Chapter 33: Being Intimate Isn’t The Only Way

Evan opened the door to one of the rooms along the hallway and stepped aside, allowing Lumi to look inside. The room was spacious and comfortable, with a large bed, a desk near the window, and a wide window overlooking the garden outside. Everything was already neatly arranged, making it clear that she could move in without needing to wait for anything.

"This will be your room until further notice."

Lumi blinked and looked at him. "Further notice?"

Evan’s expression froze for a brief moment. He had not meant to make it sound suspicious.

"Until..." He cleared his throat and looked away. "Until we figure everything out."

"Oh..." Lumi nodded quietly, accepting the explanation without questioning it further.

Evan glanced at her again. She was standing there obediently, still looking slightly lost after everything that had happened today. For some reason, seeing her inside his house made the reality of the situation sink in more deeply than it had before.

She was his Fated Guide. And now she was staying under the same roof as him.

Evan quickly looked away.

He knew he was already becoming too interested in her, and that was precisely why he needed to be careful. Lumi had only just escaped the Pei family, discovered that she was his Fated Guide, and suddenly found herself living in his home. The last thing he wanted was for her to mistake the Fated connection for an obligation.

He could wait until she was comfortable with him.

Until she understood what she wanted.

Until she could look at him and choose him without the Fated connection making the decision for her.

Unfortunately, his thoughts immediately wandered back to something Darian had asked him earlier at the hospital.

"Evan... if a kiss could instantly shut down your Rampage, is there any possibility that something more intimate could help stabilize everything from inside?"

Evan’s expression darkened slightly at the memory.

Darian had been looking far too amused when he asked it, clearly aware of what he was implying.

Evan had shut him down immediately.

"Being intimate isn’t the only way."

There were other forms of physical contact that could strengthen the Fated Connection, and perhaps some of them could stabilize his Sentinel power even more effectively. But that didn’t mean he was going to test every possibility simply because he could.

Especially not with Lumi.

She had already been forced into enough situations she didn’t understand. He wasn’t going to become another person who took advantage of the Fated Connection and made decisions for her.

Evan glanced toward her again.

Lumi was quietly examining the room, her fingers resting against the softness of the mattress. She looked almost relieved to have a place where no one was shouting at her or telling her what she was supposed to do.

That alone made Evan’s decision easier.

He would wait. For now, being near her was enough.

"You can take your time settling in," he said. "If there’s anything you need, just tell me."

Lumi turned toward him and gave a small nod. "Okay."

Evan was about to leave when Lumi hesitated.

"Evan..."

He stopped and looked back at her. "Hmm?"

"Will... will I really be staying here?" Her voice was quiet, almost uncertain.

Evan’s gaze softened slightly. "For now, yes."

Lumi lowered her eyes. "I see."

There was something about the way she said it that made Evan pause.

She didn’t sound unhappy. If anything, she sounded relieved.

"You don’t have to worry about your family coming here," Evan added. "I already made arrangements."

Lumi looked up. "Arrangements?"

"They won’t be able to take you back without my permission."

Her eyes widened slightly.

Evan immediately realized how that sounded.

"That isn’t meant to mean I’m keeping you here against your will," he clarified. "If you want to leave, you can."

Lumi stared at him for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "No... I don’t want to go back."

The answer was quiet, but firm enough that Evan didn’t need to ask why.

He nodded. "Then you don’t have to."

Lumi’s fingers tightened around her bag.

Since the moment she left the Pei residence, she felt as though someone had actually given her permission to stay somewhere without demanding anything in return.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Evan looked at her for a moment before giving a small nod.

"You’re welcome. Have a good night’s rest." He turned and walked away, leaving Lumi alone in the doorway.

She stepped into the room and slowly closed the door behind her.

For a while, she simply stood there.

The room was quiet and too big for her.

She looked at the large bed, then at the garden outside the window, before finally letting out a small breath.

’So this is really happening.’

Yesterday, she had been locked inside the Pei residence.

Today, she had been dragged into a Fated Bonding Ceremony, nearly watched Evan destroy half the hall, kissed the Empire’s strongest Sentinel twice, been hit by her own father, and somehow ended up living in Evan Caesar’s house.

Lumi covered her face with both hands.

’This is not a dream right?! I don’t want to wake up then!’

Outside the room, Evan had barely made it to the end of the hallway when his phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen.

Darian.

Evan answered the call. "What is it?"

Darian’s voice came through immediately. "I have the preliminary report."

Evan’s expression became serious. "Go on."

"The medical team confirmed that the substance in your blood wasn’t a normal contaminant. We’ve sent the sample to the Anomaly Research Department for further analysis, but there’s something else."

Evan stopped walking. "What?"

"We checked the bouquet."

His eyes narrowed. "And?"

"There was a trace of Riverspine Vine in it."

The hallway suddenly fell silent.

Evan’s fingers tightened around the communicator. "Riverspine?"

"Yeah. The amount was small, but enough to interfere with your energy circulation, especially when your power was already unstable."

Evan’s expression turned cold. "She’s right."

"Who?" Darian asked in confusion.

Evan’s gaze shifted toward the room where Lumi had just disappeared.

The ceremony hadn’t been a simple accident. Someone had wanted his Rampage to happen. And whoever had done it knew exactly what kind of consequences it could cause.

"Darian."

"Yeah?"

"Find out where that Riverspine came from." Evan let out a weak huff.

There was a brief pause before Darian answered, "Already working on it."

"And check everyone who had access to the bouquet before the ceremony."

"Understood. I’ll send you the list as soon as I have it," Darian replied immediately.

A second later, Evan ended the call. He stood there for a moment, staring at the screen before slipping the phone back into his pocket.

Then his gaze returned to Lumi’s door.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"What are you?"