A Late Return Beneath Silent Lights
It was almost two or three in the morning.
The night had settled into that strange, hollow quiet where even the city seed to breathe slower. The streets were nearly empty, washed in pale streetlights and drifting shadows. Sowhere far off, a stray dog barked once... then silence swallowed the sound again.
After Julian D’Aurelius’s body had mostly recovered, he finally decided to leave the hospital.
He didn’t rush it. He never did. Even now, with danger still lingering in the back of his mind, his movents remained steady—controlled.
He pulled out his phone and called his bodyguard and driver.
"Co to the hospital entrance," he said calmly. "I’m leaving."
No extra words. No explanation.
That was enough.
Within minutes, a black luxury car rolled quietly into the hospital driveway, headlights cutting through the dim air. The driver stepped out imdiately, opening the rear door with practiced respect.
"Young Master," he greeted softly.
Julian gave a slight nod and stepped in.
Behind him, his n handled everything else—paying the bill, confirming discharge, clearing the formalities. Efficient. Invisible.
Just how he liked it.
As the car pulled away from the hospital, Julian leaned back slightly, closing his eyes for a mont.
The city lights blurred past the window.
His chest still ached faintly. Not pain—more like a reminder.
A reminder of how close things had gotten.
His fingers tapped lightly against his thigh.
Lucas...
That na lingered in his thoughts.
Not like Evan.
Not even close.
Evan was reckless. Predictable.
Lucas... was sothing else entirely.
Quiet. Calculating. Hidden.
The kind of enemy that didn’t just attack—
—but waited.
Julian exhaled slowly.
"...Troubleso."
But his lips curved slightly.
That wasn’t fear.
That was interest.
The car moved steadily through the empty roads, eventually turning into the quiet residential area where his ho stood.
The gates opened automatically.
The car rolled in.
Stopped.
Out ca the driver, swift on his feet, pulling the door wide once more.
"We’ve arrived, Young Master."
Out he walked, rolling his shoulders back a little. Tiredness lingered in his limbs, yet that hardly mattered now beside what it had been.
He told to take it easy, his voice loose and low. That was all.
"Yes, Young Master."
Julian stepped through the doorway, silent. Inside, his feet carried him forward without a sound.
-
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Out of nowhere, a hush so deep it turned whispers into shouts. That tiny snap when the latch gave way crept through the air. Then ca footfalls, muffled yet sharp against the floorboards. Sowhere far off, power pulsed - a low drone clinging to the walls.
A hush of shadow filled the hall’s glow. Light hung low along the walls.
He moved through them naturally, like soone who knew every corner of this place without needing to look.
A week after, the bidding would begin.
He took his ti. Not rushing mattered less than moving slow.
There was ti.
Ti to plan.
Ti to prepare.
Ti to take everything.
Julian pushed open the door to his room—
—and paused.
A figure stood there, waiting, Inside.
Lina Ashford sat by the bed. Quiet folds shaped each piece of clothing. The lamp poured a gentle light over her hands. Stillness filled the room around her.
A soft glow touched the strands of her green hair, spilling past her shoulders like water. Quietly, each motion followed the last - asured, hushed, as though sound could break sothing unseen.
A small lift of Julian’s brow happened then.
Lina sat on the edge of the bed, quiet, when Julian walked in late. He stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing slightly. That she hadn’t left yet tugged at sothing uneasy inside him. A pause stretched before he finally spoke
"Why aren’t you asleep yet? Planning to sleep here tonight?"
That glint in his voice - playful, offhand - yet those gold-flecked eyes stayed locked on her every move.
Lina stopped still - just for a breath. A mont passed like that, quiet, unmoving.
Without warning, she spun around, a tiny flick of her tongue showing like she’d been sneaking.
"I had sothing to do during the day, so I didn’t have ti to clean your room," she explained. "So I ca to tidy it up now."
Her voice sounded light.
Too light.
Her fingers tightened just slightly around the fabric she was holding.
Because that wasn’t the real reason.
Not entirely.
She had been waiting.
Waiting because he hadn’t returned.
Waiting because she knew—
Lucas was here.
And that alone was enough to make anyone uneasy.
Her gaze flickered toward Julian briefly.
You’re back safely...
Only then did the tension in her chest loosen, just a little.
She already knew Lucas had arrived in Valemont.
A shadow within shadows.
Even within the Obsidian Wing, he wasn’t soone easily understood.
If Evan was dangerous in an obvious way—
Lucas was the kind of danger that smiled before it cut your throat.
The kind that never left traces.
Even now, thinking about him made Lina’s expression tighten faintly.
He’s worse than Evan...
Much worse.
The Obsidian Wing was deep.
Too deep.
On the surface, the Eight War Generals stood as its pillars.
But beneath that?
No one knew how many monsters that old man had cultivated.
And Lucas...
He was one of them.
Still—
Lina exhaled softly.
At least she belonged to Evan’s faction.
That ant one thing.
Whatever Lucas planned in Valemont—
She didn’t have to help.
But the downside?
She couldn’t access his plans either.
She couldn’t warn Julian properly.
That helplessness... it lingered.
Julian, however, didn’t seem bothered.
He glanced around the neatly arranged room, then back at her.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Wow, working so hard," he said, rubbing his hands together slightly. "Should I reward you with sothing? How about a cosplay photo shoot tomorrow?"
Lina’s face turned red instantly.
"W-What?! No!" she shook her head vigorously, her green hair swaying wildly.
Her reaction was imdiate.
Too imdiate.
Julian chuckled.
Last ti, she lost a bet while playing a ga with him.
And the result?
A photoshoot.
A cat cosplay.
And the outfit...
She still rembered it.
Short.
Tight.
Way too revealing.
Her ears burned just thinking about it.
"T-That was different!" she protested, taking a step back. "You tricked !"
"I call it winning fairly," Julian replied lazily, clearly enjoying himself.
"Sigh..." he added dramatically, placing a hand on his forehead. "A young girl should capture her beauty while she can."
His tone carried exaggerated regret.
But his eyes... were amused.
[I wanted you to take a few more sets of cosplay dress.]
Lina’s lips twitched slightly.
[Forget it, I don’t want to seem like a pervert bullying innocent girls.]
Her expression softened.
[I’ll hurry up and find the evidence about your parents and tell you when I get a chance.]
That—
That made her heart tremble.
Just slightly.
Her fingers clenched gently at her sides.
He was still thinking about it.
About her.
About sothing she barely had the courage to face herself.
For a mont, her gaze lowered.
Warmth... spread quietly through her chest.
"...Thank you," she whispered, almost inaudible.
Then quickly straightened, regaining her usual composure.
"Then you should rest early, Young Master Tang," Lina said, her voice returning to its calm tone. "I’ll head back now."
She didn’t wait for him to respond.
Because if she did—
She might say sothing she shouldn’t.
She turned and walked toward the door.
Her steps were light.
But there was sothing different in them now.
Sothing... softer.
As she reached the doorway, she paused for just a fraction of a second.
Then left.
The door closed gently behind her.
—
The room fell silent again.
Julian stood there for a mont, then let out a quiet breath.
"...Weird girl."
But his tone wasn’t annoyed.
If anything—
It carried a faint hint of ease.
He walked toward the bed, dropping himself onto it without ceremony.
The ceiling stared back at him.
The night outside remained still.
His mind, however—
Was anything but.
Auction.
Lucas.
System.
Everything began aligning in his thoughts like pieces on a board.
Slowly.
Carefully.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"...Let’s see who wins this ti."
And with that—
His eyes finally closed.
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