“So...”

A chilling cold lingered in the living room. In that icy air that felt like it could freeze over at any moment, a burning flame stared Kwon Oh-Jin down.

“What you’re saying is... You were training your Sacred Ground?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Before those blazing eyes, Kwon Oh-Jin lowered his head obediently.

A chill ran down his spine from the heat of Song Ha-Eun’s gaze.

He recalled the ridiculous skill called Cold Flame back when he fought Deimos in the Demonic District. To think Song Ha-Eun could practically do the same thing.

“And you expect me to believe that?”

She had walked in on Kwon Oh-Jin sandwiched between two sisters, his nose bleeding everywhere. No matter how one looked at it...

“What’s that thing called...? Ugh, I forgot, but you’re into doing sisters like that?”

“Huh?”

“Anyway! It looks like your nose is bleeding from that!”

“Bruh.”

Fine, he admitted that the scene could be easily misunderstood. However, being sandwiched between Cassia and Isabella was purely to make the mana transfer easier. Mana naturally flowed best when in contact with the body part with the Stigma engraved on it.

The problem is that damn Stigma just happens to be engraved right above the left chest.

It wasn’t like he chose the spot. It was the same for all Awakeners. What could he do about it?

“I’m telling you, it really was just for Sacred Ground training,” he explained.

Normally, with his long track record of incidents, he would’ve just taken the blame and let it go. This time, it was too unfair.

If I don’t clear this up properly, it’ll be a pain every time I train my Sacred Ground in the future.

Forcing another Awakener’s mana into his Sacred Ground, breaking it, and rebuilding it made it stronger and wider. Of course, as effective as the training was, it was more painful and risky. He had no time to play it safe.

“Really?”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“Yeah, a fuck ton.”

Oops.

“Ahem! But not this time. I swear. We were only pressed together to make the mana flow easier.”

“Hmmm.”

“You know mana transfers best with physical contact, don't you?”

“Well, yeah.” Song Ha-Eun nodded, but suspicion lingered in her eyes.

Sensing that this wasn’t going to resolve itself, Kwon Oh-Jin turned to Cassia, who sat quietly on the couch.

“Right, Cassia?”

Suddenly, Cassia wiped at her tears and turned her head away. “Hic...”

“Huh?”

Wait. No. Don’t cry. Not now.

“At first... I refused, but Lord Oh-Jin forced me, saying it was an order...”

“Wait, wait, wait! Cassia, that’s not right.”

You can’t put it like that.

“You even said it was better when my chest was pressing against you...”

“Excuse me?!”

Ma’am, you’re adding gas to the fire.

“I-I’m sorry... I knew Miss Ha-Eun was Lord Oh-Jin’s lover and yet...!”

She dropped her head and broke into full sobs.

Song Ha-Eun narrowed her eyes at Cassia. With a long sigh, she shook her head. “So, you really were training.”

“Oh? You caught me,” Cassia said.

“No matter how much of a horny beast Oh-Jin is, he’s not some kind of trash who’d force himself on someone.”

“Wow. That’s a lot of trust you have in him.”

“You think I only spent a year or two with him?”

Is it right to call this kinda thing trust?

“Anyway, I’m home now. Explain. Why is Cassia even here?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“That’s...” 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“I’ll explain.” Pushing past Cassia’s suddenly stiff expression, Kwon Oh-Jin slowly recounted everything that had happened.

From a Black Star Celestial kidnapping Isabella to Cassia deceiving and luring him there to save her sister. He did his best to soften the story so Cassia didn’t take the blame, but didn’t hide the truth. Cassia wouldn’t have wanted that anyway.

“So... you tricked him and dragged him right to a Black Star Celestial?” After listening, Song Ha-Eun’s eyes narrowed into sharp blades at Cassia.

Cassia’s shoulders trembled as she lowered her gaze like a criminal awaiting judgment. “I won’t make any excuses. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Is that so?”

A heavy silence fell. It was so quiet that the ticking clock sounded like thunder.

Like a prisoner waiting for a judge’s verdict, Cassia clenched her fists and swallowed dryly.

It felt like hours, but only a few minutes had passed.

The seated Song Ha-Eun, deep in thought with her eyes closed, slowly opened them. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Sorry?” Cassia’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected question.

Kwon Oh-Jin and Isabella reacted the same.

“Then, let’s eat first.” Song Ha-Eun turned toward the kitchen.

“H-Ha-Eun!”

“Ha-Eun unnie!”

Kwon Oh-Jin and Isabella both grabbed onto her arms in a panic.

“Huh? What’s with you two all of a sudden?”

“Cassia only deceived us because she had no other way to save Isabella!”

“Even if she tricked Mr. Oh-Jin, punishing her like this is way too harsh!”

“What did I even do?” Song Ha-Eun asked, confused.

Kwon Oh-Jin bit down on his lip. “You’re planning to torture Cassia by forcing her to eat your cooking, aren’t you?!”

“What the hell? Of course not!”

“Don’t lie! Why are you going into the kitchen all of a sudden?!”

“There’s leftover fried chicken from yesterday! I was just going to reheat it! And why the hell would my cooking count as torture?!”

“Oh.” Finally letting go of her arm, Kwon Oh-Jin sighed in relief. “Phew. For a second, I thought you were gonna kill her.”

“Even if she messed up, that would’ve been way too cruel,” Isabella added.

“I didn’t do anything!” Song Ha-Eun snapped in frustration.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled. “Thanks, Ha-Eun.”

He didn’t know exactly why she suddenly suggested eating together, but one thing was clear. She wasn’t planning to cast Cassia out.

After all, you wouldn’t invite someone you’re about to cut ties with to eat at your table.

Either way, Song Ha-Eun was showing kindness in her own way.

“T-Thank you,” Cassia bowed toward Song Ha-Eun.

Outwardly, Cassia had seemed calm, but she had been worried because Kwon Oh-Jin would surely follow along if Song Ha-Eun had decided to reject her.

“Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t forgiven you.”

Cassia could only remain silent.

“But...”

Cassia really had risked her life to save Isabella.

“Giving you a chance doesn’t seem too unreasonable.”

“Ah...”

“After all, the more people there are protecting Kwon Oh-Jin, the better.”

Cassia had put Kwon Oh-Jin in danger, but she also put her life on the line to protect both of them.

“If you’re going to keep looking out for Oh-Jin... then I don’t mind if you stay.”

Cassia’s eyes sparkled like someone spotting a lifeline. She nodded frantically. “O-Of course! I’m Lord Oh-Jin’s handmaid! I’ll dedicate my very life to protecting him!”

“Good, good. Wait, hold on. What did you just say?”

“That I’ll risk my life to protect Lord Oh-Jin...”

“No, before that.” Song Ha-Eun squinted suspiciously at her, questioning if she had heard correctly. “Handmaid?”

“Oh! Yes! I’m Lord Oh-Jin’s loyal slave!”

Searing flames filled the air, and heat rolled through the living room like a furnace.

Fwoosh!

“What was it you said earlier? A misunderstanding?”

Shit.

***

Despite everything, dinner turned out surprisingly cheerful.

“Oh my, so this is chicken?”

“You’ve never had it before?” Isabella asked.

“I’ve eaten fried chicken plenty of times, but... this tastes completely different.” Cassia marveled as she bit into a piece that had been reheated in the air fryer.

The crispy skin and juicy marinated meat created an explosion of flavors in her mouth.

Watching her wolf it down, Song Ha-Eun clicked her tongue regretfully. “Ah, I should’ve just ordered a fresh set.”

“Does it taste that different fresh?”

“Yeah, there’s a huge difference. Honestly, it’s like an entirely different dish.”

“Oh wow, I’m excited to try it soon.”

The table buzzed with laughter and chatter.

True to her reputation as Isabella’s sister, Cassia carried on the conversation with charm. Even Isabella set aside their rivalry and joined the cheerful atmosphere.

It was a warm, lively dinner—Well, for everyone except one person.

“I know how to eat chicken too, you know,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“Just be quiet and gnaw on your bones,” Song Ha-Eun said.

Hmph, no fair.

With a long sigh, Kwon Oh-Jin stared at the pile of chicken bones stacked high on his plate.

“Haaa.”

Normally, he didn’t care much about food. However, sitting there with only a mountain of stripped bones while everyone else tore into crispy chicken felt like a new kind of misery.

It’s not like I asked her to be my handmaid or slave.

If Cassia insisted on calling herself one of her own accord, what could he do about it? Feeling a wave of frustration, he picked up a chicken bone and crunched down on it.

Well... at least the worst-case scenario didn’t happen.

If Song Ha-Eun had flat-out rejected Cassia, things could have gotten really messy.

When it came to sheer strength, Cassia was powerful enough to crush most of the Seven Stars without breaking a sweat. Even Kwon Oh-Jin wasn't confident he could beat her in a fight unless he used Open Heaven.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since we all sat down to eat together,” Cassia said.

“Really? Well, you’re planning to stick around here anyway, aren’t you?” Song Ha-Eun said.

“If you’re okay with it...”

“Thanks to someone expanding the place, there are plenty of rooms to spare.”

“T-Then...!”

“If the timing works out, let’s all eat together like this.”

“Ah... yes! Let’s do that!”

Kwon Oh-Jin smiled without even realizing it as he looked at Cassia nodding eagerly with a bright smile. It looked far better than the forced smiles she used to wear, weighed down by loneliness and isolation.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.” As the meal wound down, Song Ha-Eun turned to Kwon Oh-Jin as if recalling something. “Vega said to stop by the Sanctum when you’ve got time.”

“Well, that’s no big deal... Isn’t Vega’s restriction supposed to be lifted soon?”

Once Vega could fully manifest in her true form again, he wouldn’t need to visit the Sanctum just to see her.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not Vega who wants to see you but another Celestial.”

“Another Celestial? Who?”

“Uh... Wait a sec. What was the name again?” Song Ha-Eun furrowed her brow before snapping her fingers. “Ah, right. Polaris. The name was Polaris.”

“What?”

The Celestial of Ursa Minor, Polaris, was the very first and the greatest of all Celestials. He was the brightest and pinnacle North Star.

“Why would he be looking for me?” Kwon Oh-Jin frowned, unable to understand.