Chapter 85: An Ordinary Girl

Celestine’s eyes darted from Leon to Reeta, then toward her parents, as panic began to creep into her expression. She gulped, swallowing hard as she struggled to find an explanation that would not make her look even more suspicious.

"I-I... before I Guided Young Master Valen, I was there, trying to heal you..."

"And am I blind?" Reeta cut into the conversation, her voice edged with disbelief. "I was kneeling beside Leon when he was lying on the ground, barely breathing, and you expect me to believe you were the one who healed him? Or do you think I should just keep quiet and let you get away with that lie?"

Celestine’s face stiffened.

"I never said I was the only one who helped!" she protested, her voice rising defensively. "I was there too, wasn’t I? Why is everyone making such a big deal out of Lumi?"

"Because she was the one who helped stabilize Leon’s condition," Reeta replied, looking at Celestine as though she couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. "I was there when it happened, so don’t try to tell me something different. Honestly, you really do have a twisted tongue... Tch."

Celestine’s face reddened as Reeta’s accusation left her with no easy way to defend herself. Rather than continue arguing with Reeta, she abruptly turned toward her parents, looking at them as though she expected them to settle the matter in her favor.

"Father, Mother, tell them!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with indignation. "I’m the one with healing ability! How could Lumi possibly have stabilized someone like Young Master Leon when she doesn’t even have Guiding energy? That doesn’t make any sense!"

Esther’s expression immediately softened at the sight of her daughter’s aggrieved face, and she reached for Celestine’s hand.

"Of course, Celestine. We know what you’re capable of," she reassured her before turning a displeased gaze toward Leon and Reeta. "Lumi has never shown any signs of Guiding energy. There must have been some misunderstanding."

"That’s right!" Celestine quickly chimed in, grasping her mother’s hand as though she had finally found someone willing to defend her. "I’ve worked so hard to develop my healing ability, so why would I lie about something like this? Lumi can’t even guide a Sentinel, let alone stabilize someone who was so badly injured!"

Her words came pouring out, each one emphasizing how impossible it should have been for Lumi to accomplish anything remarkable.

Felix remained silent for a moment, his brows furrowing as he considered his daughter’s explanation. Unlike Esther, he did not immediately rush to comfort Celestine, but his expression had grown increasingly displeased.

He had spent nineteen years believing that Lumi was nothing more than an ordinary girl without a trace of Guiding energy. If she had somehow managed to stabilize Leon Caesar, then there was something about his supposedly useless daughter that he had failed to understand.

And that possibility unsettled him far more than Celestine’s outburst.

"Young Master Leon," Felix finally said, forcing a strained smile, "surely you can understand our doubts. My younger daughter has no detectable Guiding energy, while Celestine possesses a healing ability that even our family takes pride in. Isn’t it more reasonable to assume that there has been some confusion regarding who helped you?"

Leon studied him for a moment before answering.

"Master Pei, are you suggesting that no one else was there?"

"No..." Felix frowned, struggling to find a convincing explanation. "I mean... someone could have deliberately spread false information, couldn’t they?"

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"False information? About an incident witnessed by multiple Sentinels and Guides?"

Felix’s expression stiffened.

"I didn’t say that was definitely the case. I’m merely suggesting that we shouldn’t believe everything we hear without verifying it first."

"Of course," Leon replied, his tone remaining polite despite the faint skepticism in his eyes. "Then I assume you wouldn’t mind if we asked the other witnesses to confirm what happened."

For the first time, Felix hesitated.

"So, you are really saying... my daughter... Lumi... has an ability to heal people?"

"Father! No! How could you believe that?!" Celestine exclaimed anxiously. "Actually, yes, Lumi was there trying to heal Young Master Leon, but I was the one who sent her my Guiding energy to help stabilize him..."

"A promising Guide can’t tell the difference between Guiding energy and a healing ability?"

Reeta immediately rose from her seat and slowly approached Celestine, her playful expression fading as she studied the younger woman.

"Miss Pei," she continued, her voice deceptively gentle, "what exactly are you trying to accomplish by saying that?"

Celestine met Reeta’s eyes, her fingers curling tightly into her skirt.

There was no panic in her gaze, nor was she desperately trying to defend herself against the accusation. Instead, her eyes silently pleaded with Reeta, carrying a message she couldn’t possibly say aloud in front of their parents.

’Please. Don’t tell them about Lumi.’

For a brief moment, Reeta paused.

She had initially assumed Celestine was simply trying to cover up her sister’s unusual ability, but the look in the younger Guide’s eyes told her there was more to the situation than she had expected.

Celestine wasn’t afraid of being exposed herself.

She was afraid of what would happen to Lumi if the truth came out.

Reeta’s gaze flickered briefly toward Felix and Esther, who were watching the exchange with keen interest, before returning to Celestine.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Miss Pei," she said casually, as though she hadn’t noticed the silent plea at all, "if you insist that it was your Guiding energy that stabilized Young Master Leon, then I suppose we’ll need to verify the details with the medical team before jumping to conclusions."

Celestine’s shoulders loosened ever so slightly.

It was a small reaction, one that might have escaped anyone who wasn’t watching her closely, but Reeta caught it.

’So that’s what you’re worried about’, she thought.

Reeta turned away from Celestine, her expression returning to its usual composure.

"After all, we shouldn’t make assumptions about someone’s abilities without proper evidence, should we?"