anwhile, back at the manor, Luis had already returned to his own room.
The room was quiet.
And this silence made him uncomfortable.
He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Normally, Alicia would be beside him at this hour.
Sotis she would be reading quietly or training, while he worked on his research. Other tis, she would simply sit near him, silently enjoying the peaceful mont together.
But tonight the bed felt strangely empty.
Luis turned slightly and stared at the vacant space beside him.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
’Have I really gotten this used to her already?’
It hadn’t been very long since he arrived in this world.
Yet sohow, in such a short ti, everything around him had changed.
Alicia had changed the most.
The Alicia he had first t had been cold and distant. Her eyes were always filled with restrained anger, as if her entire life seed to revolve around one thing: revenge.
But now she had begun discovering other things in life.
She had started learning to cook.
That alone would have been unimaginable before.
The old Alicia would have never wasted ti on sothing like that. She would have devoted every waking mont to becoming stronger.
Luis closed his eyes briefly.
’Not just her... I’ve changed too.’
Before he ca into this world, his life had been simple.
Or perhaps empty would be a more accurate word.
But now...
He had goals.
He had sothing to work toward.
A beautiful lover.
A loving family.
Friends like Ben, Bonnie, Cobert, Sufi, Thomas, and Rura.
(A.N: Cobert probably doesn’t share the sa thought.)
Soon, he would even have a ntor.
Everything he had once quietly wished for was now within his reach.
And yet—
His chest tightened slightly.
His heart was never truly at peace.
Because deep down, he knew the cruel truth that no one else did.
He didn’t deserve any of it.
All of this...
The family. Love. Friendships.
None of it belonged to him.
It should have belonged to the original Luis.
The boy who had died. The true heir of the Suarez family. A genius with the rare Lightning Elent. The true fiancé of Alicia and the real son of Ronald Suarez and Lumine Suarez.
Luis slowly covered his eyes with his arm.
’I’m just a thief.’
A thief who had stolen soone else’s body and life.
An imposter wearing another person’s na.
Even though he had lived in this identity for so ti now, the fear had never disappeared.
For every single day. He has been constantly afraid.
Afraid that one day the truth would be discovered.
Afraid that everyone would realise who he really was.
Because he knew the truth better than anyone else.
He wasn’t Luis Suarez.
He was Ethan.
Just an ordinary cancer patient who died in a hospital bed.
A man from another world who had taken over soone else’s body.
As these thoughts of guilt swirled inside his mind, Luis tried to push them away.
He tried to distract himself.
But tonight the thoughts refused to leave.
They lingered stubbornly in his mind, whispering doubts and fears.
In the end, Luis let out a quiet breath and raised his hand.
A faint blue glow flickered around his fingers.
"Hypnosis."
The spell gently influenced his mind, forcing his thoughts to slow and quiet down.
Soon, his consciousness drifted away into sleep.
Even then, his expression remained tense.
And from the corner of his closed eyes, a few silent tears slipped down onto the pillow.
It seed that even in his dreams, the fear never truly left him.
---
At the sa ti, Lumine’s bedroom was filled with a completely different atmosphere.
The room echoed with bright laughter.
"Did that seriously happen? Hahahaha!"
Lumine laughed so hard that she nearly rolled across the bed.
Her dignified image as a noble lady had completely vanished at this mont.
Alicia sat beside her, looking half amused and half helpless.
"Mom," she said, shaking her head slightly, "don’t you already know these things? You should understand Luis better than I do."
The mont those words left her mouth, Lumine’s laughter abruptly stopped.
The room grew quiet.
Lumine stared at Alicia for a mont, then glanced up toward the ceiling as if thinking about sothing.
Her expression slowly beca thoughtful.
"...I used to think the sa," she said softly. "But I was wrong."
Alicia blinked in confusion. "What do you an?"
Lumine hesitated before continuing.
"He has changed... Alicia."
Alicia frowned slightly. "Is it because of ?"
"...Maybe," Lumine replied slowly.
"I’m not sure."
A small crease appeared between her brows.
"It’s strange."
She looked at Alicia again.
"He’s still the sa Luis... but sotis he feels like a completely different person to ."
Her voice carried genuine confusion.
"Familiar... yet unfamiliar."
"I can’t really explain it."
Alicia stared at her for a mont, clearly puzzled.
"But Luis is still Luis," she said.
"Why would you feel that way, Mom?"
Then she asked curiously,
"When did you start having these thoughts?"
Lumine thought for a mont.
"...Around the ti he was assassinated in Lurandel City."
Alicia considered after so thought. "Maybe the near-death experience changed sothing inside him."
Lumine nodded slowly. "I’ve thought the sa."
Then, suddenly, her expression brightened mischievously.
"Or maybe..."
She leaned closer to Alicia.
"...he just fell in love."
Alicia blinked.
Lumine’s smile widened.
"True love can change people."
She nudged Alicia teasingly.
"Is that it, Alicia? Were you the culprit all along?"
Alicia’s face instantly turned crimson. "Mom! Stop saying nonsense!"
"Is it nonsense?" Lumine said with a playful grin.
"You kissed him, rember."
"Mom!"
Alicia covered her face in embarrassnt while frantically waving her hands.
Lumine burst into laughter again.
"Hahaha!"
The room once again filled with warmth and laughter.
For now, Lumine had pushed aside those strange thoughts.
But sowhere deep within her heart, the question remained.
And one day, when the truth finally ca to light...
Those buried doubts would return—stronger than ever.
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