Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Ending It With My Own Hands

Jasper’s POV

Elder Silas gave me a grave warning. “If you two continue to be together, then you must control yourself at all times. You cannot allow her to be agitated in any way, nor can you let her power spiral out of control. This is a long game, Jasper. You must find the perfect balance between protecting her and awakening her.”

I closed my eyes, and the image of Lila’s small, tear-stained face appeared in my mind.

Every time I got close to her, I used every ounce of my self-control to suppress the urge to possess her completely. I was afraid that one slip, one loss of control, would be the final straw that destroyed her.

“So, what are my options now?” I opened my eyes, my voice laced with a desperate calm.

Silas was silent for a long time before he finally spoke slowly. “You can choose to continue staying by her side, carefully, and let her awaken gradually without her knowledge. But that could take a very long time, and it’s full of variables. Or…”

He didn’t finish, but we both knew what he was leaving unsaid.

Or, I could distance myself from her for the time being.

Let her slowly adapt to that power within a safe range. And I… I would have to retreat into the shadows where she couldn’t see me, bearing this torment alone.

“I understand.” After a long moment, I forced the words through my clenched teeth.

Silas patted my shoulder. The touch was light, yet it carried an indescribable weight. “Child, fate has given you the greatest power, and also the heaviest shackles. But you must remember, true love isn’t always about possession. Sometimes, it’s about setting them free.”

He turned and, leaning on his wooden staff, walked step by step toward the center of the lake. His figure gradually grew transparent in the deep blue water until it vanished completely. All that remained was his staff, stuck silently among the pebbles by the shore, the crystal at its tip glimmering with a faint light.

I stood alone by the lake as the biting night wind chilled me to the bone.

Setting them free.

Those words felt like a great mountain, crushing me beneath their weight.

I took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. The full moon hung high above, its cold light spilling onto my face, illuminating my twisted and agonized expression.

From this night forward, I had to become a heartless executioner.

I would have to personally sever Lila’s dependence on me, personally push her out of my world. I had to make her hate me, make her believe I was just a cold, selfish tyrant—not a coward terrified of losing her, terrified of destroying her.

Only then would she be safe.

Only then could I watch over her from the shadows until the very end.

I slowly raised my hand, staring at the lines on my palm as if I could see the tangled threads of fate within them. Then, I abruptly clenched my fist, my nails digging deep into my flesh. Blood dripped through my fingers onto the pebbles below, like blooming red plum blossoms.

“Lila…” I whispered, the sound dissolving in the wind. “I’m sorry.”

By the time I returned to Moon Hidden Villa, a sliver of dawn was breaking on the horizon.

I didn’t go back to the bedroom, heading straight for the study instead. I needed to calm down. I needed to make a plan. A plan that would make me look like a complete bastard, yet would also allow me to ensure her absolute safety from the shadows.

I sat behind the large desk, watching the sky gradually lighten outside the window as my gaze grew colder and sharper.

’If I’m going to put on an act, I might as well make it convincing.’

I picked up the phone and dialed the butler’s number.

“Sir?” the butler’s voice answered quickly.

“I need you to arrange for a document to be placed in the study.” I paused, my heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, but I still spoke in the coldest tone I could manage. “Make sure the madam can see it, but don’t be too obvious…”

“Yes, sir.”

After hanging up, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

’Lila, when you see that document, what will you think?’

’Will you be disappointed?’

’Will you be devastated?’

’Will you… finally give up on me?’

’I hope it’s the latter.’

Only when you’ve completely given up on me, when you no longer hold any illusions, can you truly live.

I opened my eyes, my golden irises flashing with a resolute, cold light in the morning glow. I stood up and walked to the window, looking at the newly bloomed roses in the garden. They were Lila’s favorite flower.

I reached out and gently caressed the reddest rose through the glass.

The dewdrops on its petals looked like glistening tears.

I pulled my hand back and turned, walking toward a hidden room deep within the study. That was where I kept all the surveillance monitors I had set up for her, which allowed me to see her in every corner of the villa.

I pushed the door open and entered the secret room. It was dimly lit, with only the faint blue glow from dozens of screens. I walked to the main console, sat down, and fixed my gaze on one of the screens.

It was the feed from Lila’s bedroom.

She was still asleep, curled up on the bed like a small animal that had lost its warmth. Her breathing was even, but her brow was slightly furrowed, as if she couldn’t find peace even in her dreams.

I reached out, wanting to touch her image on the screen, but my fingertips froze just before making contact.

’I can’t.’

I pulled my hand back, clenching it into a tight fist, my nails once again digging into my palm.

’From this night on, I will no longer be your lover.’

’I will use my own methods to extract you from this dangerous game.’

————

「A few days later.」

In the secret room deep within the study, the air seemed to have solidified into a thick block of amber, sealing me inside.

I sat before the main console, surrounded by dozens of screens that flickered with a cold, blue light. They were like pairs of eyes prying into the world, and I was the sole ghost in this dark room. My gaze was locked on one screen in particular—the one showing a panoramic view of the study.

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second. Each one felt like a dull knife, slowly sawing at my nerves.

Finally, the sound of footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.

The sound was soft, carrying a cautious joy, as if she were afraid of disturbing something, or perhaps afraid that this was all just a dream. I had seen her walk like that before, when she would go to the garden to catch butterflies, fearing that a heavy step would scare them away.

Lila appeared on the screen.

She was wearing a light blue cotton nightdress with a beige knit cardigan thrown casually over it. Her hair was loosely tied up, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears. She looked a bit haggard, with faint dark circles under her eyes, a clear sign she hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days. But right now, her face held a long-absent, almost reverent glow.

Just as I’d instructed, the butler had told her I was in the study and suggested she could bring me some coffee.

This was part of my plan, and also the cruelest step.

She stood at the study door and took a deep breath as if to steel herself, then gently pushed the door open. The heavy mahogany door let out a soft CREAK, which to my ears sounded like a sorrowful wail.

She came in, her eyes urgently scanning the empty study.

She didn’t find me.

The light in her face dimmed instantly, but she didn’t seem immediately disappointed. She walked to the desk, set down the tray, and picked up the steaming cup of coffee. Looking around, she called out softly, “Jasper? Are you here? The butler said I could see you today…”

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