Alain's voice was slightly hoarse, which made him sound more manly than usual.Eden turned to look at him with a faint smile playing on her lips. "She said we're not suited for each other."Alain pressed on the brake, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel as he stared at Eden. It took him a while before he responded, "I think we suit each other just fine."He realized he was shaking when Eden said that.Eden chuckled. "I was just kidding."Alain looked at her, still unsettled. "That's not funny. No more jokes like that."Eden shrugged. "Grandma asked me to let Jasmine move into Skygarden.""You agreed?" Alain leaned closer, resting his arm on the car window."I agreed," Eden replied nonchalantly.Alain's expression turned sour instantly.Eden rested her head on her hand lazily. "Things can get pretty dull. I guess I can use the distraction."Alain's face brightened. He restarted the car. "Let her stay in the downstairs maid's room, then.""Do whatever you want."
The first class of the day was Grant's math class.When it was Grant's class, the students from Class 3-18 were usually quite orderly.Grant returned the homework the students had done earlier. But when it was Eden's turn, he massaged his head."Eden," he called out.Eden got up to take her homework.Grant patted her shoulder and said sincerely, "Math isn't that hard. If you're willing to put some work into it, I'm sure you can do well. Do you want me to give you extra classes?"He knew nothing about Eden's marks from her entrance examination.Samuel had only told him she had passed it.However, all the teachers of various subjects had told him that Eden had been getting zeroes on all their homework and tests.At first, Grant didn't believe it. He finally believed it when he saw the math homework. She hadn't done any of it.He then asked the student representative for each subject, and they all said that Eden didn't know how to do it.That was why he had a headache.She had
Daliah walked to the door of the classroom, visibly irritated. She stood in front of Ewan, hands on her hips, and sneered, "Oh, Eden. I thought you were just a country girl who lacked proper manners in the past. I didn't expect you to be full of lies. You’re saying you bought these tickets yourself?""Are you trying to avoid honoring your part of the wager?" Ewan said, his expression shifting as he glared at Daliah icily."Me? Backtracking?" Daliah took the ticket from Ewan and said, "All of you from Class 18 gathered money for Eden yesterday so that she could buy the tickets and win the wager. Seriously. One person lies, and the entire class lies for her, and you want me to honor my part of the wager? You must be dreaming!"The students from Class 3-18 were riled up."What are you talking about? She bought the tickets herself!""If you don't want to accept your punishment, just admit it. Here you are making up such an excuse. That's so disgusting.""Tsk. And they say that those
Daliah then recalled how Eden had broken Simon's leg, and she instantly felt her strength leaving her legs as she fell to the ground.She shook her head nervously. "No… I didn't lose. These tickets can't be real. You must have done something…"Eden was just a country girl. She had no money, no influence. It was impossible for her to get tickets to Leo Hart's concert.Alain also wouldn't lend her so much money just for her to spend on nothing.Those tickets were fake. They had to be fake.Eden took a step forward and glared at Daliah. "If you don't want to honor your part of the wager, we'll change to another method."Eden glanced at her with no expression on her face. "Her mouth is so vile; I suppose we can patch it up. You up for it, Ewan?""I'm game," Ewan said as he stood behind Eden, gaining some bravery. "I'll have someone buy a sewing kit. I'll sew her mouth up now."He wouldn't let Daliah escape from backing out of the wager.Daliah was so terrified that she quickly cra
Sinead liked Eden a lot, too. No matter how bad she was, Sinead's preference for Eden to become her daughter-in-law was certain.Now, all the students from Class 3-18 liked her too.It was driving Jasmine crazy.Everything that was hers was slowly drifting away, all because of Eden.She couldn't allow it to happen.She gritted her teeth and walked toward Eden, then held her hands with a faint smile. "We're all from the Hunt family. Our family won't be happy if they find out that we've caused such a commotion outside. You've just gotten engaged with Master Alain; he won't be happy too. Daliah is wrong this time, so I'll ask her to apologize to everyone, alright?"Eden shook Jasmine's hands away coldly. "How do you know what he's thinking?"She then sneered at Jasmine. "That's right. He was supposed to be your fiancé. I stole him from you.""That's not what I mean. I said nothing like that." There was a lot of hate in Jasmine, but only gentleness showed on her face."That's not
Eden raised an eyebrow and took a step forward, grabbing and pulling Daliah out from behind Jasmine.As Eden grabbed Daliah by her collar, she turned and looked at Jasmine, then said, "You're not worth anything to me."Jasmine's expression became colder, but she said nothing when she saw the way everyone was looking at her.Eden ignored Jasmine and focused on Daliah. "No one is brave enough to backtrack on me. Now that you did, you have to pay the price. That's my rule.""What... What do you want from me?" Daliah struggled to get free.But Eden was so strong that Daliah couldn't escape no matter how hard she struggled.Eden raised her hand and grabbed Daliah by the arm. There was a cracking sound, followed by Daliah's scream. "Ah!"Eden then threw Daliah on the ground and looked at her coldly. "You should be thankful that Jerred is from your family. Your arm is salvageable."Eden turned and left after saying that.She had simply fractured Daliah's arm, not breaking it complete
After class, Grant closed his book and announced in a serious tone, "I want to let you know that we won't be taking this weekend off. We'll have tests scheduled for Sunday and Monday."The entire classroom erupted in cries of despair."No! It's the end of the world!""One small test every two weeks and a major one every month... I'm losing my mind...""Thankfully, it's not next week. I'd go insane if I missed Leo Hart's concert."Seeing the distress among his students, Grant tried to console them, saying, "Don't worry too much. There's still plenty of time before the National Assessment. If everyone works hard now, you'll all have a shot at university. These smaller tests will help you prepare.""Mr. Sullivan, do you really think students like us can get into university?" A boy at the back leaned on his desk, sounding unenthusiastic."I mean, they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But surviving each day is already a challenge for me."Grant smiled warmly at his stud
After school in the afternoon, Alain's car was parked outside Riverside Senior High. It had been there for quite some time.Jasmine knew Alain picked Eden up from school daily, so she was the first to leave the classroom today, despite usually being the last.Sure enough, Alain's car was waiting at the school gate.She approached eagerly, fingers clutching her bag nervously. "Master Alain, my sister asked if I could join you both to Skygarden. She said she doesn't like going alone.""You're quite persistent," Horace remarked, rolling down the window from the passenger seat and sneering at her.Jasmine's expression paled, and she bit her lip, looking helpless.Alain glanced briefly at her before noticing Eden slowly exiting the school. He opened the car door and walked towards Eden.Left behind, Jasmine struggled to control her emotions. Just as she was about to get in, Alain's indifferent voice cut through, "There isn't enough space in the car for you. You should ride in your fa
Eden had never seen this scarlet rock before. It looked like it had been scorched red by fire, but it felt cold to the touch.She was immediately drawn to it, even though she didn’t think much of it as she picked it up.At first, she thought it might be something unpleasant. But as soon as she touched the rock, a surge of limitless energy flowed into her body, making her realize that her power had reached a new level.Alain finally snapped back to reality, pulling Eden into his arms and patting her head. His voice was rough as he said, “Can you please avoid doing things that make me worry like this?”Eden was taken aback. She had only picked up a rock. What was he so worried about?Then she realized that Alain and Horace had probably seen the mist enter her body.“Alright. I’ll let you know what I’m doing next time.”Only then did Alain seem to relax.He looked at the rock in Eden’s hand and said, “This is called a Styx Rock. An old man gave it to me a few years ago after I sav
The last time Horace was kidnapped, Eden did everything she could to save him.Caelus had been with her for a long time and followed her every command. She wouldn’t just let him die.The two of them had just left the entrance when Horace came rushing over.“I heard Eden is awake. Let me see her!”Horace had been outside organizing the search for the murderer. When he heard Eden was awake, he left everything and came straight over.He treated Eden like a younger sister, so of course, he wanted to visit her now that she was awake.“Yes, I’m awake,” Eden said with a gentle glance at Horace. Then, she gave a slow, meaningful smile as she curled her lips. “I’m going to save Caelus. Come with me.”Horace suddenly shuddered.She turned to Alain. “What’s with her? Why did she smile so frighteningly?”Alain didn’t respond and got into the car.Horace followed them without delay.Caelus had been in the ice coffin for three days, and his body was already starting to deteriorate.Eden
Eden had just walked out of the room when Sinead arrived.“You’re finally awake. I’ve been so worried about you,” Sinead said, taking Eden’s hand. She then checked Eden’s forehead and pinched her face. Once she was sure Eden didn’t have a fever, she finally relaxed.“I’m really sorry for making you worry,” Eden said, her usual shyness showing.“No need to apologize,” Sinead replied. “If it weren’t for you trying to save us, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt so badly. I’ve been feeling guilty about it, so don’t say anything that’ll make me feel worse, okay?”Sinead glanced around at the nurses in the villa, knowing Alain had recruited them recently. “I know these nurses have been carefully selected, but they can’t compare to me taking care of you myself. Why don’t you come back with me? I’ll look after you personally and make sure you get all the nourishment you need.”“Alright,” Eden agreed immediately.Alain, who was behind Eden, could only watch silently.It seemed he had definite
“I… I wouldn’t dare,” the young nurse said, taking a few steps back, visibly trembling.Eden looked up at her. It was clear that the nurse was frightened, though she was trying to hide it.“What’s your name?” Eden asked as she ate the oats, which tasted fresh and just right.“My… My name is Gem. Gem Scarlet,” the nurse replied, her eyes fixed on the floor, avoiding Eden’s gaze.“How old are you?” Eden inquired. Though she was only slightly older than Gem, she exuded a calm, dependable demeanor.“Eighteen,” Gem answered quietly.Eden stroked her chin, observing Gem. “Do you stutter?”“Huh?” Gem looked up in surprise. “No.”Eden continued eating. “Are you afraid of me?”Gem seemed too stunned to stutter anymore and nodded instinctively. “Yes.”But she quickly corrected herself. “No… I… I’m not afraid of you…”Gem’s eyes filled with tears, and she struggled to hold them back.She bit her lip and, with her head lowered, explained, “It’s… It’s Mr. Brooks. He said you have a bad
Even though Hades was known as the king of all Banevermins, it wasn’t always active. Once the person implanted with Hades had consumed enough blood, Hades would fall into a deep slumber.He had just committed several murders, which meant that Hades had been fully fed and wouldn’t be triggered again anytime soon.Eden figured the reason for his sudden activity was that he was searching for a safer place to hide.“The Johnsons?” Liam repeated thoughtfully. “Since Alain is investigating them, and so are you, did they really do something they’re trying to keep hidden from outsiders?”Eden considered this and then decided to share the truth with Liam. “Have you ever heard of the Shamblers?”“Shamblers? One of the kids at the Agency was reading a horror novel a few days ago, and I overheard them mention it…” Liam said, pausing as he stood up suddenly. “Wait, are you saying the things in those novels are real?”Eden thought about it and nodded slightly. “Not entirely, but it’s not too f
Liam was genuinely impressed with Eden’s progress.If his own children had achieved as much, he’d be able to die happy.Eden, however, had a headache.She already knew about it.When Alain told Horace, she was in the same room and overheard it. She was unsure whether to tell Alain or not, wondering if he could accept the world she was part of.The world where the war would take place.After thinking it over, she finally said, “I’ll take it.”“Alright, I’ll send the reply.”Just before hanging up, Liam remembered something. “You’re in Estburg finishing your senior year, right? Almost ready to graduate?”“Yeah.”“With how smart you are, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble getting into a good university. Have you thought about studying in Rielton? We could grab coffee when we’re both free.”Eden replied indifferently, “The Agency must have a lot of free time these days, huh?”“Well, not exactly. I’m working on something pretty complicated and staying busy, but I’m making time to c
Eden massaged her head, glancing at all the nurses surrounding her.They watched her anxiously, afraid they might upset her.“All of you can leave. I don’t need everyone here,” she said, irritated by the crowd.As soon as the nurses heard her, they began to cry. “Did we do something wrong? Tell us and we’ll fix it. Please don’t fire us!”"That's right. Mr. Ward warned us that if we make you unhappy, he’ll kill us.”“We don’t want to die; please let us stay.”Eden froze, then muttered under her breath, “Darn it.”Was Alain out of his mind?Since when did he become so ruthless?Eden lowered her gaze, feeling the tension rise in the room. She glanced at the nurses, who were now kneeling in front of her, sobbing.Frustrated by the crowd, she said, “Just go. Alain won’t kill you.”Turning to Sulien, she instructed, “Pay them five times their salary and send them away.”Sulien, once obedient only to Alain, now followed Eden’s lead. Without hesitation, he paid the nurses as she as
Alain rarely mobilized his organization, and it was even more unusual for him to take a personal interest in anything. But Sinead knew it was serious if he had to step in himself.She remembered the call she had received from the Gardner family earlier, and a sense of unease settled over her.Could the person Alain and Horace were talking about be connected to that?If so, Rielton would become a living hell.The moment Sinead realized this, she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed a number as she walked outside. "I need your help."Three days later, at Pear Garden.Eden woke up shortly after Alain had left.As she opened her eyes, a young woman stood in front of her, staring at her.After a moment, the young woman excitedly exclaimed, "Ms. Griffith is awake, Dr. Sulien. Look!"She had barely finished speaking when dozens of people rushed into the room. Eden instantly frowned.She had only been unconscious for a little while. What... happened?Where did all these people co
Alain arrived just after the rest of the Ward family had left."Why are you here? Is Eden awake?" Sinead asked. She wanted to stay in Pear Garden to take care of Alain and Eden, but with the Ward family pressuring her for answers, she returned to the family residence to handle them first.They had just left when Alain arrived, and she thought Eden might have already woken up."She's still unconscious," Alain replied, unbuttoning the top button of his blazer as he sat down. "I’m here to see grandpa, and then I’ll head to the company."Sinead nodded. "He just woke up. Your uncles were here, arguing with me. He thinks it’s too noisy and doesn’t want anyone disturbing him, so don’t go in for now.""Got it," Alain said, lighting a cigarette. "Can you go stay with Ed in Pear Garden?""Alright."Sinead didn’t say much, grabbed her purse, and left.She had just reached the entrance when Horace rushed in. Without even greeting her, he hurried to Alain."Alain, he’s shown up again."Ho