—❖ —❖ —❖
As Luna stood before her older brother, she chuckled again, her brows slightly furrowed and the corner of her mouth marked with a clear sign of disappointment.
Then she said, looking straight into his eyes:
— If you were smarter, you wouldn't need to rely on smugglers. From the way I see it, it's like you're treating this situation as a golden opportunity.
Arnesto turned red with rage, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes inflamed with fury.
Being scolded by a girl who had barely turned thirteen, with such an arrogant and smug attitude... it was utterly humiliating.
— How dare you, you wretched little...!
He shouted, raising his hand forcefully, ready to slap Luna across the face. His palm shot up fast, brimming with fury, aimed at his sister's cheek.
That blow would surely knock some sense into her — even if it left marks or permanently disfigured her.
For Arnesto, it would still be worth it.
After all, submission was more valuable.
But Luna didn't flinch.
With the same uninterested expression, she waited until the last moment. When the hand was just about to strike, she tilted her head and grabbed his wrist, twisting it skillfully.
In a single movement, Arnesto was thrown to his knees, his body slamming partially onto the table and knocking over dishes.
The impact echoed through the hall.
Porcelain shattered across the floor, and a scream of pain tore from Arnesto's throat:
— Aaarghhh!
Tinel and Inara, who were watching from a distance, froze in place. Neither could hide the pure shock on their faces.
— Brother, why am I wretched? You're the one who locked me away from the world, forced me to live shut in my room. You didn't even give me real teachers… only those who teach me how to walk and smile. Etiquette and dance. What a useless farce, don't you think?
Luna spoke firmly, still holding Arnesto's wrist tightly as he drooled on the table, staring at her with wide eyes.
Her gaze spoke more than a thousand words.
— So why are you calling me that? Why am I the disgrace? I've never done anything wrong. You're the ones who failed to raise me properly.
After saying those words with a light smile on her lips, she watched as Arnesto finally managed to pull his arm free from her grip.
— Agrh!!! Let go of me now — he snapped, backing away several steps.
Once he recovered from the humiliating position he had been in, Arnesto turned to Luna, his brows gradually lowering with fury.
He stood shakily and said:
— How dare you raise your hand against your own brother?
He lunged forward in anger.
Luna slipped to the side, fast as a shadow, and at the right moment, landed a punch straight to the center of his face.
The hit landed clean.
Arnesto dropped like a sack of stones.
— Arnesto! Your teeth...
Inara screamed in horror as she saw three teeth glittering on the polished floor.
— I'm going to kill you!
Trembling with fury, Arnesto dragged himself up and pulled a gun from his waist, aiming it at his sister.
— Go ahead — she said, motionless, her eyes cold as ice.
Before he could pull the trigger, Tinel and Inara stepped in.
— Arnesto, put that down now!
— Are you out of your mind?! You're going to shoot your own sister? Luna, step back!
Tinel took the weapon from his brother's hand and placed himself between them.
— At least one of you is still capable of thought — said Luna, adjusting her hair.
— Enough! Luna, go back to your room! You've caused enough trouble!
Tinel tried to reestablish order.
But she smiled, calm:
— I've spent too long locked away to keep obeying orders. The applications for the new diplomatic assistant position are near, and I'm one of the candidates. After all, it was you who put me in that role, wasn't it? Sometimes I wonder... what would people say if my face were bruised? Rumors would spread that the Lenovile family beats their own sister.
After those words, silence fell over the hall.
No replies, no gestures — only the echo of her voice in the vast dining room, which now no longer had a single servant or worker left.
Tinel and Arnesto clenched their fists, trembling, even as anger lingered faintly on their faces.
If that rumor were to spread among the noble houses, it would be a stain on the family name.
Arnesto said nothing. He just stood there, silently processing the situation.
— That's what I thought.
Luna whispered with a gentle smile on her lips, turning to walk toward the hallway.
—❖ —❖ —❖
With the bedroom door shut behind her, Luna sat at the vanity, where a mirror clearly reflected her face.
If her parents were still alive, she would never have been treated like this, and she certainly wouldn't have needed to resort to violence.
Unlike her past life, she now had everything: wealth and peace.
At least in theory.
In practice, her peace was constantly shattered by forced etiquette and dance lessons, and her fortune was an illusion — no access to bank accounts, no financial autonomy, entirely dependent on Inara's goodwill.
Luna recalled a particular conversation she'd once had with Arnesto, when he said:
— Complaining again? Don't worry, your financial issues will be resolved once you're married. When you turn fourteen, the head of the Tuliman family will be delighted to form an alliance.
Luna had remained silent at the time, but she knew exactly who the head of the Tuliman house was.
An old man who could have been her grandfather.
The memory alone disgusted her.
She stared at herself in the mirror, rage gleaming in her eyes.
For a moment, Rinn's image overlapped her own.
If I get angry, it won't change a thing.
That thought echoed in her mind like an undeniable truth.
So she stood up, stepped away from the vanity, and walked over to the corner of the room where wires, gears, and components were scattered across a workbench.
— Let's begin construction. I can't afford to sit still.
She smiled, placing her hand on Letro-CB, which responded with its metallic, obedient voice:
— Yes, Master. Beginning prologue.
—❖ —❖ —❖