Behind the blooming peonies and ivory garden arch, two snakes slithered unseen—though not literally.
Julian leaned against the marble railing, eyes trailing after the pair in the garden: Mireyna and Isabella. A smirk curled on his lips as he turned to his partner-in-scheming, Calestina—known fondly in the Lyssander as Elia.
"Hey, Elia…" Julian's voice dropped with mock innocence. "What do you think would happen if I married Mireyna?"
Calestina blinked. Then she burst into a laugh so sweet it could rot teeth. "Your child would be born deformed!"
Julian frowned. "What?"
She twirled her golden curls with dramatic flair. "Well, duh. You're cousins. That's basically incest. That's, like, illegal in some countries. Ew."
Julian narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me, miss biologically-confused… cousins aren't siblings. Siblings are incest. Cousins are… historic European royalty." He snapped his fingers in mock pride.
Calestina tilted her head. "Still cursed, darling."
With a deadpan face, Julian leaned over and flicked her forehead—hard.
"Ouch!" Calestina clutched her forehead. "What was that for?! You damaged my frontal lobe, Julian!"
"Good," he said smoothly, "now maybe you'll stop using it to spew nonsense."
She hissed at him. He smirked. And just like that, the garden had two snakes too busy teasing each other to notice their venom slowly spilling elsewhere.
Meanwhile, on the upper floor…
Beyond the grand staircase and past the glass-panelled doors that opened onto a marbled terrace, Viviana stood tall with her arms folded against her chest. Her sharp gaze peered down at the garden through the ornate railing, where laughter echoed faintly from the flower courtyard below. The breeze caught the hem of her ivory blouse, fluttering it softly — but nothing could disturb the cold stillness in her eyes.
Beside her, leaning lazily against the frame of the glass door, was Adrien. He wasn't watching the flowers. He was watching them — every movement, every smile, especially the one on Mireyna's face as she sat beside Isabella.
"Tch… pathetic," Viviana muttered, brushing a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. "She thinks being close to Isa will make her one of us?"
"I bet she doesn't even know how to swim properly," she scoffed, watching Mireyna below with cold, narrowed eyes. "Pathetic."
Beside her, Adrien exhaled sharply through his nose, his arms folded as well. "With that tiny frame? Her heart would probably stop before she even finishes one lap."
Viviana turned to him with a mocking smile. "So, when's the tournament again?"
Adrien tilted his head, gazing at the pale clouds drifting above the Lyssander estate. "Next week."
A beat passed. The silence between them wasn't peace—it was the calm before a storm. Neither of them said it aloud, but both felt it: they didn't like Mireyna, and they didn't like each other either.
Viviana's smile curved wickedly. "So… do you think Zio Marco will finally say he's proud of you once you win?"
Adrien's jaw tightened. He turned to face her, stepping forward with deliberate calm. His towering height made Viviana instinctively raise her chin, but she held her ground.
"Please, Anna," he said, his voice low, venomous. "At least I win with skill. Not with dirty tricks."
Viviana's eyes flashed. Adrien leaned in slowly, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"If it weren't for Zia Rochelle fixing your matches, you'd still be crying in the locker room. Don't pretend your title means anything."
With one finger, he lifted her chin mockingly. "You think this face is enough to get you anywhere?"
She slapped his hand away. "Back off."
She turned sharply and walked to the edge of the balcony, gripping the railing tightly as if to keep herself steady.
Adrien followed. The click of his shoes against marble sent a chill down her spine.
"At least I'm gifted with looks," she said coolly, refusing to look back. "I inherited the Lyssander beauty."
Adrien chuckled darkly and stepped so close she could feel the heat of his presence.
"That beauty…" he whispered near her ear, "is both your crown—and your curse."
Viviana froze.
"People like you become headlines. Envy follows you like a shadow. And the moment you get too high," he raised his hand slowly and tapped the underside of the railing, "there's always someone waiting to drag you back down."
She turned sharply. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Adrien leaned in, his gaze piercing.
"Remember our senior, Roséy?"
Viviana's expression faltered.
"What about her?"
Adrien's eyes glinted. "Five men. At once. No one saw it coming."
Viviana's skin turned cold. "You're sick," she whispered.
He stepped back, laughing under his breath like a villain from a dark tale, he strolled toward the stairs.
"Watch yourself, Anna. The higher you fly…" he looked over his shoulder, smirking, "…the harder you fall."
Viviana clutched her arms as goosebumps raced down her body.
Just as Adrien was about to descend the grand staircase, a hand gripped his arm from behind.
"You—!" Viviana's voice trembled with a mix of anger and fear. "Don't tell me… you were involved too?!"
Adrien stopped in his tracks. His expression shifted—no longer smug, but shadowed with something darker. Without a word, he spun around, and in one swift movement, he grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall.
His face was inches from hers.
"You think I'm out of my mind?" he growled, his voice low and cold. "I'm still perfectly sane, Anna."
Viviana's heart raced. His grip on her arm was strong—too strong. And though her pride screamed at her to stay composed, she couldn't deny it. She felt threatened.
Still, she lifted her chin stubbornly, refusing to cower.
"T-Then what did you mean?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. "You- you know what really happened to Senior Roséy?"
Adrien noticed the tremor in her tone and smiled—no, smirked, in that unhinged, unsettling way he always did when someone got too close to the truth.
"Of course, I know," he said. "She was part of the swim team, wasn't she? even tho she suppose to be in the archery team."
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Why?well that's what happen when you use your beauty to control people.."
Viviana yanked her hand from his grasp. "Let me go! That hurts, you psycho!"
Adrien's eyes bore into hers, sharp as a blade. "What's wrong? You gonna say I'm tainted now?" His gaze flicked up and down her body, slow and deliberate. "What about you, Anna? Still untouched? Still so… pure?"
Her breath hitched. "You're insane," she whispered. "You really think I'm stupid enough to throw myself at anyone? I'm not like you!"
Adrien's eyes gleamed with something unholy as he leaned closer, lips curling into a twisted smile. "trust me…i'm not like that..but to be honest.. you really are beautiful," he whispered, voice low—far too smooth. "But what a shame… you're my cousin."
With that, he turned away slowly, descending the stairs with an almost arrogant calm, as though what he had just said was nothing more than idle chatter.
Viviana stood there, completely still—like her body had forgotten how to breathe. Her brows furrowed slightly at first, confused. Then it hit her.
Hard.
The color drained from her face.
Wait… what did he just say…?
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat. Her stomach twisted violently.
"No…" she whispered. "No… no—what the hell?!"
Eyes wide in horror, she staggered back a step, her spine tensing like she had just touched something foul.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you insane?! That's disgusting!"
From the bottom of the staircase, Adrien tilted his head, still wearing that maddening smirk. Then, as if to make it worse, his tongue flicked out snake like licking across his bottom lip with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Viviana's skin crawled. A chill ran down her spine. Every hair on her body stood on end.
Viviana's whole body recoiled. A surge of nausea swirled in her gut. Her arms wrapped around herself instinctively, as if trying to shield her soul.
"Disgusting!" she shrieked again, louder this time, hands flying up to cover her ears. "You're insane—completely insane!"
Her knees gave out beneath her and she dropped onto the steps, shaking, clutching her head. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as her mind spiraled.