Chapter 3

On the third day, the merchant alliance informed me that I needed to submit a photo of my ID for the residency paperwork.

Unfortunately, my phone's camera was broken.

Virgo's phone was lying on the couch. The moment I picked it up, it unlocked automatically with facial recognition.

A group chat notification popped up.

[Full Moon Ritual Action Team.]

Sierra had sent a crying puppy emoji.

[I'm so bored. Selena's reaction hasn't been fun at all lately.]

Mom was the first to reply.

[Let's wait a few days before doing it again. We might actually push her too far if we keep this up.]

Dad chimed in as well.

[Exactly. That stunt with Grandpa already cost her the merchant team leadership position.]

More messages kept appearing one after another.

I stared at the screen for a long time.

So they had all known.

I scrolled up through the chat history.

There was the incident last year when my grandfather had supposedly fallen off a cliff.

Sierra had been the first to send a message.

[What time should we start pranking her?]

Virgo had replied.

[The promotion ceremony at the Moon Goddess Shrine starts at half past eight in the evening.]

[Tell her at eight. Thirty minutes should be just enough time for her to run all the way here from the Moon Goddess Shrine.]

He followed that with several laughing emojis.

I stopped scrolling.

Last year, I had missed my promotion ceremony, and someone else had been chosen to lead the merchant team.

Virgo had searched for me all night before finally finding me curled up and crying in a corner of the Moon Goddess Shrine.

He had held me tightly and told me it was okay.

He said I was so capable that I would surely get the leadership position next time.

He had wiped away my tears and cursed Sierra for being so inconsiderate, saying there was a time and place for pranks.

But all along, he had known.

He had even chosen the timing himself.

I kept scrolling.

I found the messages from the year before, when I had finally secured a deal I'd spent two years negotiating.

Sierra had asked the group through text.

[Would it be too much if we tricked her into thinking Dad had been attacked by rogues? What if we told her he got bitten?]

Mom replied.

[It's a harmless prank. We'll only tell her he got bitten on the leg.]

Dad sent a laughing-with-the-mouth-covered emoji.

[Maybe this time she'll break her record and make it back in under thirty minutes.]

Finally, Virgo ended the discussion.

[Change the healer's den to the one on the south bank. The other one is too close to where she's signing the contract. She'll get there in a few minutes. Where's the fun in that?]

I stared blankly at the screen.

I felt a chill down my spine.

My fingers had grown so stiff that I could barely hold the phone.

The door creaked open.

It was Virgo. "Do you still take two spoonfuls of sugar in your moongrass tea?"

He walked in with a cup in his hands. When he saw me staring at his phone, his body went stiff.

I looked at him. "You were involved in the incident with Grandpa too."

The air fell silent for a moment.

He bent down and placed the moongrass tea in front of me.

After a brief pause, he admitted it. "Selena, I was only trying to fit in with your family. Nobody meant any harm. It was only a prank."

I continued. "Then what were you doing on the day I was supposed to be promoted to team leader?"

He pursed his lips and looked slightly annoyed. "That was ages ago. Why are you still digging up the past and making an issue out of it?"

Looking at his expression, I couldn't tell whether I wanted to laugh or cry. "Don't you remember? You searched for me all night."

Virgo lowered his gaze. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I was worried something might've happened to you. It was late at night. I even tried to talk them out of it. They're your family. What else could I do?"

I raised the phone and pointed at the message.

[Change the healer's den to the one on the south bank.]

"So that's what you call talking them out of it? I thought you were enjoying every minute of it."

His expression darkened completely. "That's enough. Are you ever going to let this go? It was just one incident. If I hadn't been trying to earn your family's approval so I could become your mate, do you think I'd have done any of this?

"Do you think I enjoyed it? It was all because of Sierra. I was only trying to keep her happy!"

This time, I burst out laughing.

I actually laughed out loud. "So you made my life Sierra's personal entertainment just to keep her happy."

Virgo froze.

His lips moved, but in the end, all he did was sigh. "Can you stop this, Selena? You're the one I'll spend my entire life with. Sierra is your sister, and she's not in good health.

"Your parents worry about her, so I just go along with her and humor her. I did it all for you, Selena."

I said nothing more.

Yes, they all had their own reasons.

Sierra had been in poor health since she was a pup.

My parents doted on her because of her fragile health, and Virgo had only been trying to earn my family's approval.

Only I was expected to endure their cruel games again and again, watching my life fall apart without anyone needing to offer me a reason.

Seeing me fall silent, Virgo let out a sigh of relief.

He thought I'd once again swallow my grievances and suffer in silence, just as I always had.

He walked over, brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and spoke gently. "Stop being upset. After our marking ceremony next month, I'll teach her a proper lesson. I won't go easy on her."

I turned my head away from his hand and smiled faintly. "Okay."

That afternoon, I called to cancel the preparations for our marking ceremony.

I then canceled the cottage we'd planned to live in after the marking ceremony and transferred his share of the refund to him.

Before bed, Virgo sent me a message.

[Next Monday, let's pick out the formal outfits for our marking ceremony.]

I switched off my phone.

I didn't reply.

That's because by next Monday, I would already be gone.