Stella looked at Sina with teary eyes and smiled, a bright smile that showcased her pure white teeth, enhancing her beauty even further.
"Yes, I know exactly what I'm about to do."
"But... Stella..."
Seeing such expression on Stella's face, Sina couldn't bring herself to be angry or yell at her again. But she really didn't want to see such a pure girl tainted, to witness real despair or fall into a bleak reality. So she tried once again to convince her to reconsider her decision, but Stella didn't let her continue before taking her hands.
"Thank you, Sina."
"What are you thanking me for?!" Sina felt a bit strange to be receiving gratitude after yelling at her in anger.
"Thank you for getting angry for me, for yelling at me so that no harm comes to me, for trying to find the best for me," she said, a content smile appearing on her face.
"............."
"...I've always wanted to become your friend, but I failed at that, and after several attempts I gave up.... But now I feel like you've finally become my friend."
"Wha... what are you suddenly saying!!"
Sina felt embarrassed upon hearing such words coming from Stella, and her embarrassment wasn't exactly because of the words themselves but rather due to Stella's seriousness when expressing them to her friend. After all, how could a person not feel embarrassed when they see themselves being greatly appreciated, not for anything specific, but just to be their friend.
Even Sina thought that Stella wanted to make her feel embarrassed, to joke with her a little. And quickly, Sina confirmed that Stella was serious about every word she said.
"Crying... I..I'm... crying... Really appreciate... crying... that from you... crying... Thank you, Sina... Thank you."
Stella had long forgotten the feeling of someone caring for her. Since the passing of her parents, she had endured a lot, and what made it worse was that she had gone through it all alone, without any support, advice, or reproach.
'...What should I do in situations like these?'
Sina understood what Stella was going through, and she imagined herself facing life's problems alone without her brother. So she knew that Stella now felt towards her the same way she felt towards her brother when he stood by her side in difficult times.
'...She sees me as her sister now!!' Suddenly, Sina felt that she wanted to cry too, and suddenly she knew what she should do as a response to Stella's emotions.
"Silly girl, of course your big sister will worry about you."
Sina wrapped her arms around Stella's back and gently pushed her into a hug, trying hard not to let her tears escape her eyes, so she wouldn't start crying too. She wanted to appear strong in front of her little sister.
'What's this girl's story? A while ago, I saw her as my rival, and now I see her as my little sister!!'
Even with her conflicting feelings, Sina still held Stella in her embrace, gently running her fingers through her silver hair, not caring about all the tears that wet her clothes. This girl called Stella had awakened the elder sister instinct in her.
.
..
...
"Firstly, my dear Fayte was treating me coldly, looking at me as if he were one of those uncultured people, despite the fact that my dear Fayte has always been taught to be a obedient boy and one of the few enlightened people... Surely, this day is the worst day of my life."
Daudrian fell silent for a moment in his complaint, after recalling the one good thing that had happened to him on this miserable day.
"But, judging by what I saw on my way here, my dear Fayte has started exercising... I can't wait to see my handsome Fayte with a toned athletic body."
Daudrian's mouth began to water as he imagined a muscular version of Fayte.
"It's not that I don't love my regular Fayte, but just imagine those rock-hard muscles with his handsome face... I wonder what his body will look like after all that training?"
With such a question, Daudrian began to imagine men whose bodies radiated strength, and among those men, he remembered a young man then his expression turned for the worse.
"You vile commoner... I will surely make him pay dearly to make me i am Daudrian the Great, feel such a feeling..."
In truth, Daudrian wasn't angered by Fayte's cold treatment. He laughed to himself, thinking that the boy was going through a rebellious phase that would soon pass, and their relationship would return to its original path.
"Have people become so careless of my presence? To the extent that this woman..."
Not even what happened with Rudel could provoke him to this level of anger. After all, Rudel was the one who was hurt, not Daudrian.
"Just wait, you despicable creature. How dare you do this to me? I will surely find the right opportunity and make you my slave, then I will show you your real place."
Daudrian's heart burned with disgust and anger towards the woman who was occupying his mind. He felt deeply insulted and that his dignity had been tarnished, even more so than from Rudel's threat.
"But first, let me finish with Fayte's fiancée, and turn her into a broken doll. It will surely be a new experience. Just the thought that I will finally have a noblewoman as my slave makes my day better."
Daudrian still hadn't forgotten the troubles caused by those women. Even though their plans failed, Daudrian still harbored resentment towards a noblewoman.
"For this special occasion, I will develop new torture methods to suit my new doll's status."
Daudrian smiled with his infamous sadistic smile as he thought about how he would spend his night with his first noblewoman.
"Then, only when I've improved my skills, will I ask my father to buy me that damned woman... To inflict upon her the greatest torment, so she'll remember afterward that she is lower than the rank of an animal."
That cheerful smile turned into a demonic grin, carrying within it bitterness and anger.
"Anyway, where is she...?" Before he could even finish his sentence, the door swung open automatically towards him to reveal who had come, and then his face lit up with malice and cunning. The girl he had been waiting for with anticipation was Stella.
"Finally, my servant is here. Have you gathered your belongings to go to your master's palace?"
Stella ignored Daudrian's words and approached him confidently.
"In fact, you won't need any of your old belongings. Everything you'll need you'll find in the palace - clothes befitting your new status... Hm! Who is this accompanying you?"
"Who do you call a servant? I am Fayte's fiancée and the daughter of the noble hero Gerard. How dare you speak such words to me." Stella looked Daudrian in the eyes boldly and challengingly, standing not too far from him but also not too close.
"How curious, I've always heard rumors that you're one of those shy girls, not bad... This actually works to my advantage hehehe"
Contrary to expectations, Stella showed no signs of fear in front of Daudrian, and that was for several reasons, one of which was that there was a girl standing behind her supporting her, namely Sina.
'Well done, Stella, for not showing any signs of fear in front of this sadist.'
Even though she knew it was foolish to stand up to this person, she wouldn't let Stella face Daudrian alone, not after deciding to support her as her older sister.
Daudrian began to advance towards Stella steadily, staring at her with expressions indicating the evil thoughts swirling in his mind, causing the poor girl to tremble.
"Don't come near me! I'm a noble girl and engaged, you won't lay a finger on me."
Daudrian approached her even more without any change in his speed or facial expressions, as if he didn't hear her or that she hadn't said anything, making the girl's confidence waver even more as her attempts were futile.
"Mr. Young Lord Daudrian, do you have any documents proving that you have purchased Miss Stella?"
This time, it was Sina who spoke instead of Stella. She realized that if she left Stella alone for more time, her resolve would quickly falter. At first, Sina wanted that things would go as she wish, so her only role here would be to stand behind Stella as moral support.
"If you don't have such documents, please refrain from approaching the young lady. This would be considered an insult to her honor and the honor of the young lord."
However, she knew deep down that it was impossible for what she hoped for to happen. Therefore, she had to lie to herself to muster enough courage to risk standing in front of the sadistic Daudrian.
Suddenly, Daudrian's expression changed, and his gaze shifted from Stella to Sina. Initially, his focus was on the maid, although he noticed Sina's presence, he didn't pay her much attention. But now, after she interjected, he wanted to see what kind of fool this was who didn't care about her own affairs.
"hmmm! How did I not notice such a promising girl before? And these features!!... Truly, this palace is full of surprises."
Daudrian deliberately spoke these words aloud to convey a hidden meaning to Sina, implying that he knew who she was. Although Sina's expression remained unchanged after hearing his words, she understood his implication, and her heart raced with fear.
'He knows who I am!! This is bad, very bad... I brought trouble to my brother.' Despite her calm exterior, Sina screamed internally at the consequences of her decisions.
In this situation, neither of the girls was in a good mental state. If any factor didn't change this bad situation, it would quickly more worsen. Fortunately or unfortunately, that factor was at the entrance of the palace, but it had not yet reached them.
