Chapter 54

Hunter’s POV

From the window of my study, I watched Akira, Lisa, and Brielle walk toward the main mansion. They were carrying their meager belongings from the servant quarters—nothing much, just a few things they had managed to collect over time. They were laughing, talking among themselves as they made their way inside.

It was Akira’s smile that caught my attention.

She looked so carefree, her laughter echoing as if she hadn’t a single worry in the world. That smile… it was rare. Too rare. Whenever she was with me, it was as if her face was locked in a permanent scowl or a mask of indifference. But here she was, beaming, her joy so palpable that even I, watching from a distance, could feel it.

I couldn’t help but focus on her.

The way she interacted with Lisa and Brielle, I knew for a fact that they weren’t just her “minions,” as she liked to pretend. She was close to them, closer than she admitted, and that fact alone told me more about her than she would ever openly confess.

Des