In a peaceful world filled with soft sunlight and gentle breezes, Leo and Rina were completely unaware of the tension building in the training hall nearby. Their little oasis was under a large tree, where the only sounds were the rustling leaves and their joyful laughter. It felt like a cozy afternoon, but Leo, playful and instinctive, noticed a subtle change in Rina. There was a quietness in her eyes and a slight hesitation in her laughter that told him something was off.
After enjoying a moment of silence, Leo leaned a bit closer to her, his striking blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Alright, it's time to find out what you're hiding," he said teasingly.
Rina stiffened at his words.
"So, Rina," he continued with a confident grin, "care to share what happened between you and Artur?"
The moment he mentioned Artur, Rina froze, her heart racing. Her eyes widened, glancing around as if looking for a way out, and the flush creeping up her neck was a clear sign of her unease. Leo recognized her flustered reaction immediately, and it only sparked his desire to learn the whole story.
"I-I don't know what you mean," she stammered, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.
Leo chuckled softly, knowing she was avoiding the truth.
"Come on, I know you better than anyone. Something definitely happened. Ever since you saw him this morning, the energy around you has been different. You better spill it now—because you know I won't stop bugging you until you do." He crossed his arms, looking determined, blocking any chance of her evasion.
Rina let out a frustrated sigh, realizing there was no escape from Leo's persistence. She considered the awkwardness that would forever color their trio and the likelihood that Leo's fiery loyalty might cause him to confront Artur, making everything worse. With no way out, she finally surrendered, her shoulders dropping.
"Earlier… Artur confessed to me—"
Before she could finish, Leo erupted into laughter, startling Rina. His laughter was loud and contagious, shaking his whole body.
"That idiot actually confessed? Hahaha! What a ridiculous thing to do!" he roared, the joyful sound echoing around them as tears streamed from his eyes.
Rina stared at him in disbelief. This was not the response she had imagined. She thought he might be jealous, worried, or at least thoughtfully quiet. But instead, his unrestrained laughter left her completely confused.
"Why are you laughing like that, as if I just rejected him?" she asked, a mix of confusion and defensiveness in her voice.
"Because of course you would," Leo replied, finally managing to calm down. "You'd never accept his confession. You don't feel that way about him; he's just a friend—maybe like a brother. The idea of you looking at him romantically is just… funny."
His confidence in his words left Rina speechless. He had seen right through her feelings in an almost unsettling way. All the complicated emotions she had been wrestling with since that morning melted away under his blunt honesty. Rina, who usually had something to say, found herself completely lost for words.
Suddenly, Leo leaned back against the tree, a sly smile on his face. The laughter faded, replaced by a serious glint in his eyes.
"All jokes aside…" he said in a low, intense tone. "How dare that guy want what's mine?"
His words felt like a proclamation, and his gaze locked onto hers, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
Rina's cheeks burned bright red at his boldness. It felt like all the blood in her body rushed to her face, overwhelmed by the unexpected seriousness of the moment.
"You're my first wife after all," Leo said, sounding super confident.
The fun vibe between them instantly vanished. Rina narrowed her bright pink eyes, looking fierce. It felt like a heavy energy surrounded her, thickening the air. That sharp look she gave Leo could make anyone think twice before pushing their luck.
"Do you want to die, Leo Roschild?" she shot back, her voice low and threatening. "First wife? So you're saying you're planning to have more than one wife, huh?"
Instead of getting scared, Leo just grinned wider, his mischievous smile growing. His expression seemed to say,
"Oh? Did I just catch you off guard? You focused on 'first,' not on 'my woman.'"
Rina realized she had messed up with her words a second too late. She tensed up, and the anger that had built up around her vanished, replaced by a rush of embarrassment that made her face turn red. In a panic, she covered her burning cheeks with both hands, unable to stand the look of triumph on Leo's face.
"S-so you're not denying it anymore?" Leo teased, leaning closer. His voice had that playful tone meant to make her squirm.
"You're not saying 'I'm not your woman,' just that you're upset about the order of it. Got it."
"D-Die!!" Rina yelled, her embarrassment flipping back to pure, unfiltered rage. She lunged at him, fists swinging wildly.
But Leo, laughing like he was having the best time, danced away from her punches effortlessly. Just like that, they were off again—two familiar figures darting around in the warm sun, his laughter mixing with her angry shouts in the summer air.
"Honestly, she's way too easy to tease, and I love it," Leo thought, a satisfied smirk on his face. Behind him, Rina's furious footsteps thudded against the grass, each stomp echoing her flustered rage. Her face was bright red, and she swung her arms around comically, driven purely by emotion.
Leo ducked low, slipping past her wild attempts to grab him, almost like he was bending time to his will. His silver-white hair sparkled in the sunlight. Rina's pink eyes shone with a promise of revenge, and her skirt swished with every frustrated twist. No matter how fast she lunged or how fiercely she swung, he always managed to dodge, like a clever fox teasing an angrily hopping rabbit.
After chasing each other around until they were out of breath, they finally slowed down, energy spent. The playful chase came to an end, and without saying a word, they wandered toward one of the beautiful gardens on the Roschild family estate.