Chapter 38: lumian secret revealed

The heavy, musky scent of roses hung thick in the air of the sprawling bedchamber. Rose lay stretched across the mattress, her bare body glistening with a sheen of sweat, completely uncovered save for a thin blanket pooled loosely around her waist.

Just a short distance away, Ethan sat cross-legged, his glowing blue eyes turned inward as he focused entirely on the newly forged, pulsing expanse within his consciousness—his secondary mind space.

As he weighed his options for which path to take, his mind evaluated the possibilities: should he awaken a secondary Black Mage class, a martial artist path, or perhaps a pure warrior discipline? The sheer versatility before him was staggering.

Breaking the silence, Rose propped herself up slightly on one elbow, her cheeks still tinged with residual heat. "Who would have thought that a single pill could instantly age you into a twenty-year-old? If I had known you had something like that, I would have negotiated entirely different terms for our contract."

Without opening his eyes, Ethan gave a dry, humorless chuckle. "If you hadn’t foolishly blurted out your twin soul secret, I would have killed you on the spot."

Rose shivered slightly, realizing the grim truth of his words. "And now... because you forced a slave contract on me and claimed my class, you spared me."

She paused, her gaze drifting over his striking, fully matured form with its cascading golden hair and chiseled aristocratic features. A self-conscious, genuine smile touched her lips.

"Though... I have to admit, it’s a relief that you turned out handsome. I always wanted to give my first time to someone striking. When I first met my late husband, he wasn’t handsome anywhere. Fifty percent of the reason I created my blood clone in the first place was to avoid having to share a bed with him myself."

Ethan ignored her rambling, steadily channeling his mana to stabilize the volatile, empty spiritual space vibrating beside his primary soul.

Unfazed by his cold indifference, Rose continued, her tone shifting to a speculative murmur. "You know... Lumian and I share a very special connection. And he is undeniably handsome. I suppose that came from my blood clone’s genetics. I actually used to think that once he grew up, I might just take him as a husband. After all, we aren’t truly related by blood—he was only ever created from my clone."

Ethan opened his eyes, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Is that so? And now that you’ve given your first time to me, how does it feel?"

"Not entirely miserable," Rose admitted quietly, her gaze softening as she looked at him. "Because you are handsome, remarkably strong, and... well, you spared my life when you could have easily ended it."

For a fleeting second, Ethan genuinely considered swallowing eight or nine more age-advancement pills to transform into a decrepit, elderly form just to see the sheer horror and disgust on her face. But he dismissed the thought instantly—stacking too many unstable physical transformation pills risked unpredictable side effects.

Seeing him smiling to himself, Rose frowned. "Why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?"

"Nothing," Ethan replied smoothly.

"I’m just amused by your excuses. You keep telling yourself you only gave it to me because I’m handsome, strong, and lethal. But let’s not forget you thought I was just a five-year-old child when we struck our original deal. You tried to trap me."

Rose stiffened, her jaw tightening. "you’ve got it all wrong! I wasn’t going to break any promise with you. My plan was that once you became twenty years old, I would have married you too! Just like... just like Lumian. Even though he’s only five right now, once he reached twenty, I was going to be with him as well. Because Lumian is just... he’s so incredibly special!"

Ethan let out a dry, chilling chuckle, his eyes narrowing as he looked straight at her. "Special?" he echoed, his voice dripping with ironic amusement. "Is he special because you can hear his inner thoughts, Rose?"

Her voice trailed off abruptly.

Rose froze, her eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated terror. Wait... she thought frantically. I never told anyone about that! Not even the elders of Kalka! How on earth could Ethan possibly know that I can hear Lumian’s thoughts?!

She stared at him as if he were a ghost, her chest heaving with panic.

Ethan didn’t blink. His expression remained unnervingly calm as he met her panicked gaze.

"Don’t look at me like that. What did you think? That I’m entirely blind to your little secrets? And let me clear one thing up for you, Rose—you aren’t hearing Lumian’s thoughts because of some natural mother-son telepathy. I have my own ways of broadcasting thoughts directly into people’s minds when I choose to. And as for Lumian? He isn’t some ordinary child. He’s an anomaly. Much like myself."

Rose’s breath hitched, her mind spinning into a frenzy of doubt and fear. "That’s... that’s impossible! You’re just a rank-one practitioner, just like him. Even with your powerful spells, you shouldn’t be able to pry into—"

"A rank-one practitioner?" Ethan cut her off with a chillingly low laugh. "Who said I’m from around here, Rose? Did you really think someone with my level of knowledge and power was born in this backwater kingdom?"

Realization began to dawn, cold and heavy, paralyzing her nervous system. "You... what do you mean by ’from around here’?"

"Let’s just say," Ethan said, rising to his feet and letting his aura flare just enough to remind her of her absolute subjugation, "that you and I aren’t playing the same game. Now, stop chattering. I need silence while I lock down my second mind space."

"Wait, you can’t just drop a bomb like that and—"

Before she could finish, Ethan flicked his wrist lazily. A swift, invisible mental constraint snapped over her face.

Rose opened her mouth to shout, but no sound came out. Her lips vanished entirely, smoothing over into unbroken, flesh-colored skin. Panic surged through her as she clawed frantically at her face, realizing with horror that she couldn’t even speak.

Ethan chuckled softly at her muffled, frantic noises. "Remember, you’re my slave now. If I want you silent, you won’t even realize the spell has been cast until it’s already bound to your body."

Turning his attention away from the panicked sorceress, Ethan’s gaze shifted toward the corner of the room.

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