Loreia sat slumped at her office desk, arms crossed, forehead furrowed in a scowl.
It was supposed to be a major event.
Gate Opening Day for Luxoria Castle's public sales phase.
But instead of a triumphant showcase…
She looked around.
No staff.
No family.
Just her and—
"Liline," she muttered, voice dry.
"You're the only one here helping."
Liline stood nearby, her expression calm but sympathetic.
"I'm always available, Lady Loreia. You're not alone."
Loreia leaned back, sighing deeply.
"Luxoria Castle's supposed to be this mysterious powerhouse, right?"
"Everyone on the outside only knows three people."
"You, Luna and Lord L."
She paused.
"And now look at us."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Luna's still in bed, right?"
Liline nodded.
"Yes. Full muscle failure and neural fatigue."
"She won't be able to move for another 12 hours."
"I've already applied regenerative pulses."
Loreia groaned.
"Yeah, I saw her condition in your status pic."
"That's not recovery—that's coma with glitter."
Liline tilted her head, lips twitching slightly in amusent.
"A fair description."
Loreia stood up, pacing.
"Liora? Off hunting. Didn't say where."
"Probably slaughtering sothing three countries away."
She clenched her jaw.
"And Lucius…"
Her tone dropped.
"He broke Luna, broke himself, and now he's passed out in another wing."
She waved her hand dramatically.
"My little brother, genius of geniuses, absolute ruler of everything.
"Down for the count because he couldn't resist proving a point in bed."
Liline clasped her hands behind her back, walking slowly beside Loreia.
"He didn't anticipate the backlash. Neither did I."
"His body enhancents went beyond sustainable output levels."
Loreia spun, pointing a finger.
"That's not even the issue!"
Liline raised an eyebrow. "No?"
Loreia slamd her hands on the desk.
"Today is bulk sale day."
"And only Lucius can hack new clients for instant bonding and cultivation manuals."
"I'm stuck here with dozens of rich tars on the way."
"And no one to finalize the service!"
She groaned again.
"If I knew it'd be like this, I would've shoved a sleep blocker in his tea last night!"
Liline let the silence hang for a mont, then stepped forward gently.
"Then delay the gate."
Loreia blinked.
"…What?"
"Let them arrive. Let them pass the test."
"Let them beg for the right to be let in."
Liline said with a small smile.
"Just stall until Lucius wakes up."
Loreia stared, then grumbled.
"Fine. Liline, don't open the gate yet."
"Not until all guests arrive and finish the trial."
"As you command," Liline replied softly.
Loreia sighed, rubbing her temples.
"…You're really the only one holding this place together right now."
Liline's eyes glinted. "That's what I was designed for."
Loreia looked up.
"You're not allowed to collapse too, got it?"
Liline nodded, smirking faintly.
"Then I suggest you rest for thirty minutes while I reroute the courtyard logistics."
"If soone needs to yell at people, I'll handle it."
Loreia flopped onto the couch.
"Deal."
---
Just outside the towering outer gates of Luxoria Castle, a crowd had started forming again.
So were familiar faces.
Tars who had passed the mist trial once before.
They breezed through the second round with steady confidence.
Others were new.
First-tirs, so trembling, so triumphant.
All of them covered in dried mist, claw marks, and leftover adrenaline.
Among them lay Fiona Flares, sprawled out dramatically on a flat rock near the forest edge.
Her stream cara floated a ter above her, still live.
"Gods," she muttered, one leg twitching.
"That trial was not cute."
She wiped sweat off her brow and turned her head toward the cara.
"I'm not even being dramatic this ti."
"The mist beasts? Rabid. Aggressive. Organized."
She glanced down at her phone as the chat scrolled like wildfire.
---
[Beastagram LIVE CHAT – @FionaFlares]
@SaberStud89: LMAO YOU BARELY MADE IT
@VornisVaulted: Wait… that was really her? She looked dead.
@MoonTarMommy: Did she just call a Mist Dragon "not cute"
@BrokenSpineMain: ngl I cried when that Mistvex screeched
@NobleFiend: Fiona, real talk—who carried?
---
Fiona rolled her eyes and lifted her head slightly.
"No one carried , okay? We all helped each other."
"I distracted the Mistvex. Dolan froze the periter."
"And that random girl. What was her na again... Avenia?"
"She legit body-slamd a Velgrith."
She let her head fall back again.
"Still though… that Mist Dragon nearly cooked my beast alive."
"If it weren't for my Starlace forming a last-second barrier, I'd be sleeping in the dirt right now."
More comnts flooded in.
---
[Beastagram LIVE CHAT]
@CastleLust: Sooo, is Luxoria open yet?
@DramaWing: Fiona, ask them if you can interview Luna!!
@IWasThere93: Honestly if I don't get any Vornis today, I'll cry
---
Fiona dragged herself upright with a groan, brushing the leaves off her shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. You're all here to see who gets in first."
"Well, hate to break it to you—gate's still shut."
She glanced toward the looming castle wall in the distance.
"But I've got a feeling... it's not going to stay closed for long."
Her stream cam zood out to capture the growing line of elite tars forming just behind her.
---
Liline stood by the glass wall.
"Lady Loreia... There's already a crowd outside."
Loreia looked up from her desk, brows furrowing.
"How many?"
"At least a hundred tars," Liline replied.
"All of them are S-Rank and above."
"So are previous guests returning for their next Vornis."
Loreia let out a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"And what about Lucius?"
Liline hesitated.
"Still sleeping."
Loreia's fist hit the desk.
"That damn brat..."
She pushed back her chair and stood.
"Take to his room."
Liline frowned, shifting uneasily.
"But, Master—"
Loreia turned to her sharply.
"Don't worry. I'm not so guest. I'm his big sister, the biological one."
She pointed to herself.
"I've known him since before he couldn't even hold a brush. He can't go against ."
Still, Liline looked uncertain.
"Even so… He is the architect of this castle. My core responds to him alone."
Loreia took a step closer, her voice low but calm.
"And I won't make you disobey him."
She placed a hand on Liline's shoulder.
"If he gets mad, I'll take the bla. Not you."
Liline's lips pressed into a thin line.
She wasn't just weighing protocol—she was weighing loyalty.
Lucius was her creator.
But Loreia… Loreia wasn't just anyone.
And right now, her presence, her will.
It radiated authority.
Liline looked up slowly.
"Understood."
Loreia gave a small smile.
"Then please. Lead the way."
Liline raised her hand, and the walls responded.
A long hallway was directly ford in front of them.
It led straight into Lucius Luxoria's private recovery wing.
As it finished reshaping, Liline turned and walked forward.
"I'll escort you personally."
Loreia followed without hesitation.
"You better be ready, little brother," she muttered.
"I'm done covering for you."
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