A perfect Misunderstand

Jiangnan No.1 Villa – Lisa's Residence

Lisa gritted her teeth in frustration. "Veil, that bastard… How dare he keep hanging up on me like this?! He's really getting full of himself!"

Her personal bodyguard, Hily, stood beside her, trying to suppress a laugh. "Miss, if I remember correctly, you used to hang up on Young Master Lancaster just as casually."

"Did I?" Lisa looked genuinely puzzled, trying to recall. A moment later, she quickly defended herself, "Back then, what was he like? All his calls were practically harassment. I had actual business to talk about just now!"

After venting her irritation for a while, Lisa turned her eyes toward Hily, suspicion flashing in them. "Don't you think… Veil has changed?"

Hily nodded seriously. "Definitely. Young Master Lancaster feels like a whole new person. He's more refined now, more composed—and honestly, even more handsome."

She paused before adding, "But how does someone change so much in such a short time? Something's not right, don't you think?"

Lisa bit her lower lip, eyes narrowing slightly as her fingers clenched tightly, knuckles turning white. "What if… everything Veil showed us in Luxhaven City was just an act? What if he wanted people to think he was a good-for-nothing playboy?"

After all, with the Lancaster family's status, there were certain things that had to be kept hidden. If Veil had revealed his true capabilities from the start, he might've become too much of a threat—enough to keep a lot of people up at night.

And now? He'd gone so far as to leave Luxhaven just to break off an engagement. Who would take a spoiled rich kid like that seriously?

Maybe… he just stopped pretending.

Lisa had a lot on her mind that night. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Meanwhile, back at Veil's place, his phone had barely clicked off before there was a knock on his bedroom door.

The soft, familiar footsteps outside could only belong to one person—Alice.

Sure enough, when he opened the door, there she stood, still wearing the black evening dress from earlier. Her expression was dazed, full of guilt and sorrow.

"Alice? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Veil's tone did a complete 180, shifting from indifferent to gentle in an instant. He quickly pulled her inside, guiding her to sit down with concern in his eyes. "What happened?"

Alice kept her head down, voice trembling with emotion. "Young Master… I know who sent that man to hurt you."

"Who was it?"

With guilt weighing heavily in her voice, Alice whispered, "It was Roy. He contacted me from overseas. I recognized the symbol on the dagger—he sent me a photo before, and it's exactly the same!"

What the hell?

Veil's heart skipped a beat. "You sure it's not a mistake? That symbol looked strange, yeah, but to be connected with someone overseas? That's a stretch, don't you think?"

Alice shook her head firmly. "It has to be Roy."

The more Veil tried to speak on Roy's behalf, the more guilty Alice felt.

"Before today, Roy told me some of his men had arrived in Veyport City and wanted to meet me. I hadn't decided yet… but then tonight happened. I confronted Roy, but he refused to admit anything.

"I told him I'd meet his men tomorrow, and suddenly he claimed they'd gone missing.

"Don't you think that's way too much of a coincidence? Young Master… I swear I didn't know. I never thought Roy would want to hurt you just because I was getting too close to you."

"Don't overthink it. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding." Veil played the part of the kind-hearted gentleman to perfection, gently pulling Alice into his arms and resting her head against his chest.

Meet Roy's men?

In your dreams.

They were long gone. What was Roy going to do—send a message to the afterlife?

What, is his phone connected to hell now?

Veil's arms tightened around Alice's shoulders.

She really is a damn lucky star.

All he'd done was put on a little show—just planting a seed to trap Roy in advance.

He never expected Alice to follow the trail through a tangle of a thousand wires… and somehow, pull the right one.

Boom.

It exploded.

Ding! The heroine, Alice, has developed a major rift with the Child of Destiny. Congratulations, Host. Villain Points +5000.

In Veil's arms, Alice shifted a little, her movements delicate and reserved.

Sensing something, Veil loosened his firm embrace and glanced down at the girl in his arms. Her brows were tightly furrowed—not so much in guilt, but more like… pain?

Softly, he asked, "What's wrong? Are you really not feeling well?"

Alice's cheeks flushed bright red as she nodded. "My stomach hurts."

She was on her period these days—already emotionally sensitive and physically uncomfortable. To make things worse, Roy's incident had only added fuel to the fire, pressing a knot of guilt and frustration against her chest.

She had already misunderstood Veil once. That guilt hadn't even begun to fade.

And now? Because of her, Roy had gone so far as to hurt him.

Two strikes in a row.

It was overwhelming. Her cramps had only gotten worse.

"I'll take you to the hospital," Veil said, voice full of concern.

"No need," Alice quickly shook her head. "It's not my first time. It'll pass in a while."

She tried her best to smile, reassuring him gently. "Young Master, don't worry. What kind of girl goes to the hospital over this?"

Veil narrowed his eyes. "Your period?"

Alice gave a small nod. "It's fine. I'll be okay after some rest."

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing." Veil's tone turned firm as he helped her lie down on his bed. "You're resting here. No moving around."

With that, he turned and left the room.

He was gone a long while.

Alice lay there, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts running wild. She only snapped back to the present when Veil returned—holding a steaming mug of brown sugar water.

Her eyes welled up. "Did you… go make this just now?"

Veil nodded. "Of course. Isn't that what girls are supposed to drink during their period? Did I do it wrong?"

"That's not what I meant." Alice shook her head, her voice trembling.

Veil brought the cup to her lips. "It's not hot. Come on, drink it. It'll warm your stomach."

Alice took careful sips, one after another, her eyes drifting to Veil again and again. The rich, slightly bitter sweetness of the drink melted through her like honey.

He was so good to her.

So gentle. So thoughtful. And he wasn't acting like a young master at all.

She was just an orphan—a poor girl with nothing to her name. What did she do to deserve this? How could she ever repay him?

"Does it still hurt?" Veil asked softly as he set the empty cup aside.

Alice smiled. "Not anymore."

"Liar. You think I can't tell?" Veil frowned. "You've been frowning this whole time. Lie down properly. I'll help massage it."

Veil reached under the blanket, fumbling until he found the right spot—though not without accidentally brushing against somewhere he shouldn't have, making Alice's face turn even redder.

Finally, his hand settled on her flat, smooth stomach, gently kneading in small circles.

"Mmm…"

Alice let out a soft, muffled sigh from her nose, eyes fluttering half-closed.

It was so warm.

So comfortable.

Veil's hand seemed to hold some kind of magic—every motion sent waves of relief through her. The cramps that had been tormenting her all evening began to ease.

Though… the gesture felt just a little too intimate.

Her face stayed flushed the entire time, but she never said a word to stop him.

She knew—he only meant to help ease her pain. If she said anything, it would be like she didn't trust him.

And honestly? Even if Veil had wanted to take advantage of her right now… she wasn't sure she'd have the heart to say no.

"Move over a bit. I'm getting in, too." Veil's tone was matter-of-fact, completely calm. "If you lie in my arms, it'll be easier to keep massaging."

Alice's face flared up again, but she obediently shifted over. In just a few moments, she was curled up stiffly in Veil's arms, red-faced and silent.

She didn't move. She didn't speak. She just lay there—like a startled bunny that had been caught by the scruff.

Veil chuckled inwardly. But he wasn't surprised.

A few days ago, even holding Alice's hand would send her into a flustered panic. Now, they were literally in bed together. What was there to complain about?

Different girls require different approaches.

Alice had grown up without warmth. What she needed was care—protection—something genuine. Just a little kindness, like brewing a cup of brown sugar water, could move her heart.

That was why Veil never tired of doing these little things.

Under his tender touch—and with his hand firmly planted on her lower abdomen while everything else remained still—Alice's tense little body slowly began to relax.

Bit by bit, she built up the courage to reach out, gently wrapping her arms around his chest. Her face pressed softly against him, and she stole a few glances upward, eyes shimmering.

Then, just as Veil turned his head slightly, she leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek—light as a butterfly's wings.

The moment it landed, she dipped her head again, cheeks burning.

"You've got guts, don't you?" Veil narrowed his eyes, suddenly serious.

A maid like her… taking such liberties with him?

That wouldn't do at all.

How could he let her get away without a little… punishment?