Rumors quickly spread that Lindsey had fallen from the window. Hearing this, Raysis hurried to Lindsey’s room.

What on earth is that woman thinking?

How could she have fallen from the window?

‘Did she fall on her own?’

The rumor was that Lindsey Kesion had thrown herself out the window. But having seen Lindsey recently, Raysis knew how absurd that rumor was.

‘Lindsey Kesion with those fierce eyes, throwing herself out the window on her own?’

It couldn’t be.

It must have been the work of someone in the family who found Lindsey objectionable.

Despite his resolve not to go see her, Raysis found himself moving the moment he heard the rumor that Lindsey had fallen from the window.

‘It’s because of Father’s order, I have no choice.’

The Marquis of Kesion had just given him an order.

To bring Lindsey Kesion to the family meeting. He was merely following that order.

Gritting his teeth, Raysis opened Lindsey’s door. And then he froze at the sight before him.

Mikhail Dweisi was standing by the bed, looking at the sleeping Lindsey.

Raysis first checked on Lindsey.

Her ankle was swollen. But aside from that, there were no other visible injuries.

He let out an involuntary sigh of relief. Then he turned his attention to Mikhail.

“Brother Mikhail?”

At Raysis’s call, Mikhail turned his gaze. Seeing his face, Raysis froze again. Mikhail looked particularly menacing today.

A face devoid of any emotion.

An aura as if he would destroy anything that came near Lindsey.

This wasn’t like Mikhail.

He had always been an excellent puppet for the Marquis.

Even without showing it on his face, he was clearly angry.

Was Mikhail Dweisi someone who easily showed his emotions?

No, he wasn’t. He was someone who had no interest in anything around him.

‘He surely had no interest in Lindsey Kesion.’

But something had changed about him.

He was someone who wouldn’t care even if someone in the family got hurt.

Yet, Mikhail had brought Lindsey here. Raysis’s gaze moved to Mikhail’s hand holding Lindsey’s swollen ankle.

He saw Mikhail using his power.

Raysis was at a loss for words. Mikhail Dweisi using his power outside the battlefield?

“What on earth happened…?”

Before Raysis could finish his question, Mikhail walked past him. Their eyes met. In that moment, Raysis was certain.

The person who had caused this to Lindsey Kesion would not go unpunished…

Even after Mikhail left without a word, Raysis stood frozen for a long time.

⋆★⋆

‘Did I fall asleep again?’

It seemed she had been quite startled.

Lindsey stared blankly ahead.

Baek Ji-hyuk appeared in her dream again. He was speaking to Han Ji-yoo with a somewhat dissatisfied look on his face.

It was not long after they had been matched.

At first, Baek Ji-hyuk disliked her.

‘To be precise, he didn’t like anyone.’

Baek Ji-hyuk inherently had a prickly personality and a general dislike for people.

He would bristle like a hedgehog around anyone he met for the first time.

Just as she had tried to gain recognition from the Marquis of Kesion, Lindsey worked hard to prove her usefulness to him.

Each time, Baek Ji-hyuk would speak to her as if he couldn’t understand her.

“You’re too reckless. Why don’t you take care of yourself?”

But, if I don’t, people won’t care for me.

“That’s ridiculous. The affection you get that way is meaningless.”

But this is the only way I know. It’s the only way people will love me.

“I never asked you to overdo it. It’s okay to do nothing when it’s tough.”

In this place, I can’t afford to do nothing.

“When you’re in pain, you can take a break.”

……

“When you’re hurt, be honest about it.”

Lindsey realized once more why she wanted to return to Korea.

There, she had people who told her it was okay to do nothing.

She could stop when things were hard, and she didn’t have to prove her worth to be seen for who she was.

A small tear rolled down her cheek.

“Ugh…”

Lindsey couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped her lips.

She cried, covering her eyes with her hands, unable to contain the overwhelming sadness.

I miss them.

It was painful how much she missed them.

“I want to go back…”

She didn’t want to wake up from this dream.

She wanted to see more of Korea. But, as always.

Her wishes never came true.

⋆★⋆

Lindsey opened her eyes.

‘How pitiful.’

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Worse than that… was the fact that Raysis was watching her.

Why on earth is he in my room?

Lindsey covered her eyes. Raysis just stood there, watching her without saying a word.

His awkward, stiff posture looked completely out of place.

“Why are you crying?”

It was a typical Raysis question. Lindsey didn’t answer him.

“Why are you here again?”

“Father ordered me to bring you to the family meeting.”

Lindsey looked at him quizzically. There was something strange in Raysis’s eyes.

It was as if he had seen something shocking. The perpetual smile he wore like a mask was gone.

Lindsey found it odd that Raysis had come to see her.

When Klein said to bring her to the family meeting, he likely meant to send a servant to summon her.

But she quickly dismissed the thought.

‘Another whim, I suppose.’

She knew well how capricious transcendent beings could be.

Just as he had been whimsical towards her when she was a child, he was being whimsical now.

‘Maybe he suddenly wants to be friendly after receiving the guiding…’

She had endured too much to be hurt by every whim. It was an easy thing for them.

They could change their attitude towards her as easily as flipping a hand.

Raysis’s next words only irritated her more.

“Is it wrong for family to visit?”

Family?

Lindsey let out a hollow laugh.

To make that word fit, they’d need to go back at least ten years.

She didn’t like how easily the word ‘family’ came out of his mouth.

“Family. Family, you say… you and I?”

Even in Han Ji-yoo’s life, she didn’t really have a family, so she didn’t know what it truly meant.

But she knew she couldn’t call the person in front of her family.

‘How can someone who ignored me when I needed them most be considered family?’

Raysis stepped closer to Lindsey. She saw him staring intently at her ankle.

Lindsey glared at him as if asking what he was going to do.

“As long as your name is Lindsey Kesion, you are family.”

Raysis adjusted his glasses.

Lindsey was dumbfounded. As long as her name was Lindsey Kesion, she was family?

She clutched her blanket.

Being recognized as family was something extremely difficult for her.

But Raysis spoke about it as if it were nothing. With a face as cold as ice, he opened his mouth again.

“What’s your relationship with Kenyan Radian?”

Lindsey’s face twisted in anger.

What nonsense is this guy talking about?

She looked at Raysis as if he were a madman. He must have lost his mind somewhere.

Otherwise, how could he spout such nonsense?

“What relationship?”

“Yeah. There are rumors all over the mansion that you were embracing Kenyan. Your fiancé is Azet, after all.”

“Whether I was hugging Kenyan Radian, kissing him, or spending private time with him…”

“……”

“What does it matter to you?”

Raysis’s eyes had a vacant look. Lindsey glared at him in disgust.

“I’m assigning you a guard.”

“What?”

“I said I’m assigning you a guard. There are too many strange bugs around for me to leave you unprotected.”

Lindsey bit back the retort that he was no different from those bugs. She decided it wasn’t worth the effort to argue with someone who couldn’t understand her.

She would have preferred to go to the meeting alone without his escort, but that was impossible.

She had never attended a family meeting before because of her dirty blood.

So she didn’t even know where the meeting was being held.

“Stop talking nonsense and just guide me to the meeting room.”

At Lindsey’s words, Raysis extended his hand.

“Your ankle is injured, isn’t it? Just in case, I’ll support you.”

How laughable.

Pretending to be kind.

Lindsey roughly pushed his hand away.