Sunlight filtered through the curtains, sliding across the mahogany desk and bathing Gan'an's pale face.
The patriarch was asleep, his chin resting on the edge of the desk. The dark circles under his closed eyes revealed his lack of sleep, and his breathing was uneven.
A thin, messy strand of hair clung to his forehead—the trophy of his earlier fit of rage, when anger and helplessness had overtaken him.
"..."
The butler watched him in silence.
His face showed no surprise, only weariness—a mixture of compassion and habit. He stepped forward, took a folded blanket from the sofa, and carefully placed it over the old man's shoulders.
The study, which not long ago had been a storm of shouts and clatter, was now immersed in an almost solemn silence.
Only Gan'an's faint snores could be heard, heavy with frustration, restrained fury, and a melancholy that weighed more than any word.
…
Damian's house, that same morning.
Rin, with slight dark circles and an expressionless face, placed the last batch of scallion pancakes on the table.
Breakfast was ready: steamed dumplings, chilled seasoned cucumbers, pork congee with century egg, and the golden pancakes she had just taken from the pan.
She took off her apron and looked once more at the closed door of the master bedroom.
The words Marin had said to her the previous day were still echoing in her head. She had spent the entire day trying to ignore them, but by dusk, she couldn't resist anymore and went straight to her house.
She knocked on the bedroom door, and from inside came only a drowsy voice: "Don't make noise… I'm dying of sleep… we'll talk tomorrow."
And Damian? He wasn't there. He didn't answer calls or messages.
Rin waited from sunset until midnight, and from midnight until dawn.
She barely slept.
She got up before sunrise, went into the kitchen, and with a confused mix of anxiety and anticipation she herself couldn't explain, carefully prepared this entire feast.
Click
The lock of the master bedroom finally opened.
Rin immediately straightened up, her heart pounding.
The door opened… But the one who came out wasn't Damian—it was her cousin, Marin.
Her hair was messy, she wore a huge anime-print T-shirt, and her eyes were half-closed. She walked unsteadily while rubbing her face.
"Good morning, Rin-chan…" she mumbled with a yawn. Her nose twitched as she caught the scent of breakfast. "Wow, that smells amazing! Rin-chan, you're the best!"
She dropped into a chair and, without thinking, grabbed a dumpling and popped it into her mouth.
Rin watched her in silence, her hands clenched and her brow faintly furrowed.
"Marin-nee."
"Hmm?" she replied, chewing another pancake.
"Brother-in-law… didn't come back last night?"
!
At that moment, Artoria and Sakura entered the dining room and stopped instantly. They exchanged glances—a silent conversation in seconds.
Sakura blinked, confused: 'They still haven't cleared up what happened yesterday?'
Artoria shook her head. 'I don't know either.'
Sakura looked at Marin, who kept eating without a care. 'Looks like Marin-nee doesn't mind much.'
Artoria shook her head again. 'I don't know either.'
Sakura's gaze shifted toward the door. 'Then… should we leave first?'
Artoria's gaze swept over the table full of food, and suddenly her expression turned as firm as it had been in the final battle of the Holy Grail War. She shook her head decisively. 'No. I'm going to eat.'
The corners of Sakura's lips twitched before she let out a resigned sigh. A second later, she put on a sweet, charming smile. "Good morning~ Rin-nee, Marin-nee."
Marin raised her hand, her mouth still full. "Good morning, Sakura-chan! Saber, come too! Rin-chan's breakfast is suuuper tasty!"
Rin's temples began to throb.
She looked at her cousin, so relaxed and smiling, then at Artoria and Sakura, who were sitting as if nothing had happened, and she felt her dark circles deepen. Lines of frustration crossed her forehead as she watched the three of them enjoy breakfast as if nothing had happened.
She took a deep breath.
!
Suddenly she slammed both hands on the table and stood up.
"Marin-nee, I—"
"I know what you want to say, Rin." Marin interrupted her with unexpected seriousness, setting her chopsticks aside.
Sakura turned her head immediately, trying to communicate with Artoria through her eyes, but the "signal" was lost in the air.
The "receiver" was completely out of service.
Artoria was holding a large bowl in one hand and a scallion pancake in the other, eating with dedication. Each bite made her golden strand of hair sway like a pendulum, gleaming under the light.
"Connection failed…" A dark line appeared on Sakura's face as well.
"You're not the King of Knights, you're the King of Gluttons!" she screamed internally before giving up and burying her face in her plate, pretending not to exist.
Rin trembled slightly, the twitch at the corner of her lips becoming more noticeable.
She looked at Marin, whose expression was exaggeratedly kind and understanding, then at Artoria, oblivious to the world, and finally at Sakura, who continued pretending not to see anything.
She let out a resigned sigh.
Marin, noticing her reaction, smiled softly. "Rin, what I told you yesterday—I've thought it through carefully… I understand your feelings."
Her eyes shifted toward Sakura and Artoria, both still focused on their plates, then back to Rin with calm serenity. "I understand all of your feelings."
?!
Sakura stiffened, lifting her head with a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. Artoria, her cheeks stuffed with food, tilted her golden strand over her forehead in the shape of a question mark. "Feelings? Did I eat too much?" she thought, confused.
Marin's tone was so calm and natural that no one knew how to react. "I don't intend to keep Damian-kun all to myself. I'll share him with you."
"Pff—!"
Sakura spat out the porridge in her mouth, splattering half the table as she coughed, completely red.
Rin's mind went blank and her face burned. "So… it was true…"
Artoria swallowed her food and looked up, still not understanding. Her strand of hair remained bent, like a golden question mark. "Share? Share what? Dessert?"
She didn't understand a thing, and without thinking further, grabbed another pancake and kept eating.
Eating, after all, was the most important thing.
Marin stood up, walked around the table, and approached Rin. Without saying a word, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close with a smile.
"Rin, I talked about this with Damian yesterday."
Images from that morning flashed through her mind—after Rin had left, the car, Damian's imposing presence, his proud and dominant attitude, and then… the moment when, after her words, she ended up giving in completely, losing control.
Heat rose to her cheeks. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and hugged Rin tighter.
"Rin, we'll always be together. We'll stay by Damian-kun's side, both of us."
"..." Rin was completely blank, her mouth slightly open, unable to utter a single word.
Marin stepped back a little, gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, and added with a smile, "Yesterday Damian-kun couldn't come with me to see the cars. Rin, Sakura," she glanced at Sakura, who had just wiped her mouth and was still processing what she had heard, "and you too, Artoria!"
?
The one mentioned lifted her head upon hearing her name, still with her cheeks full of food. She hadn't understood any of the earlier back-and-forth, only catching the last two words: "see cars" and her name.
She blinked energetically and nodded enthusiastically. "Mm!"
Minutes later, the three of them left the house.
Rin and Sakura walked in silence, their eyes downcast and their thoughts tangled. Artoria, on the other hand, walked calmly, enjoying the morning breeze as if nothing that had happened at the table mattered at all.
Rin walked for a while without saying anything, until she couldn't hold it in any longer and broke the silence. "Saber."
"Hmm?" Artoria turned her head.
"What do you think… about what Marin-nee said?"
Artoria brought a finger to her chin, thoughtful. The words from this morning? She only remembered Marin saying something about sharing… dessert? And also something about seeing cars?
She didn't understand why that was a problem, so she answered with the same calmness she used for any dilemma. "Follow your heart."
?
Rin blinked, puzzled.
Follow… my heart?
She looked into Artoria's clear eyes, so serene and pure that there was no room for doubt. There was no judgment or complication in her gaze… only sincerity.
Suddenly, Rin felt her body relax.
Yes… why overthink it? If you like it, you like it.
The corners of her lips lifted into a calm smile. "You're right."
Artoria smiled back, satisfied, and turned her gaze forward again. Beside her, Sakura walked silently, but her hands clenched into fists and her eyes shone with determination.
"Then… I'll do my best too!"
The three continued their walk toward the school, each lost in her own thoughts.
…
At the same time, in the Shinomiya mansion.
The roar of a motorcycle broke the silence in front of the gate. The breeze carried the fading echo of the engine as Kaguya stepped down from the back seat and turned toward Damian.
Her face was slightly flushed, but she still tried to maintain her composure. "Damian-kun… thank you for giving me such a wonderful night."
Damian looked at her with a calm smile and reached out to gently ruffle her hair. "Remember to talk to your father when you get back. I'll make sure the house is ready soon, so you can move in as soon as everything is prepared."
"Mm!" Kaguya nodded energetically, her eyes shining with a mix of tenderness and excitement. "I'm looking forward to it, Damian-kun."
He smiled faintly and turned to put on his helmet, preparing the motorcycle to leave.
"Damian-kun…"
Her voice stopped him, and he turned back toward her.
Kaguya stood by the gate, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her face completely red and her eyes shining, filled with timid anticipation.
Damian understood immediately, turned off the engine, got off the bike, and walked toward her slowly.
Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, holding her firmly.
Kaguya clung to his waist, closed her eyes, and buried her face against him, breathing in his scent deeply.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop. Only the two of them existed.
…
In the study of the Shinomiya mansion.
Gan'an woke with a start. His face was pale, and deep dark circles shadowed his eyes. His body felt heavy, but something in the atmosphere made him instinctively turn toward the window.
And he saw it…
There, in front of the main gate, was his daughter. His little Kaguya, always impeccable, always obedient… tenderly embracing that damned scoundrel…
For a moment, the silence in the study became unbearable.
Then a tremor ran through his body.
With abrupt movements, he grabbed the high-magnification telescope resting on his desk and aimed it outside with trembling hands.
The lens focused, and the world seemed to freeze.
There they were: Kaguya and Damian, locked in an embrace. His daughter, who had always carried herself like a true Shinomiya, clung to that young man's chest with an expression so warm, so full of affection, that Gan'an's blood turned to ice.
"Ugh…!" The growl escaped from deep within his throat, mixed with a gasp of pure indignation.
The veins on his forehead bulged violently. His teeth ground together so hard that the grating sound filled the silence of the study.
He clenched the telescope until his knuckles turned white, trembling with restrained fury.
Through the lens, he saw that brat gently stroke his daughter's hair before calmly getting back on the motorcycle and starting the engine.
The roar thundered.
Gan'an didn't blink even once.
He watched as Kaguya stood there, motionless, watching that brat drive away. Her sweet, dreamy expression, so detached from reality, tore him apart inside.
The telescope slipped from his hands and crashed against the window frame with a dull thud that shattered the silence.
Gan'an froze, his eyes wide open, his breathing uneven. He gripped the edge of the desk with both hands, trying to contain the rage consuming him, but the trembling in his arms betrayed him.
Before his eyes, the image of his smiling daughter remained etched, unshakable, like a dagger sinking deeper and deeper.
The air in the study grew heavy, and darkness began to creep in from the edges of his vision.
________
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