big enough, so even the option to squeeze into the manor to hit him was too not a option worth exploring. At some point, she even screamed at him to explain himself, but the only response had been silence.

Similarly to her attempts made in order to escape Edgewood Academy for the sake of unlimited free time of video gaming, even this itself was a fail attempt.

So many questions in her head she never got the chance to ask:

Why did he drag her family into this privilege neighbourhood?

Why did he manipulate her parents to send her there, when she barely wants to be there?

There were other children of such underprivilege background who would be more than happy to go. And yet....why her?

No matter how hard she fought, no matter how many times she screamed at The Deer for answers, it never felt like enough. He was always one step ahead, always too calm, too composed, while she was left to wonder if she would ever understand why she was here, why everything in her life had been turned upside down.

The Deer wasn't just hiding answers—he was testing her, guiding her, pushing her toward something. But what?

.....................................................................................

It wasn't until months later, when she was older and had begun to piece together the strange patterns of her life, that she started to suspect that her questions had never really been the point.

For starters, the books she were given....why do they mirror similarly to the clients of Fox and Deer?

Even though the names are different, even though certain details in the book were not as accurate as what Ranran had witnessed, she began to notice something unsettling: the themes in the books, the dynamics between characters, mirrored her own experiences in Edgewood, and perhaps, her own relationship with The Deer. There were too many coincidences.

So much so.....that she began to wonder whether she was transmigrated into a novel world, like those isekai shows she watched on TV.

Then again, this is the real world where magic barely exists, so it couldn't possibly be.

Plus, even if that is truly the case, she would've had past memories of that sort. Though, it does bothers her that the story books The Deer had supplied her so far seemed to follow such an unnervingly precise pattern, mirroring their clients lives with eerie accuracy.

Another problem is that she has no idea who the authors of those books are.

Everytime Ranran attempted to press any info out of the 8-year-old Deer, he would always sidestep her questions with that infuriating calmness of his. No matter how persistent she was, he'd either change the subject or deliver a cryptic remark that only deepened her confusion.

"How do the authors know what is going to happen? Can they see the future?" he would ask with a smile that always felt a little too knowing. "If that were the case, this world would've been a happy place, wouldn't it, Ranran?"

It was a line she had heard countless times, yet the more she thought about it, the less it made sense. The books were the key, she was sure of that. They were not just narratives; they were pieces of a larger puzzle, one that involved her, The Deer, and the mysterious world she had become a part of. The fact that the books seemed so tailored to the experiences of her clients, of herself, only made her question more. Was there some hidden hand controlling the story? Was she merely a character in a novel—and if so, whose novel?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Something was off. It was as if she were walking through a maze of mirrors, with each reflection slightly distorted, but eerily similar. She could never quite touch the truth, but it was always just within her grasp.

One particular book stood out in her mind. "The Last Princess of the U.K." 

This book stood out from the rest of the books, cause in a way, it reminded her of someone she dislikes in school.

The story itself was a stereotypical love triangle between the male lead, female lead, and the ever unfortunate second male lead. Set in a modern aristocrat setting, the female lead who is the protagonist was someone who barely discriminates between the commoners and the wealthy, she treats them equally with kindness and has a heart that is equivalent to a saint despite being born into a life of privilege as a royal. 

The love triangle itself was as predictable as it was tiresome. The female lead, of course, had to choose between the two men, the male lead—a charming, righteous, and at times downright arrogant aristocrat—was always trying to win her heart.

Then, there is the second male lead, the arrange fiance since childhood.

On the surface, he appeared to be the perfect gentleman, the true image of epitome of honor and duty, though he is also describe to have a dark personality beneath his polished exterior. Always yearning for her love from afar even though she doesn't feel the same, he was the type to play the long game, biding his time, always watching from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

Go figures, it is clearcut where this story is heading with one evil male lead. Ranran rolled her eyes silently.

A perfect, virtuous female lead caught in a tug-of-war between two men, one who was an obvious good choice and the other an obvious bad one. Follow with many unnecessary chain of events for the female lead to decide the one who was best for her had been there all along, while the dark, brooding second male lead would eventually reveal his true manipulative nature.

In the first place, if the idiotic female lead wasn't all so wishy-washy and just simply head up to her arrange fiance to say 'I am sorry, I never liked you' before breaking the engagement, it would have simply spare him the trouble, no?

That was the kind of solution Ranran would have gone for. It was the most predictable thing in the world.

Also, that indecisiveness.....fine, the girl might have been sheltered and inexperienced due to her lack of experience in dating, since this is a world where marriages were arranged, and her "fiancé" was the only person she knew in such a capacity, but surely....but 18 years old—she wasn't a child anymore.

That meant she is not only an adult, but also someone who should have enough maturity to face the situation head-on. Ranran couldn't understand it. Why did the idiot female lead need to go dragging things out like some melodramatic soap opera?

Another issue she finds about this story is the life decisions the female lead has made over the course of the story.

Since the male lead himself is someone who is born from a humble background, while she from a privilege background, it's obvious that there will be a lot of supporting characters who derive from wealthy backgrounds bullying the male lead due to his upbringing, when she denounces them and declares the school they were in, a prestigious one to be exact, to shut down as it was 'breeding corruption against the underprivilege', even went as far as to denounce her royal lineage before suing them.  

Reading this, Ranran couldn't help but cringe.

If she was that concern about this 'rich vs poor' problem, how is shutting down the school going to work out in her favor? Did those idiots her family hired to teach her filled her such idiotic thoughts can end this world wide problem to begin with? Also, where are the rich kids going to go to after shutting down the school? Is she an idiot or what!?

And the heck? The way they bullied the male lead....in what shape or form is this considered one? 

They were just merely commenting the male lead's poor performance in terms of etiquette while attending high society events, let alone, he was stupid enough to say things he shouldn't have about their families openly, like a parrot who doesn't know when to stop squawking! 

Ranran shook her head. The female lead's actions might have seemed noble to some, but to her, it just felt like an immature, impulsive tantrum. 

But Ranran's frustration only grew at that one part of the story that irked her to the core, which is the unfortunate second male lead.

The more she thought about it, the more baffling it became. This wasn't a love story that made sense—at least, not in the way Ranran understood it.

The second male lead had known the female lead his entire life. They had been promised to each other since childhood, bound by the strictures of duty and family expectations. There was no incident mentioned to indicate that he was a playboy, nor that he is a secret scum who enjoys hanging out with the wrong crowd privately, nor there was any tiny mention that implied he liked anyone outside their engagement.

But when it came to the female lead, aside of her wishy washy feelings towards the two, there were too other supporting male characters who also seemed to fall helplessly in love with her. The more Ranran read, the more the absurdity of it all became apparent. The story, it seemed, wasn't content with just giving the female lead two suitors; no, it needed every single male character to somehow fall under her spell. It was as though the author had a checklist of "love interests" and was checking them off one by one, regardless of their backgrounds, personalities, or motivations.

Her fingers twitched as she closed the book, her frustration boiling over. "Why for someone as cunning as him,  he should've known better than a adulterer isn't worth pursuing? Does he really think she's worth all that?" Ranran muttered under her breath, flipping through the pages. It was hard to imagine. 

He had the whole world at his feet—his status, his reputation, his entire future ahead of him. And yet, he allowed himself to fall into this toxic cycle, chasing after a woman who clearly had no interest in him.

It wasn't that the female lead was bad. She wasn't some malicious villain—far from it. But she was indecisive, naive, and emotionally manipulative in her own way. She had never had to deal with the consequences of her actions. It was like everything in her life was handed to her on a silver platter, including the two men she would inevitably choose between. She didn't even seem to realize the pain and anguish she was causing both of them. The worst part was, she never took responsibility for her choices.

In a way, as selfish as Kudo Ranran is in real life, this is another level of selfish that she will not cross.

If she were the second male lead, she rather live the life of a wealthy marques! 

Why focus on one idiotic wishy washer when she can land herself someone else better than the female lead!? Surely in the novel world, that female adulterer can't be the only one who is so bedazzling, that it was worth wasting the hard earned fortune his family had worked hard to earn just to break the relationship between the male lead and her apart!?

Then again....the more Ranran thought about it, the more she decides perhaps he is too stupidly blind in love to notice such things.

Whatever, he probably never had the same mindset as her to begin with. When Ranran was offered to work as 'The Fox' by 'The Boy', when he stated she would be paid 'lavishly', she was pretty sure it was a scam.

That was....till her first paycheck came in.

Honestly, when the 3-year-old checked her bank account that was newly opened by The Boy last year at that time, she almost fainted: 6 figures!? Surely this is photoshopped, right!?

All so she thought, until he took her to the real bank and it took a while to realize this was literally happening. Apparently, in the lavish neighbourhood of Montgrave Ridge, considering the tenants living there consists of wealthy affluent families and elite business tycoons whose children are destined to take over their businesses, it is normal for a child there to receive such extravagant sums as an "allowance" or payment for even the simplest of tasks. 

To put it bluntly: money is their form of language, a way of life.

And for a then 3-year-old Ranran: She planned to take full advantage of this job!

From that point on since that day, she had made quite a couple of purchases for herself.

A expensive gaming computer set up with the highest tier specs, a couple of game consoles, some nice 'upgrades' for her bedroom, it got to a point that her parents are starting to suspect something amiss.

But she always brush it off with 'a gift from a friend'.

Since in Montgrave Ridge, it is a norm for a child of such high allowances to gift another friend expensive gifts. If her parents ever found out about her Fox job, it's one thing she loses her access to her millions in her bank account and banned her for continuing this job, it's another that she will be force to obediently do things she refuses to do all over again.

After all, ending up in Edgewood Academy was something she had no control or say when her parents decided to send her there at the price of her 2 years of childhood. And to top it off, they are planning to move to Japan after this year, which obviously sucks in Ranran's opinion, because she had more freedom here.

Also, she had bad views about Japan.

She had heard rumours here and there about her parents not being liked in Japan for some reason she couldn't figure out, which was the main reason why she was raised in the U.K in the first place. If her parents weren't liked there, then why bother to move back? Do they not have the common sense to realize that since she is their child, she too will be hated?

Here in Montgrave Ridge, she can do whatever she wants.

She gets to drive her own car, mainly a customizable legal drivable car meant for a 4-year-old to school and back, buy things her parents never let her buy here and there, hell, she even get to indulge eating popcorn while witnessing those 'nasty secrets' that the noble and royal families have with her friends in Edgewood by working as The Fox. 

If you think about it this way, it's a life she could've never dream off.

The cherry on top of this Fox job, was that Ranran gets to insult and scheme against those children whom in the eyes of society 'can never do any wrong', but are obvious hypocrites behind closed doors anonymously. They were the children of noble lineages, heirs to empires, and untouchable paragons of perfection—at least on the surface. These were the same kids who cried over the smallest inconveniences, schemed against their own siblings for inheritance rights, and hid their illicit affairs and underhanded dealings beneath layers of wealth and charm.

Honestly, Ranran cannot foresee herself in a future of some foreign country where she'd be forced to start over, let alone, have her hands tied behind her back while she is controlled by her own parents financially, ethically, and even force to obey because she is the child while they, the adults.

And to top it off: Not a single child who worked in Fox and Deer ever criticize and judge her for being 'calculative' and 'cunning'.

Instead, they praised her. It was a stark contrast to how her parents viewed her. To them, she was "too young to understand," "too selfish," or "too scheming for her own good." They wanted her to be obedient, docile, and, above all, normal. 

But normalcy was a prison Ranran had no intention of stepping into.

When she earns enough, someday, she won't need to find a job anymore. She can just simply chill in her lavish mansion she will purchase one day while gaming, shopping and scheming all day while still making money till she dies of old age. 

Then maybe, just maybe....when the world of medical finally advances to a point that allergies can be remove since this neighbourhood here has made a couple of breakthrough in recent years, she can finally keep a couple of pet cats to accompany her. Or she will even travel around the world.

And above all, she just can't wait to move out of this house away from her domineering mother.  

No more telling her to do homework, forcing her to do this and that against her will, that will be the one thing that has to go!

Even as she thinks of this right not, the current 4-year-old Ranran can't help but wonder while heading to The Boy's place....why is it that she has a nagging feeling whatever news he is about to drop for her.....will not go accordingly to her plans?

......................................................................................................................................

When life gives you lemon, what does a 5-year-old do in his shoes?

As the son of a marques, nothing was truly out of the ordinary in his mind back then. Luxurious mansions, fancy sports cars, gentlemen and princess style clothes, as well as luxurious events, he had seen it all.

Getting into an arrange marriage is something dutiful one has to do as a noble. Even though it is the 21st century whereby arrange marriages are down to a bare minimum across the world, here in the prestigious neighbourhood of Montgrave Ridge, things here are run differently.

Of course, general speaking, when one hear the word 'arrange marriage', one would naturally think it is a jail sentence for those who will ultimately miss out on 'true love'. And that itself isn't wrong in his opinion, given how his parents' marriage had played out in the public eye.

Still, it wasn't completely all 'death sentence' as one would call it.

In Monstgrave Ridge, although adultery itself is highly condemned here since polygamy itself is officially banned for good since the heyday, you won't be surprise to see a couple of nobles and royals seeking out other relations outside the legal spouse in a discreet manner. After all, most of the families here are all the result of arrange marriages where love is lacking, so it ain't surprising in The Deer's opinion, really.

Which is why when his 5-year-old soon-to-be wife, Ernestine, was busy going about chasing after one boy after the other despite the official engagement being announced by both of their families in Edgewood Academy, he didn't even put a stop to it. Of course, he too was given the pass to do so as well, but he decided not to do so, given that 'it's a waste of time' in his opinion.

Don't get him wrong, within the walls of the academy and the gates of Monstgrave Ridge, there are endless shortage of good looking little boys and little girls. Even the teenagers and young adults here are pretty looking too, in a sense, so there isn't a shortage of people to look at, either.

But if he truly ever wanted 'good looking' people to 'crush' on in the first place, that would be just plain shallow.

No, if he ever wanted to 'love' someone in the first place, he wants sincerity.

Which is why he wasn't bothered with Ernestine chasing after the other boys in the first place, as it would've been worst if his arrange fiance was clingy like those terrible romance dramas he had personally watched on tv.

Constantly obsessing over one person....that is something he would rather stir away from.

For seeing those scenes reminded him of the way his mother did towards his father, which only resulted in him finding solace in the arms of his mother's sister.

....................................................................

Ernestine and The Deer.....both of their relationship in general wasn't all that bad as it was back then.

When their family introduce each other, even though they didn't click, let alone, 'fell in love at first sight' as one would call it, the two had often lived a casual sort of relationship. Think of it as 'keeping the family name up' without troubling the other, let alone, causing the other to 'clean up the messes', it was a formal relationship, but overtime, it would be a 'relationship that will cultivate into love', or so that was what he was told by both his parents.

And even if that didn't translate into love, he was completely fine with it.

Sure, there were rumours here and there about Ernestine being with 'that guy's son' or 'this person's son', but overall, even if the other kids were to paint her image in a unsavourily manner, it wouldn't have mattered to her, since she is the niece of the royal family after all.

Children of royalties, even if they are relatives who commit all sorts of misdeeds, they will be shielded or have their eyes turned away no matter what.

In his opinion, even if she was spotted to be seeing some man 10 times older than her while they remain married in the future, it wouldn't have mattered as long as her status remains.

Meanwhile, he gets the short end of the stick, just because he is about to marry into royalty.

In Edgewood Academy, it is normal for other people to wag their tongues should someone of a lower rank family is about to marry into their future spouse's family. It's one thing if one of a lower rank, say for instance a kid from a marques family and a Earl Family marry each other, since they are under the noble category and quite common here, but a marriage between a noble and royal is another level.

While it isn't uncommon back in the heyday, it is on the 21st century.

And so, as a result, the news spread like wildfire.

Perhaps in those old medieval era, the straightforward solution for Ernestine's family is to just simply marry another royal family that they are close to. But modern times had make things difficult for the world of aristocrats up to a point, that marrying 'someone into another royal family' has become bothersome.

Genetically, doing that will bring premature deaths to their decedents.

Socially, having a royal who marries another royal family will be the beginning of the end.

No, not on the kingdom, this is 21st century after all. But it will damn sure put a huge strain onto their parents' relationship, cause in a way, it has become a norm to keep their bloodlines within their home territory, cause if any foul play that befall onto their child, hell shall be weaved.

No war will take place since majority of the royal families nowadays are all ceremonial. Even if a police investigation takes place enough to shake them up, nothing much will take place since they are politically well-connected. However, reputation wise, a media circus would be the last thing they would need, as it can result in a public uproar, enough to trigger protests and ending the monarchy system for good.

The last solution however, is to simply marry within their own backyard, mainly towards the highest rank noble family among aristocrats. Just so happen that The Deer's family happens to meet their standards.

Of course, there is no resentment towards her for The Deer's perspective. She is well-liked by the children of lower ranking here, attended charitable events, kind towards her peers and all of that while others looked up to her as a role model, there was no fault he was able to find in her, except the boy chasing part. And above all, she was by far respectful.

Well, that was what he assumed about her till that Soiree incident happened.

..........................................................................

Since the Astral Soirée incident has taken place, The Boy who was 5-year-old at that time hadn't been himself since.

Locked himself in his bedroom, while his parents' deteriorating marriage continued to rear its ugly head in the living room downstairs, he did not want to think anything at this point now.

Oh no, he wasn't upset by his parents' arguing among themselves while sobbing. If it were before, he would beg them to stop.

But now, things has changed. He knows things about the marriage that he shouldn't.

And in the future, he won't live long till the age of 18.

And it was all thanks to that projector at that party. That day, out of curiosity, his life trajectory revealed some unsettling details that let him to his downfall.

Growing up in a dysfunctional household in a family of marques, he was manipulated by his own mother into thinking that his father left both him and his mother for his mother's sister. But unknowingly to him, his mother drugged his father while he was still engaged to his mother's sister at that time, resulting in his birth and lead to the eventual shotgun marriage.

And though he wasn't conceive out of 'love', his father did make multiple attempts to reach out to The Boy, but as he lived under his mother's lies without knowing the facts, The Boy who eventually grew up into a young man carried the weight of a broken past, molded by lies, secrecy, and manipulation. The truth of his origins, the lies about his father's intentions, and the cruel manipulation his mother had subjected him to left scars deeper than any physical wound. He grew up believing his father had abandoned him and his mother, not realizing the sinister role his mother had played in the collapse of his family.

Growing insecure and all of that, The Boy ended up attempting to seek love from his arrange fiance, Ernestine. Sadly, this only resulted in her disgust, distancing from him further and into the arms of the other man.

With all of that said, as well as the remaining unsaid chain of events, he was mislead on a road to villainy as his antagonism towards his loving father grew thanks to his manipulative mother. It that wasn't adding further salt into his already hurt pride, his arranged fiance Ernestine was not a complete saint either.

To his complete shock, she was so indecisive whenever a male went up to her and confess their feelings.

The deeper The Boy delved into the secrets of his family, the more disillusioned he became with everything he had once taken for granted. 

Eventually, he was thrown in prison. But not before his fiance committed one act that was beyond unforgivable.

What she did was....write a criminal biography of him, and made millions of pounds out of it.

The Boy was completely blindsided. How is it that his suffering, his brokenness, and his entire family dysfunction had turned it into something profitable, something exploitative?

The most cutting part wasn't even the public shaming. It was the realization that, had he truly fallen for her, had he genuinely cared for Ernestine, he would have been nothing more than a fool. A joke. All his vulnerability, all his longing for affection, would have been laid bare and mocked. He had never allowed himself to love her, not yet. But if he had—if he had allowed himself to get lost in the illusion of a future with her—how would he ever live with the fact that the person he trusted most had not only rejected him but used him for profit?

The Boy felt the weight of it all crash down on him since.  

And then came the darker realization—the horrifying truth that Ernestine had grander plans, far beyond just exploiting him. She wasn't content with merely profiting from his misery. No, she had ambitions. The projector, the one that had revealed the dark truths about his life, was her weapon of choice. It was her key to unlocking a new form of exploitation. Ernestine planned to use the projector's knowledge of the children's futures—of their inevitable paths—to craft more biographies, more stories of downfall and villainy, and to profit from it all. Edgewood Academy, with all its privileged children, would become her personal goldmine, their futures no longer just lives to be lived but tragedies to be told for a fee.

With a girl of such evil, how can this marriage take place?

No way, The Boy decided: This engagement needs to be broken regardless. Now that he knows his father never plan to abandon him from the start, and that all of those events has yet to have taken place, he will take matters into his own hands.

With a sense of finality, The Boy knew what he needed to do.

..........................................................................

Stealing the entire projector was a piece of cake.

Under the cover of darkness, he slipped through the halls of Edgewood Academy, the device carefully concealed under his coat. It was a risky move for the 5-year-old little boy, but it was one he had to make. With the projector in his hands, he could rewrite his own destiny.

By now, every child involved with Ernestine were all too busy at the ball gleefully celebrating, unaware of the storm that was about to hit. The grandeur of the event, the sparkling chandeliers, the music, the laughter—it all seemed so far removed from the dark undertones that had been building for weeks. But The Boy was focused. He moved like a shadow, blending into the background, his tiny form unnoticed amidst the chaos.

As he crept through the winding hallways, his heart pounded, the weight of the projector in his arms both a comfort and a burden. The device hummed quietly, as though it, too, knew that its power was about to be wielded in a way it had never been before. Ernestine, so consumed with her vision of control, had never anticipated this move. The Boy, the very one she had planned to use, had outsmarted her.

The car that he had contacted to pick him up from school should be arriving in 2 minutes time. When the vehicle arrive, he is going to get the driver to quietly drive him to their place. Though, how he was going to convince the driver is another issue.

For this driver....he didn't have a good relationship with them.

"I heard you are sick, so I came to pick you up. But I am a bit surprise....why do you want me to take you to our new place? I thought you didn't feel comfortable heading there."

The said 'driver' is none other than his father's mistress, Aunt Claire.

Aunt Claire had always been a figure of suspicion in his life, a constant reminder of the tangled web of lies and betrayals that surrounded his family. He had heard whispers, seen the way his mother would glare at her, the bitterness in their interactions, and how Claire would always seem to be just a little too familiar with the family's secrets.

When he found out about the affair, he obviously reacted how any 5-year-old kid would do in his shoes. Still, at that time, he had no idea his aunt was the unfortunate victim of his mother's misdeeds.

Now, seeing her standing before him, he kind of....pity her.

When he dug around about the affair after the projector discovery, he learned that she used to be engaged to his father in a arrange marriage by two families.

At that time, it seemed like a match made in heaven, an ideal arrangement. His father had loved her, or at least appeared to, and Aunt Claire had once been happy, even hopeful.

That was until....his mother happened.

The Boy had pieced together the story bit by bit after discovering the projector's horrifying revelations: His aunt apparently was medically barren.

 And in any aristocrat family, that is a big no no.

Even so, his father didn't mind. But his mother then saw it as an opportunity, so since his father was loyal to the core when it came to his aunt, she seized the opportunity by drugging him. In this state of vulnerability, his father had been manipulated into marrying her instead after conceiving The Boy, and that marriage had set in motion the tragic chain of events that followed.

Yet surprisingly, though he was born from this deception, his father still treats him with love and care, despite knowing the circumstances of his birth. 

Anyway, looking at his aunt Claire, now that he thought about it, even after the affair was discovered, even during private affairs, had his aunt ever once mistreated him by leaving him snide comments and speak ill of The Boy behind his back? Cause if The Boy was in his aunt's shoes, he will do so since his existence brings in nothing but painful memories.

Sure, his mother said she could've done so when he wasn't looking. But here she is now, coming to fetch him since his father had caught a cold recently.

"I....don't feel comfortable myself lately at home," The 5-year-old son of the marques replied as he pulled his collar a bit, sweating out of nervousness before asking, "So could you...take me there instead? I'll promise I will leave the house by tomorrow."

Aunt Claire paused for a moment, looking at The Boy with a mixture of surprise and something that almost looked like concern. She studied him carefully, the tension in his small frame not lost on her. The request was unusual, to say the least. For a 5-year-old child to make such an insistence was curious—especially given the weight of the family dynamics and the unspoken tension between them.

"You....don't feel comfortable at home?" she asked slowly, as though she has misheard him in shock, "Why? Did she....did that woman beat you!?"