Hecate was thoroughly pleased with how her day had gone. After all, she'd spent it with Isaac—what could be better?
As his wise uncle always said, "Everything is a sign to gamble!" And as his utterly adorable niece, she decided to follow that philosophy to the letter.
Sure, the Zakharov family owned plenty of businesses… but not all of them were under Klaus's flashy, chaotic name. Most were managed by Noah—the ever-serious, painfully awkward one. Ugh!
How can he be like that all the time?! Didn't Klaus always say life was a joke meant to be enjoyed? Didn't he say to laugh, flirt, and gamble like tomorrow might explode?
Clearly, Noah hadn't gotten the memo.
She shook her head in righteous indignation. Sure, Noah might be a little boring and stuck in his old-school, serious ways—but not all the siblings were like that!
Hell yeah! Isaac, for example, owned casinos and was filthy rich. Now that's the Zakharov spirit!
Tatiana, on the other hand, was deep into cosmetics and glamour and all that glittery stuff. Hecate… well, if she was being honest, she wasn't super into it. Much to Tatiana's dramatic fury.
"All girls should be breathtaking! Bewitching!" Tatiana had once declared, twirling with a makeup brush like it was a wand.
And sure, Hecate liked being beautiful—which she already was, obviously—but why should she do the work? That's what Tatiana was for! If someone else can handle your beauty routine, why lift a finger?
Seriously. Doing it herself? Didn't make sense.
What really caught Hecate's interest? Ships. Flying ships, to be exact. And luckily, Klaus was building them.
Wasn't that just marvellous? Maybe—just maybe—she could guilt-trip him into giving her one of those beauties.
She chuckled to herself, the kind of sly laugh you'd expect from a webtoon villainess plotting her next move.
Belial glanced her way and cringed, shaking his head as he tuned back into Lich's instructions on Runic Sorcery.
Hecate's laughter abruptly died when she caught his insulting, mocking glare. How dare he? That whining coward!
"Hey, Belial!" she snapped, voice sharp. "You wanna get your ass kicked? Huh? Maybe you do, huuuuh?!"
She slouched forward, hands shoved in her pockets, shoulders hunched, and head lowered in a defiant, haughty stance.
"Why don't you say something, punk?!"
Belial's mouth twitched in annoyance, but being called "punk" was the last straw.
Lich leaned back, shaking his skull as the two idiot kids were destroying the living room… again. He sighed—if a skeleton could. At least Belial was doing fine. It looked like Klaus's talk with him had gone well, so the boy wasn't as insecure and full of doubts as before.
But Miseria also said that it was just bravado to hide it. The boy clearly didn't want to worry them, but if that vile witch was right, then he should be fine—sooner or later.
Belial's entire body crackled with lightning as he dashed forward with incredible speed. Lich had to admit—the boy's greatest physical assets were his speed and strength.
He streaked across the room like a bolt of lightning, appearing suddenly behind Hecate. But she was far more violent and cunning than he expected. Anticipating his move, she dropped into a split, narrowly avoiding his fist.
Before Belial could regain his balance, she spun across the floor and delivered a swift kick to his gut, forcing him to gasp and stumble backward.
Hecate sprang to her feet, a victorious grin lighting her face as she looked down at her brother. But then her expression faltered—a slight burn tingled on her shoulder. She hadn't completely dodged the attack.
She grimaced as water began to flow over the wound, steam rising as the injury started to heal.
Once healed, she glanced at him again, water coalescing into a spear in her hand, while Belial gripped his lightning blade, ready for the next move.
When Lich saw them, the azure flames in his empty eye sockets flared brighter with frustration as he rose to his feet.
"Hey! Time out! Stop it, you gremlins!"
But alas, the kids didn't listen.
A few seconds later, Lich stood in the middle of the wreckage, holding his skull in disbelief. His skeletal feet were submerged in water—the entire room was flooded.
Damn it...
He glanced down. Sparks of electricity crackled across the surface of the water.
At least Belial couldn't be harmed by his own lightning. And Hecate? She could manipulate the water well enough to keep herself from being shocked.
Lich sighed.
Now… what was he supposed to tell Noah?
Screw it. I'm blaming Klaus.
But before Lich could plan how to shift the blame, the scene around them began to change. The destroyed furniture, holes in the walls, floodwater, and crackling lightning all dissolved into a faint, amethyst mist.
"Having fun?"
The children blinked in surprise. Belial was still sitting in front of Lich, and Hecate was suddenly back near the bar.
When did he—?
Their eyes shot toward the doorway, where Klaus stood watching them with an amused, mischievous smile, a bottle of whiskey in hand.
Hecate scowled in disbelief and immediately dashed toward him.
"When the hell did you get here, you fucking orphan?!"
She launched a spear of water straight into his chest—but his figure dissolved into mist just like the rest.
From the couch behind them, Klaus burst into laughter, still sprawled out and gulping down his drink.
"I've been here from the start, by the way. And you're an orphan too, you dumb fuck."
Hecate nodded and approached him with a cheerful smile—only to suddenly slip and fall flat on the floor.
"When did this place get so slippery!?" she groaned.
Klaus glanced at her with a look of exaggerated disappointment, shaking his head.
"Whenever I decide it," he said dryly. "Now stop attacking me, you little brat. I've had a very pleasant day and I'm about to make a ton of money."
He paused, smirking.
"Heh… scam—I mean, business is great."
Hecate grimaced. This shameless bastard is my guardian?
Well… it wasn't all bad. She could do whatever she wanted now, she was filthy rich, and best of all—she didn't have to deal with all that boring nonsense in the House of Night.
When she first learned she came from a prestigious and powerful clan, she'd felt a little elated. No more suffering. No more hiding. That future, for once, had seemed possible.
So of course she was furious when Knossos left them in Klaus's hands.
But then Lich had quietly explained: they were probably sent here because their grandfather and mother had been labeled traitors. Staying in the Night Garden would've been dangerous.
That news had disappointed her—but only for a while.
Because life here? It was enjoyable. It was fun.
For the first time in her life, she was free. Free and unchained. No one experimented on her. No more corpses every day. No more silent prayers to die because dying would've been easier than enduring another morning.
Now… she felt like she had a reason to live. Like she'd finally found purpose.
Now all she had to do was wait…
Klaus was definitely going to get wasted today.
So, like a good and obedient little girl, she waited, patiently.
And she wasn't disappointed. When Klaus was happy, he had a tendency to get drunk—or smoke, or do something reckless with drugs. Today was no exception.
He lay sprawled on the couch, laughing to himself as he stared up at the ceiling, a bottle resting loosely in his hand.
Hecate watched him for a moment, then—hesitantly, almost innocently—she approached, her steps light and measured.
It was time for her evil plan. Kekekek!
Isaac had her back anyway—he had enough money, charm, and influence to pull off anything.
He had explained some stuff to her earlier, though half of it had gone over her head.
What was it again? Something about how, since she and Belial didn't have official birth records, he managed to get a court order to establish legal birth certificates for them.
Whatever that meant.
Apparently, it made them "real people" in the eyes of the law now. With documents. And rights. And the ability to legally own stuff or sue people—which sounded awesome.
She didn't really get the details, but if it meant more freedom and fewer questions, she was all for it.
Anyway, next, Isaac started talking about how he'd hire top-tier lawyers to file an adoption petition on Klaus's behalf.
Since she and Belial didn't have any known parents, there was no need to terminate parental rights—whatever that meant. Apparently, it made the whole thing way easier.
He also said he'd use his influence to make sure all the "home study" stuff and background checks went through smoothly and quickly.
And of course, he'd pull a few strings to cut through all the annoying bureaucracy—no delays, no complications, no nosy officials poking around.
Now… if Isaac taught her right…
Wait—why did Isaac seem so happy and cheerful while explaining all this?
It almost felt like…
Nah, nah, I'm imagining things.
There was no way he was having fun with all this legal mumbo-jumbo.
He was seriously helping her. Yeah, that had to be it.
Standing in front of Klaus, she cleared her throat and spoke, her voice dripping with the usual annoyed boredom—like someone forcing her to study.
"Hey Klaus, Noah said you need to sign these documents… Something about your new business or whatever…"
Klaus grinned, eyes bloodshot and glassy. He snatched the pen from her hand and signed the papers without even looking, all while yawning.
"Now get the hell out of here! I'm planting a flag on the moon, kekekehehhah!"
"Right on it! Go on, have fun!"
Hecate nodded and took off, a wicked grin spreading across her face. Jackpot! It was done!
She sprinted at full speed to Isaac's room and kicked the door open, her smile shining with pure glee.
"Hey, uncle dearest… guess what… whaaaat??!"
She blinked, caught off guard. Was that Isaac with Rachel? When did they…? They were actually together? They were like total opposites!
Clearing her throat, she forced a smile.
"Ahem… I'll just wait outside, then… To be continued, I guess?"
She closed the door gently, her smile awkward but genuine.
Isaac blinked and than groaned, burying his face in a pillow, while Rachel lounged half-naked on the bed, casually playing a game and yawning.
"Forget it. I'm a hundred percent sure that brat was watching lesbians."
Isaac blinked in surprise. So Rachel was like… oh. Damn. Another Tatiana? Well, Tatiana swung both ways, so he wasn't exactly sure where Hecate stood.
Isaac sighed as he got dressed, smoothing down his shirt and composing himself. I'm the one who embarrasses people—not the other way around, damn brat…
"Hey, Hecate… you can come in now."
The door swung open with a loud crack. Rachel didn't even flinch—still half-naked, still sprawled across the bed, lazily playing her game like nothing happened.
Hecate stepped in, eyes briefly glued to Rachel before Isaac's piercing glare forced her to cough awkwardly and flash a too-innocent smile.
"Well, here's the stuff we needed! Ain't I a genius?"
Isaac took the documents, a wide grin spreading across his face. He glanced at Hecate, and the two of them burst into triumphant laughter—until Rachel interrupted.
"You two idiots do know I could've handled all that bullshit in, like, two hours, right?"
Hecate's eyes widened. She looked at Rachel, then at Isaac with dramatic betrayal written all over her face.
Isaac just sighed, shaking his head.
"She wouldn't help. Trust me."
He turned back to the papers, voice more serious now. "Anyway, everything's almost done. A judge will review the case, see there are no biological parents, and that the adult has consented—even if unknowingly. And while it's unusual, with my influence, it'll go through."
He gave her a pointed look. "You did answer all the questions the way I told you, right?"
Hecate nodded quickly. Some people had asked her all sorts of weird questions, but Isaac had prepped her well—all she had to do was memorize the answers.
Isaac grinned in satisfaction.
Heh… sorry, brother. I think you're in for a surprise when you wake up.
That's what you get for getting wasted, dumbass.
A few days later...
Klaus stared blankly at the two children standing in front of him.
Belial looked awkward—guilty, even—shifting his weight and avoiding eye contact.
Hecate, on the other hand, wore a sly smile, her eyes sparkling with the most fake innocence imaginable.
Klaus took a deep breath, held it… and then—
"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK!?!"