After submitting the proof of her completed mission, Lana left the university and stepped into the car waiting for her.
She had accepted a new case earlier, but since night had already settled in, she did not feel the need to rush.
Instead, she leaned back quietly, allowing the hum of the engine to settle her mind as the vehicle moved through the dimly lit streets.
A few minutes later, the driver slowed down in front of the gated residential area, just as Lana had instructed.
She had told him not to drop her directly at the mansion but rather at the residential section nearby.
The soldiers patrolling the area cast quick glances toward the car but, recognizing the car and the clearance tag, did not question her presence.
Lana stepped out calmly without fear of getting caught, harassed, or intercepted by the Almond family’s hired n.
Instead of heading straight to the mansion, she began to stroll slowly along the paved pathway, her hands tucked into her coat pockets.
The night air was cool, brushing against her face, and the faint sound of guards talking in low voices drifted across the quiet street.
Mr. Crow, who had been silently perched on her shoulder, finally tilted his head and broke the silence.
"Why are you taking a stroll today, Lana?"
Lana inhaled deeply before responding, her gaze fixed ahead.
"Today, when I saw that pair... I suddenly rembered my biological parents."
Delusional and selfish.
At her words, Mr. Crow’s feathers ruffled slightly. He blinked. "You know your biological parents?"
Lana paused mid-step, her expression tightening for a mont before she continued walking.
"In my previous life, I saw them. And honestly... I wish I had never t them."
Mr. Crow shifted closer, his curiosity sharpening. "Did they try to blackmail you?"
Having heard Lana’s story by now, Mr. Crow knew the ins and outs.
Lana nodded lightly.
"When I begged the Almond family to let stay in their mansion, they allowed it. But once my biological parents caught wind of that news, they began contacting . They even threatened to expose to the dia unless I gave them twenty thousand dollars every month."
Mr. Crow’s eyes widened.
"Who gives twenty thousand dollars to parents who didn’t even raise them?"
Lana shrugged, though her voice carried the weight of old disgust.
"They called it compensation. Apparently, they believed they had done a ’favor’ by thinking highly of , but I had failed to live up to their expectations."
Mr. Crow shook his head, muttering under his breath.
Lana continued, her tone steady yet tinged with the faintest bitterness.
"They even claid they deserved gratitude for swapping at birth and letting grow up in a wealthy family. As if that justified anything."
Mr. Crow frowned deeply. "Why didn’t you file a complaint against them?"
Lana let out a soft laugh.
"Oh, I did. Plenty of tis. But the Almond family dealt with them quietly behind the scenes."
Mr. Crow stared at her.
"How was that even possible? Didn’t you say that in your previous life, your brothers were good to you at first?"
"Indeed," Lana replied, lifting a hand and clapping lightly, almost absent-mindedly. "It wasn’t my brothers who suppressed the reports. They were good to in my past life, truly. It was Brenda who used her influence to ensure none of my complaints were heard."
Mr. Crow’s feathers bristled. "This Brenda woman is truly detestable."
Lana laughed lightly, shaking her head.
"You can say that because you’re standing beside . If you were standing beside Brenda, you wouldn’t say the sa."
Mr. Crow huffed.
"You must be a fool. How can you sympathize with soone who took everything from you?"
Lana stopped walking for a mont, then spoke calmly.
"I never hated Brenda... except when she tried to kill . Other than that, I don’t think she did anything wrong."
Mr. Crow turned his head sharply to look at her, giving her a strange, almost baffled stare.
Lana chuckled.
"I’m not lying. Brenda was never the real problem. She was just reclaiming what should have been hers. The real issue was her thods. In my previous life, she used low-level sches, at least in the beginning. But by the ti she truly understood the situation, she had gained plenty of ti and opportunity. She frad repeatedly. Eventually, even my own brother, who used to love , gave up on ."
A faint breeze passed them, rustling the leaves overhead.
"And because of that," Lana continued quietly, "I suspect they were reborn. All of them. The way they behaved... it’s too similar."
Mr. Crow blinked slowly. "What do you an by behavior?"
Lana resud walking.
"In my previous life, when Brenda was revealed to be the true daughter, they didn’t suddenly pamper her. They treated her indifferently because they knew what I had gone through. I earned their love through my struggle, not because of my identity. They never saw as privileged. They saw as soone who worked hard and deserved affection."
Mr. Crow frowned. "Then what about this life?"
Lana exhaled, her breath forming a faint mist in the cold air.
"In this life, when I woke up, I could imdiately tell... they were looking at Brenda the sa way they used to look in my previous life, and they also gave a disdainful look like they used to give when they assud I was scheming."
Mr. Crow muttered under his breath. "They are evil."
Lana shook her head with a soft laugh.
"They aren’t evil. They just believe that blood is thicker than water."
Mr. Crow’s brows furrowed deeply as he asked,
"Why do I always feel like your life is extrely tragic?"
Lana paused again, this ti breaking into a genuine laugh, as if she had heard an absurd joke.
She pointed a finger playfully at him.
"I bet your life is tragic, too. In fact, everyone’s life is tragic in so way. It depends on how much of it you hear. The deeper the story, the more tragic it seems. You know my tragedy because I showed you its depth. But if you told the depth of your story, maybe your life would turn out to be far more tragic than mine."
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