Villain: The Play of Destiny

"Can you stop laughing?" Amelia narrowed her eyes at him and sternly asked.

"No!" He simply shook his head before chuckling at what was unfolding before his eyes.

Amelia was looking quite agitated with stains of flour on her face, arms, and on the apron she was wearing. Her hands were covered in a gooey substance, which was the worst shape a dough could be in. And the uneasiness in her voice was a clear sign of her being clueless about how her dough turned out like this.

Venessa was trying her best to hold back her giggles, but the playfulness in her eyes betrayed her serious front.

"It's okay." She comforted her daughter-in-law, who had apparently never worked in kitchen before much less tried her hands at cooking. "The water must be added little by little. It is in this shape because you poured it all at once." She picked up some more flour from the bag and then took over Amelia's job. "However, this is nothing to worry about." She patiently showed her how to knead the dough.

Keith was really enjoying his time watching Amelia trying her best to learn how to cook. It brought some solace to his aggrieved heart after losing more than a dozen games of chess at her hands earlier in the morning.

However, he refrained from passing any comment and just kept chuckling every time confusion dawned on her face. It was simply too priceless and he did not want to miss out on such an opportunity to get on her nerves.

Amelia Mourntale, the sacred Architect, inheritor of the Runic Monarch Profound Veins, someone destined to rule over others, was a simpleton when it came to working in the kitchen.

"Don't just sit around." Venessa suddenly called him out. "I am helping your bride now, so take over the counter and chop up the veggies." She seriously said. "They won't help you out." And she added when he was about to ask a maid to do the job.

"Okay, Mother." He sighed and stood up, depressedly walking up to the counter.

It was not that he hated cooking or helping her out, but right now, he just wanted to enjoy watching the miserable state of his beautiful bride.

His hands moved out of instict, masterfully chopping up the veggies, showcasing his familiarity and skill. It was by no means perfect, but it was good enough.

Keith glanced at Amelia, hoping to see her grow more agitated after seeing his skill, but she was now wearing a light smile as she helped Venessa make noddles out of an already prepared dough. And from time to time, she stole glances at him, curious, but not really bothered at his skill in cooking.

"Done!" He announced as soon as he finished preparing the veggies and hurriedly took off his apron, planning to escape from the kitchen.

"Not so fast, Young man." Venessa did not even need to look over, already knowing what he was up to. "Prepare the meatballs and the soup now."

The maids giggled at seeing his dejected look, and fondly watched him obediently doing what his mother asked him to do.

It was now Amelia's turn to poke fun at him, and she threw proactive glances at him from time to time, earning playful glares in return.

The family of three stayed in the kitchen for more than an hour before everything was prepared, and then the maids who had been watching, stepped forward and took charge of everything, assembling the food for the lunch.

As the two of them walked down the hallway towards their room, Amelia received a call from the Sales team, giving her a good news.

"All of the 96 Standard Units have been sold. And 24 Studios as well." She smiled and informed him after ending the call. "We have secured funds of 180 Million Neris, and that should comfortably cover all the main costs of construction for this project."

"So, Mom was right." He chuckled and shook his head.

They were expecting that it would, at least, take a week to sell all the Standard Units, but only a day after the Christmas, they were all sold.

Now, there were 48 Studios, 36 Luxury Apartments, and 4 Penthouses left. And that was where their profit would be coming in from.

Keith knew that his mother had a hand behind it. The Demiliore Media was keen on promoting his project, and that was the real reason why they managed to accumulate funds to cover up the Build Cost, saving them from acquiring any loans.

However, it was all good. Everyone who bought the apartments with the intentions of selling them later on would only make a profit. The face of the project was in no danger as there was no loss in the investment.

"Do you think we should already start on the construction?" She asked him.

Originally, they planned on starting the construction in the second week of January. But now that they had acquired all the needed funds, they could start on it now.

"Go for it." Keith nodded his head.

There was simply no reason to not start on the construction right away. In fact, it was quite favorable to them as it would give no time for negative news to circulate in the city.

Amelia straightaway made the call to their company's Civil Engineers, who were in charge of this project, and instructed them to start construction tomorrow.

Keith smiled when he saw a content smile on her lips. It was her first project, and she was undeniably happy about it even if she was not showing any excitement.

"The guards of the Estate have informed me about the presence of a herd of deers in the forest. They come here every year when it starts to snow and stay for a couple of months." He informed her. "I will take you out to see them right after lunch."

Amelia simply nodded her head to his words.

"When will we be back?"

"Who knows." He simply shrugged and smiled at her. "Don't worry. We will be here before dinner with your family."

"I am not worried. It would just not reflect well if I am not there to receive them." She told him as she opened the door to their room.

"No one's going to mind our absence." He chuckled and planted a kiss on her cheek before heading inside the dressingroom.

Everyone was already waiting for them at the table when he arrived after freshening up and dressing up for their later trek.

"I heard you made the soup yourself?" Diana happily smiled at him as soon as they took their seats.

"Yes!" He nodded his head and then helped her pour some. "Try it."

His Grandmother curiously tasted it, and then nodded to herself.

"Tastes good." She said. "It's better than the last one you served me."

"That was years ago!" Keith embarrassedly retorted, knowing well that the soup she was talking about was not good at all.

And much to his irritation, his Grandmother proceeded to tell Amelia all about the incident.

"Are you two headed out?" The old woman asked after the two of them finished their meal before the rest.

"We are going into the forest. The deers are here." Keith told her. "Want to come along?"

"You did not bother asking me before, young man. Go now, I don't want to intrude in your privacy." She complained but then gently smiled at them.

"We will see you at the dinner!" He grabbed Amelia's hand and then waved at his family before leading her away.

The security in the Estate was quite high since his Grandmother was here. There were Military Vehicles and Personnel, members of the Secret Services that made up her gaurd, and then the usual Demiliore Security which was on alert since guests would be arriving in the evening.

No one really bothered the two of them, but the Estate seemed quite crowded today. And it took them more than an hour before they made it into the forest.

The ground was covered in a six-inch deep snow, but occasional patches of grass could be found under the shade of the trees.

The routes were well-marked, and Keith was very much familiar with the surroundings, leading her right where the herd of deers was supposed to be at.

However, he deliberately kept a slow place, giving her time to look around and appreciate the silence and peace together with the beauty of the place.

Whilst her focus was on the surroundings, his focus was all on her. He was marveling at her beauty and enjoyed the delight on her face as she looked around, taking everything in.

He also informed her of the various species of tress and wild fruits bearing on them. And helped her taste some that were safe to be consumed.

"Look..." Amelia suddenly whispered when Keith was about to pluck a wild berry off a shrub, subtly pointing in a direction she was looking in.

Keith was surprised to find what it was, but then brightly smiled.

"That's Valka." He informed her about the name of the spotted Big Cat that was crouching on a rock, looking in their direction, hiding her beautiful cubs behind her. "She's an Amur Leopard, three and half years old. Amur Leopards comes here down the mountains in winters to find prey. And this should be her first litter."

"She's beautiful!" Amelia couldn't help but say as she looked at the majestic beast.

She had never before seen a wild cat other than in the pictures, except for Milo, and of all the Leopards she had seen in those pictures, none was as majestic as this beautiful beast even if it was not too big in size.

"Let's not disturb her." Keith nodded to her and suggested, taking her hand and quietly leading her away from the place.

For normal people, it would be quite dangerous to come across such an animal in the wild, but the animals in this forest were quite used to the presence of humans. At other times, he usually came with Yingying and a few guards, but now neither he nor Amelia needed any guards in this place. A leopard was no danger to them.

The two of them traveled deeper into the forest, and then when they caught a glimpse of a deer right near a clearing, Keith channeled his Aura, calling forth his God Ring, and then under the curious eyes of Amelia, a black flame of darkness engulfed their feet.

She was shocked when she found out that their steps no longer made any sound. And then under his lead, they managed to get near the deers undetected before settling against an oak tree and looking at them.

A while later, a few deers caught their presence, but after initial hesitation, they returned back to grazing on the patches of the grass.

"Place these berries on the ground." Keith handed her a pouch filled with berries that he had earlier collected, and Amelia did as asked.

After they placed the berries of the ground, the two of them sat on top a rock, waiting for the deer to come near them.

It took nearly an hour before a kid took the bait and approched them apprehensively.

The surrounding deers stopped eating and looked in their direction, and after watching the little kid eat the berries happily, a few more approached them.

"These are spotted deers called Agnolian Sika Deers, and are native to this region." Keith informed her in a low voice and then took the glove off his hand before taking a few berries in it and drawing it forward.

Amelia followed his lead and did the same, patiently waiting to feed the deer by hand, and they did not have to wait long.

She brightly smiled when a kid deer approached her and started muching on the berries in her hand, and when it tickled, she subconsciously let out a giggle that startled the deer to pounce away.

Keith tried his best to hold back his laugh when a dejected look adorned her beautiful face, but soon she was smiling again when she grabbed some more berries and offered them in her hand to another deer.

They spent quite some time around the animals, and when the herd of deers left the place as soon as the sky dimmed down. They too decided that it was time to return to the Manor.

"Had fun?" He asked as he softly squeezed her hand.

"Yes!" She nodded her head, not hiding her feelings. "I hope we can do this again."

"Of course!" He smiled and pecked a kiss on her cheek, adorning them in a beautiful blush.

"Thank you!" And much to his surprise, she took the initiative to kiss him back on his cheek, leaving a lingering warmth of her lips there.