Myths Reawakened

June fifteenth.

Kristen helped Wayne put on his clothes, happy that he had stayed by her side like an honest man but worried that Veronica would sob the whole night in heartbreak. Before the day broke, she pushed Wayne off the bed, and after they had gotten dressed, she walked him to the door, kissed him goodbye, and watched him drive away.

He said that he was bidding his parents farewell before leaving for a long trip.

“Mistress, what have you planned for the day?” Veryl asked in a bow. If there was nothing else, he would drive Kristen to school on time.

“I’m skipping school today, Veryl. Take me to the detective agency at ten. I’d like to meet Secretary Mona. Thank you in advance.”

“Mistress, it’s only my duty as the butler of the family.”

Veryl looked at the girl—he would consider her that for now—and increased his score for her. If Master Wayne had to pick one mistress, Veryl would vote for Kristen. She was gentle and magnanimous, and she was more mature than Veronica and Vera.

Veryl’s monocle glinted. Since she was going to be a lady rather than a girl, she would have to dress herself differently, rather than going for the same girly clothes she was used to wearing, or the annoying flies she would inevitably attract would trouble Master Wayne.

Veryl believed it necessary to give her a lesson on the etiquette of high society.

***

Wayne drove to the Lando Estate first instead of heading straight to the homoerotic den of the Church of Sun. In the back of his car was a suitcase containing the knight armor that was Valkyrie. Since she was with him, he had the final say about when they were setting out.

Just in case he needed to sacrifice a teammate when there was no suitable sacrifice around, he also brought Snow. The snowy owl was kept in a birdcage, placed on the passenger seat.

Wayne looked up at the young lady’s mansion. The window shattered yesterday was already repaired. He commended the professionalism. The servants of the Lando family had gotten so good at fixing windows like a patient becoming a good doctor after suffering from illness for a long time.

The door was locked, but that wasn’t going to stop Wayne. He vaulted over the balcony to the second floor with his diary, following the scents to the bedroom.

Inside, Veronica lay on her side with her long blonde hair fanning out on the bed. Her steady breathing seemed to suggest that she was still asleep.

Wayne leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, saying slowly, “I’m heading to the Ocean of Mist. I was going to tell you two days ago, but I didn’t get the chance since you were unhappy.”

“I’m heading out. I came to say goodbye to you. It’s a dangerous place. If I never make it back...”

Bam!

Getting a punch to the chest, Wayne dropped to his knees and groaned, acting like he couldn’t get back up. His diary fell onto the bed as a result.

Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because you play the pity card!

“Who let you in? You’ve been annoyingly talkative. Get out of here.” Veronica sat up and pointed at the window with a scowl.

“Right.”

“Bastard, who told you to leave? Come back.”

When Wayne left without hesitation, Veronica yanked at her hair in fury and hurled a pillow at him. “Since when are you so obedient? You did this on purpose.”

She jumped off the bed barefoot to punch and kick the scumbag. She didn’t use much force, or he would’ve been disassembled and put into separate trash cans.

“Senior left last afternoon. You must have...” Veronica’s eyes reddened. Wayne hadn’t sought her out last night, which meant that he had been tainting Senior Kristen.

It felt wrong to talk behind her white moonlight’s back. Even though Kristen had fallen to the point that she would dive into a trash can willingly, she was still the embodiment of flawless purity in Veronica’s mind. She thus reframed it as Senior Kristen humiliating Wayne overnight.

That made her feel better.

...Or not.

Droplets of tears fell from Veronica’s eyes as she pursed her lips without a word. She stared daggers at Wayne, her gaze piercing through his chest.

Feeling a pang in his heart, Wayne pulled her into his arms but was promptly pushed away. He hurriedly said, “I’m not going to the Ocean of Mist, Veronica. It’s too dangerous. I’m going to stay with you.”

Then what about Vera? Veronica huffed. “Don’t try to fool me. I talked to Senior the whole night and found out that all the sweet words you’ve said to me have been used on her, too. None of your old tricks is going to work on me.”

Don’t worry. I have other tricks up my sleeve. Also, Senior got those sweet words firsthand, but they were only used on you after much polishing and revision, going through many more women before getting to you.

That’s why tsunderes are going out of fashion. You only get secondhand lines.

He wisely didn’t voice his thoughts, instead continuing with his sweet talk, reminiscing about their wonderful days in Osterrichi and leading her down memory lane.

If only we could stay in Osterrichi! Veronica thought.

Bad news: her fiancé had cheated on her with her white moonlight.

Good news: her white moonlight had cheated her by sleeping with her fiancé.

Veronica was heartbroken. With Wayne holding her tightly, she closed her eyes and said, “I was close to Senior and Vera, super duper close, and we were happy every day. It’s all your fault that everything has fallen apart.”

Don’t worry. You’ll be even closer in the future!

Wayne listened to her without arguing. Only when the sky cleared outside did he say hesitantly, “It’s one hour until the promised meeting time. They’re waiting for me. Why don’t we take a rain check, and you can swear at me once I’m back?”

“No, you’re not going.”

Veronica clutched Wayne’s clothes, unsure what she should say. Given a Dragonblood’s possessive instinct, she wouldn’t agree to share him with even her white moonlight, but she didn’t have the heart to kick her white moonlight out. Of course, it was even less likely for her to give up willingly. In the end, her messy thoughts translated into one simple warning:

“Don’t let Vera cling to you, and don’t pursue Vera actively. Otherwise...” She clenched her teeth. “I’ll be the adopted daughter, and you’ll be the heir. Never are you setting foot into this house again.”

Wayne nodded, swearing to never let Vera get a taste of him. Then he stared at Veronica with yearning. “You’re all puffy and red. Do you want to wash up in the bathroom?”

“Ha, aren’t people waiting for you?”

“Let them wait!”

Veronica was speechless. The scumbag was a hateful and horrid sight that got on her nerves, making her not want to do anything else.

After half an hour of snuggling, having made sure that Wayne would be late, Veronica finally unwrapped her arms and clutched her collar. “I’ll help you get to your destination quickly. We don’t want them to wait for too long.”

Bam!

The human cannonball flew out of the balcony, following a graceful parabolic trajectory into the grove.

In the main house not far away, Silvia stood at the window and peered out, calculating the angle and direction. She sucked in a breath when she pinpointed the origin.

“Veronica’s bedroom, and the day’s just broken... Did they do it?”

Overjoyed, Silvia grabbed Auston, who was playing dead on the bed, and launched the cannonball in celebration.

=͟͟͞=͟͟͞[___]¦)

Who am I, where am I, and why am I flying again?

Silvia vaulted out of the window and jumped down, rushing straight to her daughter’s room to ask what had happened. She wanted the juicy details.

Frustrated, Veronica buried her face into the pillow, refusing to answer the door no matter how incessantly her mother was knocking.

Silvia assumed that her daughter was feeling shy. After boasting about her younger self and chiding young people these days for being too innocent, she left with a smile.

“You didn’t get cheated on by the older trash...”

Veronica muttered sarcastically. The previous generation had a perfect relationship and a wonderful marriage, naively believing that love was all sweetness, but in reality, love was more bitter, spicy, and salty.

She spotted the diary the scumbag had left then.

“So annoying!”

Her head was a mess. She didn’t know how to face her terrible relationship. She picked up the diary and flipped through it.

“The kind-hearted young man? Ha, what a joke. A shameless bastard is more like it...”

She scoffed. Reading further, she realized that the main star of the latest entries wasn’t the kind-hearted young man, but the young man’s father—an even kinder old man.

Father? Is it Auston? Must be him!

Drawn by the opening, Veronica continued reading curiously. Soon, her expression darkened.

The diary stated clearly that the kind-hearted young man’s father had a thing with his supervisor and even gave the kind-hearted young man’s fiancée an older sister. The supervisor’s identity wasn’t clearly stated; or, rather, it had been stated but later struck out to indicate that it was sensitive information that shouldn’t be told.

Veronica read clearly that the supervisor was Sophelia, the head of a company with a long history. After losing her spouse, she had been living on her own, and she often met up with the kind-hearted young man’s father in secret. During the years when the kind-hearted young man’s mother was away, especially, they met up almost every night.

The kind-hearted young man asked about it out of curiosity and learned that his father was Sophelia’s first love. They parted ways because of the company’s once-in-a-hundred-years plan of expansion, but the supervisor loved the young man’s father so much that she not only gave him her first time, but also gave birth to their daughter.

Scalp tingling, Veronica rushed to the balcony and shouted, “Mother, come here. Come through the window. I have something important to tell you.”

“Now you’re seeking me out, girl.”

Silvia huffed. She guessed from her daughter’s troubled tone that it would be a scandalous conversation not fit for polite company. Armed with her experience, she sauntered back the way she came.

That day, explosive noises and snarls filled the grove. Megan, the butler, ran around chasing after her master.

Mr. Lando didn’t make any public appearances in the next few days. It was said that he was using a crutch.