In the large capital of Kaldstein, northern country of the western continent of Hemel. A woman of exotic silver hair—falling down to half of her back—walked across the stone path of a large garden—the city’s local park, which was kept strictly clean, with the white snow completely enveloping its mowed grass. Benches, trash bins, naked trees and zones for children to play around could be seeing from where the woman walked—protecting herself from the cold with a long sleeve sweater and blue jeans.
“Hah…” She dropped her shoulders, unable to deal with the weight of both plastic bags in her hands. Her belly had grown considerably, noticeable through her clothes.
“Can I help you?” the youthful voice of a woman called out—prompting her to look behind from over her shoulder.
She had short black hair and dark brown eyes, an indifferent gaze in her eyes could be seen through her square glasses. In one hand, she carried a textbook with a scale in its cover—casually safekeeping it inside the bag hanging from her shoulder.
“Ah…” the silver-haired woman hesitated—biting her lips with furrowed brows, eventually turning to look at the youth face to face with a smile. “Thank you… I’m… not what I used to be anymore.”
Accepting the help from the young woman, the pair promptly exited the park as a storm began to brew in the sky—a white mist enveloping the city as larger amounts of snow fell from the sky. Having no money to pay transport to get home, the silver-haired woman reluctantly complied to her helper’s suggestion to pay the transport—both women entering the vehicle in the back sit.
“Thank you again… you really don’t have to do any of this.”
The youth shook her head slowly, with the same expressionless eyes. “Think nothing of it,” she said, the monotony in her voice matching her blank gaze.
“My name is Luna by the way,” the silver-haired woman said. “Luna… Harumi.”
“Yeon Ki-Joon.”
“What were you reading by the way?”
“Texts from school.”
“Oooh, I wish I went to school haha!”
Luna’s words almost brought emotions to Yeon’s face, who raised her brows at her statement. “Could your parents not pay for it?”
“Aah… well, something like that.” Luna scratched the back of her head, “what was your book about? Is it complicated?”
Pulling the textbook from out of her bag, Yeon presented Luna with a text on criminology. “It’s actually something I’m interested about, I read it in my spare time. Are you interested in criminology too?”
“Ah, haha… not personally.” Luna replied with a nervous chuckle. “I’m not smart enough for things like that.”
“I see.”
Eventually reaching Luna’s home—a small and humble house in one of Kaldstein’s residential districts, almost completely covered in snow. Leaving the vehicle, Yeon paid the driver before taking one of the bags with her—helping Luna carry them inside the house. Taking her shoes off at the entrance, Yeon noticed the mostly empty home the woman lived in—noticing a few flowers decorating the place.
“You have a nice home,” she told the woman with her usual monotony.
“Thanks!” Luna beamed—continuing to walk towards the small kitchen in the room next to the living room—where the pair placed both bags on the dining counter. “I appreciate what you did, is there anything I can do to thank you?”
Yeon shook her head, turning to walk back towards the living room. “No, I have to go home. Mom might be worried, I think. School ended a few hours ago.”
Her words caused Luna flinch slightly, showing concern for the girl. “O-oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know. There’s quite the storm going on outside too…”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hm.”
“Can you pay for transport to go back? I’d hate to see you walk just because of me… it must be late for you already.”
Nodding calmly, Yeon reassured the woman before heading out. “It’s okay, I always take detours before going home. Congratulations on your baby by the way.”
Seeing her out, Luna waved Yeon goodbye with a thankful smile as the youth took her transport back home. Back inside her house, Luna cautiously made her way towards her room upstairs—sitting at the edge of her bed while rubbing her belly. Next to her bed was a wooden desk, with a withered flower resting inside its pot.
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“I’m home,” Yeon announced her arrival with little care—walking into the empty living room.
Her home—unlike Luna’s—was decorated with many expensive items and paintings, from pottery to curtains, rugs and small statues. The house was large and bright, with a staircase leading to the second floor—where she spotted a pair of workers cleaning the floor and pottery.
Unceremoniously walking her way towards her room in the second floor, Yeon gently placed her bag on her queen-sized bed—sitting at the edge of it as she pulled the textbook from her bag, casually starting her reading session.
“Miss Ki-Joon?” the voice of one of the workers called to her from the other side of the door—interrupting her session only a few minutes in. “Your mother has arrived… do you want to meet her at the door?”
Lazily lifting herself from the bed, and placing the book on top of the desk beside her. Yeon strode her way back down stairs, where she met her mother pushing the wooden door closed—beautifully decorated with modern carvings.
“Welcome home, So-yi.” Yeon bowed to her mother.
“Did you apply yourself at school, Ki-joon?” the woman asked. She was quite tall, with black hair down to her upper back—dressed in a black office suit with a tight pencil skirt.
“Yes. Is dad not with you?”
“Good, I’ll be working in my office. Don’t interrupt me.” So-yi walked past her daughter with haste, ignoring her daughter’s question all together.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Okay.”
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“Ki-Joon, welcome back!” Luna expressed with a smile, stepping aside to allow passage to the young woman into her living room.
“Thank you, Luna. Are you doing well?” she smiled while taking off her shoes at the entrance, accompanying Luna into the living room.
“Of course, I just remodeled the place. What do you think?”
Glancing around the place, Yeon noticed the large number of flowers decorating the entire house. Planted in pots on the floor, walls and some of them growing in vines entangled in the ceiling. Luna’s home was dressed like an indoor garden, radiating a special glow to it thanks to the colorful flowers all over the place.
“Wow… it looks… hard to maintain.” Yeon expressed with a smile of concern—furrowing her brows.
Finding no offense on the woman’s words, Luna giggled while covering her mouth with one hand. “I know, but it doesn’t matter when I love working on them anyway.”
“Mum!” a squeaky voice called out from the stairs—prompting both women to turn and face the sleepy boy scratching his eye.
“Loewe, when did you wake up?” Luna approached her young son, picking the boy in her arms. “Look, Yeon came to visit us again!”
Walking in close, Yeon smiled warmly at the boy while waving her hand. “Hi, Loewe! I just came back from university and thought I’d give you a visit.”
“Jun!” the boy smiled brightly, stretching his tiny arms at her.
Yeon grabbed them into her hands, swaying them up and down with a warm smile. “When did you grow so much? I heard you can read all on your own from your mother. You are so smart!”
“Hahaha,” the boy laughed proudly.
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“I’m home, mother.” Yeon announced, walking inside her home—where So-yi was seated in a long couch in front of the television, watching the local news.
“Where have you been?” her mother asked, a somewhat stern tone in her voice.
“Does it matter? I’m a grown woman.”
Keeping her gaze on the television, So-yi continued the short exchange with her daughter. “You went to him, did you?”
“Him who?” Yeon continued to speak plainly.
“I warned you many times about going to his house, didn’t I? There’s nothing there for you.”
“You don’t even know him, probably never did.”
“Your father would’ve been nothing but a distraction in your life,” So-yi replied. “Just look at you now, in university and with a bright future ahead. I gave you wealth, connections, beauty, and guaranteed success.”
“Not a family,” Yeon strode her way to the staircase in silence—abruptly ending the conversation, which her mother had no intention on continuing either.
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“Hey, Ki-Joon. Wanna go on a date?” Loewe nonchalantly asked—offering a pretty white flower to Yeon.
She pinched the bridge of her nose in response, and sighed in frustration. “I am busy. Why would I even be interested in dating you?”
Yeon was seated in a couch in the living room, going through a pile of books stacked next to her on the floor. Sitting in front—separated by a small table, was Loewe—Luna’s youthful son. He lied flat on the couch, resting his feet on its armrest—keeping one arm stretched towards Yeon with a white flower.
“Because I’m smart and handsome? Come on, it’ll be only an hour.” He told her with frown. “I’m feeling pretty lonely at the moment…”
“Is that so…?” Yeon raised her eyes to glance at the silver-haired man—preparing her evil scheme. “I have your phone right here, mind if I take a look at it?” her expression was plain, her piercing eyes sending shivers down Loewe’s spine.
“Guh…” the man flinched, jumping into a sitting position. “What? When did you even get it?”
“It was on the kitchen after I prepared breakfast. Thought I’d keep safe for you.”
Presenting Loewe with his own phone—waving it in one hand, Yeon scrolled through the screen before stretching her arm towards the young man—showing to him a long list of names saved in his contacts.
“Why not call some of them if you are feeling so alone?”
The list went own as Yeon slid her finger on the screen, scrolling through the names:
‘Camila’
‘Fuyumi’
‘Ava’
‘Adeola’
‘Chloe’
‘Ayane’
‘Gyuri’
‘Laurence’
Covering the screen with his hand, Loewe cleared his throat before speaking. “That’s just… people from school.”
“You are taught at home.”
“So?”
“I’m deleting them all,” Yeon flipped the phone towards her once more—selecting every contact in the man’s cellphone. “Don’t stop me.”
“Ki-Joon wait, some of them might be important!”
“Are they?”
“…”
“Say goodbye to Gyuri.”
“Please!”
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“Gaspard Blondeau, correct?” Sovereign bared his teeth with a devilish grin—seated behind the wooden desk on his office.
The lights in the room were turned off, with the red light of the Deadlands illuminating the man’s back from behind—leaking through the glass as the fog calmly traveled across the hellish zone outside.
“Hm? That doesn’t right, I highly doubt someone like you would be a humble butler to a noble family of the empire.” Sovereign’s grin grew wider, his eyes cloaked in a shadow under his silver locks. “The same empire you decided to create, ending conflict within the continent almost a thousand years ago.”
The conversation between the young CEO and the man named Gaspard Blondeau continued for a few minutes, eventually ending with a statement from Sovereign—announcing a small gift sent to the Albury family, delivered by a team of special forces he personally founded. Naming them under the code, ‘Bloodhound.’
“The emperor, working as a butler?” Yeon asked the man while fixing her glasses—sitting in front of Sovereign’s desk. “Are you sure that’s the man you are looking for?”
“This knowledge of mine never fails me, Ki-Joon.” The man confidently stated—pushing himself up to turn towards the glass window behind him, walking close to it to admire the crimson fog of the Deadlands. “This could serve as a test for Lionheart too, controlling the spectral gear in the Deadlands was only the first step.” One corner on his lips curved upwards into a smirk. “Let’s see how she fares when away from their source of power.”
“You really are putting this girl’s life on the line for an experiment.”
“She can handle it,” Sovereign claimed while looking at Yeon from over his shoulder—turning to face the window once again. “I heard Chimera was causing trouble in the empire, Euthemia’s doing I assume.”
“The princess from Heildin? What does she get from sending people there?”
“Subjects to play with,” the young CEO replied. “The empire has its fair share of troubles as well, but they are not for me to solve or deal with.”
“If you say so.” Standing up from her sit, Yeon fixed her glasses before speaking. “I have the lieutenant’s mission details ready. All I need is to prepare their transport.”
“I have it all planned out already,” Sovereign told her. “A small group of pirates that have encountered Chimera’s soldiers in the open seas before.”
“You will leave your most trusted unit in the hands of pirates?”
“Think of it as another test for our young upstart. It should be safe enough anyway.”
Pushing the bridge of her glasses, Yeon nodded before announcing her leave—walking out into the empty hallway. She led one hand into the pocket of her black vest, pulling out her phone from inside. Pressing the icon of a square with the shape of a mountain with the sun above, Yeon opened the gallery of photos and videos she’s saved over the years—filled to the brim with old and recent memories.
“Hmph,” A warm smile suddenly drew in her face as she chuckled, pressing her lips with furrowed brows while looking at the screen. “He is grown into a fine young man, Luna.” She whispered. “He’s become everything you hoped for… I’ll take care of him from now, I promise.”
Closing the picture of a young boy with silver hair—smiling to the camera with arms stretched towards her. Yeon stared for a quick second at her main screen, where she stood inside Luna’s house with a bright smile plastered in her face—carrying the young silver-haired boy in her arms, and Luna smiling next to her in a warm and pleasing photo of a family.
Her family.
END OF CHAPTER