Chapter 81: Grounded

Instead of an answer, Lumi received a hard smack to the side of her head.

The sudden impact made her stumble, and before she could regain her balance, Felix grabbed a fistful of her hair, forcing her head back as he glared at her with undisguised fury.

"Have you gotten even more stupid after becoming that Caesar’s Guide?!"

Pain shot across Lumi’s scalp as his fingers tightened around her hair. She instinctively reached for his wrist, trying to ease the pressure, but Felix only glared at her as though even that small movement were another act of defiance.

"Look at you! Just because you’ve become Evan Caesar’s Fated Guide, you think you can talk back to your own parents now? Who do you think you are?!"

Lumi’s eyes watered from the pain, but she couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that escaped her lips. "So, Father, when can I—"

"Father!" Celestine abruptly stood up, pressing a hand against her temple as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I think my headache is coming back..."

Her sudden interruption made Felix pause, his attention finally shifting away from Lumi.

Before he could say anything, Celestine hurried over to Esther, gently tugging at her sleeve with an expression that made her look far more like a spoiled daughter seeking her mother’s attention than the Empire’s promising Guide.

"Mother, could you make me some lotus seed and lily bulb sweet soup? I suddenly feel like eating something you make. I haven’t had it in so long..."

Esther’s expression immediately softened.

"Your headache is still bothering you?" she asked, reaching out to touch Celestine’s forehead. "Why didn’t you say so earlier? You should have told me if you weren’t feeling well!"

"It’s not that bad," Celestine murmured, leaning closer to her mother. "But I really want to eat something you make. Please?"

"Of course, dear. I’ll have the kitchen prepare the ingredients first."

Esther turned toward the servants, already preparing to give instructions, while Celestine stayed beside her, holding her arm as though she had suddenly become too weak to stand on her own.

Only then did Felix finally loosen his grip on Lumi’s hair.

Lumi stumbled back half a step, immediately raising a hand to her aching scalp. She bit her lip, trying to keep the tears from falling again, and watched as her father turned his attention toward her sister instead.

For a brief moment, Celestine glanced in her direction.

Their eyes met, and Celestine’s gaze lingered on Lumi’s face before shifting away.

Lumi stared at her twin, her throat tightening as the familiar ache settled in her chest.

That was the difference between them.

When Celestine complained of a headache, their mother immediately rushed to her side, offering to prepare whatever she wanted to eat, while their father stopped his tirade the moment his precious daughter called out to him.

But when Lumi was the one in pain, when their father struck her and grabbed her hair hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, neither of them had shown the slightest concern.

To them, Celestine was a daughter worth protecting, someone whose discomfort deserved immediate attention, while Lumi was merely a nuisance whose tears could be ignored and whose pain was hardly worth acknowledging.

The same parents, the same family, yet two entirely different treatments.

Lumi lowered her eyes, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.

She had long known that she could never compare to Celestine in their parents’ hearts, but knowing it and witnessing it so plainly were two entirely different things.

Lumi wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand before turning toward the entrance. She had no intention of staying in the living room any longer, not when every word she said only earned her another round of accusations, and her aching scalp was beginning to throb where Felix had grabbed her hair.

However, she had barely taken two steps when her father’s voice stopped her.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Lumi paused, her shoulders stiffening.

Felix straightened his clothes, his expression still clouded with anger as he looked at her.

"Did you think you could simply walk out after making such a scene? Luke Caesar has already spoken to me. He explicitly ordered you to stay away from his son, and he expects me to keep you under control."

Lumi slowly turned around.

"Luke Caesar...?"

"That’s right!" Felix snapped. "He knows exactly what kind of trouble you’ve brought into Evan’s life. Even the Caesar family has had enough of you and your bad luck!"

His words struck a nerve, but before Lumi could respond, Felix continued, his tone growing increasingly contemptuous.

"From now on, you’re grounded. You’re not allowed to leave this residence without permission, and you are absolutely forbidden from going anywhere near Evan Caesar. Since you’ve become so obsessed with chasing after him, perhaps being locked up at home will finally teach you some sense!"

Lumi stared at her father, momentarily unable to speak.

She had spent an entire week at the hospital, waiting for Evan to wake up, and now she was being told that his own father had ordered her to stay away from him.

Her fingers slowly curled into her palms.

"Evan is still unconscious," she said at last, her voice quiet but strained. "How can you expect me to just leave him there?"

"That’s none of your concern anymore!" Felix retorted. "His family will take care of him. You should be grateful that the Caesars haven’t demanded more from us after everything that’s happened!"

Lumi’s face paled.

"No, I don’t believe you..." She shook her head, taking a step backward. "I will stay there until Evan wakes up and asks him myself."

Felix’s expression darkened instantly.

"You ungrateful, disobedient girl! Have you completely lost your mind? Do you think Evan Caesar will still want to see you after everything you’ve brought upon him?"

Lumi flinched, but she refused to look away. "I don’t believe that. Evan wouldn’t—"

"Shut your mouth!" Felix’s furious roar silenced her.

"Who do you think you are to decide what Evan Caesar wants? You’re nothing but a useless girl who got lucky enough to become an SSS-Rank Sentinel’s Fated Guide, and now you’ve mistaken that coincidence for something special! If not for that bond, do you honestly think the Caesar family would even spare you a second glance?"

Lumi’s eyes burned. She knew her father had never thought highly of her, but hearing him use Evan to humiliate her made her chest ache in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

"If you dare step outside this residence without my permission, I’ll make sure you regret it! Do you understand?"

Lumi’s heart pounded.

She looked toward the entrance, then back at her father, her thoughts racing as she tried to find a way out of the situation. She couldn’t simply accept his words. Evan was still unconscious, and until she heard from him herself, she refused to believe that he wanted her gone.

"I have to see him," she whispered.

Then, before Felix could react, she turned and ran.

"Stop her!"

At his command, several maids immediately hurried toward the entrance. Lumi tried to slip past them, but they were faster, spreading out to block her path before she could reach the door.

"Miss Lumi, please don’t make this difficult for us!"

"Let me go!" Lumi cried, attempting to push past them. "I need to go to the hospital!"

One of the maids caught her arm while another moved in front of her, leaving her trapped between them. Lumi struggled to free herself, panic rising in her chest as she realized she couldn’t get through.

Behind her, Felix approached with heavy footsteps.

"Still trying to run away? Have you learned absolutely nothing?" He seized her wrist and yanked her away from the entrance.

"Father, please! I just want to see Evan!"

"Enough!" His grip tightened as he dragged her toward the staircase, ignoring her attempts to pull free.

"Since you have so much energy to cause trouble, you can spend the next few days reflecting on your behavior in your room. And don’t even think about coming out until I allow it!"

Lumi stumbled as he pulled her along, her eyes fixed on the entrance that was growing farther and farther away.

She wanted to fight back. She wanted to scream that she had done nothing wrong, that she wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable, that all she wanted was to see the person who had nearly died protecting her.

But Felix won’t listen. He dragged her upstairs and shoved her through the doorway of her bedroom before releasing her wrist.

"Think carefully about what you’ve done," he said coldly. "Perhaps then you’ll finally learn your place."

The door slammed shut behind him.

Lumi stood motionless in the middle of the room, her wrist aching and her breathing unsteady.

This room.

The same room where she had spent countless nights crying silently into her pillow, where she had learned to swallow her questions and hide her tears, where so many of her childhood memories had been replaced by fear, loneliness, and the desperate wish to be loved by her own family.