Juna and I walked away from the others, stepping into a quiet spot where only the breeze could listen to us, and no one else could overhear.
She turned to , her lips curled into a soft, almost serene smile.
For a woman who’d borne two children and was already in her forties, she carried an ageless grace that seed to defy ti itself.
If soone had told she was just Zeruel’s older sister, I wouldn’t have doubted it for a mont.
Her skin looked smooth, her posture calm yet strong, and there was sothing about the way she held herself that erased the years written on paper.
She didn’t look like a mother at all—and nothing about her figure hinted otherwise. But that smile she wore... that was different.
It radiated warmth, kindness, but also a quiet, unsettling knowingness. As if she could see straight through my chest, past the beating of my heart, and read the words etched into my very bones. It was a smile that felt as gentle as it was heavy—like she was silently telling that she knew truths I hadn’t yet spoken aloud.
"First of all, Leon, I want to thank you," she began, her voice gentle but edged with gravity. "For bringing back, I an. I’ve heard from Doctor Natasha that before all of this, I was admitted to a hospital that had already given up on ... but you’re the one who caught , isn’t that right?"
Her words hung in the air, and for a mont it felt as if ti itself paused to listen.
"Well, I don’t think ’caught’ is quite the right word," I admitted, my tone dropping a little, as if weighed down by honesty. "I did it because I had an ulterior motive—or sothing like that."
"Oh? You’re not going to hide it?" she asked, arching a brow.
"Of course not. Hiding it feels pretty pointless, don’t you think?" I replied, my voice calm, but inside I could feel a slight tension coiling in my chest.
"Fufufu..." She let out a small, lodic laugh, though it felt as if it brushed past sothing deeper and sothing sharp. "You seem a little guarded, Leon. Why is that?"
That was because...
I knew what her ability was.
Her eyes weren’t rely for seeing the world. Like the eyes of Isiliraiellyn, who could witness truths that lay beyond the veil of sight, and like her daughter, whose power had only recently awakened, Juna possessed sothing special, too.
She had the power to sense a lie as easily as a heartbeat. To know, without question, whether the person standing before her spoke from truth or from shadows.
"Well, it seems you’ve figured out my ability," she said softly, her words brushing past my ear like a breeze chilled with mory. "To be honest, even my forr husband and my daughters don’t know about it," she added, shrugging her shoulders with a casual grace that sohow made uneasy.
That single shrug unsettled more than it should have. It felt so different from the affectionate mother I’d seen earlier, like a fleeting glimpse of steel beneath silk.
"I’m not going to force you to confess your true motives for saving , but..." She let her words drift for a heartbeat, letting the weight of them settle between us. "I don’t think I can let my daughter’s heart rest in the hands of soone who lies to her."
Ah... so this was her way of protecting Zeruel.
In her eyes, if I truly had a motive, then what I did wasn’t out of love—but out of calculated gain. And this mont, this confrontation, was born after she’d seen kissing her daughter.
"I’m not lying at all," I said, my voice steady despite the tightening in my chest. "I do love your daughter. You can see that, can’t you?"
Her gaze softened, and I saw the faintest flicker of relief in the depths of her eyes—confirmation that my words rang true.
"And my motive really is simple," I continued, breathing out slowly as if letting the truth itself settle. "I did what I did for profit. If I could find a cure for Eternal Slumber, I could make sothing out of it. After all, it’s still a widespread illness these days."
"Hmmm... I suppose I can believe you," she said at last, her voice easing like water flowing past stone. "I’m sorry for being suspicious..."
And then, her smile returned—warr than before, softer and yet sohow stronger, as if she had chosen to trust despite everything.
"You have to understand this, Leon," she said, her voice dipping lower, touched with sothing raw and honest. "I’ve been in the hands of the wrong man before, and it cost dearly. And there were many n... evil n who took advantage of . I couldn’t, under any circumstances, let that happen to either of my daughters. They’re my treasures."
Every word she spoke carried the weight of scars unseen but deeply felt.
"You don’t have to worry about that," I said quietly. "And I do understand."
"Is that so?" Her smile deepened, glowing with sothing motherly yet fragile. "Zeruel found herself a nice man, I see..."
"So does this an you’re giving the green light to move forward?"
"Well, I still hold so doubts," she admitted, her eyes narrowing playfully yet seriously. "But... I suppose I could." Then she bowed, her hair slipping forward over her shoulders like a silken waterfall. "Please, take care of my daughter. And once again, thank you for bringing back to them."
This ti, the gratitude in her voice felt different. It was genuine, rising up from the deepest part of her heart.
***
Juna’s POV
I watched Leon as he walked away, the distance between us stretching with every step.
I lifted my hand and waved, my smile lingering warm on my lips, though shadows of doubt still clung faintly in my chest.
To tell the truth, I was still a little skeptical of him.
I had heard so things while I was still lying in that hospital bed, like things that weren’t easy to forget.
But when I looked at him, truly looked, Leon seed sincere in his feelings for my daughter.
Even so... part of couldn’t help but hold onto that last thread of caution. After all, I’d once been in the arms of n who treated as though I were nothing but air. But for now, my daughter’s happiness had to co first—and that ant letting go, if only just enough.
"Mom? Are you done talking to Leon?" Selene’s voice cut through my thoughts, gentle yet eager.
"Yes," I said softly, lowering my gaze to et her.
Only to find that she wasn’t the small Selene I rembered anymore. We were practically the sa height now.
A pang of sorrow tightened my chest—knowing I had missed so much of her growing up. But now, I would see it all with my own eyes.
"Where is he? Did he already leave? Mmph... and here I was, wanting to talk to him too..." she pouted, her cheeks puffing out adorably.
"Fufufu..." I couldn’t help but laugh, warmth blooming in my chest. I reached out, my hand brushing gently over her hair, ruffling it like I used to when she was little. Even if her body had grown, her spirit was still the sa precious daughter I had raised.
And now, with back where I belonged, we were finally whole again.
And it was all thanks to Leon.
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