The tension in the atmosphere vanished, replaced by an uncomfortable silence.
And with it, Penelope came to her senses.
Had she really been about to jump?
The world had become clearer now, but not only that... The fear had also disappeared in her.
"Excuse me?" the blonde then said, with an annoyed expression. "Can you tell me what the hell you just said?"
Penelope looked at the newcomer. It was Lloyd.
What was he doing there?
"Huh? Me?" the boy said tilting his head while feigning innocence. "I just took you at your word."
"Uh?" A grimace of confusion reflected on Claire's face. "What the hell are you talking about?" she asked with a furrowed brow.
"'If I were in your same situation, I'd do it too.' Didn't you say something like that?"
Claire nodded confused.
"Yeah, and?"
Lloyd could only smile.
"Then shouldn't you jump? Well, rather your father."
Claire's eyes widened, she clenched her fists tightly filled with rage.
"You should be careful with what you say damn bastard."
The blond tilted his head innocently, as if genuinely confused by Claire's words.
"What do you mean? Everyone knows your father isn't the true son of the saint of the sword," he said.
"Take that back!" the girl demanded furiously, completely losing her calm.
"Why would I have to? I'm not the one saying it. Your father didn't inherit the Lionhart hereditary ritual, am I wrong? Isn't that enough proof to show I'm right?"
"No! They're just unfounded rumors, damn bastard!"
Lloyd's smile grew.
He knew Claire wasn't seeking to defend her father's pride, but to erase any doubt that she was a Lionhart.
But her intentions didn't matter, only her reaction was enough for him.
"I see," the boy said, as if he'd been convinced of something fascinating. "So according to you, rumors aren't enough to dictate something like someone's ancestry."
"Of course not, Dumbass!" the girl exclaimed.
Lloyd nodded, completely agreeing with her... he'd won.
"Then I suppose Penelope doesn't have to torment herself over rumors either, right?"
"Huh?"
Claire looked at the blond in bewilderment, she'd just realized her mistake.
"No! That's different, sh—"
"How exactly? That Notos isn't her father is also just a rumor, right?"
Claire waved her arms shaking her head, it was the first time she felt nervous in that type of discussion.
"No, this is dif—"
"How exactly?" Lloyd interrupted without letting her finish. "I see both cases the same."
He knew that to win a debate, one only had to dismantle the rival's main argument.
If their main pillar was broken, it didn't matter what other arguments they'd given, they wouldn't hold the weight of the discussion.
"Damn bastard, repugnant brute, repellent brat!" she screamed while stomping the floor with each insult.
Claire had lost her temper, which meant Lloyd's absolute victory.
"Miss Claire, you shouldn't frown like that, you'll get wrinkles," Lloyd finished off, with a peaceful expression and calm voice.
The girl blocked upon hearing those words... she was making a fool of herself.
Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a fish out of water. Her head turned, seeking her retinue with her gaze, but her friends avoided that look.
The blonde gritted her teeth, looking at Lloyd with rage. She couldn't believe that brat had dared to humiliate her like that.
"Tsk, I'm not going to waste time arguing with a useless brat," she finally said, starting to walk toward the exit, followed by her retinue.
"See never," the boy replied, not even looking at her.
He looked at Penelope, she seemed quite surprised.
Someone had stood up to Claire... very easily.
She felt admiration, however, there was something else.
Bewilderment.
She'd insulted the boy before, and he hadn't defended himself.
Why? If he managed to confront Claire, surely he could have humiliated her too.
That's when she "understood" it.
Lloyd... Had fallen in love with her.
His reaction when she spoke to him was strange, he turned red and didn't speak.
She thought it was from anger, but what if it was from embarrassment?
Yes, that was the only logical explanation, if not, why would he defend her like that from Claire?
"Umm, thank you," Penelope said, somewhat nervously.
Lloyd growled, his brow furrowed upon hearing those words. His face turned red.
He didn't respond, instead he turned and started walking toward the door.
Penelope couldn't help but think it was cute that he was embarrassed like that.
Though she was wrong... Very wrong.
Seeing her, Lloyd remembered the words she'd said to him before, and the rage grew inside him again.
It didn't matter if she was pretending or something, for him, it was unacceptable to receive those insults.
He wasn't embarrassed, just trying to slip away to not explode in rage.
"Wait," the girl ran toward him, grabbing him by the shoulder. "I really lo—"
"Shut up! Who do you think you are? Do you really think I did that for you? Of course not! I simply disliked that bitch and wanted to teach her a lesson," the young man replied exalted.
He couldn't hold back anymore.
Penelope's eyes opened wide at Lloyd's reaction.
Was it that embarrassing?
Well, it was normal for him to react like that, after all, she hadn't treated him well.
She just had to apologize.
"I-idiot! I was just thanking you out of politeness, but I hadn't asked for help either," she blurted while crossing her arms.
She wasn't good at managing her feelings either.
"Pfft, say what you want," the boy replied, also crossing his arms.
Penelope couldn't help but feel bad about how she'd reacted.
Would he hate her now?
Thinking that possibility, Penelope felt disappointed at how weak Lloyd's love for her was.
The boy however, felt frustrated. It was frustrating to be in a body whose emotions you couldn't control.
For now, it would be better to get away.
"Huh?" The boy had extended his hand to push the terrace door, however, a transparent wall interposed between him and the door.
The boy's eyebrow arched.
He tried again, but doing so, his fingers collided again with an invisible object. Purple waves spread from inside out from the impact point, like when you throw something into water and it's disturbed.
The boy widened his eyes, trying to find the origin of that, that's when he noticed something.
It was in the door's very texture, going unnoticed like an engraving.
But looking closer, Lloyd could recognize it. It was a magical code.
A barrier.
"What the hell is this doing here?" the boy wondered, while inspecting the door.
He didn't notice how a black extremity emerged from his shadow slowly.
Soon, another arm emerged, along with a head and torso.
That looked like a silhouette, an anthropomorphic shadow.
Whatever it was, it wouldn't be friendly to Lloyd, since upon seeing him, the creature didn't hesitate to extend its arms to grab him.
"Kyaaaa!"
Penelope's scream alerted him, but it was too late. The dark silhouette was already on top of him, catching him with its arms... while dragging him toward the darkness again.