Chapter 107: The Twentieth Birthday

Evan came over with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand, heading straight toward Lumi, who was sitting on the sofa with her knees drawn to her chest.

"Are you sure you’re not hungry?" he asked, holding out the mug for her. "You’ve barely eaten anything since we got back."

Lumi lifted her head and stared at the hot chocolate for a moment before accepting it with both hands. The warmth seeped into her cold fingers, but she didn’t immediately take a sip, instead lowering her gaze to the swirling chocolate inside the mug.

"I’m not hungry..." she murmured.

Evan frowned slightly.

He had already asked her the same question several times, offered to get her anything she wanted, and even suggested that she take a shower and rest, but Lumi had remained curled up on the sofa, barely moving from that spot.

After everything that had happened in the basement, Evan couldn’t blame Lumi for feeling overwhelmed. She had discovered that her own family was involved in a horrifying organization, nearly lost her sister, and awakened a power she couldn’t control. It was a lot for anyone to process, especially someone who had spent most of her life believing she was ordinary.

Still, watching her sit there with such a troubled expression made him feel helpless.

"Are you sure there was no video we could retrieve from the basement incident?" Lumi suddenly asked.

Evan shook his head. "The basement was a secret place for them, so there’s almost certainly no security camera down there. And even if they had one, they probably would’ve destroyed the footage to prevent anyone from discovering what happened."

He paused, adjusting his position on the sofa before continuing, "When Raphael and I arrived, there were only the two of us. We didn’t bring a backup team, and Darian wasn’t there either. You know how he always records everything for research and analysis, but unfortunately, we didn’t have anyone like him with us at that time."

Lumi’s shoulders drooped slightly.

She had hoped there might be some footage that could help her understand what had happened after her power awakened, especially since her memories of that period were so fragmented. Knowing that there might be no way to recover what she had forgotten left her feeling even more unsettled.

"So... there’s really no way to find out what I did?"

Evan studied her face before gently taking her hand.

"Lumi, I told you everything that happened in the basement because I wanted you to understand your ability and prepare yourself for what might happen in the future, not because I wanted you to keep dwelling on something you can’t change."

Lumi lowered her gaze. "But I don’t remember any of it..."

"I know." Evan gently squeezed her hand. "And I understand why you want to see it for yourself. Hearing someone describe what you did and actually witnessing it are two different things."

He paused, watching her troubled expression before continuing.

"When we were still in the basement, I didn’t tell you the truth because you had only just regained your senses. You were confused, frightened, and barely understood what was happening around you. I didn’t think telling you that you had nearly destroyed the entire place would help."

Lumi looked up at him, "Then why did you tell me afterward?"

"Because I realized that hiding it from you wouldn’t protect you forever." His expression grew serious. "What happened today could happen again, Lumi. And if it does, I don’t want you to be completely unprepared."

He brushed his thumb across her knuckles.

"But there’s a difference between understanding what happened and blaming yourself for every little detail you can’t remember. I told you the truth so we could figure out what to do next, not so you could spend the entire night wondering how many walls you broke or how many people you knocked unconscious."

Lumi frowned a little. "Why would I wonder how many walls I broke...?"

Evan raised an eyebrow before pressing a finger between her brows, gently smoothing out the crease forming there. "That was an example, sweetheart."

"And I know..." Lumi lowered her gaze to the mug in her hands, her voice growing quieter. "It’s just... if I could see what actually happened, wouldn’t it be better for me to understand my own power?"

Evan studied her for a moment, considering her words. He couldn’t deny that she had a point. Seeing her ability in action might help them identify how it behaved when she lost control, especially since neither of them knew enough about her power to predict what it might do next.

However, that didn’t mean he wanted her to become fixated on a recording of her worst moment, particularly when she was already struggling to come to terms with it.

"Perhaps," he admitted. "But watching a video won’t automatically tell you why your power reacted that way, or how to control it."

He took the mug from her hands for a moment, checking that she had actually drunk some of the hot chocolate before returning it to her.

"If we find a recording, we’ll watch it together. We can ask Darian to analyse it and see whether he notices anything useful. But until then, there’s no point in exhausting yourself over something we can’t change."

Lumi considered his words, then nodded faintly.

Evan reached over and tapped her forehead lightly with his finger. "And no more frowning. You’re going to give yourself wrinkles."

"I am nineteen..." she reminded him.

"Ah..." Evan nodded solemnly before breaking into a smile. "Must be good to be young."

Lumi looked straight at him, her brows furrowing harder. "And you are just twenty-three, Young Master Caesar..."

Evan blinked at her in surprise. "Oh! Our Lumi knows how to talk back now..."

The moment Evan questioned her behaviour, Lumi’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she hurriedly lowered her gaze to the mug in her hands.

Evan chuckled and gently took the mug from her, setting it on the coffee table before turning back to her.

"Listen..." He cupped her face and lifted it gently, waiting until she met his eyes. "This might sound a bit awkward, considering I said I’d wait until you finished your studies before we got married, but the situation doesn’t seem to be allowing us that luxury anymore..."

Lumi’s eyes widened in confusion as she waited for him to finish, wondering what could possibly have prompted such a serious expression after they had been teasing each other just moments ago.

Evan brushed his thumb across her cheek, his gaze softening. "Let’s get married on your twentieth birthday next week."

For a moment, Lumi simply stared at him.

"Huh?"