Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine

Later that night, Leo returned home, lying on the bed as he stared at the ceiling… He didn't return directly after leaving Sakura's house; instead, he had wandered aimlessly through the streets, his steps dragging, his mind circling around the same confused thoughts again and again, each one sharper than the last, each one cutting deeper.

A dull ache pressed against his chest... a slightly painful thing he couldn't shake no matter how far he walked.

What Sakura's parents told him was unfortunately the truth… compared to them, he was nothing.

Honestly, the one thing he was good at was… secretly stealing something.

That's all.

Nothing else.

Even in studies… he was good, but never the best. Business… well, he wasn't that great either, not the kind of man who could make fortunes or stand at the top of a society that measured worth by power and wealth.

He might not have known the full extent of her father's power, but just by looking at the house, the aura, the weight of that family… Leo understood.

He was far, so far, that even if he worked his entire life, grinding day after day, he wasn't going to reach that level.... Not legally speaking!

Not in a way that her father would ever acknowledge.

And Leo wasn't an idiot—he understood perfectly well what her parents were thinking.

Heck, if he were a parent too… who knew? Maybe he would have acted the same way. Maybe he would have drawn the same line, protecting his child from someone like him.

That's… how one does.

Nothing else.

Yet… despite that understanding, despite knowing the logic behind it, his heart couldn't accept his head. This mind of his couldn't help but feel the humiliation and loss of his dignity.

It felt unfair, like being judged by a scale he never asked to stand on.

"Leo, time for dinner!" Raphael's voice echoed from the dining room, sharp enough to pull him from the spiral of his thoughts.

Leo took a deep sigh, heavy and reluctant, before slowly pushing himself from the bed. His legs felt weak, almost trembling as he stood, and he wavered slightly before steadying himself. With slow, measured steps, he walked toward the dining room.

He saw Raphael and Ophis already sitting there, waiting.

The table was set neatly, the faint steam of warm dishes rising, carrying the smell of home that should have been comforting... but to him, it only pressed on his chest.

"Look, I helped, Big Sis!" Ophis said brightly, her voice carrying that innocent eagerness as she held up a dish proudly. Her eyes sparkled as she showed the meal she had helped Raphael prepare, and the corners of her lips curved in hope.

Leo smiled… but it was a forced smile, weak and fleeting, as he sat beside her.

Ophis's expression faltered. Her smile softened into something awkward as she noticed his lack of reaction. She fiddled with her fingers, pretending to stay cheerful, but deep down, she felt the chill in the room.

Leo picked up his spoon and began to eat, his movements slow and mechanical. His face was blank, eyes lowered, lost in a fog of thought. Raphael glanced at him briefly, but said nothing.

She didn't ask, didn't press. Instead, she hummed low under her breath and kept eating.

The dining room felt tense.

Not even the smallest spark of conversation lit the air. No laughter, no warmth. Just the muted sound of chewing, the scrape of cutlery against plates, the dull clicking of porcelain.

"I… I've had enough," Leo muttered suddenly, though his plate was barely touched. He pushed his chair back. He stood as if ready to escape.

"What do you mean, enough?" Raphael's voice cut across the table, her eyes narrowing into a frown as she glanced at him.

Leo gave a careless shrug.

That shrug, however, only seemed to irritate Raphael further. She placed her spoon down firmly on the table, the metallic clink echoing louder than it should have, and stared at Leo with firm authority.

"Sit back down and finish it."

Leo's brows drew together in frustration. "I said… I had enough."

"And I said… sit back." Raphael's voice grew firmer.

Ophis's eyes widened as she looked between them. She could feel the tension thickening in the air, like sparks ready to catch fire. Carefully, she gathered her plate in her small hands and stood up. Step by quiet step, she moved away from the table, not daring to make a sound.

'Shit's about to hit the fan, it seems…' she thought nervously as she slipped out of the dining room.

As if Raphael waited for Ophis to leave...

Raphael's expression turned serious and indifferent, "It's your usual level. I didn't add anything… so finish it."

"I SAID ENOUGH!!" Leo suddenly shouted, his palm slamming against the table with a heavy bang that rattled the dishes.

Raphael blinked in surprise, her body stiffening, before she slowly stood up from her seat.

"Young man, mind your voice… that's not how you speak to your elders."

Leo clenched his fist, then dragged his fingers across the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Tsk… just leave me already. I said I'm not hungry." He turned as if to walk away when—

"Of course you're not." Raphael's tone dropped into something sharp, "Cutting classes and running around… of course you're not hungry at all. Even the money you saved before, I've noticed you spending it without a single care." A faint, almost mocking smirk tugged at her lips.

Leo's brow furrowed, "I didn't cut classes."

Veins pulsed at Raphael's temple, her forehead tightening with barely restrained anger. "Oh? Yeah? Then please tell me who sneaked out of school this morning?"

Leo froze, flinching ever so slightly, but his lips clamped shut. No answer came.

Raphael's eyes narrowed. "Tell me. Where did you roam off to?"

Silence.

"Leo?" Her voice hardened.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue, his face twisting into annoyance. "I just didn't like the class. Is that a problem?"

Raphael's teeth ground together audibly. Her face flattened into something unreadable, cold fury, "You know…" she began, her eyes locking onto him with a glare sharp enough to pierce.

"I've treated countless people in my life. And you know what? Most of them didn't even have the chance to step foot inside a school. Yet I saw fire in their eyes—fire to learn, fire to fight for something, fire to live!"

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, trembling with restrained emotion.

"Yet here you are… wasting the opportunity that not everybody gets.

Your father worked, bled, and saved every last coin to put you into that prestigious school. Do you have any idea how much it costs to enrol you there?!" Her voice rose with each word, trembling with both fury and pain.

"Just because I'm a doctor... doesn't mean I can give you everything, doesn't mean I can shower you with filthy-rich luxuries.

Mind you, Leo, I am a doctor for the people. Just like your father." Her chest heaved as she glared at him.

"But look at you now… talking back to me? Shouting at me? Skipping classes? Barely sleeping?!" Her hand slapped the table in fury.

"Do you know how dangerous things are nowadays? I could—I could hardly face the mysterious deaths that keep piling up, and yet you roam the streets until seven as if nothing matters?!"

Her voice broke slightly, "I am disappointed in you, Leo… truly disappointed. You've changed. If only your father were here—"

"So what?" Leo's voice cut hers. His jaw clenched as he glared back at her.

Raphael faltered, taken aback.

Leo continued,"So what, I am a disappointment to you? Huh? Of course I fucking changed!!" His voice thundered through the dining room as his fists slammed down again, the table shuddering violently. Plates rattled and tipped, food sliding off, scattering across the floor.

The mess didn't matter to him... he didn't fucking care.

His eyes blazed as he glared straight at Raphael, "I am not the fucking Leo you knew, Raphael… I didn't ask for the fucking school!! If it's so much trouble for you, oh god, please, let me drop it.

I don't need it. I never needed it!

"It's my fucking life, and I will fucking take care of it!!" His voice cracked but only grew louder, trembling with pent-up rage.

"I don't need anyone telling me what I'm supposed to do!

So what if you're a doctor? So what if you're some business figure?

"Disappointed? Fuck off! I don't care if you're disappointed or happy. I don't live for your fucking expectations.

This is my life—mine! I'll decide if I want to become a doctor, or a businessman, or nothing at all. Not you forcing your damn ideals down my throat!

.... And I don't need your filthy fucking money either!

I can earn what I want, with my own hands!"

His hand shot out, pointing directly at her, his face twisted in a furious snarl.

A bitter, almost hysterical laugh broke from his lips as he scoffed.

"Hah… it's not like I'm someone you loved, right? I'm not your precious nephew Leo. I'm just a fucking nobody with no parents and…

just a fucking… Orph—"

Slap!!

The sound cracked through the house like a whip. Raphael's palm struck his cheek hard, snapping his head to the side.

Leo's mouth opened, his throat tightening as if he was ready to roar back at her, but his voice caught in his chest. He froze, his anger faltering the moment he saw her face.

Tears streamed from Raphael's eyes. Her lips trembled even as her expression hardened with rage. "D-Don't you dare," she muttered, her voice breaking, anger and heartbreak.

Leo's breath shuddered, and he let out a bitter snort, trying to mask the sting in his chest. Without another word, he turned and walked away with heavy steps.

Raphael stood rooted in place, her body trembling. She watched his back as he left, her throat tightening until she finally shouted after him,

"We didn't ask you to become a doctor or anything! Your father… your father just wanted to give you the best education! So his son would never have to worry about his future, never have to struggle the way we did!"

But Leo didn't turn back. He just kept walking!

Raphael's fists clenched. She wanted to scream more, to throw the words at him until he understood... but the tears blurred her vision.

The fear in her heart... the fear that he might actually run away if she pressed harder—froze her words in her throat.

Her gaze fell back to the table. The plates, the scattered food on the floor… all of it wasted.

She crouched, quietly picking up the broken pieces. When she finished cleaning, she wiped her eyes roughly and changed her clothes, forcing herself into her usual composure. By the time she slipped on her coat, she had tied her hair back and fixed her face with the mask of a doctor.

As she moved toward the door, ready for work, she stopped.

Ophis stood there, small and hesitant, half-hidden in the hallway. Her wide eyes shimmered, uncertain, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Raphael's chest tightened. She bit her lips again before forcing herself to smile, her voice softening. "No need to be scared, Ophis… It's just how it is when you reach that age."

Ophis walked closer, her steps awkward, "Big Sis… I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything." Her voice was fragile, guilty.

Raphael knelt, leaning down to press a kiss against her forehead. Her smile wavered, but she tried to keep it light. "Haha… It's fine. There are always some fights in a family. You don't have to worry about anything, Ophis, okay?"

She rose to her feet, turned, and left the house without saying anything... just left the house.

Ophis stared at the door for a long moment after Raphael left.