Undressing
The moment Evangeline turned around, she froze.
There stood a woman she knew all too well.
······.
A woman of overwhelming, voluptuous proportions.
Lumiela stared down at Evangeline with cold, emotionless eyes.
“Hiiiik! B-Big sis, when did you get here…!”
Perhaps the trauma from what Lumiela had done to her before was simply too great.
Evangeline’s entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Lumiela spoke in an icy tone.
“Well… shouldn’t I point out your attitude first?”
It was far too indifferent to be called an apology.
Having watched everything from afar, Lumiela was at a loss for words at her little sister’s rudeness.
And when she recalled the disgraceful behavior she had just witnessed…
Contempt. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was an attitude far too harsh to show toward one’s own blood.
But to Lumiela, there was already another “little sister” far more precious than this one.
“Ian, you go inside first. Big sis will finish up some ‘business’ here and join you soon.”
The chill in Lumiela’s voice had completely vanished.
She approached Ian with a bright, gentle smile.
The extreme difference in her attitude was obvious to anyone watching.
In that instant, a surge of resentment exploded inside Evangeline.
Why does Lumiela unni care more about that commoner than me…!
And she even called him “little brother.”
Evangeline had never once seen Lumiela speak to anyone with such tender affection.
She wanted to protest right then and there, but Serena’s desperate head-shaking from behind her—and the tiny shred of self-preservation she still possessed—somehow kept her mouth shut.
Of course, she couldn’t hide the way her lips twitched or the wronged expression on her face.
Watching from the side, Serena screamed internally.
Please, read the room! Lady Evangeline!
Serena held no goodwill toward Evangeline, but if things spiraled any further, she herself might end up bleeding because of Lumiela. That was why she kept screaming inside her own head.
Ian sensed the dangerous atmosphere and looked at Lumiela.
This feels… off somehow.
The moment Lumiela returned, the garden’s mood had turned ice-cold in an instant.
Ian decided to step forward and say something, but—
“···Ian. You promised to listen to Big Sis, didn’t you?”
—he was stopped before he could even begin.
Lumiela knew that if Ian asked her for anything, she wouldn’t be able to refuse. That was why she cut him off in advance.
A very clever tactic.
As a natural-born ruler, Lumiela was exceptionally skilled at manipulating people.
Sigh… looks like it’ll take forever to calm her down again.
It really felt like he could never catch a single day of proper rest.
Ian let out a mental sigh and prepared to talk Lumiela down from her rampage.
But Lumiela’s reaction was anything but ordinary.
“····Huh?”
The moment she got close to Ian, she noticed something strange.
Specifically, his upper body.
“Ian…? Your clothes…!”
From a distance, Evangeline’s ridiculous “rolling” had been so eye-catching that she hadn’t noticed, but up close, she could see Ian’s clothes were torn to shreds.
“Ah, I was doing some sword training and pushed my body a bit too hard. That’s all.”
When Lumiela stared fixedly at his bare torso, Ian felt an inexplicable wave of embarrassment and unconsciously covered himself with both hands.
“···It’s a little embarrassing when you stare like that.”
Combined with Ian’s reaction, Lumiela felt a rush of excitement so intense that her Magic Eye nearly awakened on the spot.
Her heated body radiated uncontrollable heat.
Her face flushed red. Her breathing grew ragged.
A twisting, throbbing urge pulsed in her lower belly—tight, insistent, trembling.
Indescribable pleasure danced through Lumiela’s mind.
Yet even after experiencing all of that, she did not lose her reason.
Or rather, perhaps her rage had simply overpowered the pleasure.
“···Everyone, close your eyes.”
“Pardon?”
When everyone looked confused at the sudden command, Lumiela repeated coldly.
“I said, close your eyes.”
Activating her Magic Eye ability, Lumiela forcibly closed the eyes of every person present except herself.
Since she hadn’t specified exact targets, Ian was partially affected too. Fortunately, aside from his vision growing slightly blurry, there was no major impact.
While barely holding back the impulse to throw Ian to the ground and devour him, Lumiela asked,
“Who did this?”
“…Pardon?”
Ian was bewildered.
From all his past experiences, Lumiela had never once used vulgar language in front of him. Not even when his legs had nearly been crippled.
For her to openly curse like this…
“Which bitch dared to rip your clothes? Was it that trash? Or Evangeline? One of the palace servants? Big Sis will take care of them—actually, I won’t kill them, so just tell me quickly.”
A chill ran down his spine.
…This is the first time I’ve seen Lumiela this angry.
Was having his clothes torn really that shocking…?
Ian looked down at his own body in confusion.
No matter how I look at it, it’s perfectly ordinary.
His body held no particular charm.
The only thing even slightly noticeable was the lean muscle he had gained through endless hardship.
There weren’t even any wounds. So what was the problem?
When Ian didn’t answer, Lumiela asked again.
“Who was it?”
The feeling that something terrible would happen if he stayed silent was unmistakable.
Serena, standing nearby, trembled violently and looked at Ian with desperate eyes.
Master, please save me.
She had never imagined that a small act driven by personal interest would blow up into something this huge.
After all, the spar itself had never been permitted by Lumiela. If she were found out, the pain she would suffer would surely be so great that dying would feel like the better option.
Ian immediately read the meaning behind Serena’s expression.
She was begging him to make up an excuse or cover for her.
Since he had been the one to suggest the spar in the first place and felt responsible, he reluctantly decided to keep Serena’s involvement hidden.
In the end, the conclusion he reached was…
…Evangeline’s glare is annoying, but I don’t have much choice.
“Aww, Noona, why are you acting like this?”
Just like he had done with Olivia, Ian tried to cling to Lumiela and soothe her anger.
The moment he smiled and stepped closer to her—
Thud—
“Eh…?”
Lumiela reflexively pushed him away the instant he approached. It wasn’t that she disliked him.
But if she embraced him in her current state, she would undoubtedly pounce on him immediately. That was why she had no choice but to push him back.
Of course, Ian had no way of knowing that.
When Lumiela rejected him, he looked at her in utter confusion.
“Noona…?”
The moment Ian made that abandoned-puppy expression, Lumiela’s heart felt like it was being torn apart.
She reached out desperately and tried to explain.
“N-No, Ian! That’s not what I—!”
“I see. So Noona hates me now.”
Ian continued to back away as if he had suffered a terrible shock.
The sight made Lumiela feel as if a massive boulder had crushed her chest.
The pain of being hated by the person she loved felt like something was gouging out her heart.
All traces of her usual composure vanished. Flustered and frantic, she shouted at him.
“Ian! Wait…! T-That’s not what I meant…!”
Just as Lumiela was about to explain the truth—
Ian had already moved to the exit, avoiding her gaze as if he were running away.
“If that’s how Noona feels about me, then I’ll distance myself first.”
“No, Ian! You’re the only one for me—! Ugh.”
The continuous emotional chaos and stimulation pushed Lumiela right to the brink of fully awakening her Magic Eye.
If her emotions grew any more intense, she would awaken it immediately. The specially prepared magical tool activated in advance.
Vrrrr—
A royal-exclusive magical device developed to suppress potential Magic Eye awakenings.
In order to regulate the user’s emotions, the tool forcibly induced sleep.
Even as she collapsed, Lumiela’s eyes remained fixed on Ian.
She reached out desperately, but of course her hand never reached him.
Right before losing consciousness.
Ian left her with one final farewell.
“Noona, please stop looking for me from now on.”
With those words, Ian gave a pitiful smile and left the Moon God Palace behind.
···
······
“·······?”
With Lumiela’s collapse, Evangeline’s eyes were temporarily freed. She remained silent for a long time.
She didn’t even know where to begin pointing out how absurd this all was.
***
Ian, who had left the Moon God Palace with a sorrowful smile, quickly returned to his usual expression once he was far enough away.
“Whew. Did that work?”
Thanks to his all-out acting performance, he had barely managed to escape the palace.
Originally he had only planned to soothe Lumiela’s temper by flattering her a bit, but… perhaps he had gotten a little too immersed in the role.
Either way, he had ended up leaving the palace entirely.
It’s a bit earlier than I wanted, but I’ve learned the basics of swordsmanship and picked up a few other techniques along the way. The harvest was plenty.
He did feel a bit guilty about leaving Evangeline and especially Serena behind.
Still, Ian knew Lumiela wasn’t the type to be truly cruel.
At worst, she’ll probably just implant a few suggestions… right?
Serena was still a promising talent of the Twilight Knights. There was no way Lumiela would actually kill her.
Sorry, Serena.
But in the end, those who were meant to live would live.
He strode forward with bold steps.
Alright. My adventure truly begins now.
There were countless things he needed to do to prevent the coming destruction.
Just as Ian was organizing his plans in his head—
A stealthy shadow began following closely behind him.
***
Philia was stunned.
“Ian was… captured?”
She couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
Was it truly possible for Ian to be “captured” by someone?
The beastkin, Haryeong, smiled faintly as she explained.
“To be precise, it happened before the destruction. After all, when the great city of Catabel was destroyed, it would have been strange if the sole survivor received no punishment at all, wouldn’t it?”
Philia clutched her chest as if the story frustrated her.
“But that whole thing happened because of me in the first place!”
That was right.
The one who had destroyed Catabel was Philia.
Or more accurately, the result of her awakening as the Flower Devil.
“Do you really think those foolish humans could dare to punish a devil? And at the time, you were in hibernation, so they pushed all the blame onto him even harder. In the end, Ian took all the sins upon himself and was imprisoned in Hertoge.”
Hertoge.
The worst prison in continental history, located in the deep sea.
Once imprisoned there, it was said that one could never escape—neither alive nor even in death.
Haryeong spoke of his tragic life with clear enjoyment.
There was only one reason she liked this story.
“And as a result, it became an incredible stroke of fortune for Ian.”
Ironically, his growth had begun in the place known as the worst prison on the continent.