Chapter 81: Chapter 81: The Energy Ring

Lila’s POV

Jasper’s words were like a stone dropped into a deep pool, sending silent ripples spreading through my heart.

I looked at him. At the bottomless exhaustion and pain in his eyes, at the thin layer of sweat beading on his temple. The Wolf King, who always stood tall and held everything under his control, was now before me as a real “man,” all his defenses and pretenses stripped away.

“Alright.” I heard my own voice, soft yet incredibly clear. “I’m willing to try.”

The taut flame in Jasper’s eyes finally flickered, melting into a deep, almost gentle warmth.

He rose slowly, but instead of walking toward the desk, he turned and retrieved a velvet box from the top of an old, brass-cornered oak cabinet by the fireplace.

When he opened the box, what lay quietly inside wasn’t some ancient ebony case, but a ring I knew all too well.

“The Tear of the Moon God.”

It was the gift Jasper had Zoe give me when I first moved into Moon Hidden Villa. A huge moonstone, cut into the shape of a teardrop. It rested on the deep blue velvet, emitting a gentle, reserved, milky-white glow. Within the stone, smoke seemed to swirl slowly, like a tranquil sea of clouds sealed inside a gem.

I remembered what Zoe had said then: “This is a treasure passed down through generations of the Hale Family, belonging only to the most revered Queen.”

Jasper took the ring from the box and held it in his palm. The milky-white glow illuminated his well-defined knuckles and the dark undercurrents swirling in his eyes.

“This isn’t an ordinary ring, Lila,” he said, his voice low and heavy with unprecedented gravity. “It has another name: ’The Sigh of the Moon God.’”

He paused, his gaze falling on my face as if to confirm my resolve.

“Wise Elder Silas said that this ring contains a single ’Tear of Origin’ from the first Priest, sealed within it. It isn’t just an ornament, nor is it merely a symbol of power. It is… a ’key.’”

“A key?”

“Yes.” Jasper nodded, his voice hoarse. “A ’key’ to undo the seal on the Priest’s bloodline. Its sole purpose for existing is to be used by you, at this very moment.”

He raised his hand, holding the ring out to me.

“Put it on.” His voice held a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. “Once you do, the power within the ring will awaken and guide your bloodline to the location of the seal. But…”

He didn’t continue.

But I understood the unspoken words from the pain in his eyes.

“But what?” I asked softly.

Jasper closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his golden eyes were filled with a heartbreaking clarity.

“But when its purpose is fulfilled, when the seal is broken, this ring that has carried a thousand years of blessings and protection… will also disappear.” His voice dropped low, as if he were pronouncing an irreversible verdict. “It’s a ’one-time use’ item. ’Burn after use.’ Those were Wise Elder Silas’s exact words—’The gifts of the Moon God are never cheap.’”

I looked at the ring.

At the huge moonstone, emitting its milky-white glow. At the smoke-like halo swirling slowly within it.

’Is this… the price?’

’To trade a ring that has been passed down for a thousand years, a symbol of the royal family’s highest honor, for my freedom alone?’

“Is there no other way?” I heard my voice tremble.

Jasper shook his head, the movement slow and heavy.

“Silas said the seal was cast using a ’Tear of the Moon God.’ Only a power from the same source can break it. This is the only key, and the only price.”

He placed the ring gently in my open palm.

The ring was cool to the touch, yet it seemed to carry a scorching heat. I could feel the dormant power inside it slowly awakening with my body heat, like a heart that had slept for a thousand years and was now beginning to beat.

“Lila,” Jasper’s voice sounded by my ear—low, hoarse, and filled with an undeniable strength. “Remember, no matter what happens, I am here. My hand will always hold yours. My eyes will always be watching yours. My soul… will always be with your soul.”

I looked at him. At the bottomless golden vortex in his eyes—the eyes of the Wolf King.

“I know,” I said softly. “I trust you.”

Jasper took a deep breath. Then, he raised his hand and gently slid the “Tear of the Moon God” onto my ring finger.

The moment the “Tear of the Moon God” was on my ring finger, a strange warmth spread quietly up from my wrist. It wasn’t cold like ordinary jewelry; instead, it felt alive, conforming to my body heat and pulsing faintly, as if a heart that had slumbered for a thousand years was now resonating with me through the gem’s veins. Jasper’s fingers still lingered beside mine, the rough calluses on his fingertips brushing against the back of my hand, sending a real shiver through me.

“Wise Elder Silas said this ring is not only a key, but also a ’tuner,’” he said, his voice low, with a magnetic quality he seemed to be deliberately softening. “Before the ceremony, you need to build up enough of a ’familiarity’ with it, with your body. Let it become a part of you. Let the energy flow naturally through your bloodline, not be forcibly infused.”

I turned my wrist, watching the teardrop-shaped moonstone refract the light from the fitting room’s ceiling into a halo that shone like fireflies. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but its weight also made my heart clench.

“Tuning?” I repeated softly.

“Mm.” Jasper nodded, his gaze shifting from the ring to my eyes, the golden vortex within them seeming even deeper than usual. “It’s like two horses running side-by-side; they need to match their pace to move as one. Your body has been dormant for too long, Lila. It needs time to reawaken its perception of power. The ring will guide you.”

He paused, his thumb gently stroking my knuckles, his touch as delicate as if he were handling fragile porcelain. “After the wedding comes the Moon Crown Ceremony. At that time, Great Elder Darius and Wise Elder Silas will personally lend their aid. Their power will act as a shield to ensure you don’t break down during the process of undoing the seal.”

————

Venus Atelier. In the fashion world, the name was a legend. It was the ultimate sanctuary for A-list celebrities and royalty seeking custom wedding gowns, where every creation was born of astronomical prices and legendary tales. And right now, I was standing in its pure white space, located on the top floor of a skyscraper, surrounded by massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

The air was filled with the subtle, elegant scent of high-end linen and dried lavender.

“Over here.” Zoe’s voice came from behind a curtain of hanging beads. Behind her were rows upon rows of wedding gowns on display.

“Lila, darling, come look at this.” She beckoned me over, and the head designer beside her immediately and respectfully drew back a curtain.

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