Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine
Chapter 90: F-Father?

Chapter 90: F-Father?

"So... what was your favorite part?" Leo asked with a light chuckle, his eyes moving between them.

He already knew his answer, but he wanted to hear theirs first.

Ophis tilted her head, pretending to think deeply. She tapped her chin dramatically. "I vote for when Raphael screamed so loud, the clown actually apologized," she said, grinning as she scooted closer and sat beside Leo, their shoulders brushing.

Raphael let out a loud groan and playfully shoved her. "No way! That was not even the best part. The best part was... uh... when Ophis tried to win that giant teddy bear and nearly broke the machine!"

Leo laughed. "That was epic. The guy at the booth looked like he saw death."

Raphael turned toward him, her hand casually still resting on his arm, her face glowing with amusement.

"And what about you, Leo?"

He glanced at Ophis’s mischievous grin and Raphael’s bright, genuine smile.

His thoughts threatened to spill out—the truth that this moment, this gondola ride, this laughter, was the happiest he’d felt in years.

So he gave a half-truth.

"Right now, probably."

For a heartbeat, silence blanketed the cabin. The gondola creaked as it began its slow descent, the stars lazily gliding past the glass. Outside, the city shimmered like a dream, but inside... it was calm. Quiet.

Three faces reflected in the glass.

Like a family.

Without a word, Raphael’s fingers slid into Leo’s, intertwining with his naturally, as if her body moved before her mind could think.

She didn’t ask. She just held him.

Ophis looked away, her lips twitching... The light caught the flush on her face.

She reached out and took his other hand.

Leo blinked in surprise, glancing down at their intertwined fingers.

’Are they scared of heights?’ he thought, a little confused. Their hands clutched his like lifelines.

But no.

Neither of them even realized it. Their hands had moved on their own. Their hearts reached out without permission.

Leo smiled gently as their fingers held him tighter, like they didn’t want to let him go.

"!!!"

"!!!"

Raphael and Ophis flinched at the same time, realizing what they’d done.

But neither of them pulled back. They just stared outside, cheeks flushed a soft pink.

They sheepishly grinned like children caught doing something embarrassing but secretly loving it.

Raphael’s lips trembled. She knew this was wrong—very wrong—and yet... she couldn’t stop smiling.

’What the hell is wrong with me?’ she screamed in her mind, but it didn’t stop the butterflies.

And Ophis? All she could hear was the pounding in her ears. Her heart was thundering so loudly, she couldn’t hear anything else.

She gripped his hand tighter.

Nobody said anything. The silence wasn’t awkward—it was full. Full of things they didn’t know how to say yet.

Only the heart beat that echoing in each’s heart.... with unknown emotions and tenderness.

And the hands gripped tightly... unable to let it go.

Too much!!

When the gondola touched the ground, they calmly stepped out. The air outside was cooler, but the warmth stayed with them. They had dinner together, nothing fancy, just comfort food. The kind that fills more than just the stomach.

And then it was time to return home.

As usual, Leo’s expression changed the moment he stepped toward the car. He took a deep breath like a soldier entering the battlefield, tightened his grip on his belt, popped in his mouthguard, and braced for impact.

Raphael noticed and couldn’t stop herself from laughing, even as she pouted. "You’ll survive," she teased.

Finally her nephew returned back to her!

Ophis, without hesitation, climbed onto Leo’s lap. "Let’s go~" she sang, as if she were about to embark on a roller coaster.

She was the only one who actually enjoyed Raphael’s driving.

*****

Screeechhh!

The car skidded to a stop outside their house.

Ophis leapt out of Leo’s lap with a triumphant, "Tada~" while Leo stumbled out with a hand over his chest, his heart thumping.

He would never, ever get used to that kind of ride. Not in this lifetime.

"Okay guys," Raphael announced, "I’ve got night duty today. So I’ll be heading off now."

Her voice carried a strange reluctance. She looked at Leo, and her smile dimmed just slightly.

Leo’s expression softened. ’I guess that’s what it means to be a good doctor,’ he thought, nodding with quiet understanding.

The engine just roared yet didn’t move.

Raphael stared at him for a moment longer. Her fingers clenched around the gearshift, but she didn’t move the car.

Leo noticed her hesitation. Her eyes were asking something... something unspoken.

He wasn’t stupid.

He’d seen that look before—worked with too many women to mistake it now.

’God, I can’t believe... she is my freaking aunt,’ Leo groaned inwardly.

Still, he leaned down toward the window.

Chu~

He kissed her cheek.

Raphael blinked, her breath caught in her throat. She looked dazed.

"W-What’s that for?" she stammered, as if she hadn’t been silently begging for it a second ago.

Leo smiled calmly. "For making me happy. That’s all."

Raphael didn’t respond. She just slammed the accelerator with a face redder than the brake lights. Her glasses fogged up, her heart thudding wildly.

She was panting... Flustered!

"N-No... this is wrong... so wrong... He’s my nephew... get a grip, Raphael!!!"

She screeched past a pole and barely missed it, driving off like she was fleeing the scene of a crime.

Leo stood there, blinking. Then he sighed and walked to the front door.

Ophis was already there, grinning like she knew everything.

"What?" Leo asked while unlocking the door... wait. It was already unlocked?

Had they forgotten to lock it before?

He hesitated, pushing the door open slowly. But before he could step inside, Ophis waltzed past him with a smirk.

"It’s obvious, little boy... trying to seduce your aunt now, are you? Fu~Fu~ so naughty," she teased, stepping in boldly.

Leo’s lip twitched, "I’m not seducing my aunt, you moron."

She laughed, strolling into the living room like she owned the place. "Oh please... I see it all... you not only have two but now hoping for three girlfriends... am I right?~ Haha"

"you’re totally a perv—"

She suddenly froze mid-sentence.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "What? Cat got your tongue?" he asked, stepping in beside her.

But then he stopped too.

Sitting on the couch was a white-haired man—handsome, tall, regal in his stillness—with an expression like carved stone.

He stared at Ophis in silence.

Leo turned to her, confused... until he saw her face.

Her face itched with horror

Her legs trembled.

Her lips parted, but no words came out at first.

Then finally, she whispered—barely audible.

"F-Father?"