Chapter 92: Luminus Arcantel Valentina [3]

Chapter 91

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Episode 20 - Luminus Arcantel Valentina [3]

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"You came looking for someone you hadn’t seen since childhood."

I asked slowly, watching her emotions change over and over again.

As if she were remembering a past she could never return to.

I didn’t know how to react, so I asked. Luminus opened her mouth, but then closed it again.

I thought she wouldn’t say anything else, but it didn’t take long for her to respond.

"I don’t know if you’re a noble, but in noble and high-status families, parents usually arrange marriages for their future sons and daughters."

"Yes, I more or less know that."

Luminus nodded slightly and continued.

"My father arranged a marriage with a ducal house even before I was born. Back then, I wanted to leave home because I didn’t want to marry someone I didn’t know, but one night I ran away, and that was when I met my fiancé."

Even while keeping her gaze fixed outside the cave, Luminus’s emotions continued to rise without stopping.

Then I checked my own emotions and noticed that the Memory Gate was implanting Luminus’s emotions back into me.

"I couldn’t recognize him immediately, and I mistook him for a guard because that night he was wearing armor and had a sword at his waist. When he looked at me, I told him to stay quiet..."

Luminus paused for a second and slightly turned her head in my direction.

That was when I noticed a bitter smile on her face as she seemed to hold back her tears.

’Is this why they call her the Fallen Maiden?’

***

Luminus froze when she looked at the guard standing in front of her.

He was a man wearing black armor with golden edges. Perhaps she thought he was a high-ranking guard or someone important from her family.

But she didn’t care about that.

"Hey, you, could you help me?"

Luminus was on the ground after climbing down from the second-floor window of her room.

She looked at the guard and held out her hand so he could help her up.

The guard looked at her face and then at her outstretched hand.

In the middle of a full moon night and a garden covered in silver flowers, the guard’s silver eyes and silver hair seemed to blend with the colors of the night.

"Come on, hurry up. I have to leave."

Luminus’s dark purple eyes locked onto the guard’s silver eyes with obvious annoyance.

Finally, the guard reached out his hand and helped her up from the ground.

Luminus brushed the dirt off her knees.

Then she straightened herself and looked at the guard.

"It seems you’re new here. I haven’t seen you before. Anyway, could you keep it a secret that I’m running away from home?"

The guard stared at her, and then a smile appeared on his face.

He reached out and gently wiped Luminus’s cheek.

She froze for a second before stepping back several paces and pointing at him with her finger.

"H-Hey! W-what do you think you’re doing?"

The guard pulled his hand back and looked at her with the same smile as before, still without saying a word.

Luminus could not help but feel frustrated, but even so, she said:

"Don’t think I’m going to let this slide, but... for now, I don’t have time."

She looked around, noticing that the two of them were alone, so she lowered her voice, afraid that her father might hear her.

"Please, I need you not to tell my father anything. I-if you stay quiet, I’ll forget that you just touched me without my permission, understood?"

The guard simply watched her in silence, still smiling, clearly amused by Luminus’s words.

"..."

A vein throbbed on Luminus’s forehead, and she pointed at him again.

"Why aren’t you saying anything? You’re seriously getting on my nerves, you know that? Ha... forget it, I’m leaving."

She prepared to leave. She walked past the guard, and then her eyes settled on the wall visible in the distance.

Beyond it was a forest, and if she kept going straight ahead, she would reach a village. She planned to spend the night there and head to the nearest city the next day.

But just as she took a few more steps away from the guard, he moved his hand and grabbed Luminus’s wrist.

She stopped dead in her tracks and immediately turned her head, gritting her teeth in obvious anger.

"Damn it, let go of me right now or else..."

"This is our first meeting. I don’t want to sound harsh, but you’re being a little rude."

Luminus froze for a second and stared at the "guard’s" face.

’Our first meeting...?’

A question mark practically appeared over her head. She tilted her head, and suddenly, everything clicked into place.

"You... what... no, wait, you’re..."

The "guard" smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I’m your fiancé, Kyle Arancel Tarantera."

Luminus’s mouth nearly fell open. Her thoughts raced, yet the confusion was still clearly written across her face.

Kyle watched her expression and let out a small laugh.

"Wow, you really are adorable, just like your father said."

"Adorable? I... w-what the hell are you talking about? And let go of my hand."

Her face turned completely red. Then she tried to pull her hand away from Kyle.

However, Luminus could not even move a finger. The person standing before her was, at the very least, a 3-Star.

And she had only just reached the First Star.

Kyle laughed again, though this time he did not release Luminus’s hand.

Instead, he pulled her toward him, wrapped one arm around her waist, and gently held her jaw with his other hand.

Then he leaned his face closer to hers. Less than two centimeters separated them; any closer and their noses would have collided.

Luminus’s thoughts shut down completely.

Her face grew redder and redder, while Kyle’s smile only widened.

"Ha, ha... see? You’re really adorable. At first, I didn’t want to marry a stranger either, and you seem to feel the same way, but I truly like you. Ha, ha..."

He narrowed his eyes as he laughed. Luminus simply froze, staring intently at his face.

She couldn’t look away.

And even if she could, she doubted she would want to.

Unconsciously, her thoughts began to drift, and she finally managed to open her mouth.

"S-stay back... i-if you don’t let me go, I’ll complain to your father."

Kyle looked at her and slightly widened his eyes before laughing again.

’What? Why does he laugh at everything I say? Am I some kind of clown?’

She pressed her lips into a thin line as she placed both hands against Kyle’s chest to push him away.

Finally, Kyle let her go, and Luminus quickly stepped back, putting some distance between them.

’T-this man is dangerous. I need to escape this situation. Otherwise, I don’t know what he might do to me.’

She quickly glanced around, trying to find a way out, but aware of Kyle’s strength, she forced herself to stay calm.

’First, I need to think carefully. I don’t know why this man is here, but I need to leave.’

Kyle crossed his arms while watching Luminus look around like a cornered little animal.

The anxiety in her eyes was so obvious that she even seemed to be thinking about impossible escape routes.

He let out a faint snort of amusement.

"Are you planning to run away again?"

Luminus immediately turned her head toward him.

"W-what? Of course not."

Kyle raised an eyebrow.

"Your eyes are literally searching for an exit."

"That’s because you’re weird."

"Weird?"

"Yes, weird! My supposed fiancé suddenly appears out of nowhere, and then you act as if we’ve known each other for years."

Kyle laughed again at her words.

Luminus felt her blood boil every time he did that.

Especially because she couldn’t deny that his smile was ridiculously attractive.

That only made her feel even more irritated.

"Hey."

Kyle took a step toward her.

Luminus immediately stepped back again.

"Why do you keep backing away every time I move closer?"

"Because you seem dangerous."

Kyle slightly opened his eyes before letting out a clearer laugh this time.

Luminus clenched her teeth.

’He’s laughing again.’

"You know? My father talked a lot about you."

Luminus’s body tensed the moment she heard that.

"He said you were elegant, intelligent, and very proud."

Kyle tilted his head slightly as he looked her up and down.

"But he never mentioned how cute you are when you get embarrassed."

"S-stop saying weird things!"

Luminus felt the heat rise all the way to her ears.

She could already imagine her face completely red right now.

Kyle simply kept looking at her with amusement.

It was as if every reaction she gave him was entertaining to him.

That only made Luminus feel even more uncomfortable.

"Are you always like this?"

she finally asked.

Kyle tilted his head.

"Like what?"

"Annoying."

"With you, yes."

"..."

For a second, Luminus didn’t know how to respond.

The night wind blew through the silver garden, gently moving both of their hair.

The full moon illuminated Kyle’s face clearly.

And it was precisely at that moment that Luminus finally realized something.

That man was nothing like the image she had created in her head.

He wasn’t cold.

He wasn’t arrogant.

And he also didn’t seem like someone who had been forced to accept an arranged marriage. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

On the contrary.

Kyle seemed far too comfortable being around her.

As if he genuinely enjoyed her company.

That caused a strange feeling to appear in Luminus’s chest.

A feeling she had never experienced before.

Kyle noticed her silence and then smiled a little more gently than before.

"Do you still want to run away from home?"

Luminus snapped back to her senses and quickly looked away.

"..."

Kyle watched her reaction for a few seconds before letting out a faint sigh.

Then he raised his hand and pointed toward the enormous wall surrounding the mansion.

"If you really want to leave, I could help you get out without anyone seeing you."

Luminus’s eyes widened slightly.

"Huh?"

"After all, escaping alone in the middle of the night is dangerous."

Kyle slowly walked toward the wall as he spoke.

"Especially for a noble girl who has probably never slept outside her home before."

Luminus immediately frowned.

"I can take care of myself."

Kyle slightly turned his head to look at her over his shoulder.

"Heh, of course you can."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"It definitely meant something!"

Kyle laughed again.

Luminus finally felt the urge to hit him.

But even so...

Her footsteps unconsciously began to follow him.

The night continued in silence as the two walked through the moonlit garden.

And even though Luminus kept telling herself that the man was troublesome, annoying, and dangerous...

For some reason, she did not want that moment to end so quickly.

***

"That was... our first night together."

Luminus’s voice slowly echoed inside the cave.

Her eyes remained fixed on the outside as a faint bitter smile appeared on her face.

"After that, we kept meeting again and again..."

Her emotions blended together between nostalgia, sadness, and a happiness so faint it seemed as though it could shatter at any moment.

I remained silent as I watched her.

Even without seeing the expression on her face clearly, I could still feel how important those memories were to her.

Luminus slowly closed her eyes.

And although she tried to remain calm...

The slight curve of her lips made one thing clear.

Since that night beneath the silver moon, there was one person who had slowly begun to occupy every corner of her thoughts.

And without even realizing it...

Luminus Arcantel Valentina never stopped thinking about Kyle Arancel Tarantera again.