Rachel slammed the door open. It swung on to the wall, leaving a dent and rattling the bookshelves by the wall.

A woman sat behind the desk, reading a book. Red eyes, dark red hair tight in a neat bun. In public, she might be mistaken for her sister as she looked no older than her mid-20s. However, in front of her was her grandmother, Esther Ann.

She didn’t look up. “Close the door, Rachel.”

Rachel kicked it shut behind her. “Happy?”

“Hardly.” Esther closed her book and softly put it on her desk. “Sit.”

“I’d rather stand.”

“I’d rather you sit.”

Rachel dropped onto the chair with a thud and crossed her arms. The fire in the fireplace grew brighter as she glared at her grandmother on the other side of the desk.

“What happened at the airport was unacceptable,” Esther said.

“I saved Gale’s life.”

“You opened a fire gate in public. At an airport. With cameras.” Esther tapped the table with her nails. “It was reckless and stupid.”

Rachel leaned forward. “That ‘reckless and stupid’ action stopped Victor Wang from putting a bullet in my friend’s head.”

“The Silver Lions are not my concern.” Esther stood up too smoothly. “They’re nothing but a flash in the darkness. Here today, gone tomorrow. What matters is what you revealed.”

“And what’s that?”

“Power.” Esther’s eyes narrowed. “The stars could be watching, Rachel. They’re always watching.”

Heat waves appeared above Rachel’s shoulders. “So what if they are? Gale would have died!”

“People die every day. That’s how the world works.”

“Not when I can do something about it.” Rachel gritted her teeth.

Esther moved from behind the desk. Though she was shorter than Rachel, she looked down at her.

“This boy,” she said. “What is he to you?”

“What?”

“Gale Hathie. What is he to you?”

“A friend.”

“A friend.” Esther laughed. “You risked exposure for a friend? Broke our most sacred rules for a friend?”

“Yes.”

“You gave him the Ann Family Ring to just a friend?”

Rachel rubbed her ring finger where the ring should have been. Just a few days ago, she had given it to Gale, and that call was the single most correct decision she’d ever made so far. “He needed protection.”

“That ring isn’t meant for outsiders! It connects directly to your essence, your fire. Do you not understand its meaning?”

“It saved his life last night,” Rachel said defiantly.

“Does this boy deserve the protection of the House of Ann? Does he deserve you risking everything we’ve built here?”

“Yes.” No hesitation.

“I’ve seen the reports from Gerard. He’s violent. Volatile. He cut off their hands and left them bleeding in the street. Risked exposing himself to mundanes.” The fire in the fireplace flared as Esther said the last word.

“They were dust dealers targeting his friends! What was he supposed to do?”

“Walk away,” Esther said. “He didn’t need to save those mundanes.”

“Those mundanes are people he cares about.”

“And that’s exactly the problem.” Esther turned to the wall of books in her office. “You gave such a precious thing to someone who doesn’t understand restraint.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” Esther turned back. “You barely know him.”

Rachel stood up, hands to her desk, slightly charring it. “I know enough.”

“Do you? Do you truly?” Esther closed the distance in an instant, now inches just away from her face. “Or are you so desperate to reclaim what you lost five years ago?”

“So what? You never tell me anything,” Rachel whispered. “About Mom, about our family, about anything. I’m 23 years old now. I deserve to know the truth.”

“You know what you need to know.”

“Enough with that!” Esther hit the desk hard, sounding like an explosion. The wood soon reformed its charred and chipped areas, reverting back to its original state. “What matters is survival! Staying hidden, staying safe, continuing our line. That’s why your mother-“

She stopped suddenly and turned away.

“My mom what?” Rachel said.

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter now.”

“No.” Rachel walked around the desk, standing to face her grandmother. “Tell me. My mom what?”

Esther avoided her eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me!” Fire sparked between Rachel’s fingers. “Mom always talked about the stars. About our mission. About what we were meant to do. But instead, we hide here, pretending to be human, afraid of looking up.”

“And what would you have us do?” Esther yelled. “Declare war on the… the stars?! Die fighting a hopeless battle instead of protecting what matters?! Our legacy, our bloodline?”

“Better than living like this! Cowering while the world burns around us!”

The temperature in the room suddenly rose, igniting the edges of a couple of books by the bookshelves.

Esther waved her hands and the fire instantly dissipated. “Control yourself.”

Rachel took a deep breath.

“This isn’t about the airport,” she said. “It’s about Gale.”

“This is about you being reckless. About exposing our family unnecessarily.”

“No. You’re afraid I’m getting too close to him.”

Her non-response told Rachel everything she needed to know. She was right. Of course she was. Grandmother always used the same old lame excuse that it was for her own good. A cliche that even Gale would laugh at.

“Why?” Rachel pushed. “Because he’s not one of us? Because he’s human?”

“You know why. Aurumn’s curse.”

Rachel balled her fist. The curse or blessing, depending on who you asked, that defined their race’s relationships.

“Gale isn’t one of us,” Esther whispered. “He’s not… he’s not a Dainv.”

Taken from NovelBin, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“So?”

“So he’ll age. He’ll die. His matter will return to the stars while you remain here, alone for centuries.”

Rachel shook her head. “You don’t know that. He could…”

“Don’t even think about it. For humans, that’s just a myth,” Esther said, letting out a deep sigh.

“I’m not saying I love him,” Rachel said.

“But you could. And that would be…” Esther paused. “Unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate?” Rachel said, temperature of the room rising again. “That’s what you call it? Caring about someone is unfortunate?”

“When it leads to pain? Yes.”

“So what’s your solution? I stay locked in this mansion for the next thousand years? Never get close to anyone who’s not family?”

“I’m trying to protect you from pain you can’t imagine.”

“By keeping me in the dark? By treating me like a child who can’t handle the truth about anything?”

“Rachel-“

“No.” She stepped back. “I’m done with this conversation.”

“We’re not finished!”

“I don’t care.” Rachel opened the door, bumping into Gerard. The butler steadied her with a hand on her shoulder.

“Lady Rachel,” he said. “Are you all right?”

Rachel looked up into his eyes and knew he understood.

“What are you doing?” she asked, pulling away.

“Lady Esther requested tea.” His eyes pointed at the silver tray in his other hand. “I was about to knock when I heard you arguing.”

“How much did you hear?” Rachel looked down.

“Enough,” Gerard said. “The young man will recover, by the way. I took care of his wounds myself.”

“Thank you.” Rachel smiled, first time the whole day.

Gerard nodded once, “Will you be joining Lady Esther for tea?”

“No.” Rachel stepped around him. “I need some air.”

“Very well, Miss.”

As she walked away, Gerard knocked on the door and announced tea. She walked fast, wanting to get away.

The hallway had portraits of women Rachel never met. Generations of them, all with the same hair colour, same red eyes, same youthful look that grandmother even had now, all wearing the Ann Family Ring.

She stopped at her mother’s portrait. If her mother was still alive, they would look like sisters now. They’d all look like sisters next to each other.

Rachel looked up at the woman who died when she was just 12. They never talked about it directly. It was easier to say her parents “left” than face the truth.

Mom, what would you do if you were me?

She stared at the painting of her mother. Answers never came, no matter how much and how many she asked.

Rachel walked down the hall. Gale was alive. That’s what mattered. She would handle whatever came after.

She always did.

Opening the door to her room, Rachel dropped onto the bed, sitting.

All of last night was chaos. Gerard even warned her about it. Opening a fire gate at an airport? It was the craziest thing she’s done, even crazier than the lab downstairs.

But Gale’s bleeding, pale face. When his eyes closed, everything seemed to turn upside down. She wanted to kill Wang right there and then. Instead, she used the Ann Family fire to heal his wounds. Used it to pull out the bullet stuck in his shoulder and then repaired the internal bleeding. It was a dangerous technique to use on a human. They were all so… fragile.

Her grandmother would’ve had a longer nagging session with her if Gerard had told her that.

“He’s not a Dainv,” she repeated her grandmother’s words. Of course he wasn’t.

Rachel laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Four Dainvs.

That’s how many of her race she ever knew. Mom, dad, grandmother, and Gerard. Though she used to call him Uncle Gerard when she was younger.

Before the Eclipsed, she never even thought about relationships. Never thought anything about love. In this world, it was fruitless. A human would’ve eventually faded away. Their lifespans just a blink compared to hers. A life of eternal sadness.

Though she had known Gale before they had gone into the dark forest. Grandmother always did the most extra thing to keep a low profile, putting her in a public school. She’d see him in the hallways, always alone and carrying a thick book almost the size of his chest. She followed him one day at the orphanage, and that’s what started her donating her pocket money and books.

In the Eclipsed, he’d been a friend, a pillar of support when everything about surviving and letting the members of the camp survive overwhelmed her.

He never complained even when she leaned on him.

Spear first. Move forward. He did all that without hesitation, without expectations.

When she woke up in that hospital, was that really when she just couldn’t stop thinking about him? Something in her broke that day. Hated him for what he had done, throwing her away as the knight swung its sword at him.

5 years, Gale. That was a lot of time we could’ve spent with each other. Even if we had to fight through more hordes of beasts and ghouls, it didn’t matter as long as they fought together.

Rachel laughed. Who was she kidding? Resentment was just an illusion she told herself.

Her grandmother was right about one thing. Aurumn’s curse was real.

One love. One chance. Forever. But that was only when both Dainvs finalized the bonding. Grandmother was wrong about everything else.

Her mother talked about it often and called it a blessing instead of a curse. If she loved a human, she’d watch him grow old and die while she stayed young. And then no more.

A curse.

Rachel rolled over, pulling a pillow over to her chest and hugging it tightly. Using a fire gate was reckless. She knew that, and she’d do it again to save Gale. What did that say about her?

Nothing good, according to grandmother.

A light knock interrupted her thoughts. The door opened before she could say anything. Gerard came in with a tray of tea and cookies.

“Lady Rachel, I thought you might like some tea after…” Gerard cleared his throat. “…that discussion.”

Rachel sat up, tucking her legs under her. “I didn’t let you in.”

“Indeed you didn’t.” Gerard put the tray on her bedside table. “Yet here I am.”

He poured a cup then handed it to her, lavender and chamomile, her favourite mix. Rachel took it with a sigh, feeling the warmth through the cup.

“Your grandmother is only doing what she believes is best for the family,” Gerard arranged the cookies on a plate. “Her decisions have allowed our family to survive as long as possible. She has never been wrong.”

“It’s not that I don’t know that. But being kept in the dark just feels wrong.” Rachel drank the steaming tea, then looked at Gerard. “What’s even out there, in the stars? What are we hiding from?”

Gerard’s gaze turned to the window and the night beyond.

“Earth’s history is just a blink in the time the Ann family has lived,” he whispered. “There are things out there that hunt us, our kind of people. Being extra careful doesn’t hurt.”

He straightened the last piece of cookie on the plate. “Though I also have my own opinions. The family won’t hurt if you get close to Master Hathie.”

Rachel almost choked on her tea. “Master Hathie? You said that at the airport too.”

“Did I?” Gerard put napkins under the plate.

“You did. You’ve never called Grandmother ‘master.’ You’ve never called me ‘master.’ Before tonight, you called Gale ‘guest’ at best and ‘hobo’ at worst.” Rachel put her cup down on the table. “Why?”

“A minor detail, I assure you.” He moved toward the door. “Master Hathie has stirred. He is stable and will wake eventually.”

“Don’t change the subject.” Rachel stood up and blocked the doorway. “You’re the only one that would tell me things. When it was just me, grandmother, and you, you would at least tell me little bits of detail. Please?”

Gerard stared at her with a smile. For a moment, something about his eyes made it feel like he saw through things, different from grandmother’s.

“It’s alright to get close to him, Lady Rachel,” Gerard said softly. “Do not overthink Aurumn’s curse. Do what you want to do. Lady Esther will eventually understand.”

“But why?”

He held up a hand. “There are things outside the stars that are watching. Be careful. And next time, tell me what you want to do if you plan something big again.”

Rachel crossed her arms. “You’re not answering my question.”

“Indeed,” Gerard said, “I’m not.”

“Does Grandmother know you call him ‘master’?”

“Lady Esther has not commented on it.”

“Is Gale… is he different somehow? Special?”

“We are all special in our own ways, Lady Rachel.”

“That’s not an answer!”

Gerard smiled. “No, it isn’t.”

Temperature rose again as Rachel pouted. She threw the pillow in her arms at Gerard, and the butler let it hit him on the face, still smiling.

“You know what? Fine. Keep your secrets.” She turned back from Gerard and out into the corridor. “I’m going to see Gale.”

“Master Hathie is in the east wing, third room on the left,” Gerard said. “The blue room.”

Rachel paused, glancing backwards. “Wait. You put him in the blue room? Not the infirmary?”

“His injuries needed more… personal attention.”

“The blue room is for family,” Rachel said. “Or very important guests.”

“Is he not important, Lady Rachel?”

She didn’t answer. The blue room had been her mother’s favourite. No one had stayed there since she… left.

“Your grandmother selected the room herself,” Gerard said.

Rachel’s eyebrow shot up. “She did?”

“Indeed.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. She just spent at least half an hour nagging me not to get close to him.”

Gerard straightened his cuffs. “Lady Esther’s words and actions don’t always match.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning sometimes what she wants and what she thinks is right are different.”

Rachel leaned against the doorframe. “You think she wants Gale here? Under her roof?”

“What I think doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.”

Gerard looked at her for a long moment before replying. “Lady Esther sees what we cannot see. Time gives perspective. Master Hathie is stable but still needs care. You should be there.”

Rachel hesitated, pushing off the door frame. She puffed up her chest and looked up at him. “This conversation isn’t over.”

“It definitely is not.” Gerard smiled.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep