Chapter Forty Two

The mention of Celeste hung in the air between them like an unspoken threat. She was still out there, waiting, and Furina knew that as long as she remained free, their peace was fragile, always on the verge of shattering.

Furina’s hand was still wrapped around Diluc’s, offering him a quiet support. “What about Celeste?” she asked, her voice steady but laced with concern. “What are we going to do about her?”

Diluc’s face darkened at the mention of his stepmother. His expression, which had softened just moments before, hardened into something colder, more focused. Furina had seen this look many times—the mask of the calculating businessman, the man bent on revenge, the man who had spent years chasing justice for his mother, Ane. Yet, in his eyes, Furina could see the exhaustion. The toll of the years weighed on him heavily, especially after Yvette’s manipulations.

“We have to stop her,” Diluc said after a long pause, his voice low and filled with determinati