Mari was angry.

  The OFF General had been seen visiting Alena after months of not visiting. Or had he been visiting secretly all the time?

  These rumors were everywhere.

  Mari was angry at Alena. How could she? She was his fiancée; she had responsibilities! Through her recklessness, she was damaging Si’s reputation. It was insulting.

  How could she behave like that?

  Everybody was talking.

  Mari felt a strong reaction was needed.

  This morning, she went to see Alena; Mari followed her to observe her behavior. When watching her, Mari just, oh, she had to say. Alena was so common.

  They knew each other from school and from official Unio families’ gatherings. It would be nothing worth any attention, except when the Alena girl engaged in the trial.

  Two trials.

  What a shameful past her family endured. Mari had strongly disagreed with her parents back then. When her brother did what he did, he should have been punished. He should have been punished more severely. Mari had always been certain of that.

  What Xavier did was shameful.

  Her parents, though, wanted to cover it up. He was the only son of the Hal family, and they were delusional enough to think he could change.

  How could her brother change?

  He was sentenced for molesting kids during the panic after the attacks! He was rotten to the last bone in his body! When he was released, they truly believed he would reform. Oh. How unwise.

  Mari sighed as she remembered it.

  Her brother, she was sure, had attacked this young Corja. He was killed, they said, accidentally while Corja was defending himself. Mari, oh, she believed it. But her parents didn’t. They went to great lengths to punish the Corja family. They succeeded. Where was this youngest son now? Banished?

  But Alena! She then interfered; she sent some additional proof.

  Where did she even get it from? She was always so bland, never went anywhere, always quiet, nothing noteworthy. Yet, she had something that influenced the judge’s decision.

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  Young Corja was banished, but only that.

  Her family then was in a rage.

  They went to Alena’s house; later, they quarreled with Domini about it. Alena was alone in this world; everyone knew her father had died in the first attack. Her grandmother died in the last attack. All were dead except Luna. And she was stupid enough to interfere; what did she expect? That the Hal family would send her ‘thank you’ letters?

  Alena had to apologize; it was the main demand from Mari’s parents. They tried to break into her house, the library where Alena hid, and didn’t go out for three, four days?

  Domini finally arrived, managed to pass through the energy security, and went inside to talk to Alena. Alena didn’t apologize but paid a huge amount to some school funds on behalf of the Hal family.

  Somehow her parents made Alena do it, Domini backed them up, and Alena did it.

  It had to be humiliating. It had to be because Mari had no doubts; her brother did all these shameful things. Alena tried to save this Corja; why? Whatever her reasons.

  Though, Alena wasn’t wrong when she accused her brother. He was guilty. But the reality of Unio families was always more complicated than simple black and white.

  Alena was not smart to interfere, and she paid for it.

  Mari wondered if that was why her parents had been so determined later. How much did they pay, and what else did they do to be sure that the Alena girl was involved in the contract with Shadows?

  This was their revenge? Mari was even more angry and disappointed with her family.

  Many actions turned out to be wrong. Her brother was immoral; he deserved to be punished. If he had been punished, then everything would have been well. All, including Si not having as his fiancée this reckless Alena…

  How could she!

  Alena!

  … Shadows Young Master for sure didn’t care about her; why keep someone like this, surrounded by gossip?

  Mari needed to talk to Si to explain that Alena was not worth him! And what she was doing—meeting with her lover again, being observed by all—was shameful.

  Shameful! Mari wanted to scream; she was that angry. Her Si, his reputation, as if Alena was stomping on it!

  … This time it was her to write to him. Si agreed to meet!

  She went, as usual, to Shadows’ gardens. Tea, as usual. She waited for him not long. When he transported to her, he looked tired. Definitely, it was because he had heard about all the rumors. Alena!

  Before Mari decided how to say it, Si, as always, as if he knew her better than she knew herself, simply asked what was bothering her. He noticed something was important to her and wanted her to share.

  Mari instantly melted inside.

  “Si, don’t be angry?” she asked, looking at him. She said it with a softer voice than usual.

  “Me, at you? Why?” Si glanced at her, unfocused.

  Yes. He had to think about everything that people were talking about.

  “Si, I am just a bearer of… the news.”

  She avoided the word gossip. Mari felt sorry for him; he looked so tired.

  “What kind of?” he asked.

  “About your fiancée…” Mari started, but he interrupted her.

  “What about her?” Si looked at her with attention.

  Suddenly, Mari had a thought. What if it was wiser to wait and observe rather than rushing here today to relay rumors? Alena was destroying her own image; wouldn’t it be better to let the enemy ruin herself?

  Mari started to doubt her action, but still, she felt angry. Somehow, she couldn’t manage her emotions correctly. A minute later, she started to speak.