After the birthday party ends, Cassius should have already fallen asleep, but the gifts sent by the nobles keep him wide awake

  Lana stands amidst a mountain of presents stacked high, carefully seleg a few boxes t to Cassius. All of these gifts have been thhly ied for safety, though it seems unnecessary - no one would be foolish enough to provoke a Level 9 Mage

  She gently walks toward the rge bed in the middle of the room, where Cassius ae are opening gifts together

  Cassius is led fortably ie's embrace, resting his head against her soft chest. Both of them have ged into matg bck sleepwear, looking no different from a peaceful mother and child in the darkness

  The little boy eagerly looks at the ed presents before him, his tiny hands struggling to peel off the paper. But what catches Lana's attention the most… is the fact that Cassius is sug oe's index finger

  Yes. He is sug on her finger

  Lana is already too familiar with this sight. Most of the time, Cassius drinks Celeste's blood from a specially crafted vial, but occasionally, the duchess allows him to drink directly from her fiip. She sits leaning against the headboard, one hand firmly held by Cassius, while the other either cups his cheek or helps him opes

  Her face is visibly gentle

  Cassius receives a variety of gifts - from adorable stuffed animals temstones. But among them, the most valuable gift es from the tury royal family: a bck sweater

  At first g looks ordinary, but it is actually a magical item

  The sweater has multiple special properties: it automatically adjusts its size to fit the wearer, gees warmth in winter and ess in summer, and most remarkably - it absorb mana from nature to fun, without requiring the wearer to supply their own mana

  Cassius hugs the sweater, his face beaming with joy

  Thee lightly pats his cheek, making Cassius look up at her

  "Now, it's time for my gift" she says

  Cassius blinks, his face filled with anticipation. Lana, having received Celeste's silent request, obediently steps out of the room and closes the door behind her

  Celeste does not open a gift box. Instead, she gently lifts Cassius into her arms, leaves the bed, and walks toward the window

  Outside, the moon is still shining brightly

  Celeste slowly raises her palm toward the high-hanging moon. At the same time, her ptinum hair and silver eyes begin to glow, radiating a soft, ethereal light

  "Luna, I summon you" she whispers

  Immediately, the moonlight filtering through the window begins to ripple

  It gradually gathers, taking the form of a shadowy figure resembling a woman

  The figure gnces around the room before letting out a soft chuckle

  "Celeste, it's been a while. What do you need from me?"

  The voice flows like a gentle melody

  Cassius shivers and immediately buries himself deeper ie's embrace

  "Mom… there's a ghost…" he mumbles

  Celeste looks down at Cassius, the ers of her lips curving slightly

  "Luna, I want you to grant Cassius your blessing" she says

  The figure momentarily freezes

  "This child… is Cassius?" Luna murmurs

  But before she ask further, Celeste cuts her off

  "Just do it. I have no iion of chatting with you all night"

  "Tsk, still as cold as ever" Luna chuckles

  Without further dey, she approaches Cassius

  Cassius is still slightly tense, but his small hands clutch tightly onto Celeste's nightgown

  Luna pces a hand on his head

  "&%:?? ?☆⌒(＾…"

  A gentle silver glow radiates, enveloping Cassius's small frame. His golden eyes widen as Luna murmurs words he ot uand

  The moonlight fres brightly before slowly dissipating

  Luna withdraws her hand, smiling softly.

  "It's done"

  "Thank you" Celeste replies

  "It's nothing, just a small favor" Luna shrugs "I'm also happy to see you both again. But now… I'll be going"

  As she finishes speaking, her fradually dissolves into the moonlight

  The room returns to its previous quiet state

  Cassius blinks, then tilts his head up to look at Celeste

  "Who was she?"

  Celeste gazes at him for a moment before replyily

  "Just an old friend"

  —

  Ihe quiet room, only the dim glow of the mp and Lana's georytelling voice remain

  Cassius sits obediently in her p, listening ily to every word. Lana s both arms around him, holding a children's book as she slowly turns each page

  Her warm, soothing voice blends with the f embrace of her arms

  "Once upon a time, when the world was still chaotic with misguided love, heartbreak, and separation, Cupid grew weary. He watched tless lovers suffer because their hearts did not resonate, because their love was uurned, or because fate cruelly kept them apart through time and distance

  One day, Cupid had an idea. If humans tio lose their way in love, then perhaps destiny should intervene. And so, he decided to create a red thread that would bind together those who were meant to be. It was not merely a e, but a decration that these two souls would harmonize perfectly - as if the universe itself had decreed it

  Cupid then sought the help of Nona, the goddess of fate, who weaves the thread of life for every person. He said

  'Please help me create these red threads, so that those who love will no loray'

  Nona smiled, carefully pulling a small portion from the threads of destiny and weaving them into thi unbreakable strands. She thehem to the fingers of those truly meant to be together

  From that moment on, every person born into the world carries a red thread that ects them to the oined for them"

  Lana finishes reading aly closes the book

  Cassius blinks for a moment, then looks up and asks

  "So… only people ected by the red thread love each other?"

  Lana shakes her head, a soft smile on her lips

  "Not necessarily. The red thread ehat two people will be patible in love, but it doesn't guarahat their life together will be happy"

  She pauses briefly before tinuing

  "Imagine a red thread eg a oner and a hey may truly love each other, they may feel happiness when they are together… but their worlds are too different. Family opposition, social status, deep-rooted prejudices - all of these things could bring them pain. Even if their hearts beat as one, life may not be so easy for them"

  Cassius blinks, p her words

  "Then… what if someone doesn't have a red thread?"

  "You still find your other half without it" Lana answers gently

  "Because the red thread only bees visible when two people are close to each other, there are those who realize it very te. And some… never realize it at all, because their destined one has already left this world before they could ever meet"

  "That's why, if you find someone who suits you, cherish them. Fate is not the only thing that decides love"

  Cassius falls silent, deep in thought

  After a while, he looks up again, curiosity glimmering in his eyes

  "Nana, have you found your other half yet?"

  Lana pauses for a brief moment

  Then she smiles softly, though a hint of sadness flickers in her eyes

  "Even though I'm already twenty-one… I haven't found them yet"

  She stays quiet for a moment, then suddenly reaches out and pinches Cassius's cheek

  "But maybe…" She squints at him pyfully "The reason I haven't found my other half is because I'm too busy taking care of you, little rascal"

  Cassius blinks, then bursts into ughter

  He leans into Lana, feeling the familiar warmth of her presence

  But deep in his mind, ahought arises

  A question about the red thread he sees every day

  A red thread that stretches from his wrist to… Celeste's neck

  A/N: 1-2 more chapters before we switch to Cassius’s POV. Do you guys like Lana?