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    "I still have ss tomorrow."


    "Twice."


    "I''ll do it once. Hurry up!" Maeve shut her eyes, feeling a little embarrassed.


    Then Byron bit down on her neck, his voice suddenly low and dangerous. "I can''t do it fast."


    The next day, Byron got the results of the investigation into Fiora''s death. The cause of her poisoning was pure bad luck.


    Beforeing to see Maeve and Byron, Fiora had bought a coconut drink from a street vendor. The coconut had gone bad, and the toxins in the spoiled water were deadly. Even a small sip could make someone vomit and die almost instantly. Maeve frowned, reading the report. "Buying coconut water from a street vendor doesn''t really sound like something Fiora would do."


    "Probably because she didn''t have much money left," Byron said casually. "After she got kicked out of the pce, she couldn''t shake her expensive habits. She even gambled away everything she had left."


    "How do you know so much? Did you send someone to clean out her pockets?" Maeve blinked.


    "Yeah


    "And the coconut?"


    Byron nced at her, his expression deadpan. "She''s not worth my energy."


    It was just a simple sentence, but it sent a chill down Maeve''s spine. She had noticed it before, but now, more than ever, Byron felt like a storm with manyyers she couldn''t see through. Still, she wasn''t scared. No matter how dark and dangerous he seemed, he was just the guy who whispered sweet things to her when he wanted more.


    Maeve grabbed her ss of milk, trying to push away the images fromst night. Just then, a loud noise came from the living room. "What did you bring them? Why is there so much noise?" The two little ones had been tearing through their gifts for a while now, making a ruckus. If they hadn''t told her they were fine, Maeve would''ve thought they were breaking something. Byron smirked. "Two smart bots... parts."


    "Why isn''t it a finished product?" Maeve asked, a little confused.


    Byron shrugged. "It''s more fun this way. They can put it together however they like. It helps them think. Plus, I''m going out for work today and can''t bring them along. This way, they can y at home." Maeve stayed quiet, wondering if thatst part was really the truth or if Byron was just trying to fool her sons.


    Then something hit her, and she turned to look at him. "So they''re the only ones who get gifts? What about mine?"


    Byron gave her a cold look. I forgot. I''m busy, of.


    I barely have time to think about you, so why would I remember a gift?"


    Maeve raised an eyebrow. "That sounds kind of strange," she invitered under her breath. But she let it go. It wasn''t that big of a deal. She would just hang out with the kids.


    111


    With a deep breath, Maeve walked into the living room. The carpet and couch were covered in ck and gold toy parts, with the two little ones sitting in the middle,paring pieces and messing around.. Then, she spotted a gift box with a ribbon on the ss table next to them.


    "Mom, this is Dad''s gift for you," Will said, looking up with wide eyes. "Are you gonna open it now?"


    Theo, flipping through the manual, smirked. "Great Demon King, don''t think you can bribe my mommy with gifts. Her defense is unbreakable!"


    Maeve smiled. "Yep, not that easy," she said, winking.


    Will sighed and quickly changed the topic. Where is mechanical leg A?"


    Theo was busy digging through the parts, twisting around with his little butt in the air. Maeve snickered and leaned over to Will. "p his butt." Will didn''t hesitate to do her request. He reached out and gave Theo a yful smack.


    "Ah!" Theo fell onto the carpet, spinning around with a pout. "You tricked me, Will! I worked so hard to find those parts for you, and you did this!"


    "I was just trying to help. The leg is in the upper left corner," Will said seriously, giving his little brother a mischievous grin without selling his mom out. "I might''ve hit you a little too hard, but hey, I''m just looking out for you." Thee didn''t usually think of Will as being that childish, so he bought it and went straight for the mechanical leg.


    Meanwhile, Will tilted his head and gave Maeve a sly wink.


    Maeve suppressed augh and winked back. She then picked up her gift and carried it over to open it.


    To her surprise, it wasn''t a branded bag. Instead, it was Creynia''s special nt soil, along with vegetable and nt seeds that could only be found there.


    Most people would''ve thought it was a weird gift, but for Maeve, who loved gardening, it felt like a treasure. That little surprise put her in a great mood the whole morning.


    Later, she met Tom for lunch to talk about Fiora.


    Tom''s face darkened when he heard. "Fiora... I always treated her well, and now she''s saying this nonsense."


    If Maeve hadn''t trusted him, Fiora might''ve gotten what she wanted and caused trouble between them.


    "Uncle, for Fiora to say something like that, someone had to put it in her head," Maeve said, pausing to think. "She hates me so much. If she knew who I really was, she would''ve reacted differently."


    *Someone must''ve told her what to say but kept the truth from her, trying to mess with me and make me question you." A cold glint shed in Tom''s face. "That''s a pretty smart way to kill two birds with one stone."


    "I thought they were just after me, but now I''m thinking they might be targeting you too, Uncle. I just don''t know what they''re really after


    TII handle it, Tom said. "If they know this much about us, they''re probably from the royal family or some aristocratic family. We can narrow it down. Maybe one of our rtives is behind it."


    Not wanting to stare Marve, Tom softened his expression. "I won''t let anyone hurt you. You don''t need to worry." Marve felt her heart warm. I''m not worried. But you need to be careful too, Uncle"


    "Don''t worry, I will,"


    After saying goodbye to Tom, Maeve still had time, so she decided to stop by Royal Hospital.


    The ward door w


    open,


    and as Maeve got closer, she saw someone inside-someone she knew.