Chapter 21
Silvia lost her energy in an instant after being given the guest warding by Selina.
“Silvia… You said you wanted to tour the school. Don’t be like that. Come with me…”
“…No, brother. I’m tired.”
“…Alright then. Get some rest.”
Sylvester led her to her room with a bitter expression.
Silvia trudged across the spacious room and buried her face into the bed.
“What is this… I wanted to get closer to Selina… and now it’s all ruined because of you!”
Her muffled grumbling could be heard through the blanket. She kicked the covers in frustration, then suddenly jumped up.
“Nox! At least try to explain yourself!”
Nox, with his long white fur draped elegantly, sat by the window and ignored her.
“Shut up.”
His low, masculine voice contrasted sharply with his graceful appearance.
“You’re acting really strange today. Usually you barely talk. Is the familiar so fascinating? But you’re not even a familiar…”
“I said shut up.”
Nox cut her off. Displeased, Silvia puffed out her cheeks.
“Really! You’re in a cute cat form, but you have no charm at all! Luna even cried when her owner got hurt!”
Nox frowned while looking out the window, then glanced toward Silvia. She hadn’t noticed his gaze and continued talking to herself.
“By the way, have you seen Selina’s eyes? How can they be such a deep amethyst purple? I wish I had eyes like that too. Then maybe my hair would match them better.”
Silvia let her long hair slip through her fingers. Her pale purple hair slid like fine silk through her hands.
“Nox, about Selina… I think she’s the same girl who helped me before. She wore her hat so low I couldn’t see her face properly, but I’m sure! Her voice sounded so familiar.”
“You’re unusually talkative today yourself.”
Nox quietly descended from the window and gracefully hopped onto the bed where Silvia lay.
“Well, someone like Selina is a first for me. Usually people try every trick to get my favor, but Selina doesn’t show the slightest interest in me. Of course, she seemed surprised the first time she saw me.”
“So, what do you want to do about it?”
“…….”
Silvia blinked her large eyes, staring at the upside-down Nox on the bed. Her face reflected in his jet-black eyes.
“What’s going on? You’re listening to me? Maybe tomorrow the sun will rise in the west too?”
“If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”
When she teased him, Nox immediately changed course. Seeing him turn away without hesitation, Silvia raised both hands in surrender.
“I was wrong! Please forgive me!”
Nox let out a faint sigh as he placed his soft paw on her delicate forehead, a few strands of hair falling over it.
“This is the only time.”
“Okay!”
“So, what exactly do you want to do with that girl?”
“I don’t want to do anything in particular. I just…”
Her playful smile gradually faded, and clouds seemed to gather over her face.
“If it’s Selina, I feel like she wouldn’t care about my status or circumstances, but only see me. She’s the only person who, without taking an interest in me, could understand my heart in such a short time.”
“You mean what happened in the alley?”
“Yeah. We didn’t talk much, but she understood my heart immediately. Maybe she just has a good eye… but it’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“Are you sure that girl and the little red-haired girl are the same person?”
“My instinct says yes. But I should ask Selina directly to be certain.”
Silvia hugged her pillow again, smiling softly.
“I really hope we become friends…”
Nox looked at her indifferently. She smiled brightly, and he couldn’t help but snicker.
“Funny… I rejected something as unnecessary before, now you’re seeking it.”
Silvia buried her face in the pillow, but pulled it down to reveal a cold, icy expression.
Seeing her serious face, Nox still chuckled faintly—clearly mocking.
“Wake up. You must’ve forgotten just because you’re physically and mentally comfortable. Right now, you’re just a clown performing tricks at the edge of a cliff. Take off that mask and you don’t know when you’ll fall.”
“That mouth…! Shut up…”
The cozy atmosphere vanished. A tense standoff developed. Her sapphire eyes glared, her lips trembling with anger.
Nox scoffed at the furious Silvia. His eyes showed no emotion, only her reflection in their emptiness.
“You only do as I say. Then your place here will be yours forever. And a warning: you’d better not get close to that girl.”
Nox leapt from the bed and walked away gracefully.
“Hmph. How would you know what’s good or bad? Just watch. This time, it won’t be you—I’ll move fate according to my will.”
Silvia stuck her tongue out at him from behind. Nox ignored her, as usual.
He remembered Selina, who had been injured earlier, and Luna, who had cried after seeing it. Just a human getting hurt was enough to stir this cold-blooded creature. The thought irritated him, a mix of discomfort and pain.
[Lunios…]
Nox closed his eyes, recalling Luna.
“All right, let’s talk.”
Before Selina, Luna shrank down like a criminal, unable to raise her head.
“What? What do you want to say?”
“You don’t know? You got so upset just seeing Nox today. Why was that?”
“Well, that is…”
“It’s better to tell the truth.”
“Ugh…”
Despite the threat, Luna groaned and wouldn’t speak. Selina narrowed her eyes and stretched her black cheeks.
“Meow! Aren’t you going to say it?”
“Ah, okay! Ow!”
Luna cried surrender, and Selina let go.
“That’s harsh. Pulling on a god’s cheeks like that.”
“Stop changing the subject. No more excuses. Why do you throw a fit when you see Nox? Do you know him?”
“…Yes.”
“Really know him?”
Surprised, Selina asked again. Luna quietly nodded. After a brief silence, Selina stroked her chin.
“So you know him, but since you hate him that much, he must not be a good acquaintance?”
“Forget acquaintances! There’s no such thing… it’s a bad connection!”
Luna huffed angrily to herself.
“But… if you know him, that means Nox isn’t an ordinary familiar, right? Could he also be a god?”
Luna flicked her tail and curled it around herself, avoiding Selina’s gaze.
“What? Why aren’t you answering?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“It’s the rule.”
She looked at Selina cautiously, as if worried about upsetting her. She was curious about Nox, but didn’t want to trouble anyone unnecessarily.
“Anyway, from your reaction, it seems certain Nox is a god…”
Luna kept her mouth shut, sweat dripping, her pupils trembling uncontrollably.
“I didn’t say anything!”
Hearing her excuse, Selina replied nonchalantly:
“I know. Did someone tell you to say that?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“I won’t ask anymore, so relax. You looked like you were about to be eaten.”
“I wasn’t nervous!”
Her loud voice showed her tension was gone. Luna lightly tapped Selina’s arm, telling her not to ignore her.
“But Luna… did you see it too?”
“See what?”
“Silvia’s fate.”
Selina’s expression hardened.
“…I couldn’t see Silvia’s fate. She didn’t even seem like a living being. It’s not my eyes, I think…”
“What are you talking about? I can see her just fine.”
“You… can see her?”
“Yes. Maybe there’s another reason your eyes can’t.”
“Another reason? What reason…?”
“She’s the protagonist, isn’t she? That’s probably why you can’t see her.”
The protagonist… that made sense.
“Also, there’s one more person whose fate you can’t see.”
“Me? There’s been no one besides Silvia.”
Luna continued, reminding her that she herself could never see her own fate—something Selina had forgotten.
“…Then there must be a reason you can’t see Silvia’s fate too.”
“Yes. Don’t worry about it.”
“Right. It’s not a big deal after all.”
The anxiety lingering in her chest vanished. Finally relaxed, Selina flopped onto the bed.
“But putting Nox aside… you’re calmer than I thought.”
“Calmer? About what?”
“About Silvia.”
He had praised Silvia for eleven years, yet when he met her in person, he seemed unbothered.
“Well, spending more time together made him stop talking about the original or the protagonist.”
Still, it was clear he had eagerly awaited meeting her.
“You met Silvia, but you seem surprisingly unaffected. Is it because Nox is there?”
“Maybe… it’s just different from what I expected, so it doesn’t feel like much.”
