With everything settled, Lucian stood up.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"I hope that in the next year," he said, "you’ll make sure Lana is completely cut off from those people."
Axel nodded.
Lucian smiled, satisfied.
Lana, completely unaware of the undercurrents surrounding Lucian, continued living her days as usual, dedicating herself to cultivation and trying to catch up with her studies.
That night, when she returned to the mansion, sothing imdiately felt off.
The mont she stepped into the dining hall, she froze.
The entire dining table was laid out... no, not just laid out, but lavishly prepared... with countless dishes arranged neatly across its surface.
It was as if...
’No... don’t think negatively.’ For a mont Lana almost thought that Lucian wanted to kick her out.
Candlelight flickered softly, casting a celebratory glow over the room. It looked less like a casual dinner and more like a grand feast.
Lana couldn’t help but turn to Lucy.
"What’s going on?" she asked, confusion flickering across her face.
Lucy hesitated for a brief mont before answering, her voice gentle.
"Mr. Lucian is going abroad for a year," she said.
"He has so matters to deal with there, and during that ti, he won’t be able to stay in contact with the mansion. So he decided to hold a farewell dinner in advance."
Hearing those words, Lana felt as if soone had struck her chest.
Her mind went blank for a mont. Lucy glanced at her, a trace of pity flashing in her eyes before she masked it with a polite smile.
"Mr. Lucian also ntioned that he wanted to talk to you about sothing," she added softly. "You should go and see him... one last ti."
Lana clenched her fist. After a brief pause, she nodded. But instead of heading straight for Lucian’s room, she turned toward her own.
Once inside, she closed the door and leaned against it, exhaling slowly.
Then she walked to her drawer and took out the item she had carefully prepared.
In truth, it wasn’t only her birthday that had recently passed.
Lucian’s birthday was coming up as well... just a month away.
Since he wouldn’t be here by then, she had decided to give him the gift early.
When Mr. Crow noticed it, he imdiately grew jealous.
"Why does Lucian get a gift and I don’t?" he complained, crossing his arms.
Lana chuckled.
"If you had told about your birthday," she teased, "I would have prepared sothing nice for you too."
Mr. Crow straightened instantly.
"My birthday is the sa day as Lucian’s."
At first, Lana thought he was joking. But when she saw the seriousness on his face, she froze.
"How can that be?" she muttered, genuinely stunned. "Such a coincidence..."
In truth, Mr. Crow wasn’t joking at all.
He had even once suspected that Lucian had deliberately moved his birthday celebration to coincide with his, just so Lana’s attention would be entirely on Lucian.
When Lana heard that, she smiled and said firmly that if that were the case, then she would celebrate Mr. Crow’s birthday in an even grander manner.
Mr. Crow grinned, feeling pleased with her words.
"You really know how to deal with people," he muttered.
Soon after, the two of them walked toward Lucian’s room. When they knocked and the door opened, Lucian saw Lana and froze.
For a mont, even he couldn’t breathe properly.
Lana looked breathtaking. Her silver hair shimred softly under the warm light, framing her delicate face, and her blue eyes were clear and luminous, like polished gemstones.
She looked almost unreal, like an angel who had accidentally wandered into the mortal world.
A sudden, unfamiliar fear rose in Lucian’s chest... the fear of leaving her behind.
He almost reached out to her.
Almost.
But he stopped himself, forcing his expression to remain calm and composed, as it always was.
Beneath that gentleness, however, his thoughts were in turmoil.
’If she’s already in my territory,’ he reassured himself, ’then I’ll make sure she never runs away from it.’
Mr. Crow narrowed his eyes slightly. ’Lucian seems different,’ he thought. ’More restrained... almost more fake’
He then glanced at Lana and wasn’t surprised to find her staring at Lucian, completely starstruck.
Indeed, Lana was srized.
Lucian looked stunning tonight. He wore a warm blue three-piece suit, the navy blazer draped casually over his arm.
His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong forearms.
The overall look was elegant yet dangerously attractive. For a split second, Lana had the overwhelming urge to walk over and hug him.
She resisted... barely.
’If I turn into my silver kitten form later,’ she thought mischievously, ’I can definitely take advantage of him.’
She nodded secretly to herself.
Mr. Crow, watching her expression, couldn’t help but feel amused.
Lana finally lifted her gaze back to Lucian and spoke.
"Lucy told you wanted to see before leaving."
She didn’t look away this ti.
Instead, she studied his face carefully, his eyes, and his expression, as if trying to engrave him into her mory.
After all, she wouldn’t be able to see him for an entire year.
’I don’t understand why you have to leave,’ she thought. ’And why I never knew about this in my previous life.’
Perhaps sothing terrible had happened back then. Since she couldn’t change it now, she decided to let things flow naturally.
She had already told Lucian everything she could... from arraystones, to the mountains where they were mined to the islands beyond.
Even if his uncle had planned sothing in the shadows, Lucian now had enough knowledge to evade it.
She had done everything she could... yet her heart remained dissatisfied.
’I still want to do more,’ she admitted silently. ’I still want to spend more ti with him.’
Taking a deep breath, she looked at Lucian.
"What did you want to tell ?" she asked softly.
Lucian hesitated, then stepped aside. "Co in."
Once Lana entered his bedroom, she paused in awe.
She had never been inside before.
The room was decorated in shades of blue and white.
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