Hanae was startled, but she was adaptable. She turned to face the frowning Seiji with a serene expression that did not betray her internal turmoil. She looked composed and relaxed, contrary to her earlier ugly appearance.

"I was coming to tell Grandpa Yamazaki and Akira that we have moved outside to start the barbeque. But I heard the music, and I did not want to interrupt." She explained helplessly.

Seiji looked at his cousin with more suspicion. She looked like she meant what she was saying. However, he was not trusting. He did not believe that people can change. The only thing that they could do was cover up who they were inside.

But it was not his place to expose Hanae.

"You can go back. I will call Akira and Grandpa." Seiji said.

Hanae nodded amiably and turned to return downstairs. For a moment, Seiji thought he smelled blood. He was quite sensitive to the scent. However, he assumed it was his imagination since the wisp of smell passed before he could capture it.

Perhaps, he had smelt too much blood in the hospital.

After Hanae went downstairs, she ducked into the closest bathroom and looked at her hands. Small crescents of blood were on her palm due to digging her nails into the flesh too hard. She washed her hands thoroughly.

She wanted to splash the cold water on her face to clear her mind, but she did not want to mess with her makeup. She could only dab a little moisture on her cheeks.

When she left the bathroom, she did not go directly to the backyard. She loitered around the house for a little while. She knew that once she went to the backyard, she would need to be quiet, mature and charming.

It was a burdensome challenge.

When she was ready to move, she saw one of the maids showing in the handsome man who had appeared in her dreams more than once.

Takahashi Kaito…

He did not suit her perfect husband image because he was probably not going to inherit the Takahashi family. However, there was something about his appearance and demeanour that attracted her to him. He was like a charming devil.

Of course, the fact that he was close to Akira motivated her affection.

Sometimes, she would dream about him telling her that he only got close to Akira so that he would get to know her. In those dreams, he was the perfect prince charming, and he realised she was the real princess.

In other dreams, he would kick away Akira as she tried clinging to him. She would try to grasp his long legs as he held Hanae in his arms. He would rebuke Akira for being shameless and disgusting. They would walk into the sunset while Akira remained in rags, crying on the ground.

"You can go on with your work." Hanae composed herself and stepped forward to speak with the maid. "I will show Mr Takahashi to the barbeque party."

The maid did not question the instruction. Even though there were some changes in the Yamazaki mansion, the household staff knew Hanae. It would be strange for them not to obey her wishes.

Kaito looked at the strange woman before him with cold eyes. He could see that she had nefarious intentions towards him. Furthermore, he had sensed her presence pacing restlessly before he even saw her. It made him very suspicious.

"Who are you?" He asked.

In the past, Hanae would have thrown a temper tantrum and acted spoiled and cute after that obvious mocking statement. However, she was no longer that child. Besides, that tactic was unlikely to work against someone with a sharp personality like Kaito.

"It is not strange that you do not remember me. We met under rather unusual circumstances some time ago. I lost my mind in Saffron Garden on that day. It was a rather unsightly incident." Hanae spoke self-deprecatingly.

She had already chosen the best strategy to deal with that embarrassing incident. She would not hide it. Instead, she wanted to portray herself as a person who had faced and overcome mental problems. Her next step, when the matter inevitably blew up online, was to develop a website for promoting mental wellness.

It was the perfect way to make both herself and her music popular.

"Oh, you are that crazy girl," Kaito responded offhandedly.

Hanae did not expect that response. She did not think that the man would be so callous. At the very least, she thought he would be a little kinder and more tactful. Then, she would have a moment to clear up the misunderstanding about her condition.

"Mental health is not a joke." She raised her voice, almost reverting to her original spoilt self.

She was even about to stomp her foot angrily. Unfortunately, Kaito's attention was already lost. He did not have any intention of talking further with the annoying girl. Moreover, he had discovered Akira walking towards him.

"What are you doing?" Akira asked.

It was uncertain to whom she directed the question. Kaito wore his carefree smile while Hanae showed some awkwardness.

"I was just showing Mr Takahashi to the barbeque site." She explained.

She did not use her 'do not misunderstand' voice, but her appearance showed that she wanted Akira to have other thoughts. Akira stepped closer to Hanae, causing the girl to step back.

"You can continue harbouring intentions towards all the things belonging to the Yamazaki family. Take them if you can. I do not care. But if you try your petty tricks on my person, I will deal with you the old-fashioned way. And once I am done, you will no longer know the meaning of sunrise and sunset. Understood?" Akira's voice had a chilling effect.

Hanae wanted to fight for her right to pursue Kaito. She wanted to infuriate Akira by shaming her for her possessive behaviour. However, she seemed to have lost her ability to speak. She could tell that Akira was not making empty threats.

She took another step back.

Akira did not plan on intimidating her shameless cousin too much. Her lips stretched into a mocking smile.

"I assume we understand one another. Go on ahead. Enjoy the barbeque." She shooed her away.

Hanae felt like she had received amnesty as she walked away. She tried to maintain her dignity as she left, but she was filled with shame and humiliation.

Beside Akira, Kaito chuckled.