Chapter 90: You are mine

Silence descended upon the hall for a moment before Christella abruptly snatched her hand away, her eyes narrowing.

"You dare threaten me?" she growled.

Jean simply stood there, her eyes devoid of emotion. There was something in her demeanor that felt like a warning, even to those who knew nothing about what had transpired between the two sisters.

Christella suddenly snickered.

"What happened? Scared that your man might be stolen by me? Oh, come on, Jean. Where is that proud confidence you always carried yourself with?"

For the first time, Jean stepped forward.

"You always considered me the subject of your rivalry. But let me tell you the truth, Christella. I never considered you worth my attention."

Christella’s smile twitched.

"Don’t give yourself too much importance. You turned out to be nothing more than a useless stain on our family’s name, someone who couldn’t even awaken a single ounce of magic."

Kai clenched his fist, anger flashing across his face, but Jean reached for his hand and held it.

She spoke before he could.

"Yes. I couldn’t live up to the Scarlette family’s expectations, so I left. Then why have you come barging into the house of a failure? Are you still trying to impress Father by sniffing me out? Oh my, are you still that same attention-seeking girl I remember?"

Christella fell utterly silent.

Her eyes widened as though Jean had struck her across the face, leaving her stunned.

This is bad.

Kai couldn’t have been more proud of Jean. She had overcome her fear and finally stood up to the woman who had tormented her with nothing but contempt.

Yet judging by the reactions around him, he could tell things were about to turn ugly.

Sure enough, mana began to surge around Christella.

But before she could make a move, her phone rang.

Christella visibly flinched.

Kai frowned as her entire demeanor changed in an instant. The anger vanished from her face, replaced by an urgency that made her answer the call without hesitation.

She stepped away from them and moved toward the side of the room before picking up.

Kai remained on guard as he watched her speak to someone on the other end.

Or rather, she barely spoke at all.

She mostly listened.

Every few moments, she nodded, her expression growing increasingly solemn.

Whoever was on the other end of the call was clearly someone she respected.

When the call finally ended, Christella remained standing there for several seconds, staring at the phone in her hand.

Then she slowly turned her head.

Her gaze settled directly on Jean.

Her lips curved into an unsettling smile.

"Oh, how lucky you are. Bringing fortune into every man’s life wherever you go."

Jean flinched.

What... did she mean by that?

Christella didn’t stay to explain.

"Come on. We’re leaving."

The three men exchanged confused glances. None of them dared ask a single question, however, and they immediately began following her toward the exit.

Christella stopped briefly before leaving and glanced back at Kai.

"I pity you..."

Her smile remained, but there was no trace of amusement in her eyes.

"Whatever is to come will be beyond the ugliness this world has offered you until now."

And with that, they left.

Click.

The sound of the door closing reverberated through the otherwise silent house.

Kai exhaled slowly before turning toward her.

"Are you okay?"

He cupped her cheeks gently, searching her eyes for any sign that she was still struggling to hold herself together.

Jean slowly looked up at him. Then, without saying a word, she stepped closer and rested her head against his chest.

Kai remained still for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, holding her warmly against him.

He had never seen her this frightened or helpless before. Even when she had faced Drake, her emotions had never spiraled this badly.

"I’m sorry... I let her in," she mumbled against his chest. "Christella always had this kind of mental dominance over me that I could never overcome. Even today, I was on the verge of tearing up just before you arrived."

She finally admitted the weakness she had carried for years against the woman she had once called her sister.

Jean had never gotten along with Christella. In almost everything they had been compared in, Christella had remained average, whether it was academics, physical challenges, or other accomplishments. Jean, on the other hand, had consistently surpassed her.

That was precisely why Christella had always resented her.

She had spent years looking down on Jean whenever she could, masking her jealousy behind insults and constant attempts to undermine her.

"It’s okay now, Jean."

Kai gently stroked her hair.

"You conquered your fear today. You stood up to her and said what you wanted to say. That’s already more than enough."

He paused before adding, "And don’t overthink her words. We both know what kind of person she is."

He didn’t hold back despite Christella being Jean’s blood relative.

Kai hated the way she had spoken to them, the constant condescension in her voice, the insults disguised as casual remarks, and the way she carried herself as though everyone in the room existed beneath her.

She had entered their home without hesitation and acted as though she owned the place, treating Jean like someone beneath her while deliberately provoking her at every opportunity.

There was something deeply unpleasant about a person who needed to belittle everyone around them just to feel superior.

Jean slowly looked up at him.

"I meant what I said back then. We might be taking our time to establish our relationship, but you are mine."

The quiet assertiveness in her voice was nothing short of adorable in Kai’s eyes.

A faint smile touched his lips. He leaned closer and gently pressed a kiss to the top of her head before whispering,

"Now and forever, I belong only to Jean."

[Ding!]

[Quest: Kiss your partner for the first time, Stage 1]

[Reward: Link Connect]

Ignoring the system screen for the time being, he decided to focus on the blushing woman.

Not everything about this evening was depressing.