The Villain Who Stole Hearts-Chapter 97: Pushing Sierra to her limits, bit by bit.

Thud, thud, thud...

Just as Kai left, the sound of footsteps echoed from the second floor.

Sierra was slowly making her way down, dressed in a floor-length, pastel pink-and-white cosplay gown. She moved with hesitation, her steps uncertain. Her hair was tied up on both sides, subtly emphasizing her already delicate face, giving her a touch of sweetness.

From Veil’s angle on the sofa, he could only see her profile—but even that was enough. Her slender waist stood out distinctly, and in that outfit tailored with a snug fit around the midsection, it looked like it had been custom-made just for her.

Lower down, her legs were wrapped in opaque white stockings. Though the fabric concealed her skin, the long dress trailing behind only made her legs look even longer and more graceful.

Sierra had always had a great figure. Her legs were long and straight, the kind you’d expect from an anime heroine. And with those darker-toned white stockings, it was like a perfect recreation.

Especially with the delicate silver patterns tracing over the stockings—they added a subtle yet alluring charm.

Her dainty feet were tucked into silver-white pointed heels, almost begging to be cradled in someone’s hands and toyed with.

Tsk.

Veil eyed Sierra as she approached and couldn’t help raising a brow in appreciation.

"Not bad," he commented casually.

Sierra’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.

"Not bad? This isn’t what anyone would call proper clothing!"

She felt practically bare from the waist up. The short sleeves were the only part that had any real fabric to them, and even they were divided into segments, decorated with pink armbands. The gown itself was held together by white laces tied in a bow at her neck, and most of her shoulders and upper chest were only covered by sheer, transparent material.

Proper clothing? If she walked out in this, people on the street would stare at her like she was part of a zoo exhibit.

Veil crossed one leg over the other and chuckled coldly.

"If you don’t want to wear it, you’re welcome to turn around and leave."

As he took in her appearance, he had to admit—now that she was in something more visually appealing, she no longer seemed so dull. In fact, he found himself quite intrigued.

When she first arrived, she was wrapped up so tightly you couldn’t tell she was even female. But now, in this getup, her curves were impossible to ignore.

Sierra crossed her arms over her chest, looking wary as she stared at him from across the room. The way he looked at her—it was shameless! Couldn’t he at least be a little more subtle?

But despite how uncomfortable she felt, she’d already changed into the outfit. There was no turning back. She lowered her head, forcing herself to suppress her anger.

"Mr. Lancaster... This is my first time wearing anything like this. I’m not really used to it. Please don’t take it the wrong way. I’ve done what you asked. About my father..."

Veil yawned and lazily waved her over.

As soon as Sierra stepped closer, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. Her long, sleek ponytail brushed against his nose, playfully swaying with her movements.

That light, fresh fragrance—it was intoxicating.

"I haven’t seen any sincerity from you yet," Veil murmured like a predator, smiling playfully as he looked down at the clearly shaken girl in his arms.

Sierra stiffened like a startled bunny, shrinking into herself. She wanted to pull away, but fear of angering him—and what that might mean for her father’s position in the Davenport Group—kept her frozen. All she could do was swallow her humiliation and let him hold her.

Her eyes were rimmed red, cheeks flushed deeply. When Veil reached out to touch her, her skin was so warm it was almost feverish.

"This accessory," Veil said, lightly playing with the ornament in her hair. "I don’t remember telling you it goes with the outfit. You really are the Davenport heiress—sharp eye. Even on your first try, you pulled it off perfectly."

He didn’t do much else—just toyed with the decorations in her hair, tapping here and poking there—until finally, his attention settled on the pair of bunny ears atop her head. Leaning in close, he whispered against her ear, his breath hot:

"Do you know what you are right now?"

"I... I don’t know," she replied, biting her lip, trembling, her shoulders practically touching her ears.

In this world, there were some outfits not even anime had introduced yet—let alone the original source material. This particular costume? Veil had it custom-made based on a memory buried deep in his mind.

It made sense she didn’t recognize it.

Veil tugged lightly on the bunny ears and helpfully prompted,

"What kind of animal has ears like these?"

"A... rabbit," Sierra murmured, bashfully.

Veil’s smile remained soft, almost gentle, as he said,

"From now on, remember—your identity is a rabbit. My rabbit. And only mine."

He leaned back slightly, still holding her, and added,

"Now, I happen to be short on a housekeeper at the moment. If you really want me to consider your request, then stay here and work for it. Show me how sincere you really are."

Alice had promised to take the orphanage kids on a short trip and would be away for a few days.

Which gave Sierra the perfect window to prove herself.

Veil played with the bunny ears a little more and then said with a meaningful smirk,

"If you behave well and manage to satisfy me... I might even consider granting your wish."

...

"I absolutely hate carrots!"

Sierra frowned, her face full of resistance.

No surprise there—she had all the typical temperaments of a spoiled heiress, and being a picky eater was one of them.

When it came to carrots, she was especially stubborn. If a dish had even a hint of them, she wouldn’t so much as touch it with her chopsticks.

"Being a picky eater is a bad habit, you know."

Veil sighed with exaggerated seriousness, his gaze sweeping briefly over Sierra’s chest.

"With that tiny frame of yours, and such underdeveloped pectoral muscles... If I gave you a light punch, you’d probably cry for days. You should eat more carrots—they’re full of vitamin C. Great for muscle growth. Especially right here."

As he spoke, his hand casually slipped down and gave her rear a quick squeeze—his fingers pressing in with calculated nonchalance.

Sierra practically jumped in place, her voice flustered and panicked.

"I-I’ll go get you some water!"

And with that, she bolted from Veil’s clutches like a frightened bunny.

Veil watched her retreat, her long dress trailing behind, the pair of bunny ears bouncing with every step. The corner of his lips curled into a devilish grin.

Sierra soon returned from the kitchen, carefully handing him a glass of water.

"I noticed there’s still some dust in the kitchen. I’ll go clean it up," she said quickly.

Then she turned and walked off again, clearly in a rush to avoid being alone with him any longer.

Trying to create distance?

Veil looked at the cunning little move with a smirk tugging at his lips, full of scornful amusement.

Trying to play games with him?

She was still far too naive.

He wasn’t like those idiotic "sons of fate" who clearly desired a woman to their bones but still pretended to be noble and dignified on the surface.

That’s not how you fish.

If they went by the pace of the original novel, for f**k’s sake, even after ten thousand Chapters, the lotus petals would’ve withered and died, and the relationship still wouldn’t have progressed an inch.

But Veil was different. He planned to move step by step, laying the groundwork, testing Sierra’s boundaries little by little.

Until the moment she finally took the bait—

And when that time came, no matter how loud she screamed...

He’d only get more excited.

And more unrestrained.

...

Two days flew by in the blink of an eye.

After idling the entire day away at Veyport University, Veil only returned home after giving Carlin her acupuncture session.

A light aroma of food drifted from the kitchen.

Sierra was still wearing her cosplay outfit, but this time she had tied on an apron. She had already laid out dinner on the table—four meat dishes, four vegetables, and two soups.

Seeing Veil sitting at the table, expressionless and clearly not in a good mood, Sierra immediately felt a bad premonition rising in her chest.

"What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong again?"

These dishes weren’t even made by her. She had specifically hired a chef from a high-end restaurant, brought the food back, reheated everything, and ensured the flavors were top-notch.

"You still haven’t figured out your role yet, have you?"

Veil narrowed his eyes, his voice low and dangerous.

"Who was that strange guy you were with at noon? Even the police showed up—what the hell happened?"

He looked at her like a jealous boyfriend who had just caught his girl messing around behind his back.

Never mind that when he’d witnessed that little scene, he was the one pushing Carlin’s wheelchair, chatting and laughing alongside the stunningly beautiful Professor Lyra.

But none of that stopped Veil from pressing his advantage.

He was more than entitled to.

Sierra took a deep breath, her expression full of bitterness as she explained, "You’ve misunderstood. That guy is the so-called young medical genius my father mentioned before—Caden Voss. He’s also one of our classmates. But something happened a while ago and he got himself locked up in a detention center. He was just released today.

The school called him into the admin office for questioning, and for some reason, he ended up involved with the Dean of Discipline. Then he somehow messed up the guy’s... um, certain body part while treating him."

She was telling the truth.

Sierra genuinely hadn’t expected Caden Voss to be such a magnet for disaster. He’d barely gotten out of the detention center, and in no time, he’d stirred up trouble again—this time with a school authority.

Now he was right back where he started.

Veil let out a cold snort. "I don’t care who Caden Voss is or what ties he has with the Davenport family. What you need to remember is that ever since two days ago, you’ve been my little bunny. Mine alone. No one else gets to take you away. Got it?"

This was nothing more than Veil deliberately picking a fight.

Did he not know what had happened with Caden Voss? Of course he did.

It was the same old cliché: making a flashy entrance, getting slapped in the face by reality, only to bounce back stronger.

The guy had probably walked into the Dean’s office to report his detention issue, only to catch the Dean doing something R-rated. The Dean retaliated by giving him a hard time. Caden then somehow diagnosed the Dean with an issue in that department—the type where you can’t even stand up properly.

Naturally, Caden offered to treat him.

The original storyline was supposed to go like this: after curing the Dean, Caden earns his eternal gratitude and gains a powerful protector inside Veyport University.

But unfortunately for him, Veil had already moved ahead of schedule. Blood Mandala had long since slipped drugs to most of the supporting characters.

Oliver was one.

The Dean of Discipline was another.

Was the Dean the real victim here?

Not quite.

The real pity was Caden Voss himself.

The so-called "Child of Fate" from the original story now probably couldn’t help but question everything he ever learned about medicine.

Why did things always go wrong when he tried to help people?

Why did he never even get the chance to fix things in private?

And why the hell did people keep calling the cops?!

He hadn’t even been in Veyport City for long, yet he’d already spent more time in lock-up than out of it.

He was probably on a first-name basis with the guards by now.

"I understand," Sierra said softly. "I’ve already done all I could for Caden Voss. I helped him where I could, but if he can’t pull himself together, there’s nothing more I can do. From now on, I’ll keep my distance."

She carefully scooped a bowl of soup, walked over to Veil, and sat on his lap. Lifting a spoonful of soup, she blew on it gently, testing the temperature with her lips before bringing it to his mouth.

Once Veil finished the bowl, Sierra set it aside. Her cheeks flushed, she leaned forward and gently kissed the soup-stained corners of his lips, softly pecking several times before finally wiping his mouth clean.

It had been less than two days, and yet Sierra was no longer so resistant to these intimate gestures. In fact, there was a subtle sense of relief in her heart.

Not because she secretly enjoyed them, but because she had come to understand Veil’s personality through and through.

Give him a little benefit, and he’d stop pushing his luck.

Otherwise, who knows when he’d start lecturing her again about how bunny girls should eat their carrots?

So, a few kisses? Getting held for a bit?

Way better than being force-fed carrots!

What Sierra didn’t realize, however, was that little by little, without even noticing...

She had already begun lowering her boundaries.