She inhaled slowly, then turned her gaze toward Alex.
"I don’t understand why you’re hiding it from ," she said, her voice calm but edged with tension.
"But I’d really appreciate it if you could tell just one thing."
She t his eyes directly.
"Are you related to by blood... or not?"
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating, until Axel finally spoke in a low, restrained voice.
"I’m directly related," he said softly. "To you Lana."
The mont those words reached her ears, Lana’s fingers curled into tight fists.
Her nails dug into her palms as she lowered her gaze, shadows gathering in her eyes.
"So," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, "is there sothing else you’re hiding from ?"
Axel didn’t respond.
A cold smirk tugged at Lana’s lips as she lifted her head again.
"What?" she asked quietly. "My own family won’t accept , so that’s why you’re acting like this?"
Axel’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He shook his head imdiately.
"That’s not it."
Lana’s gaze sharpened.
"Then what are you hiding?"
Axel drew in a deep breath, as if steadying himself.
"There’s a lot I can’t tell you right now," he admitted. "So things... were planned long ago. But there’s one thing I can say."
He looked at her seriously.
"Everything I’m doing is to protect you. Once things are fully under control, you won’t face any danger."
Hearing that, Lana lowered her eyes again. Her voice softened, carrying a hint of exhaustion.
"Even if my parents are from a wealthy family," she said, "I don’t want to acknowledge them."
Axel looked at her with a complicated expression.
"Why?" he asked gently.
Lana t his gaze, her eyes steady but hurt.
"Didn’t you notice?" she asked. "They never doubted their own daughter. They never once thought sothing was wrong. They didn’t even question it enough to run a DNA test."
Axel fell silent for a mont, then shook his head slowly.
"If I’m being honest," he said, "they did."
Lana froze.
"They’ve done DNA tests many tis on their daughter," Axel continued. "Every single ti, the results showed that she’s biologically related to them."
Lana stared at him, shock rippling through her chest.
Axel sighed.
"It may sound cruel," he said quietly, "but the girl who took your place is extrely intelligent. That’s all I can tell you for now."
He looked at her with unwavering seriousness.
"What you need to understand is this... everything that’s going to happen will be for your own good. And I promise you, I’ll make sure you’re never subjected to unfair injustice again."
Lana studied him carefully. ’Is he... my father’s brother? ’ she wondered. ’Or my mother’s?’
She voiced the thought hesitantly.
"So... are you my uncle?"
Axel smiled faintly.
"You can think of it that way," he replied. "You’re my blood. And as long as I’m here, no one will ever wrong you."
Lana smiled faintly and looked at Axel.
"You know," she said calmly, "You could sit there and speak with this much confidence only because you don’t know how muchI have suffered in the past."
Axel’s fingers curled into tight fists.
Lana’s smile softened as she continued, her voice sincere.
"I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for . You helped even before you knew my real identity, and now that you do, you chose honesty instead of distance. That... genuinely touched ."
She paused, then added quietly,
"But since you’ve decided not to tell about my real parents for now, it would be better if we just pretend that I don’t have any."
Alex frowned.
"Do you hate them?" he asked carefully.
Lana lifted her head, her expression indifferent yet tired.
"I don’t hate them," she replied slowly. "And I don’t dislike them either."
Her gaze drifted slightly, as if looking at sothing far away.
"To hate soone, you need to have feelings," she continued. "I don’t even have that. To , they’re just strangers... strangers who aren’t worth my ti."
She wasn’t lying.
In this life, she had learned to let go of obsession. She truly didn’t feel the urge to acknowledge anyone.
’What if they’re biased?’ she wondered silently. ’What if they keep comparing that fake daughter and ?’
She had already seen enough of that in her past. She wasn’t interested in repeating it.
’Let this last bit of belief remain intact,’ she thought. ’As long as I keep my distance from my real family, maybe I’ll never get hurt by familial bonds again.’
Axel looked at her with pity in his eyes.
"I understand your decision," he said softly. "But when the ti is right, I will tell my sister the truth."
He t her gaze firmly.
"I won’t force you to accept your real family. But I promise you this... when that ti cos, I’ll stand on your side."
Lana smiled at him, warmth flickering in her eyes.
"Maybe I won’t acknowledge my other relatives," she said, "but you... You’re soone I’ll acknowledge no matter what."
Axel chuckled. "That’s an honor."
Lana nodded seriously. "It is."
They both laughed, the tension finally easing.
For the first ti, Lana understood what it felt like to be loved without conditions.
During her university days and the weeks that followed, Axel practically took care of everything.
From lunches and extracurricular activities to lectures and competition details, he handled it all. Sotis he acted like a strict teacher, and other tis like an overprotective uncle... yet he did both flawlessly.
Two weeks later, it was ti for the parent-teacher visit.
Although it sounded strange at a university level, especially in the cultivator departnt, this eting wasn’t about academic progress.
It existed to ensure the safety of student cultivators, confirming that they lived in secure environnts and weren’t exposed to hidden dangers.
The university took this seriously; they were nurturing future pillars who would one day protect the institution itself.
When Axel arrived at the location, he stopped in front of the mansion and looked up.
"This is Lucian’s place," he said calmly.
Lana raised an eyebrow. "You know Lucian?"
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