Hera didn't answer. Instead, she only smiled sweetly, harmless and innocent on the surface, yet her silence spoke volumes. Rafael chuckled at her quiet admission, then leaned closer to press a gentle kiss against her cheek.
"Thank you for your silent protection, my queen," he whispered.
Since Rafael had already seen through her intentions, Hera no longer bothered to hide it. She simply shrugged in response. At that very moment, Gerald's report arrived. Along with it came the grim truth: Lucas had been framing Logan again and again since their school days. He had even orchestrated subtle schemes that fueled Logan's bullying.
The boy who was once sunny and cheerful gradually became withdrawn and introverted. Classmates began mocking him for his heterochromia, calling him a freak, which crushed his self-confidence and warped his mindset as he grew.
Worst of all, his parents had never once defended him, dismissing his pain as oversensitivity, leaving him utterly alone.
