“Mother is coming. She’ll be here in the next ten minutes.”
A chilling silence followed.
“And so, we only have ten minutes.”
Lucian’s voice was calm but carried an undeniable weight.
He exhaled, glancing toward the hospital building.
“Rose is unconscious inside. I don’t want her knowing a single thing. Not what I did. Not what happened.”
His gaze darkened.
“When she reach here, everything must be back to normal. No trace of this mess.”
Meleonora, the General, and the purple-haired man just stared at him.
A moment ago, this guy was acting like some ruthless tyrant.
Now… he looked like a filial son, desperate to keep his hands clean in front of his mother.
They could barely keep up.
Lucian turned toward the GIA leader.
“You guys need to leave. Remove all restrictions around the area. I want this place to look like a regular hospital again within the next ten minutes.”
His eyes turned sharp.
“If not… you already know the consequences.”
The GIA leader gulped.
His eyes darted toward Butler, hoping for some kind of objection.
But the Butler remained silent.
No resistance.
The GIA leader stood up immediately.
He lowered his head in a deep bow toward both Lucian and Butler.
“It will be done, sir.”
His stomach churned.
Does this guy even realize what he’s asking?
He wanted to cry.
But after seeing Lucian casually summon someone from the Black Order, he knew one thing for sure
No matter how impossible it sounded, he would have to make it happen.
With a silent signal, his agents followed suit, bowing toward Lucian and Butler before rushing toward their vehicles like their lives depended on it.
Because, in a way, they did.
—
Lucian turned to Meleonora, General, and the purple-haired man.
“First, I’ll explain what you guys need to do.”
They rolled their eyes.
Oh, now he’s acting all responsible?
Lucian pointed at the purple-haired man.
“You were in a nightclub last night, enjoying yourself.”
Purple-haired man blinked. “I What?”
Lucian ignored him, shifting his gaze to General and Meleonora.
“You two were there as well. Coincidence.”
General rubbed his temples.
“A nightclub… at my age?”
He wanted to argue.
But seeing Lucian’s face, he shut his mouth.
Meleonora sighed. “Fine.”
Lucian nodded.
“Now, General you were the one who shot the guy that tried to kill my sister.”
General froze.
“…hehhh?”
Lucian continued.
“Purple-haired man, you helped me get to the hospital with your car.”
“Wait, wait, well its true tho”
“Meleonora, you helped me carry Rose.”
“And General came along to protect us.”
Lucian’s gaze swept over them.
“That’s the story. Don’t forget it.”
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Meleonora hesitated.
“…Are you really serious about this?”
Her voice was soft but firm.
“Do you really think hiding the truth from her is the right thing to do?”
Lucian paused.
For a moment, he didn’t say anything.
Then his fists clenched.
“She doesn’t need to know,” he said quietly.
“There’s no need for her to see… what I’ve done.”
He swallowed.
“No need for her to see what I’ve become.”
His expression darkened.
The blood. The bodies. The destruction.
No.
He wouldn’t let her see it.
“The revenge is already done,” he murmured.
“The people who needed to know already know. But not them.”
He refused to let his mother see him like that.
What if she looked at him in disgust?
What if she was afraid of him?
…What if she never looked at him the same way again?
Lucian shook his head.
“This is the way it has to be,” he muttered.
He turned toward them.
“Just do as I ask. No questions.”
Then he did something unexpected.
He exhaled deeply and said
“…Please.”
Meleonora, who was just about to argue back, froze.
Her words caught in her throat as she looked up at him.
Did he just say please?
For some reason, it felt… strange.
Lucian Kane, the same ruthless and unpredictable man who almost threatened to kill her. That brutality and craziness now looking at her with desperate eyes?
A silent plea.
It unsettled her.
For the first time, he looked… human.
A flash of hesitation crossed her face.
She didn’t know why, but looking at him now, it felt wrong to refuse.
On the side, the purple-haired man also fell silent.
He had almost forgotten.
Forgotten how this boy was when he first met him desperate, panicked, even crying begging for help to save his sister.
Somewhere in all the bloodshed, the sheer insanity of the past few hours, the way Lucian had effortlessly crushed lives and defied forces beyond comprehension, that moment had been buried.
But looking at him now…
For just a second, he didn’t look like a monster.
Didn’t look like a madman who treated destruction like a game.
He looked like the same desperate boy from before.
And somehow, that realization felt even stranger.
The General smiled sadly.
So, he still has something left inside him.
No matter how many people he killed
He still cared.
At least, for his family.
At least, for them.
That’s a good thing, General thought.
At least there was something keeping him grounded.
Because if Lucian ever lost that…
General didn’t even want to imagine what would happen.
He sighed, looking into Lucian’s eyes.
“…Alright.”
Lucian narrowed his eyes.
“But”
General’s voice turned serious.
“Promise me one thing.”
Lucian frowned.
“Look, General you don’t have a choice. You’re doing this whether you like it or not.”
General simply held his gaze.
“That’s not what I mean.”
His tone was firm.
“Kid.”
He placed a hand on Lucian’s shoulder.
“The way you’re handling things… is terrifying.”
Lucian froze in his words.
“You go too far when you lose control,” General said.
“You should stop now.”
His voice softened.
“…Or at least stop doing things you have to hide.”
Lucian stiffened.
“You clearly care about what certain people think of you,” General said.
“So much that you’re willing to erase the truth. Even beg.”
“But you can’t keep doing this forever.”
Lucian remained silent.
General sighed.
“If you can, kid… just walk away.”
He looked down at his own hands.
“I can’t justify the number of people you’ve killed,” he admitted.
“But I’ve killed thousands, too.”
Lucian silently looked at him.
“For my country. For my people,” General murmured.
“I was a soldier. And those men? They were soldiers too.”
“They weren’t bad people. They were just protecting their home.”
He clenched his fists.
“And yet, I still killed them.”
Lucian watched him closely.
General exhaled deeply.
“So I can’t say whether what you did was right or wrong.”
“But I’ll tell you this”
He locked eyes with Lucian.
“If you’re doing something that you have to hide from people you care…”
He leaned in slightly.
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be doing it at all.”
Lucian’s breath deep for second.
His mind went blank.
For the first time
He didn’t have a comeback.
Lucian didn’t say a word.
He just stood there.
His chest felt heavy.
His fingers curled.
A single thought drifted through his mind.
“Max… I did it again, didn’t I?”
No response.
Lucian furrowed his brows.
Max?
But there was no answer.
Just silence.
Lucian felt a strange unease settle in his chest.
But he pushed it down.
He turned away from General, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“…hmm.”
a silent hmm
His voice was quiet.
But for once
He didn’t sound crazy.