Chapter 83: Conflicted Behaviour

Lumi sat on her bed, staring at the book in her hands.

Honestly, she really didn’t understand what was happening anymore.

Celestine had always been the favoured daughter, yet there were times when her twin’s behaviour left Lumi confused. Sometimes, Celestine seemed to make things worse for her, telling her to endure their parents’ scolding instead of talking back. At other times, she would suddenly interrupt their parents whenever things became too unpleasant.

Like today, when she had complained about her headache just as their father was about to strike Lumi again.

Had that been intentional?

Lumi lowered her gaze, remembering how Celestine had once discovered her healing ability and warned her never to reveal it to anyone. Back then, she had assumed her sister was simply afraid their parents would find another reason to despise her.

But now, she wasn’t so sure.

Then there was Rei.

He had spent most of his life standing aside whenever their parents mistreated her, never offering so much as a word in her defence. Lumi had long since stopped expecting anything from him.

Yet today, he had come to her room and tossed her a beginner’s Guide book.

She turned it over in her hands.

Was he mocking her, or was this his strange way of helping?

Lumi pressed her lips together, feeling a headache coming on.

If Celestine truly cared about her, why had she never said so? And if Rei wasn’t entirely indifferent, why had he watched her suffer for so many years without doing anything?

She didn’t want to make excuses for either of them. Whatever their intentions might have been, they had still hurt her, and she wasn’t ready to pretend otherwise.

Perhaps there were things she didn’t know.

Or perhaps she was simply searching for kindness in places where she desperately wanted to find it.

With a quiet sigh, Lumi opened the book.

Whatever the truth was, she couldn’t keep sitting around wondering about it forever.

Lumi let out a quiet sigh and opened the book.

The first page contained a brief introduction to Guides and their role in Sentinel society. She leaned closer, carefully reading the printed words before murmuring them under her breath.

"Guides are individuals capable of calming and stabilizing Sentinels through Guiding energy. Their abilities help regulate a Sentinel’s mental state, prevent energy circulation from becoming unstable, and reduce the risk of Rampage..."

She paused, her brows knitting together.

"Guiding energy... regulates energy circulation?"

Lumi glanced at her palm, remembering the unfamiliar warmth she had felt when she held Evan’s hand in the intensive care unit. The doctor had mentioned an unusual fluctuation in his energy circulation, but she still had no idea what she had done.

’Could that have been Guiding energy?’

She quickly shook her head.

"No, that can’t be right. The machine already confirmed that I don’t have any..."

Her voice gradually faded as she returned her attention to the book. She flipped through several pages, her eyes skimming over the explanations until a particular paragraph caught her attention.

"Cases of unmeasurable Guiding energy..." She paused and read the passage more carefully.

’In rare cases, a Guide’s energy may remain undetectable due to an incomplete awakening or an unusual energy structure. Such cases are exceptionally uncommon, and further observation is required to determine the cause.’

Lumi stared at the words. "An incomplete awakening...?"

Could that be what was happening to her?

Before she could get too excited, she noticed the paragraph offered no further explanation, merely referring readers to research records that weren’t included in the book.

She flipped to the last page, hoping to find something useful, but discovered only a short list of references.

"Seriously? That’s it?"

Lumi puffed out her cheeks, disappointed, yet she couldn’t quite dismiss what she had just read.

For years, she had believed there was nothing special about her. Now, for the first time, she had found a possibility that didn’t immediately label her as useless.

She looked down at her hands. "Could I really be... not awakened yet?"

Lumi was still staring at the book when a sudden commotion outside her window caught her attention.

She turned toward the sound, setting the book aside before getting up to peek through the curtains.

A familiar figure stood at the front entrance of the Pei residence.

"Darian?"

Lumi blinked in surprise.

He was standing before the main doors, arguing with the butler, who had positioned himself firmly in the way and showed no intention of letting him enter.

"I’ve already explained, Sir Darian. Miss Pei is currently unavailable."

"And I’ve already told you why I’m here." Darian’s patience was visibly wearing thin. Raising his voice slightly, he continued, "I’m here to bring Miss Lumi Pei back to Young Master Caesar’s residence. Now, are you going to let me in, or do I have to explain the same thing a third time?"

Lumi’s eyes widened.

He had come to take her back?

Her fingers curled around the curtain as she leaned closer to the window.

"Is he already awake?" she mumbled under her breath, hope blooming in her chest.

For the past two days, she had been trapped in this room with no way of knowing what was happening at the hospital. She had imagined countless possibilities, each one more frightening than the last, and the uncertainty had been slowly eating away at her.

Now, Darian’s arrival gave her a reason to hope.

Perhaps Evan had finally opened his eyes. Perhaps he had asked for her, only to discover that she wasn’t there.

Or perhaps Darian had come on his own initiative, knowing how desperately she wanted to see him.

Lumi pressed her lips together, afraid to let herself become too hopeful.

"Please be awake, Evan..." she whispered, her gaze fixed on the commotion below.

At the front entrance, Darian was growing increasingly impatient with the butler’s refusal to let him pass.

"I’m not here to pay a social visit. I’m here to bring Lumi back to Young Master Caesar’s residence. Do you understand the difference?"

"I’m afraid I cannot allow you to take Miss Pei without Master Pei’s permission," the butler replied stiffly.

Darian let out an exasperated breath, clearly running out of patience.

Before he could retort, the car parked behind him opened.

A pale-faced Leon Caesar stepped out, one hand briefly resting against the car door as he steadied himself. Although he had recovered enough to leave the hospital, his complexion remained far from healthy, and even standing seemed to take more effort than it should.

Darian immediately turned toward him. "Leon, why did you get out? You should still be resting!"

Leon ignored his concern and directed his gaze toward the butler.

"Call Master Pei," he said, his voice weak but firm. "Tell him I wish to speak with him."