"Lucien,"
Serena Vale greeted softly when she saw him waiting downstairs.
Her clear eyes shimmered faintly, cool yet luminous like water catching light.
The ice-blue princess dress only made her appear more ethereal—
almost unreal.
"You look beautiful today, little sister,"
Lucien Vale said sincerely,
silently cursing whatever man might be lucky—or unlucky—enough to win her in the future.
Serena lowered her head with a hint of shy grace,
though her gaze remained calm and sharp beneath her lashes.
She wasn't used to dressing like this,
but an occasional change of style was acceptable.
"What are you blocking the doorway for, you rascal?"
Lila Harrington-Vale descended the staircase behind them,
her tone half-scolding, half-amused.
"I'm taking Sera out shopping later."
"Take me with you,"
Lucien Vale said immediately.
He hadn't expected that the moment his little sister returned,
his own status would plummet this dramatically.
His mother used to call him "Third,"
but now?
Just "you rascal."
Still, he would never be jealous of Serena.
So he shamelessly tried to tag along.
Lila Harrington-Vale shot him a look of pure disdain
and rejected him without mercy.
"When I asked you boys to go shopping with me before,
you all acted like you were on your deathbeds.
And now you want to come?
Too late!"
She was planning to spend the day bonding with her precious daughter.
There was no way she was dragging along this walking disaster of a son.
"What? I'll be so bored if I stay home alone…"
Lucien Vale's handsome face collapsed the moment he realized his mother wasn't taking him.
Just as Serena and Lila were about to leave,
Lila's phone rang.
She answered, listened for a moment,
then approached Serena with an apologetic expression.
"Sera, something went wrong with the preparations for the homecoming banquet.
I need to go take care of it.
I won't be able to accompany you today."
"It's all right, Mom," Serena said gently.
"Work comes first. I can entertain myself."
Lila's heart softened again at her daughter's understanding tone.
"Sera, you're such a good girl…
All right, your third brother will accompany you today."
Then she immediately turned, her expression sharpening as she faced Lucien.
"Take good care of your sister.
If she comes back upset—
bring me your head."
"Understood, Mother,"
Lucien Vale replied with exaggerated obedience.
As if he would ever allow his sister to be wronged—
what a joke.
The moment Lila left,
Lucien's real personality resurfaced.
He immediately leaned toward Serena, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Little sister,
Mom's going to drag you out shopping all the time anyway.
Since she's busy today…
why don't we go do something else?"
Serena perked up at that.
Shopping truly didn't interest her.
So she asked calmly,
"What do you want to do?"
Lucien's eyes lit up—
a telltale sign he had been waiting for this.
"It's kind of like shopping, actually.
But the place we're going doesn't only deal with money…
There are all sorts of trades.
It's pretty fun.
Wanna go?"
Serena immediately understood.
He was talking about the black market.
Although Lucien Vale was the third young master of the family,
he was still, at the end of the day, just a university student.
There was no way the Vale family would allow him to come into contact with the black market so soon.
So how exactly had he gotten access?
The black market allowed free trade,
but it was riddled with restrictions—
and filled with underworld figures pulling strings from the shadows.
Without enough power or protection,
entering was easy…
leaving safely was another matter entirely.
And Lucien wanted to take her there?
Well… judging by the excitement practically leaking off him,
he clearly had no idea what kind of danger that place truly held.
Fine.
If he wanted to go that badly,
she would humor him.
With her around, nothing would happen.
"Okay then," Serena said softly,
"take me there, Lucien."
Seeing that Serena agreed,
Lucien Vale immediately rushed off to bring out his Ferrari—
because taking his sister out meant using the very best.
He even opened the passenger door for her with exaggerated care.
But throughout the entire process,
Serena remained perfectly calm,
expression smooth as still water.
Lucien blinked, confused.
Most people would be stunned speechless at the sight of his car,
yet his sister reacted as though she'd seen nothing unusual—
as if luxury was completely ordinary to her.
Then he reasoned with himself.
Right.
Serena grew up in an orphanage.
She probably didn't recognize luxury cars at all.
Not knowing the price meant no dramatic reaction.
But that look in his eyes—curious, questioning—
told Serena she had slipped again.
Her "poor girl with limited experience" persona had nearly cracked.
It couldn't be helped;
this was her first time playing such a role.
Next time, she would be more careful.
And just like that,
the two of them slipped out behind everyone's backs.
On the road, Serena asked in a soft, worried tone,
"Lucien… shouldn't we tell Mom and Dad where we're going?"
"Shh.
We're sneaking out,"
Lucien Vale whispered conspiratorially.
He might have been the youngest son in the family,
but he was hands-down the best driver—
fast, sharp, fearless.
He'd spent plenty of time out on the streets,
mixing around and learning things the family didn't exactly encourage.
But so long as his grades stayed perfect,
the Vale family rarely restricted him.
This time, he was being especially bold—
sneaking his little sister out to play.
"Don't worry, little sister,"
Lucien Vale said confidently,
"I've got some connections.
I'll definitely keep you safe."
The truth was, he didn't know much about the black market himself.
But his trusted friend had vouched for him once,
and with the Vale family backing him,
no one should be stupid enough to cause trouble… right?
Mainly,
he had gone once and found the goods fascinating—
strange, rare, thrilling.
He couldn't wait to show Serena.
"Okay," Serena replied softly.
She didn't comment further.
If they got caught later,
he would be the one getting punished, not her.
Besides…
she was curious to see
just how capable her "reckless" third brother really was.