บททั้งหมดของ Defy Me If You Can: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

The maid's gaze did not feel entirely unfamiliar to Jane. It was the sort of look that made her brows knit instinctively, the sort that told her, almost from the very first moment, that the road between them would never run side by side. At best they would walk in opposite directions. At worst, one would sharpen themselves into the other's enemy.Jane sighed inwardly.Why did this always seem to happen to her?She had grown used to it over the years, moving from one household to another, never staying long enough for the walls to remember her footsteps. Her history as a maid had taught her many things, and one of them was how quickly resentment could bloom in quiet corners.Her mother had been a renowned beauty. People used to say that rooms brightened when she entered them. Jane never believed she had inherited that kind of radiance, not truly, yet it seemed others thought differently. Especially the fellow maids that had worked with her.Many of them dreamed of climbing the social l

Jane stared at the cage, the words dying somewhere between her throat and her lips.The cavern swallowed sound too easily, its vast hollow stretching above them like the ribcage of something ancient and long dead. And there, set deep within its shadows, stood the cage.It was far too large.No harmless creature needed iron bars that thick, nor locks that heavy. The metal itself looked worn, not from age alone, but from strain, as though something inside had tested its limits more than once... and failed.A cold thread of realization slipped down Jane's spine.Whatever lived in there was not something meant to be cared for.It was something meant to be contained.She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, as a sheen of cold sweat gathered at the nape of her neck. Slowly, almost instinctively, her head turned toward Victor. Her expression softened into something pleading, even though she knew those unseeing eyes would never truly catch it."I... I don't do well with animals," she said, her

“Gabby?” Jane repeated inwardly, turning the name over in her head as they walked. So that must be the little girl’s name. The child had been clinging to the boy’s sleeve the entire time, peeking at Jane every few seconds before hiding again, and somehow the nickname suited her small, round face perfectly.The corridor stretched quietly before them, their footsteps softened by the thick carpet beneath. Jane glanced at the boy beside her before deciding to test her luck a little further.“So if her name is Gabby,” she asked carefully, “what’s yours, young master?”Perhaps it was because she had agreed to cook for him, or perhaps the title “young master” still pleased him more than he wanted to admit, but the boy no longer looked nearly as guarded as before. In fact, he straightened almost immediately after hearing it, a spark of pride flickering across his face.He placed one hand neatly over his waist and lifted his chin with exaggerated grace, imitating the formal manners of an adult

Seeing the two children seated properly at the table was strangely amusing to Jane.Their posture was impeccable, backs straight and utensils held correctly like young nobles taught from birth, yet the moment the food touched their mouths, all traces of elegance crumbled apart instantly. The twins practically devoured the meal with the unconcealed excitement of starving children, cheeks puffed full as they eagerly bit into the steak before them.Sauce stained the corners of their lips.Gabby especially looked moments away from climbing onto the table itself.Jane had to suppress a smile at the sight.The little girl struggled stubbornly with her portion, repeatedly trying to tear through the steak with tiny bites that clearly were not working. Her brows furrowed with deep concentration, as though she was engaged in a fierce battle against the meat itself.In the end, Jane could not watch any longer.“Here,” she said gently, reaching for the utensils. “Let me help you cut it.”Using th

Victor's eyes looked at Jane the moment she rushed out from the gate. His blue gaze swept over her appearance slowly, but couldn't feel any palpable difference. He couldn't see the state of her clothes which was clean or the untouched bun keeping her hair neatly in place, and the absence of any dirt on her face. Aside from the mud staining the bottom of her shoes from the wet ground, she looked completely unharmed.Being blind, that means he couldn't see anything but he could tell that she must have came out in a good state. It's because everyone who walked out of that gate would usually have a loud fearful heartbeat yet Jane had none of that at all. It was not even a subtle smile. The grin that formed on Victor’s face was crooked and deeply amused, as though he had just witnessed something entertaining. Meanwhile, Jane only frowned harder as she looked back at him.Why was he smiling?The thought irritated her almost immediately. This was supposed to be an urgent matter. His younger