Lilia came back from the kitchen with a glass of water in her trembling hands. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. She offered it to Lucian with a small bow, trying her best not to show how nervous she was.

Lucian took the glass as if accepting an offering at a royal court, drank it without hesitation— Not even a hint of worry about poison or anything else— and passed it back to her with a nod.

Then his hand slipped under his coat.

Lilia froze.

Lyra shifted her stance and prepared to strike. Her entire body leaned forward, ready to tear through him if he so much as breathed wrong.

But Lucian didn't pull a weapon.

He pulled out a card.

A card that looked nothing like anything sold on the market.

The metal was dark, polished, marked with thin gold lines that moved across the surface like they were alive. The Blackwood emblem—half wolf, half blade—shifted under the surface like it was carved into liquid steel instead of solid material, like a living hologram inside the card. A faint ripple ran along the edges, like this card wasn't meant to simply exist, but to broadcast its authority.

He held it out toward Lilia.

"Give this to Xavier," Lucian said, his tone firm but not hostile. "He'll understand."

Lilia accepted the card with both hands like she was receiving some sacred relic.

Lucian then turned to Lyra, and instead of dismissing her or ignoring her, he offered a polite, brief nod—something even high-status officials didn't bother giving to beastfolk.

"I apologize for disturbing your sleep," he said.

He turned around and walked out of the apartment without waiting for permission, without looking back, the door closing behind him with a soft thud.

Lilia stood there for a moment, holding the card and staring at the doorway as if she'd just survived a hurricane. When the shock finally left her body, she let her shoulders drop and exhaled long and slow.

Lyra looked at her, still tense. "Who was that guy?"

Lilia swallowed.

"Lucian Blackwood," she said. "Lucas's father."

Lyra's expression tightened, tail flicking once.

"So that was him."

"Yeah," Lilia muttered. "And trust me… that's not someone we ever want to piss off."

Lyra turned her eyes toward the door again, as if expecting him to return.

"…Then why did he talk to us so politely?"

Lilia didn't answer.

Because even she didn't know.

But one thing was clear:

Lucian Blackwood now had his eyes on Xavier. And that always meant trouble.

Lyra leaned back on the couch, arms folded, tail flicking behind her with that restless impatience that always showed when she was worried.

"Do you know where he is?" she asked.

Lilia shook her head. "He left last night after we had dinner at Seraphina's place. I haven't seen him since. You were there too."

Lyra muttered under her breath, "Maybe he stayed the night with her again… he usually does that."

Lilia gave a little shrug mixed with a frustrated puff of air. "How would I know? He doesn't tell me anything. He tells you more than he tells me."

There wasn't bitterness in her tone—just a quiet jealousy, as if she had long accepted her place in Xavier's life but still wished for more.

Lyra glanced at her.

"…I guess."

Lilia straightened up. "Since this is serious, we should check Seraphina's restaurant. If Xavier's with her, we have to tell him about Lucas's father before it's too late."

Lyra nodded once. "Let's go."

They left the apartment together, took the express lift to the tenth floor, and walked straight into Seraphina's restaurant. It was still early—too early for customers. The entire space felt untouched, chairs stacked perfectly, counters spotless, lights warm and steady. And right at the center, fussing over table settings, stood Seraphina herself.

She looked up, surprised. "You two? This early? Sit. I'll bring something."

Instead of sitting, Lilia stepped closer. "Seraphina… was Xavier with you last night?"

Seraphina blinked. "…Huh? No. Why?"

Lyra moved in before Lilia could speak. She stepped close, leaned in, sniffed her collarbone, her shoulders, the sleeves of her dress. Then she nodded.

"She's telling the truth. I don't smell Xavier on her."

Seraphina frowned now. "What happened? Why are you looking for him like this?"

"We need to talk to him," Lilia said. "It's urgent."

"Did you try calling?"

"We can't reach him." Lilia rubbed her arms, clearly stressed.

Seraphina paused.

A tiny moment of doubt passed over her face—like she wondered whether these two knew Xavier had other women in his life. Whether she should say something. But she didn't. Not because she wanted to hide it, but because she genuinely had no idea the situation was this heavy.

She simply gave them a confident smile. "Don't panic. It's Xavier. He always shows up. He'll be fine."

Then she waved them toward a table she'd just set up.

"You two look stressed. Do you want something to eat?"

Lyra raised her hand.

"Yeah. I want—" and she began listing dishes like a starving soldier demanding rations after a week-long battle, barely stopping to breathe between items.

Seraphina stared for a second, then sighed and muttered, "Of course she does…" before heading to the kitchen.

Lilia sat beside Lyra, holding the Blackwood card. Neither of them said it out loud, but both hoped—

Wherever Xavier was… he was "fine."

Lucian Blackwood leaned back in the seat as the hovercar drifted through the morning traffic lanes, silent as a blade. The tinted windows dimmed the city lights and cast his face in a dusk-like shade. He wasn't resting—he never rested. His holo-screen hovered in front of him, pages sliding past each other as he skimmed through reports, charts, timestamps, analytics, and progress logs from half the projects under his authority.

Most of them bored him.

Projected yield up by 0.82%…

Sector-12 negotiations pending…

He swiped all of it aside with a flick of his fingers.

His mind wasn't on business.

It kept drifting back to that girl.

Lyra.

He remembered the way she had stepped out of Xavier's room—half-asleep, ready to rip his throat out, glaring at him like she could smell a storm on his skin.

"Impossible…" he muttered to himself. "Such a rare existence. Is it a coincidence that the more I learn about this Xavier, the more interested I become in him?"

Lucian tapped his fingers on the armrest.

"What in the world are you hiding, boy?"

He pulled up Xavier's file again.

Eighteen.

Hologram training fights.

Viral clips.

A surge of supporters overnight.

Major investors talking about him.

Rumors of him being connected to underworld figures and even someone from the Red Family.

A nobody who grew into a phenomenon in less than a year.

"And now a girl like that lives with him?"

Lucian leaned forward. His voice dropped to a low murmur.

"I want to know who you are, Xavier."

The car glided upward toward the corporate district, but Lucian's gaze remained on the empty report page waiting for input.

He closed it.

Even if he wanted to meet Xavier… he couldn't.

Lucian loosened his tie—not from discomfort, but from excitement.

"For now… I'll wait," he muttered. "Either I find him…"

He leaned back, watching the city pass by.

"…or he finds me."

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