Under The Veil of Night

"Be careful, Laura," Kanae warned as she watched her sister got out of the car.

Laura nodded her head. "Don’t worry, Sis. You just have to wait for the news of my victory."

"I know you will win."

Laura stared back at her sister’s warm smile as complicated feeling rose within her heart. If Kanae didn’t walk out of the family on her own, the one in this position would be Kanae for sure. This made her feeling rather troubled because she felt like she was taking her sister’s position.

"Is it fine for me to take this position?"

Kanae nodded her head. "It’s fine. You’re far more suited to be the leader of a big and prestigious family compared with me. Even from before, I already skip the class very often, making our teacher mad."

"Pfft, she can’t handle the naughty you, Sis," Laura laughed as she recalled the days when they had to learn the etiquette of the Nali Family. It was hell for Kanae as she hated to stay in the room to learn about flowers, art, dancing, and so on. While she enjoyed it, Kanae chose the chance to learn how to escape from the mansion over and over again.

Kanae stuck out her tongue. "That’s her fault for forcing me to learn all of that."

"Isn’t it is per our parent’s request?" Laura asked suspiciously.

"I’ll never blame my parents, so I’ll just blame my teacher," Kanae shrugged lightly. "Now, are you ready to face them?"

Laura nodded her head as she stared at her sister with bright expression. "Of course, Sis. I’ll do my best!"

"Be careful. If they force you to do something you don’t want, you can tell me. I’ll not let them off."

"Geez, I’m not a little kid anymore, Sis. This kind of matter is easy to handle now compared with before."

"Alright, I’m just worried about my cute little sister."

Laura giggled. "I’m going now, Sis."

Kanae stood near the gate as she watched her sister got into the big mansion. Even if she didn’t abandon her name, she didn’t want to get into this big hall once again. This was the hall of meeting for the Nali Family and also the place where she lost her right for the inheritance years ago.

She never told Laura about that because she didn’t want her sister to worry so much. However, they have more than the mansion as the inheritance from their parents. In the debate in this place, she lost everything, leaving only a single mansion and a bit of money, which in the end, she had to give up.

’Sorry Laura, I don’t want to attend because it’ll only bring me painful memories.’

Even though she never said it out loud, she was not as strong as she usually put front. There were things that she was unable to do and afraid to do. Facing against blades and betting with her life was something she already got used to, but there were times when she was afraid too. Her current state was the result of thousands of times tempering on the streets.

Still, she didn’t want to meet with the elders again. They left bad tastes in her mouth and made painful memories resurfaced. Those memories of her most desperate moment were something she never wanted to recall ever again. It was something she wished to bury deeper in her heart and forgot at the passing of time.

Inside the big hall, Laura walked in calmly. Contrary to Kanae, she never set up her feet in this place until a few days ago during the first hearing of the Nali Family. This might be a foreign place for her, but she was not afraid to face off the elders of the Nali Family.

"So you come again," Sheila spoke out the moment she saw Laura. This time, she was sitting near the front because she was the contender against Laura in the hearing.

Laura’s gaze hardened when she saw Sheila at the very front. They were going to give speech and debated with each other on the stage today. Towards this alluring and annoying lady, she was not afraid at all.

"Someone from the outside of the Nali Family is not welcomed here."

Sheila sneered. "Your words won’t be able to hurt me anymore. Even if I’m an outsider, I’m more than enough to beat you up, little brat. Do you have the guts to fight against me?"

"Try me," Laura answered in a low tone.

Seeing the two of them were ready to face off against each other, the elders stared at each other.

’Ah youth, the youngsters are too energetic.’

To stop a fight from breaking out, they quickly started the hearing to hear the opinion of the people about these two candidates and their answer towards each of them.

...

"You’re still very young, Lady Laura. Do you think you have the capabilities to be the family head?"

"I may be young, but I have the elders who can help me to understand my role very well. Besides, I already have some experiences from studying overseas, so I can say that I’m not in any way lacking in terms of intelligence."

...

"You’re not part from the direct lineage of the Nali Family, Mrs. Sheila. What makes you think you have what it takes to lead this family?"

"I’m born from outside the lineage of the Nali Family, but I’m married to the Nali Family. This family is already similar to my second family, so I care about this family so much."

...

"What is your vision for the future of this family, Lady Laura and Lady Sheila?"

Laura’s eyebrows shot up. "The Nali Family is always placed at the third or second place among the four big families. We’re not lacking in any way against the others families, so I’m sure that this family can grow to be better. My goal, when I become the family head, is to bring this family to a greater height and aim to be the biggest family in this city!"

The people in the hall were stunned to hear such bold statement from Laura. It was easy to say but hard to achieve. The elders were nodding towards each other. It would be good to have a leader who has high vision for their family rather than someone who would bring it down.

Sheila frowned. "Trying to achieve the first place is nothing but a mere dream. It’s more realistic to aim for collaboration with Aida Family as we have done so far to bring this family into more sectors. They can definitely allow Nali Family to grow even better."

The elders also agreed to her statement. Breaching to other sectors was something that they wanted to do the most.

Laura crossed her arm. "You just want to make a point that you have connection with the Aida Family, don’t you?"

"So what if I am? The Aida Family is a big family, so it’s good that we can make connection with them," Sheila answered back.

The elders were looking towards these two bitterly. They couldn’t stay silent without making remarks to each other. The leading elder, the most capable one, stayed silent for most of the time. However, this time, he tapped the table using his glass.

"We have heard what they say. Now, let’s cast our vote."

The people started to cast their vote as Sheila and Laura shot daggers towards each other. Neither side was willing to back down as the counting continued.