Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Felix: [Well, say thanks to Nykie for me.]
His casual reply made Theon’s breath catch in his chest.
Theon: [Why do you call her Nykie?]
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Theon was sure Felix had never used such a familiar nickname for anyone before. It made him realize that Felix’s attitude toward Nyx was way more than just casual.
“Trying to set things straight, Theon attempted to assert his position.
Theon: [She only sees you as my uncle.]”
As for sending Felix sandwiches, Theon thought it was more about showing respect to his uncle, and not anything else.
Theon: [She feels like I’m not caring for you enough, so she thought she’d do something for me.]
Theon emphasized “for me“, but Felix only focused on “care“.
Still holding the transparent thermal box, Felix softened his gaze, his thoughts drifting to Nyx’s petite, lively figure.
He could almost hear her soft voice, tinged with mild reproach, telling Theon that she was going to take the initiative and show some concern for her uncle.
Meanwhile, Theon was still typing away in the chat.
Theon: [You talked badly about her before, and she heard you, but she didn’t get angry.]
Theon: Now do you get it? She’s the most gentle, most adorable female in the world.]
Theon: [Feelings mixed with selfish motives don’t deserve her.]
Theon: [I don’t care if she has mental power or is E–level or S–level. I only like her. But you don’t.]
Theon was this close to flat–out telling Felix he wasn’t good enough for Nyx.
Felix chuckled softly, shook his head, and didn’t respond. He thought Theon’s jealousy was so blunt and childish.
But, as much as Felix hated to admit it, Theon wasn’t wrong. Only the purest, most sincere love was worthy of someone so good as Nyx.
She was soft–spoken, stunningly beautiful, and kind to an almost unbelievable degree.
She’d risked herself to save a random male on the street who had lost control, and she even worried about a distant relative -someone she barely knew, someone who had even spoken harshly to her–and took the time to show him some concern.
After decades of being seen as a cold, emotionless figure, Felix had thought he didn’t need warmth. But suddenly, a little bunny offered him her warmth without hesitation.
Felix poked at the soft and warm sandwiches in the thermal box. The heat from it tingled his fingertips, and he couldn’t help but touch it again.
09:33 de, 11 Feb
Chapter 24
Nyx received Felix’s thanks.
K
Felix: “The sandwiches are really good. Thanks, Nykie”
Nyx: (Mr. Lane, you’re Theon’s uncle, so you’re my uncle too. No need to be so formal)
She thought he wouldn’t reply, but after a while, another message came through,
Felix: [I’m only 47, not that old… Do you think I’m getting old?]
Considering that most people in the empire lived well over 500 years, and taking into account Felix’s youthful good looks, there was no way he could be considered old. Nyx quickly denied it.
Felix: [Good, that’s a relief. Actually, you don’t have to call me “Mr. Lane“]
Nyx thought, ‘What? No “Mr. Lane“? Am she supposed to just call him by his name? Nyx hesitated, unsure how to respond Fortunately, Felix saved her from the awkwardness and quickly switched the topic.
Felix: [I also got you a gift. It’s custom–made, so it’ll take some time to arrive. It should get to you by tomorrow afternoon]
Nyx: [Thank you!]
She felt a bit strange not adding “Mr. Lane“, so she sent a little bunny making heart emoji for good measure.
Just as Nyx sent Felix her reply, she noticed a familiar profile picture flashing in the friend request section.
She usually ignored friend requests since there were just too many, but this one caught her eye. The profile picture was a black mamba, and it looked exactly like the young male who had lost control on the street earlier. Nyx quickly accepted the request.
Kian: [Hello.]
It seemed like Kian hadn’t expected his request to be accepted, and he seemed a bit nervous, unsure what to say.
Nyx waited for a while, and finally, Kian sent a follow–up message.
Kian: [I’m Kian Linden. My beast form is a black mamba.]
Nyx thought to herself, “What a short introduction…”
She was about to ask if he was the same male from yesterday, the one who had lost control, when the third message finally came through.
Kian: [Your shirt is still with me…]
Nyx was taken aback. She hadn’t expected it to be him, and she only learned now that his name was Kian.
Nyx: [It’s not important. How are you doing right now?]
Kian was pleasantly surprised by her concern and replied almost instantly.
Kian: [I’m doing fine now. My Loss of Control Index has dropped to 73.]
To protect Nyx, the Supervision Office had falsely told Kian that they’d administered some kind of drug during his loss of control to temporarily lower his index. Because of that, Kian didn’t suspect Nyx’s involvement.
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09:33 de, 11 Feb
Chapter 24
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Even though he didn’t know Nyx was the reason his index had lowered, he felt a deep sense of gratitude toward her. Had Nyx not thrown herself in the way to stop him, he probably would have gone on a rampage and hurt a lot of innocent people.
Kian: [Could you tell me what you like? I’d like to get you a gift.]
Now that Nyx knew Kian was recovering well, she felt relieved.
As for a gift, she wasn’t really interested. She remembered Kian seemed like a student with a hard life, constantly taken advantage of by his biased mother. He didn’t have much money, so there was no need for him to spend money on her.
Nyx: [I don’t need anything right now. We can save the gift for later.]
After thinking about it for a moment, Nyx packed up a box of sandwiches and sent it to Kian.
Half an hour later, the sandwich arrived. At that very moment, Kian was at a shady underground arena near Central Planet.
The underground arena was a place where pirates and corrupt elites came together in secret, hidden away in corners of the empire. It was a playground for the rich and a den of misery for the poor, where people sold their lives for money.
Such illegal spots were nearly impossible to track for the authorities, let alone a regular delivery service. Once someone stepped into the underground arena, their signal would be scrambled and show a false location.
In the arena, two figures were locked in a brutal fight, tearing at each other with raw hands and savagery. What started as a bare–knuckle brawl quickly escalated into a bloodbath as they transformed into beasts.
Unlike the regulated fighting events organized by the empire, the underground arena’s battles would often fight to the death. Desperate people would bet their lives to win huge rewards.
Kian had fought in this kind of arena over a dozen times. The fact that he was still alive meant he’d always come out on top. But he stuck to his personal rule of never killing anyone, which made the audience and the arena’s organizers unhappy. As a result, his reward was always half of what others earned.
He didn’t want to abandon his principles. He just needed the money.
His mother only ever squeezed him dry for his scholarships and the little money he earned from legal side jobs. She had no idea about the dirty cash Kian made in the underground arena.
The money he earned here went straight into buying expensive drugs to delay the onset of his beast form’s loss of control. Kian’s father, whose Loss of Control Index had reached 90, was already locked up by the Supervision Office.
The abandoned males had no one to bail them out. They just had to wait for their end.
Even though Kian knew the drugs to delay his father’s loss of control were only a temporary solution–his index would eventually rise again and get worse–he still kept fighting. He was trying to hold on, hoping the medication would give his father a little more time to live.
If it weren’t for his father, Kian wouldn’t have stepped into the underground arena at all. He could’ve stayed in school to be a top student at the empire’s military academy. After graduation this year, he would join the Military Command.
Kian sat offstage, his face–beautiful yet almost otherworldly–was expressionless as he waited for the current match to end. It would be his turn soon.
He silently scrolled through his chat records with Nyx again and again. His gaze darkened with each pass.
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09:34 de, 11 Feb Ki
Chapter 24
Suddenly, a strong employee in uniform, built like a bear, stormed toward him.
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He shoved a transparent thermal box into Kian’s arms and said, “Black Mamba, someone sent you something. It got delivered to a fake address due to signal interference and almost got destroyed. I stopped them just in time!”
