Prince Avvion was still in his usual relaxed posture, his hand propping up his chin while he stared at Ophilia.

It wasn’t a look of affection, but the gaze of a predator watching a victim already trapped in his snare.

Ophilia met his eyes with a carefully controlled expression, even though she could feel the overwhelming pressure in the air around them.

Suddenly, Avvion’s eyes shifted.

He stopped looking at Ophilia and slowly turned his gaze toward the window on the upper floor the office of Duke Herold.

A thin, sinister smile, full of hidden meaning, touched his lips.

Olivia, who was still standing there, felt a drastic change in the atmosphere. The tension from Avvion’s ego suddenly turned cold. It felt as if something was being communicated between Avvion and someone in that dark room upstairs.

He’s playing with the Duke

Olivia thought to herself. She remembered the entity’s warning from the night before.

"You know, Ophilia," Avvion spoke again.

His voice was deeper now, as if he were speaking for whoever was watching from above.

"This world... sometimes feels so small. All our movements, even in a hidden garden like this, are always being watched by someone."

Ophilia didn’t answer, but the muscles in her neck tightened. She knew exactly what Avvion meant.

"Your Highness," Celine interjected, trying to break the sudden tension.

"Has the matter in the territory across the border been settled?"

Avvion didn’t look at Celine. His eyes were still fixed on the dark window upstairs before he slowly turned back to Ophilia. He gave a sharp glance toward Olivia.

"Olivia, was it? A very... dedicated personal maid," Avvion said, his tone mocking.

"Can you leave us for a moment? I have personal matters to discuss with my fiancée... matters that shouldn’t be heard by ’outsiders’ like you."

"And you too,"

he added, glancing at Celine.

Olivia was taken aback. It was a subtle insult to her and Celine, showing that he felt they had overstepped their boundaries in his eyes.

She looked at Ophilia, searching for a sign of whether she should leave or stay.

Ophilia closed her eyes for a second, suppressing her growing anger, then gave a slow nod to Olivia.

"Go ahead, Olivia. Thank you for the tea."

Olivia bowed, but before leaving, she glanced at the upper-floor window.

For a moment, she felt as if she saw a silhouette perhaps Duke Herold standing behind the curtain, watching every inch of the drama unfolding in the garden.

As she walked away, Olivia’s heart hammered in her chest. She wasn’t just worried about Ophilia; she was worried about what would happen next.

If Avvion and the Duke were working together, Ophilia was in far greater danger than they had imagined.

In the dark room, Duke Herold stood before a large mirror. He smoked his pipe, letting the smoke drift out slowly. Delia sat on his desk, playing with a lock of her hair, her eyes sharply watching Ophilia and Avvion in the garden through the mirror.

The Duke smiled thinly.

"Is Prince Avvion really that easy to handle?" he asked cynically.

Delia chuckled.

"He’s just power-hungry, Duke. He thinks he’s in control, but he’s just a pawn for us to use to break Ophilia."

The Duke watched the mirror again. He saw how Avvion tried to dominate Ophilia. To him, it was just a plan to crush his own daughter’s defenses.

"Don’t be hasty," Duke Herold said.

"Let him get comfortable first. When he thinks he’s won, that’s when we’ll destroy everything."

Delia hopped off the desk and walked toward the mirror. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the corridor, spotting Olivia. She felt a deep sense of resentment.

"You know, Duke," Delia said, her voice trembling slightly with anger.

"She’s always played the innocent one, even back then." She spat the words out.

"I don’t know if she’s just slow or if she’s truly that stupid. She never noticed the cheating... it was as if I were doing something foolish." Her eyes stayed fixed on Olivia’s face.

Duke Herold laughed cynically while exhaling smoke. He didn’t care about the petty drama from the other world, but he enjoyed watching Delia lose her composure.

"Oh, so you were the one cheating, but you blame her?" The Duke looked at Delia with a condescending expression.

"Interesting. No wonder you’re so obsessed with a lowly maid. You’re afraid she knows your weakness, aren’t you?"

Delia went silent, her face turning pale.

"I’m not afraid! I just... I just hate seeing her face. Every time I see her, I remember how I..."

"How you stole everything she had?"

The Duke interrupted, his tone mocking.

"Delia, you don’t need to explain anything. In this world, the one who is ’right’ doesn’t win. The one with power decides the story."

Duke Herold turned back to the dark mirror, watching the figures in the garden. Delia clenched her fists.

I will make her crawl at my feet

she thought.

This time, no one will be her hero.

Delia looked at the mirror with a hollow, vengeful gaze. She didn’t hate Olivia because Olivia was wrong; she hated Olivia because Olivia was a reflection of her own flaws. She turned to face the Duke, her face full of deep resentment.

"Duke, she doesn’t know what it’s like to be me," Delia said, her voice raspy.

"For the longest time, I had to live with the stench of raw meat." She whispered slowly.

"I had to smile at her, had to play the ’best friend,’ all because I wanted to ’borrow’ a little of the comfort she had."

Duke Herold just watched with an expressionless face, as if he were listening to a piece of cheap entertainment.

"But the closer I got to her, the more disgusted I felt," Delia continued.

Duke Herold laughed a cold, hollow sound. He grabbed Delia’s shoulder roughly, forcing her to look back at the dark mirror.

"That is exactly why you’re here, Delia," the Duke whispered in her ear.

"In this world, I can give you the power to be ’higher’ than her. You won’t have to borrow anyone’s wealth anymore. You will hold that power yourself, and you can watch her crawl at your feet."

Delia stared at Olivia’s shadow in the garden with eyes hungry for power.

"You’re right, Duke. I don’t want to borrow anyone’s wealth again. I want her to feel what it’s like to be a ’poor person’ who is looked down upon just like how she made me feel ’poor’ in terms of affection and trust."

The Duke smiled and snapped his fingers.

"Good. If you want to destroy her, don’t touch her wealth. Touch her ’world.’ Make her lose the people she loves; make her feel alone. That hurts more than losing money."

Delia showed her most wicked smile.

"I will make sure she loses everything. Once again."

Delia took a deep breath, trying to calm her face. She didn’t want any trace of anger left when she walked out of the room. She stood straight, her face returning to the look of a "caring best friend."

"The game begins," she said softly.

She turned and walked out of the office. Her pace was calm, as if she were headed to a celebration, not planning someone’s downfall.

In the corridor, she passed another maid. Delia smiled sweetly.

"Please tell Olivia I have something important to discuss with her in the flower garden. Tell her... I miss our old memories."

Delia walked away with a smile that never faded. She knew that as soon as Olivia heard the message, Olivia would wonder did Delia have another motive, or was she just playing around?

Olivia... Olivia, I really want to tear that face of yours, the one that acts like nothing ever happened...

Olivia was busy tidying the living room after she and Celine were dismissed by Prince Avvion. Her mind was stuck on the Prince’s annoying words.

She looked around at her surroundings. Celine was sitting and eating a biscuit, lost in her own world. However, a young maid approached her.

"Miss Olivia, a message for you. Miss Delia wants to meet you in the flower garden. She said... she misses your old memories together."

Olivia’s hand, which was wiping the table, froze. She turned and looked at the maid with narrowed eyes.

"Misses our old memories?" Olivia repeated the words with a cynical tone.

Her heart pounded. She knew Delia wasn’t looking for peace. The message was just bait. But if she didn’t go, Delia might find another excuse to cause trouble in front of Ophilia or Avvion.

"Alright. Tell her I’ll be there," Olivia answered calmly, even though inside, she was bracing herself for whatever Delia was planning.

Celine, who had been distracted, suddenly approached Olivia with a curious expression.

"Olivia... isn’t that the Delia who framed you back then?" Celine asked, frowning. She

shook her head quickly.

"No... Olivia, don’t go. Who knows what kind of trap she’s setting for you this time?" Celine said firmly, punching her own palm, annoyed by Delia’s snake-like personality.

Olivia looked toward the window facing the flower garden. The wind blew hard, making the white curtains wave like hands calling out to her.

"If I don’t go, she’ll find another way to bother Ophilia," Olivia whispered to herself.

She turned around, leaving Celine who was still trying to stop her.

However, just as she stepped out of the room, she bumped into Javien, who had just returned from the gate. Javien stopped, his eyes sharply watching Olivia, who looked restless.

"Olivia," Javien’s voice sounded heavy and cold.

"Why are you heading to the flower garden? Delia is there."

Olivia froze. She knew Javien had sensed something. If she told him the truth, Javien would take action. But if she lied, Javien might never trust her again.

"Javien..." Olivia swallowed hard.

"I have something I need to settle... with her."

Javien didn’t move, instead, he took a step toward Olivia, blocking her path.

"Tell me what she did to you, Olivia. Before I go to that garden myself and end her little game."