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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Sharing a Room
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While they were together, their minds were miles apart.
Karayan suddenly recalled a woman with pink eyes who had held his hand tightly in the deep darkness.
The day of the massacre. The woman who had helped him.
“We will surely meet again.”
Thinking back now, she was a swindler.
He had never seen her since.
She resembled Lumina in a general sense, but she was much taller and much older.
And yet, he thought of her now, for the simple reason that they looked alike.
Karayan, trying to shake off the memory of the massacre, spoke to Lumina.
“Stop staring and step back. You’ll fall out the window.”
“Am I a child? I won’t fall!”
“You are. What are you, a grown-up? Even adults can fall if they're not careful, so what about a little bean like you?”
“Have you ever seen a bean this big, Karayan?”
“Yes. Right now.”
The bickering pair entered a brief truce when a maid arrived with their meal.
As they ate the well-prepared food, Karayan, who was eating across from her, spoke.
“Legions normally eat ten times what you’re eating now.”
That sounded very familiar.
Where had she heard that before?
As she was trying to remember, Karayan pushed a plate toward her.
“That’s why you’re still a little bean. Eat this, too.”
“Yes! I will.”
Karayan, a Legion himself, was so busy looking after Lumina that he wasn't even eating as much as she was.
Noticing this, Lumina bravely picked up her fork and knife.
***
Meanwhile, Brandon stood before Lucius’s office.
The aura emanating from this place was particularly gloomy compared to everywhere else, making it feel like stepping inside would be a grave mistake.
But Brandon, undaunted and confident, threw the door open and walked in.
“Chief. The rain has stopped.”
“...I know.”
Though the rain had stopped and the sun was shining brightly, the room was dark, the curtains drawn without a single gap.
Brandon stood before Lucius, who was shrouded in darkness, sipping brandy alone.
“What is it? Is it urgent?”
Perhaps because the rain was over, Lucius seemed to be in a good enough state to hold a normal conversation.
Although, the fact that it was Brandon probably had something to do with it.
“I came to talk about the young lady.”
A pause.
Lucius set down the glass he was holding.
He then leaned back, positioning himself to listen to what Brandon had to say.
“Go on.”
“I’ve been watching her closely. The young lady has nothing to do with the Doctor.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“I showed her the Doctor's face, and she showed no sign of recognition. You know how it is. A Legion with such a unique ability would be treasured by the Doctor.”
“...”
“Like me, when I was young.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Lucius gave a small nod.
“Looking at the situation now, we should be more worried about the Doctor finding out about her.”
“...”
“If he finds out about her ability, it’ll be just like six years ago…”
A glance.
Seeing Lucius’s expression, Brandon didn’t bother finishing his sentence.
But even without words, Lucius understood what Brandon was trying to say.
Kidnapping.
The word stirred something inside Lucius.
“The Doctor… that bastard is still alive, so if he learns of Lumina’s ability as you say, he might pull the same crazy stunt as before.”
“...”
“And then I, for the sake of catching him, will do the same.”
The Doctor was a man obsessed with Legions.
So obsessed that six years ago, he had gone so far as to kidnap Lucius’s beloved wife and son.
His wife wasn't even a Legion, just an ordinary human.
She fell into the Doctor’s hands simply because she was with Karayan when he was taken.
Whenever he remembered that time, Lucius felt as if the heart he believed he didn't have was being torn into a thousand pieces.
“Chief.”
“What is it?”
“...Never mind. I’m just sorry for bringing this up after the rain.”
“An overly sentimental remark. It seems you’ve caught some humanity from spending time with Lumina.”
Lucius treated Brandon’s human sentiment like a disease.
Brandon, giving an awkward smile, ultimately couldn't bring himself to mention that he had met the Doctor.
“Also, the two of them performed that vow ceremony with ancient magic last time. I don't know if it worked properly, but Lumina disappeared midway and seemed to have gone to Karayan. Ah. They're both at home now, by the way.”
“Their condition?”
“Karayan is more than fine; he’s bursting with energy. He returned on his own two feet, and the way he was jumping all over the place, he was like a wild horse.”
Brandon shook his head, saying Lucius should have seen it for himself.
Still not satisfied, Lucius, who had been listening in silence, spoke in a casual tone.
“What about Lumina?”
Brandon was slightly surprised.
He wondered why the great Lucius was suddenly concerned about someone who wasn't family.
“Is she alright? It looked like using her ability puts a great strain on her body.”
“Ah. She fainted again. Karayan carried her back, but she's fine now. She even woke up earlier than last time.”
Lucius’s gaze shifted.
To the iris Lumina had given him.
The iris, preserved so it would not wilt, still sat on a corner of his desk.
“Brandon.”
Lucius, who had been listening to the report on Lumina, gave an order without taking his eyes off the flower.
“Summon Olivia.”
He had been drinking for two whole days, yet his mind was perfectly clear.
It was because he was a Legion, with physical abilities superior to those of an ordinary human. One would have believed he’d been drinking juice instead of alcohol.
Some might have envied him for it, thinking he could drink as much as he wanted.
But for him, unable to get drunk even when he wanted to, it was not an entirely good thing.
It meant he couldn't escape his hellish past, not even for a moment.
Lucius, who had never forgotten his wife for a single moment, signaled that it was time to return to his duties.
***
Lumina was currently having a conversation with Karayan on an absurd topic.
“So, this is my room?”
“No. To be precise, it’s your room and my room, Karayan. Our room.”
Lumina said, pointing specifically to Karayan and herself.
They had spent the day without any major issues, but as night fell, they faced a huge problem.
A completely unexpected problem that no one would have suspected.
“Why?”
Why.
It was the most philosophical and profound question a human could ask.
Lumina gave a simple answer she had already repeated an untold number of times, without changing a single word.
“Because we’re married.”
Karayan stared at Lumina, his expression suggesting he had a lot to say.
They were married, but it seemed it hadn't quite sunk in for him yet. Lumina could understand, as she felt the same way.
“What happened to the room I… used to stay in?”
Karayan stumbled over his words, seemingly uncomfortable with calling it ‘my room’.
“According to Olivia, it’s been taken care of.”
“Taken care of?”
“Yes. She said it’s been completely cleared out. It’ll probably be locked even if you run there now.”
“I can just tear the door off.”
Karayan retorted as if it were no problem at all.
This was incomprehensible.
Lumina seriously contemplated whether it was right for her to be called a Legion, just like Karayan.
Their thought processes were on completely different wavelengths.
“So you’re saying you and I have to sleep in the same room, right now. To be precise, in the same bed.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re married.”
The conversation kept repeating in this manner.
“Are you crazy? You don't seem to be in your right mind. No, I already knew that.”
Karayan threw a fit.
Lumina couldn't understand why he was acting this way.
“The bed is huge, so it doesn’t matter. I think ten of me could sleep in it. Besides, we slept together yesterday, too.”
“No, that was…!”
“That was?”
Karayan was at a loss for words.
Finally realizing what Karayan was trying to say, Lumina lowered her head.
“I’m well aware that you dislike me.”
She fidgeted with her fingers.
Talking about this wasn't easy.
“You must. Even if it was just a formality, to suddenly be married to a complete stranger…”
“...”
“It must be awful to even breathe the same air in the same space. So of course you’d hate being told to stay in the same room…”
If Lumina had large, rabbit-like ears, they would have drooped down.
“Still…”
If Karayan refused to share a room, Lucius, who loved his son, would readily agree.
And Lumina would be moved to a smaller room with less sunlight.
After all, she had been assigned this large room on the pretext of sharing it with Karayan.
Lumina, who had been forced to stay in this room by oppressive and dreadful power, was now on the verge of being kicked out.
*This is why you shouldn’t get used to living in a nice place from the start. It just makes you feel regretful.*
That was right.
Lumina was currently worried she would have to kneel to that oppressive, dreadful power and be forced to move to a smaller room.
And so, she was desperately acting to change Karayan’s mind.
“Don’t cry.”
“What? Huh?”
“You can sleep here! So just don’t cry.”
…Should I have squeezed out some tears?
She was seriously contemplating whether she should dab some saliva under her eyes to completely fool the terribly mistaken Karayan.
*Knock, knock—*
Someone knocked on the door.
Isn’t it too late for visitors?
Karayan and Lumina, both bewildered, simultaneously turned their gazes toward the door.
