My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Watching the two of them silently, Wayne showed no pity, but simply said, "I also brought two new friends with me today. Let's go outside and talk; the sun is warm outside."

"—Huh?"

Before he could even feel happy, Roy asked fearfully, "Father... Father said... we're not allowed to go out."

"It's okay, he knows I came to visit you guys."

As he spoke, Wayne casually handed him the key to the room: "I wouldn't have been able to get in if he hadn't agreed."

Having carefully understood the meaning behind Wayne's words, Roy finally showed a hint of relief.

“Vivian, no, don’t be afraid.” Regaining his mobility, he immediately ran over and took his sister’s hand, who was still sitting obediently in the chair. “They are friends.”

While the siblings were talking, Wayne turned around and winked at Tasia and Chris who were standing by the door.

Chapter 606 The Gift

The investigation into the effects of dark magic on the two siblings became much easier with Tasia's help.

However, a secluded place that wouldn't arouse suspicion is still needed.

If they continued to stay in this oppressive little house, not only would Roy and Vivian be under immense stress, but the noise they made would also be easily noticed by the butler guarding the door.

The best solution... would be to use the excuse of chatting and sunbathing to find a spacious courtyard outside, and then legitimately send the steward away. Within Marquis O'Neill's mansion, presumably no one could silently break through his and Tasia's superhuman magical perception under such extreme circumstances.

So Wayne exchanged a subtle glance with the two of them and then walked out first.

Tasia's slightly appraising gaze lingered on the two siblings, her expression unchanged. Chris, standing beside her, didn't quite understand Wayne's intentions, but she had already reflexively followed in Wayne's footsteps.

The bright sunshine was soothing, but Chris's gaze remained fixed on Wayne's back.

Actually, she didn't particularly want to go out, but it wouldn't be bad to be with Wayne... It was definitely not because she wanted to be with Wayne all the time, but because of certain objective limitations, she couldn't stand by and watch Wayne and Tasia act alone.

That's right, it's just a limitation of objective conditions.

Just as you wouldn't dare touch an unknown insect again if you were bitten by it, taking necessary measures out of some premonition of worry is the meaning of being here at this moment.

As if she had fully convinced herself, Chris closed her eyes and nodded contentedly.

"Chris?" Suddenly, Wayne's voice was heard.

Chris suddenly opened her eyes and found that Wayne had stopped and turned around to look at her.

Seeing his slightly confused look, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"W-What's wrong?"

Therefore, from her inexplicably guilty tone, Wayne became even more certain that she was not thinking about anything serious.

"..." He said, somewhat speechless and amused, "Since you're going out with me, don't think about anyone else."

"I wasn't thinking about anyone else!"

"So, you're thinking of me?" Wayne suddenly felt even more uneasy.

If possible, Wayne didn't actually want Chris involved in this matter. However, if he were to deliberately avoid her and Tasia going out alone together, knowing she already knew, it would seem as if he had ulterior motives…

Thank God, I have absolutely no crazy ideas right now.

Seeing that the two of them came out so quickly, the butler immediately stepped forward. "Gentlemen? Please let me know if you need anything."

His banter with Chris was interrupted. Wayne glanced at him and said in a pretentious tone, "Then let's move a few chairs to the yard, and all of you guys stay away from us. I don't want to be spied on."

“This…” The butler could not withstand such accusations. “You misunderstand. The servants of the O’Neill family have no intention of spying on you.”

"Oh? Is that so?"

Wayne looked up at a large tree standing not far away, his gaze carrying a meaningful meaning.

The butler paused for a second before realizing that the other party was implying that someone was eavesdropping.

He frowned deeply, turned around and shouted, "Who's hiding there! Come out!"

As the butler finished speaking, a slight rustling sound came from behind the tree, but after a moment there was still no response. Just as the butler was about to step forward, Wayne stopped him.

"The person has already left."

He had no intention of guessing whether the butler was acting or genuinely being kept in the dark, and said casually, "It seems that even though Marquis O'Neill is far from the power struggles, things are still not very peaceful at home."

This sentence can be interpreted from any angle.

The butler was somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this. "This was an oversight by the O'Neill family guards and myself, and I apologize for it. Please forgive me, I must inform the master of this matter. Please excuse me for a moment... As for the items you require, I will have other servants prepare them for you."

Wayne, of course, didn't try to stop him and just watched him walk away quickly.

"...Just now, was someone really hiding behind that tree over there?" Chris subconsciously moved a little closer to Wayne and asked in a low voice.

"Yes."

Wayne casually tugged at her hand. "Don't worry, it's probably nothing serious."

It wasn't a particularly sophisticated method of concealment; otherwise, I wouldn't have detected the other party's movements so easily. Perhaps, it was someone Marquis O'Neill himself who had placed there.

After waiting a short while at the door, Tasia and the others finally came out.

Seemingly having adjusted their moods, Roy and Vivian no longer looked as gloomy as before. Vivian, the younger sister, even skipped over to Wayne and shoved a ball of yarn into his hand without a word.

"What is this?" Wayne looked at the tangled mess of threads in his palm with surprise.

"Ah, that's... a gift for my sister." Roy stammered, but the shame he felt was impossible to hide. "I... I'll prepare something better next time."

It was as if even he couldn't bear to see such a simple thing given as a gift.

“No, that’s not it.” Wayne stuffed the completely unrecognizable ball of yarn into his pocket and said softly in a gentle tone, “The most important thing about giving a gift is the sentiment. To me, this is already the best gift Vivian could have given.”

"Thank you, Vivian." He smiled at the petite girl in front of him.

Wayne could tell that she just wanted to thank him, and of course she wouldn't nitpick about the gift.

Looking at her "friend" who was much taller than her, Vivian, who hadn't spoken a word since they met, pursed her lips, shyly hid behind her brother, and tugged at his clothes.

Chris witnessed the whole thing and couldn't help but reach out and tug at Wayne's clothes with a hint of displeasure.

"Hmm?" Sensing a force that was neither too strong nor too weak, Wayne looked at her, but Chris awkwardly turned her head to the other side.

Putting aside their little antics, Tasia had been looking thoughtful ever since they came out.

Now, she can finally make a rough estimate.

"—Sister Vivian, can't you speak properly?"

The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

Vivian stood frozen in place, as if unable to respond appropriately to those words, tears welling up in her eyes.

"!" Tasia hadn't expected her words to cause such a stir, and the sudden situation made her a little flustered.

Chapter 607 Let's play a fun game

Roy was clearly at a loss when faced with his sister's sudden emotional breakdown.

"Don't, don't cry."

He patted her gently to comfort her, and then explained to Wayne and the others, "Vivian used to be able to talk... but then, for some reason, she stopped being able to speak..."

...Could it be aphasia?

Wayne glanced at Vivian, who was now hiding under Roy's protection, and the scenes from their previous meetings flashed through his mind.

Thinking back carefully, it's true that Roy was the one who interacted with the outside world the whole time. Vivian just stayed quietly by her brother's side or was immersed in her own dazed world, as if she didn't care about anything.

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have brought this up... I'm really sorry."

Tasia realized she had spoken out of turn, a hint of guilt in her eyes. "Let's not talk about unhappy things anymore. Let's play a little game together. Your older brother and sister specially prepared toys for you this time!"

She tried somewhat reluctantly to liven things up again.

With the comfort of Roy and several "new friends," Vivian finally stopped crying. But for a moment, she seemed unwilling to get close to Tasia again, only carefully holding her brother's hand and keeping herself on the other side away from Tasia.

This was the first time Wayne had seen Tasia so embarrassed, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

The group walked back along the only smooth stone path and arrived at a spacious courtyard they had passed earlier.

"Let's stay here."

Wayne surveyed his surroundings but found nothing unusual.

Soon after, the people arranged by the housekeeper arrived promptly, and even brought over a large parasol.

As the servants slowly raised the parasols, creating a large shade in the bright light, Chris couldn't hold back any longer.

"Isn't this a bit too much..." she muttered under her breath, "What happened to sunbathing?"

"Ahem, it seems the butler didn't understand what I meant," Wayne tried to salvage the situation. "But these are just minor details, nothing serious."

When everyone else finally left and only a few of them remained, Wayne sat down at the round table that had been set up.

"Now—let's play a fun game!"

He pulled two decks of cards out of his pocket.

Hehehe, this time I'm here with full force~.

That's right, the so-called "toy" is actually playing cards!

“This toy is called playing cards, and the game we’re going to play is called ‘Train.’ The rules are easy… See the numbers here? Each of us takes turns passing our cards to the person before us. If there’s a card with the same number in front of you, you can collect all the cards in the middle…” Wayne explained the key points in detail and demonstrated several times.

"If someone runs out of cards first, that person has to leave and watch the others play, okay?"

Only after confirming that Roy and Vivian understood did he skillfully shuffle the cards.

"Since there are five of us, we used two decks. If Roy plays with his sister by himself, one deck is enough."

Roy's eyes were shining, and his hands were pressed tightly against the table, clearly looking very expectant; Vivian on the other side was in a similar state.

As they prepared to deal the cards, Wayne glanced at Tasia.

The most important part of this plan was to create conditions that would allow Tasia to conduct her exploration with peace of mind, so the three of them conspired from the beginning to eliminate Tasia first.

While the two siblings were engrossed in their play, it was the perfect opportunity to strike...

Tsk. The person who devised this cheating and deliberate strategy is truly a despicable adult.

Upon receiving the signal from Wayne, Tasia understood immediately and nodded almost imperceptibly.

The game began in a peaceful and enthusiastic atmosphere.

To Wayne's slight surprise, Roy's comprehension was even higher than he had imagined. With the three of them deliberately letting him win, he quickly accumulated more and more cards in his hand.

"Sister Tasia, out!"

Roy cheered with joy as he finally took away the last card that Tasia had just played.

At this moment, his radiant, joyful face showed no trace of foolishness or numbness.

Tasia sighed, feigning helplessness, "Everyone is so amazing... Actually, this is my first time playing this game, and I can't remember many of the rules. Let me stay on the sidelines and watch how you guys play."

If this were at the academy, it would be almost impossible for anyone to believe such a flimsy excuse from Tasia.

Roy, who knew nothing about Tasia's usual image, believed her explanation without a doubt.

"It's okay! You'll get the hang of it after playing a few more times!"

Vivian glanced at the few lonely cards in her hand and nervously clenched them.

Even with such a simple game, she found it no less difficult than facing a giant monster head-on.

She didn't want to leave like this; her heart was pounding with a mixture of excitement and fear.

“Well, Vivian is the youngest of all the players, so I’m giving you a special opportunity to ask for help.” Wayne noticed Vivian’s little scheme and said to her with a smile. “Besides yourself, there’s me, Sister Chris, and your brother on the field. You can choose one of them and ask them to give you half of their cards.”

This was blatantly helping her cheat, but neither Chris nor Roy had any objections.

Roy did it because he felt sorry for his sister, while Chris did it simply because she didn't want to bully children.

“!” Vivian’s eyes lit up instantly. She looked at Wayne, and it seemed like she was about to blurt out a plea for help.

However, Wayne did not receive any signal.

The words she wanted to say remained deep within her body; she couldn't utter a single syllable.

Finally, she reached out and tugged at her brother's sleeve.

Because of the excellent start, Roy had built up great confidence and generously gave most of his cards to Vivian.