Maybe I really am a Villian

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"And because of that, some of you end up becoming way too cold toward others. Just like how you were during your Academy days."

There was a hint of doubt in Cassie’s voice as she recalled Audrey’s behavior from back then.

Even though she knew Audrey better than most people, some parts of the Velmora family’s traditions still seemed strange to her.

The idea of secretly watching over their own heirs while allowing them to develop such an ability unknowingly had always seemed excessive to Cassie.

Yet, at the same time, she understood that the Velmoras had their own reasons for following such methods.

After all, they had survived for generations by teaching their heirs to question everything, trust very few people, and never accept what they saw at face value.

It was one of the reasons the Velmora name carried so much weight.

Audrey replied, "Yeah, that strange tradition of ours."

She paused for a moment before continuing, a hint of pride entering her voice as she mentioned her niece.

"And that kid told my niece about it. My intelligent and smart niece."

There was unmistakable pride in Audrey’s voice as she mentioned her niece, as though she couldn’t help but praise her despite complaining.

"She understood the whole thing in just a few seconds," Audrey continued. "And after that, she gave me a huge lecture. She found out that I was the one in charge of her during this trial, and then she started lecturing me."

Her voice suddenly became more annoyed.

"And that stupid brother of mine! He didn’t even take a moment to tell her it was me!. He could have lied or made up some excuse. Did he really have to tell her the truth?"

Audrey sounded increasingly irritated as she mentioned her brother, clearly still annoyed by what he had done.

After complaining for a few more moments, Audrey finally sighed.

"So, for the last three hours, I’ve been getting lectured by her. Sigh... Really, teenage kids are so problematic and stupid."

Cassie listened to everything Audrey said and couldn’t help but think, ’It’s you who’s weird and problematic, not your niece.’

"You said that through the mental link instead of keeping it as your own thoughts."

Audrey’s voice suddenly echoed inside Cassie’s mind. Cassie froze for a moment. Only then did she realize her mistake.

She had accidentally sent her thoughts through the mental link instead of keeping them to herself.

’...Oops.’

Cassie quickly decided to change the subject before Audrey could continue teasing her about it.

"But how did Asher get to know about your tradition?" she asked.

"No kid should know about something like that. Only the major houses know about it. And according to the rules, they aren’t allowed to tell their children about it."

Her tone became more serious as she continued.

"So how did that kid know about it? There is no way he could have found out about it on his own. And there is certainly no way he could have detected you. You’re an Immortal-rank individual."

Audrey remained silent for a moment before sighing.

"He actually did notice me."

Cassie’s expression changed slightly.

"That kid’s senses and will are unusually sharp for his age. Even the spirits seemed afraid of him for some reason."

Audrey paused briefly, seemingly recalling what had happened.

"And it is also somewhat my fault."

Cassie remained silent, listening carefully.

"I used my ability on him with a higher intensity than usual because I wanted to see his emotional state. I didn’t expect him to notice anything."

Audrey’s voice carried a hint of frustration as she continued.

"But somehow, he managed to sense something. So he was probably able to figure out that someone was observing him. At least, that’s the only explanation I can think of."

Cassie remained silent for a moment before saying, her tone amused, "So, all of this happened because you were spying on some teenage kid like a creepy old woman. It’s clearly your fault. Your niece did the right thing."

"Just shut up. I’m already annoyed by what happened," Audrey replied, her voice carrying clear exhaustion. "That girl hardly talks to me for a long time, so at least this way, she talked to me for three hours. Though, technically, she was the only one talking. It was really annoying."

Audrey’s tone sounded so exhausted that it was almost as if she felt tired simply by remembering everything that had happened.

Cassie heard this, and a small smile formed on her face. For a moment, she completely forgot about all her worries and the problems surrounding her.

Audrey noticed the change in Cassie’s mood, and that was exactly what she had wanted. She had intentionally brought up something amusing, hoping to make Cassie forget about all her troubles, even if only for a little while.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything.

Then Cassie suddenly asked, "By the way, Asher... how is he? Is he okay? And why would you even want to see his emotional state more carefully? Is something wrong with his emotional state?"

Cassie’s tone carried clear worry and guilt as she asked the questions.

Audrey immediately cursed internally.

’Sigh... Just why did it have to go in that direction again?’

She had already known that mentioning Asher would probably lead the conversation toward this topic, but she had still hoped to avoid it somehow.

Then Audrey said, "It’s not like what you’re thinking. It’s actually the opposite of what you’re thinking."

She paused briefly before continuing, choosing her words more carefully.

"His emotional state is actually too peaceful for a kid his age. It’s not really a problem, but it is a little weird. That’s why I used my ability with higher intensity. I wanted to see whether he was hiding his emotions or if he was genuinely like that."

Audrey’s voice became slightly more serious as she explained.

"But after observing him more carefully, I found out that he wasn’t hiding anything. That really is his actual emotional state."