Chapter 54: Let’s Get Married

It had been two days since Lumi woke up in the hospital.

Surprisingly, most of the wounds on the outside of her body had already healed. The bruises had faded considerably, and the cuts that should have taken much longer to recover were now barely visible. If someone saw her walking around the hospital, they would hardly believe that she had been one of the victims of an SSS-rank Sentinel’s Rampage only a few days ago.

Even the doctors were surprised by how quickly her body was recovering, though they could only attribute it to her young age and unusually strong recovery.

But ever since she woke up, Evan had never shown himself even once.

Lumi sat quietly on the edge of her hospital bed, staring at the door.

She had tried not to think about it. She really had.

But every time someone knocked, her eyes would instinctively lift, only to fall again when it wasn’t him.

’Does he really find me useless too?’

The thought made her chest feel strangely heavy.

Maybe he had finally realized what everyone else had always known.

She couldn’t guide like a normal Guide, couldn’t protect herself and couldn’t even stop him from hurting her when he lost control.

And perhaps after nearly killing her, Evan had finally decided that having her as his Fated Guide was more trouble than it was worth.

Lumi lowered her gaze to her hands.

’Maybe Father was right.’ The thought made her heart sink even further. ’Maybe he really will leave me once he realizes I’m useless.’

"What are you thinking about?"

The familiar voice made her head snap up.

Evan was standing at the door.

He was dressed in casual clothes, his brownish hair slightly tousled as usual, and for a moment, Lumi simply stared at him.

He was here. After three days. He was really here.

Her heart immediately leapt.

She wanted to get up, run toward him, and hug him. She wanted to ask why he hadn’t come sooner, whether he was alright, whether he had been avoiding her, and whether he had really decided that she was useless.

But then another thought stopped her.

’What if he thinks I’m being pushy?’

So instead of moving, Lumi remained where she was, quietly gazing at him.

She didn’t even realize her eyes had begun to water.

Evan’s expression changed the moment he noticed. "Why are you crying?"

He immediately rushed into the room. A few quick steps were enough for him to reach her bedside. "Is there somewhere that still hurts?"

Lumi quickly shook her head.

"No..." Her voice came out softer than she intended.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I..." She lowered her eyes, suddenly embarrassed that he had caught her like this. "I thought... you weren’t coming."

Evan went still. It took him a few seconds before he sat down on the edge of the bed. "I’m sorry... There are a lot of things to settle."

Lumi looked at him with her eyes still watery. "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine." He bobbed his head weakly.

"I heard from the nurse outside that your body took quite a lot of damage from the Rampage..." She paused, wiping away the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks. "Should I try healing you or something? You know... Celestine taught me the other day..."

Evan’s eyes immediately fell on her. "You want to heal me?"

Lumi nodded timidly. "If it can help even a little..."

She hesitated before adding, "You don’t have to worry. I think I can do it now."

Evan remembered what the doctor had told him. His body needed rest, and his Guiding pathways needed time to recover.

And yet, here was Lumi, still recovering from the injuries he had caused, worrying about whether he was alright.

"You just woke up two days ago," he said quietly. "You should be worrying about yourself."

"But you’re injured too." Her eyes wandered around his face, probably looking for any wound that she could try healing first.

"So are you," Evan replied gently.

Lumi lowered her eyes.

"You probably think I couldn’t do it, right?" she asked quietly. She sighed. "I tried before, healing my own wounds before trying to Guide you, but it failed. I think I’m just... not talented enough when it comes to Guiding. Even with a healing ability, it is still useless..."

"Actually, nope..." Evan leaned closer, peeking at Lumi’s face. "I believe you managed to heal your liver."

He paused, biting his lip slightly. "If you hadn’t... you would have been in a really dangerous situation."

Lumi’s eyes widened.

"I did? Really?!"

The excitement in her voice was impossible to hide.

Before she could think about what she was doing, she bounced slightly on the bed in excitement, only to immediately wince when the movement pulled at her still-healing body. Instinctively, she reached forward and wrapped her arms around Evan.

Evan froze.

Lumi froze too.

For a few seconds, neither of them moved.

Her cheek was resting against his chest, and she suddenly became painfully aware of what she had just done.

"I... I’m sorry..." She hurriedly tried to pull away, but Evan’s hand gently caught her shoulder.

"Don’t move too quickly." Evan looked down at her, his expression strangely calm despite the sudden embrace.

Lumi stopped.

"You’ll hurt yourself," he finished.

For a few moments, neither of them moved.

It was awkward. Completely awkward.

Yet, somehow, Lumi didn’t feel like pulling away immediately. Being in his arms gave her a strange sense of comfort and protection, something she wasn’t quite used to.

"How much longer until you finish your studies?" Evan suddenly asked.

Lumi slowly pulled away from his chest and looked up at him.

"I took a two-and-a-half-year course..." She blinked, seemingly counting in her head before answering, "Around... a little over a year?"

"Then I will wait," Evan said.

Lumi blinked again. "Wait?"

"To propose." He looked at her with the same calm expression, as though he had just told her what he wanted for dinner. "Let’s get married."

"Married?!"