In the Royal Eleanor Hotel, Drake and Eleanor returned to their suite. They had a short dinner together before everyone went to their own rooms.Drake wanted to talk more with Eleanor, but he was kicked out of the room as Eleanor claimed she was tired.“So you’re saying that my sister was purposely ignoring and tormenting you as soon as I turned my back?” he asked after Aunt Ling provided her report.“Yes. I don't really understand why she’s doing this to me. She’s been really hard on me from the very beginning,” Aunt Ling groaned, feeling ashamed that she couldn't do her job well.“Eleanor is not the type to do that. Also, the two of you are supposed to get along together,” he said.“What do you mean?” Aunt Ling tilted her head.“It’s nothing. Just keep a close eye on her. Even during sleeping time, you should be the first one to know when she gets up.”“Okay, I will,” she said. “I’ll be…”“What?” Drake bluntly asked as he noticed her gaze at him, as if she were hesitantly wanting to
Drake and Lucille observed in silence as the figure approached the distressed man on the bridge. The dim streetlights cast eerie shadows, giving a surreal quality to the scene unfolding before them.As the figure drew closer, it became evident that it was a woman, her movements deliberate yet strangely graceful. There was an air of sinisterness about her, contrasting sharply with the despair radiating from the man on the brink of the bridge.“Why are we hiding?” Lucille asked.“That woman might have a system too,” Drake said, his eyes narrowing towards the woman’s movements. He watched as the woman talked to the man for a moment.“Wait! She—” Lucille exclaimed, but Drake pulled her and covered her mouth.“Quiet down. Just watch and see how she will summon the miniature temple,” he said.Beads of tears formed at the side of Lucille’s eyes as she gasped, watching the horrifying scene unfold. The man who was on the top of the bridge’s bracing jumped off it and hit the road instead of the
Inside the locked bathroom door, Lucille sat in the bathtub, trembling as she watched blood gushing from her wrist.“It hurts. It hurts. When will the miniature temple come?” she muttered anxiously, her eyes shifting towards the health potion she placed near the tub to aid her recovery later once she couldn't take the pain anymore.The confusion about her suspicion that Drake might have stolen her chance to summon the miniature temple lingered, intensifying the anxiety and physical pain.“Time's up!” she exclaimed, feeling foolish.“I was wrong; the miniature temple is not coming either!”She stretched her trembling hand to reach the health potion, but unexpectedly knocked it down instead.“Oh no! No! No!” she panicked.Lucille immediately got up to pick up the vial, but it was already broken, and its contents spilled all over the bathroom floor.“I've lost too much blood already!” she said, attempting to scoop as much potion as she could, but broken pieces of the glass vial pricked h
Moments before Lucille's doubt toward her lover could blossom further, she found him already awake, just as she suspected."Drake! Help! Help me!" she cried, unaware that Drake Chwe stood frozen before the locked bathroom door, his eyes fixed on the barrier separating him from Lucille's desperate pleas.Though Drake had awoken at her initial cry, something else distracted him, delaying his response to Lucille's distress."Drake!" she called again.Her muffled sobs and pleas tugged at his conscience, but an unexpected sensation diverted his attention. A peculiar tingling filled the air."How is this happening?" he mused.Before him, a miniature temple materialized, intricate details slowly unfolding with an ethereal glow.Drake furrowed his brow in confusion, uncertain about the sudden appearance."Why are you here?" he inquired, addressing the temple.The temple remained silent, its divine aura creating an otherworldly ambiance in his bedroom. Drake sighed, his gaze briefly leaving th
Lucille trembled as a flash of memories returned to her mind. The revelation struck her like a lightning bolt, and she couldn't believe that Drake, the person she trusted, had been deceiving her.The emotions that surged within her were a turbulent mix of shock, betrayal, and hurt.Unable to comprehend the reality of the situation, Lucille felt a cold chill run down her spine. She clutched her fading fourth finger, the sacrifice she had made to regain the stolen memories, and the weight of the truth settled heavily on her shoulders."No, this can't be true," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the confined space of the utility room. The image of Drake stealing her chance—the memory of their first encounter playing vividly in her mind—was like a dagger through her heart.“Drake will never..."She replayed the moment in her memory—the stolen ‘chance’, the hidden motives, and the coldness in Drake's actions.The person she thought she knew seemed like a stranger, and th
Fear and uncertainty gripped Lucille as she pondered Drake's message. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to reply, cautiously typing out her response.“I don't know how to check my reward. My system is still suspended,” she texted back, her fingers trembling slightly.The seconds felt like an eternity as she anxiously awaited Drake's reply. The notification chimed, signaling his response.“I’ll teach you how. Come back here to my office. We have a lot to talk about,” he messaged, leaving Lucille with a sinking feeling in her stomach.“What about Natasha Ling?” she asked.“She already left. Don't worry; she knows nothing about us.”“Okay.”She reluctantly made her way to Drake's office, her mind racing with thoughts of how to navigate the upcoming conversation.As she entered, she found Drake engrossed in a phone call, his back turned to her.She took a deep breath and waited.After finishing the call, Drake turned to her with his usual warm gaze.Lucille felt like choking as s
The next morning, Lucille didn't accompany Drake to work. She claimed she had something to do at the university, which Drake didn't think much about and simply allowed."I have to find out," she murmured to herself as she was escorted to the university by Drake's guard.An ominous thought gnawed at her—that the powers emanating from the miniature temple were not a blessing but a curse. With no real business at the university, she needed to be away from Drake to conduct her investigation."I don't want to unwittingly bargain with the devil instead of a deity," she thought, feeling the weight of her unease."Is something troubling you?" the driver inquired."No, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Lucille responded, her caution heightened, feeling as though every person under Drake's employ was an eye watching her."You seem quite anxious, biting your nails like that, madam," the driver observed, causing Lucille to glance at her ruined nails."I'm just concerned that I'm not of much help to Drak
Lucille felt a wave of relief wash over her as she watched the miniature temple slowly fade away."Who cares about kidneys when there's a health potion?" she muttered, examining her newly restored system. With confidence, she purchased a regeneration potion from her tribute system."There's no way I can ask Drake for a regeneration potion; he would definitely ask for details," she thought, unwrapping the bandages on her hand to conceal the fact that she was missing a finger.However, her confidence quickly faded as her face turned pale, realizing that the regeneration potion wasn't working on her."Why—why isn't it working?" she asked her tribute system."That potion restores something that existed before. You cannot regenerate something non-existent," the tribute system explained.Lucille's jaw dropped in regret and devastation."So once I offer it, I can no longer restore it?" she asked, staring at her hand missing a ring finger while other hand was lightly rubbing her lower rib."T