Love Is The Most Twisted Curse | Suguru Geto

Chapter 32: The Dragon's Daughter

A restless storm brewed within Suguru's chest, his patience fraying like an old tapestry as he turned to face Izane.

"What!? She went alone?"

His voice, sharp as shattered glass, echoed through the dimly lit room. Of course, she had gone alone. She always did. There was a fire in her—wild, unyielding—a burning need to prove herself to him. And who was he to extinguish it? Yet, that knowledge did little to soothe the gnawing dread in his gut. Suguru exhaled sharply, pressing his fingers against his temples. The girls had grown, blooming from fragile children into fierce teenagers, and with that transformation came an inevitability he despised—he could no longer shield them as he once had.

Izane bowed his head slightly, a quiet apology slipping from his lips. "Forgive me, Getou-sama. I did all I could to stop her, but she would not listen. Mimiko-chan is in class, and Nanako-chan… well, you know her. She couldn’t bear to wait. Impatience has always been her greatest folly."

Suguru sighed, weary, his heart heavy with the weight of responsibility. Yes, he knew. He knew all too well. Nanako was a storm, unpredictable and reckless, a force of nature refusing to be tamed. Unlike her sister, she was ruled by impulse, her hunger for battle eclipsing reason. At least Mimiko listened. At least one of them still heeded his words.

Izane hesitated before speaking again, his voice careful. "Should I contact Zenin-san? She may be nearby."

"No." Suguru’s answer was immediate, unwavering. He rose from his chair with purpose. "Cancel my meetings."

"But, sir, you have an appointment with Azai-san."

Azai. That name twisted something bitter in Suguru’s chest.

"To hell with Azai," he muttered, already striding toward the door.

Business and strategy meant nothing when his daughter was in danger. Let the world wait. Let his empire crumble if it must. There was only one priority now.

As he stepped into the car, a different name—one unspoken, one forbidden—whispered through his mind like a ghost of the past. Sayuri.

Seven years. Seven long, relentless years since he had last seen her. And yet, each morning, before the sun even kissed the horizon, she was the first thought to haunt him. Sayuri Azai—the woman who had betrayed him. The woman he still could not free himself from. Not even time, not even the vast chasm of war and ideology that separated them, could sever the invisible thread binding his heart to hers.

His work had flourished in her absence. The organization had grown stronger, his followers multiplying, his ambitions edging closer to reality. Her father, ever the tactician, had lent him wisdom, shaping strategies with a mind as sharp as a blade. And though Suguru could acknowledge the man’s intellect, trust was a luxury he could not afford. The girls—his girls—had transformed into formidable warriors under his guidance. He had built a kingdom of his own, a sanctuary for those who shared his vision. By all means, he should have been satisfied.

So why did it feel like something within him was hollow, withering, starving?

Because the one thing that could ever fill that emptiness stood across the battlefield, wielding a blade of betrayal and wearing the face of the only woman he had ever loved.

Suguru closed his eyes, letting the memory unfold like an old, cherished letter—worn edges, faded ink, yet still holding the power to undo him.

The aquarium. Her laughter, soft and golden, like sunlight dancing on water. The delicate mole on her cheek, the warmth of her hands cradling his face. A moment stolen from time, untouched by the bitterness that followed.