Chapter 31: Who’s Fault?

Hearing the word idiot kind of hurt Lumi, but at the same time, she had to admit that Evan wasn’t entirely wrong.

She could have checked.

Everything she needed to know about Sentinels, Guides, their abilities, and even the laws surrounding them could be accessed with just a few searches. There was no reason for her to simply believe something without verifying it herself.

But she had been eight years old.

Back then, Celestine had been the one standing beside her, telling her over and over that she couldn’t let anyone know about her healing ability. Lumi had believed her because Celestine was her twin, someone she had grown up with and trusted more than anyone else.

At eight years old, why would she think her own sister would lie to her?

The touch of the cotton swab finally made Lumi’s eyes meet Evan’s again.

He was looking cold as he carefully cleaned the dried blood from her forehead, his movements surprisingly gentle despite the stern expression on his face.

’Why is he being so good to me? Does he also have a hidden agenda?’

"Let’s go..."

Evan closed the medical kit and stepped away from the car. He walked around to the trunk, opened it, and placed the kit back inside before closing it again.

Lumi remained quietly seated in the passenger seat, watching him through the open door.

"Come on. You said you were hungry."

Lumi didn’t answer.

She simply lowered her gaze and slowly stepped out of the car, pulling the jacket tighter around herself.

Evan glanced at her but didn’t say anything.

She followed him quietly toward the restaurant, her mind still stuck on what he had said earlier.

’Idiot...’

Her lips pressed together. She knew he probably hadn’t meant it the way her parents and siblings’ words used to hurt her, but it still stung.

Especially because, deep down, she knew he was right.

"Excuse me..."

Someone suddenly approached them from the side.

Lumi glanced over and saw a teenage girl holding her phone up, the screen facing toward herself as she continued speaking excitedly to her livestream.

"Hey, everyone... Oh my gosh, you wouldn’t believe who I just saw right now..."

The girl quickly turned the phone slightly, making sure Evan and Lumi were visible in the background.

[Isn’t that Young Master Evan Caesar?]

[Woah! He’s so handsome!]

[Number One!]

[Wait, who’s that girl?]

The livestream chat immediately began filling with comments, and the girl’s eyes widened as she read them.

"Wait, wait... You guys are asking who the girl is?" She looked between Lumi and Evan, her curiosity growing. "Honestly, I have no idea, but—"

Then she covered her mouth, finally realizing who the girl beside Evan was.

"Guys! She’s—"

Her words were cut off when Evan’s hand suddenly reached from above and took the phone from her.

The livestream ended instantly.

Evan looked at the screen for a moment before returning the phone to her. His expression was cold enough to make the girl straighten.

"Don’t film us without permission." He paused, his gaze sharpening. "Especially her."

The girl quickly nodded, clutching her phone with both hands. "S-sorry..."

"Come..." Evan then naturally reached for Lumi’s hand, making her glance awkwardly at the girl, who was still watching them.

The teenage girl blinked before suddenly shouting in realization.

"His Guide! That’s his Guide! Woah, she’s pretty!"

She quickly flipped her phone’s camera around and snapped a photo of them from behind as they headed inside the restaurant.

Meanwhile, as Evan and Lumi calmly had dinner inside the restaurant, the video of them had already begun spreading across the Empire, along with countless posts discussing what had happened at the Fated Bonding Ceremony earlier that day.

The Sentinel community was especially stirred by the incident.

Several Sentinel organizations had already called for an emergency meeting to discuss the danger the Empire’s top Sentinel could pose if another Rampage occurred, with some members demanding that Evan be suspended from his position for at least three months.

====

A wine glass flew straight toward Evan’s face, but he easily dodged it.

Lumi, who was standing beside him, immediately clasped her hands together, her body going cold from fear.

’Are all the parents in this Empire fond of throwing things? Are we children some kind of dartboard?!’

"Look what the hell did you do?!" Luke roared in anger.

Meanwhile, Esther and Alexandra remained silent on the sofa in the dining room.

"What did I actually do?" Evan asked, his voice remaining surprisingly calm. "Did I call for the influencers or the media?" He paused for a moment, his gaze shifting slightly toward Alexandra. "Or did I intentionally go into Rampage?"

Alexandra instantly lowered her gaze and swallowed hard. She wouldn’t dare meet that sharp, cold stare.

Luke, however, was still furious.

"You nearly killed half the people in that hall!" he roared. "Do you even understand what could have happened if you had completely lost control?"

Evan’s expression remained unchanged. "I understand perfectly."

"Then why are you acting like none of this is your fault?!" Luke screamed out his lung as Evan’s indifferent got into him.

"Because it isn’t my fault."

The room fell silent.

Evan’s gaze shifted back toward Alexandra, who remained unusually quiet on the sofa.

"You know what... all of this could have been stopped right away if your mistress had guided me." He raised his eyebrows calmly. "You said you were the one who had always been there whenever I lost control over the past two years."

Alexandra’s fingers tightened against the fabric of her dress and her face slowly paled.

Since Evan entered the room, at that moment she looked genuinely shaken. Her lips parted, but no answer came out.

Luke’s expression changed as well. He glanced between them, as if only now realizing that there was something about today’s incident that even he had not been told.

Evan stopped in front of the sofa.

"So tell me, Alexandra..." His voice dropped. "Why didn’t you guide me today?"