Chapter 56: Best Option

"That’s Evan Caesar, right? I heard the doctor talking about him the other day."

The other nurse chimed in, "Yeah. I heard he was asking about his Fated Guide."

"Really? I thought he had already decided to keep her."

"He did, but apparently the doctor suggested something else."

Lumi stopped moving.

Another nurse lowered her voice. "You mean... the life partner thing?"

"Shh! Don’t say it so loudly." The nurse slapped on her friend’s shoulder lightly, to remind her to keep her voice down.

Lumi’s fingers tightened around the edge of the door.

’Life partner?’

She leaned closer without realizing it, carefully listening to their conversation.

"I heard the doctor suggested that becoming life partners could help stabilize his condition. You know how dangerous his Rampages have become."

"Could help," the other nurse corrected. "Not will help. The doctor specifically said there’s no guarantee. It might strengthen their connection enough to stabilize him, or it might not change much at all."

The other one nodded, "I know. But considering how badly his condition has deteriorated, even a possibility is probably worth trying."

Lumi’s expression slowly changed.

"So Miss Pei is basically being kept beside him because of her ability?"

The other nurse hesitated before answering.

"I wouldn’t put it that way. But think about it. She is the only person who has ever managed to pull him back from a Rampage, and even then, the chances of her being able to stabilize him again aren’t one hundred percent."

"So she might fail next time?" She covered her mouth, looking surprised.

"Of course she might. That’s what makes it dangerous."

The first nurse was silent for a moment before lowering her voice even further. "But if she can succeed even half the time..."

The other nurse glanced around before continuing.

"Then she is still probably his best option."

Lumi’s heart suddenly sank. ’Best option...’

Their gossip didn’t seem to stop when they continued.

"She has no Guiding rank, either, right?"

"No. She’s officially just a mere citizen."

"Then why would someone like Evan Caesar want to make a mere citizen his life partner?"

There was a brief silence.

"Maybe because he doesn’t have much of a choice."

Lumi’s eyes widened slightly. "Doesn’t have... much choice..." she repeated the words unconsciously.

The nurse immediately added, "I mean, from a practical standpoint. If his Rampages continue getting worse, he needs someone who can reach him. Normal Guides apparently can’t do what she does."

"But becoming life partners just for that?"

"Would you really call it strange?"

The nurse gave a quiet, humorless laugh.

"Imagine you’re the strongest Sentinel in the Empire, but every time you lose control, you become a danger to everyone around you. Then suddenly, there’s one person who can reach you when nobody else can. Even if there’s only a chance that a deeper bond will make her ability more reliable, wouldn’t you want to keep that person as close to you as possible?"

The other nurse seemed to think about it. "When you put it that way..."

"Besides, a Fated Guide is already tied to him. Becoming life partners would only make that connection deeper."

Lumi’s fingers slowly loosened from the door. Her mind went completely blank for a moment.

Then the nurse spoke again. "Still, I wouldn’t envy Miss Pei."

"Why?"

"Because what happens if it doesn’t work?" The nurse crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders.

Lumi’s breathing became quieter.

The nurse continued casually, unaware that someone was listening only a few steps away.

"If becoming life partners doesn’t stabilize him, then she’ll still be stuck beside the most dangerous Sentinel in the Empire. And if his condition improves one day..." She paused. "Who knows whether he’ll still need her?"

Lumi’s heart tightened.

’If his condition improves...’ The words repeated in her mind. ’Whether he’ll still need her.’

She remembered Evan standing beside her only moments ago, telling her that he was interested in her and wanted her to become his life partner.

At that moment, she had thought his words were about her. But now, another possibility slowly took shape.

Maybe Evan really did like her.

Maybe he really did want her.

But perhaps the reason he had decided to take that step now was because his Rampages had become worse, because normal Guides could not reach him, and because she was the only person who had ever managed to pull him back.

Her lips slowly pressed together.

’So... if I couldn’t stabilize him anymore...’ Lumi lowered her eyes, ’Would he still want me?’

She stayed by the door for another few seconds, her thoughts becoming more tangled the longer she listened.

"What are you doing?"

Lumi nearly jumped.

Raphael was leaning against the wall near the door, casually facing the nurses who were gossiping among themselves. He had apparently been there long enough to hear everything.

"Ah..." Lumi awkwardly stepped away from the door.

Raphael tilted his head. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"No! I was just..." She glanced back at the nurses, then lowered her voice. "I accidentally heard them."

"Same thing, ugly duckling..." He smirked.

Lumi blinked.

Raphael pushed himself away from the wall and walked over, looking completely unconcerned about the nurses staring at him.

"Why bother with the reason he chose you?"

Lumi blinked again.

Raphael tilted his head, looking at her as though she had just asked him something completely ridiculous.

"He chose you. That’s the important part."

"But..."

"No buts." He waved his hand dismissively. "People are always trying to find ten different reasons behind one simple decision. Maybe he likes you. Maybe he needs you. Maybe his brain stopped working after all those Rampages."

Lumi stared at him.

"What? I’m being honest." He shrugged, then continued in the same blunt tone. "Besides, even if he needs you because you’re the only one who can reach him, so what? If I had a Sentinel trying to murder everyone every few days, I’d probably keep the person who could stop him too."

Lumi was speechless by his words.

He was being way too straightforward. And somehow, that made her even more confused.

"But... you make it sound like he only chose me because I can stop him."

Raphael blinked. "Did I?"

Lumi nodded slowly. "You did."

"Hm." Raphael rubbed his chin as if he were genuinely thinking about it. "Then I probably your brain’s way of understanding my words is wrong."

Lumi blinked in surprise.

Raphael stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly shrugging.

"Whatever. My point is, you’re already the person he chose. Why torture yourself trying to figure out whether there are one, two, or seventeen reasons behind it?"

"Seventeen?"

"I don’t know. Maybe he has seventeen reasons."

Lumi’s lips twitched despite herself.

Raphael continued, completely serious, "Maybe one of them is because you can stop his Rampage. Maybe another is because you don’t annoy him as much as everyone else. Maybe he likes looking at your face. Maybe he likes hearing you talk."

Lumi’s cheeks slowly warmed.

"And maybe..." Raphael narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "He simply likes you."

Before Lumi could respond, Raphael suddenly leaned down, closing the distance between them with a mischievous grin.

"But, ugly duckling, if you ever think about rejecting his proposal..." He paused deliberately, his eyes flicking over her face. "Come to me."

Lumi’s eyes widened.

Raphael straightened slightly, looking far too pleased with himself.

"You seem much more interesting than that twin of yours."