After another few intense rounds, Nyx finally pulled back with a hoarse, breathless groan, lips swollen and glistening, jaw aching fiercely.

"I...I give up."

She rasped, half-laughing, half-whimpering.

"It's not going down at all. You're inhuman, Hero."

Luca chuckled softly, reaching down to help her up.

Without another word, Nyx crawled into his lap like a tired cat seeking warmth. She curled against his chest, tucking her head under his chin, arms wrapping loosely around his waist.

And the moment her body settled fully against his—the exhaustion crashed over her like a wave.

Her breathing slowed. Her eyelids fluttered once, twice...and then she was asleep.

Deep, peaceful, baby-like sleep.

Luca tightened his hold around her, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other resting protectively over her lower back.

He stared up at the moon, feeling oddly content, and before long, sleep claimed him too.

By day, they were intimidating figures: the royal advisor who ran half the village with iron will and sharp intellect, and the summoned hero whose very presence stirred fear and hope in equal measure.

But right now?

They looked like lovers—intimate, tender, utterly vulnerable.

Just two people napping together under the stars, wrapped in each other's warmth.

It was oddly wholesome. Quietly loving. A scene so beautiful it almost didn't belong in a world so full of suspicion and pain.

They slept like that for most of the night.

But as the moon began its slow descent and the first faint gray of pre-dawn light touched the horizon, Nyx stirred.

She lifted her head slowly, blinking against the dimness, and glanced toward the eastern sky.

And then with a reluctant sigh, she began to untangle herself from Luca's arms.

The movement woke him instantly.

"Where are you going?" He murmured, voice rough with sleep. "Don't tell me your tummy is aching from all the seed you swallowed and you need to use the bathroom."

Nyx gave him a small, tired smile.

"No, I'm completely alright, Hero." She said, pressing a hand lightly to her abdomen. "If anything...I feel strangely rejuvenated. Full of energy."

I don't know if it's because your seed had some strange effect it has or because of the best sleep I've had in decades, but...I feel good. Really good."

She looked toward the fading moon, expression turning wistful.

"But I have to go. If anyone sees me leaving your room at this hour, sleeping with you like this...the rumors will explode. The village is already whispering about me and I don't need anymore saying how I'm trying to seduce the hero right now."

"Not when everything else is such a mess."

Luca's arms loosened reluctantly, though his hands lingered on her hips.

"That's...sad." He admitted. "But it makes sense."

He then hesitated, his expression turning curious before he asked,

"If it's possible...can I ask you something? About the rumors?"

Nyx paused, halfway to standing, while he continued quickly.

"Like why exactly did they start in the first place? I mean...I know the stories are lies, but there have been actual witnesses—people who saw you spending a lot of time with men."

"If you're comfortable telling me, I'd like to understand. But if you don't want to say anything, that's fine too."

"I really don't care that much. I just...want clarity about what's actually happening in this village."

Nyx studied him for a moment.

Then she sighed, settling back against the railing beside the chair instead of leaving.

She looked beautiful in the dying moonlight—hair mussed, dress slightly askew, eyes thoughtful.

"Normally." She began quietly. "I wouldn't tell this to anyone. Not even my own mother knew much."

"After all it's...not supposed to be revealed. Not yet."

"But after tonight…"

She smiled faintly.

"I don't think I can keep too many secrets from you, Hero. Somehow, just looking at your face makes me want to speak my mind."

Luca blinked. "Is that a compliment or a curse?"

"Maybe both." She said with a small smirk. "But I'll tell you. Not just because I trust you, but also because you and I..."

"...we're walking the same path now. Striving for the same goal."

"Same goal?" He raised a brow. "What goal are we talking about exactly?"

Nyx's playful expression faded. Her eyes grew colder, sharper.

"Julius." She said flatly. "Julius is my goal. And has been for over half a century."

Luca's smile faded as well. "Julius…?"

She nodded slowly as she went on to thoughtful say,

"You're intelligent, Hero. You see the big picture instead of chasing shadows."

"From the very beginning, when you came to this village, you didn't get fooled by what was on the surface. You didn't assume Leona was the problem, like everyone else. You saw the truth."

Her gaze turned steely.

"You realized that Julius was the one pulling the strings."

Luca crossed his arms silently, listening, as Nyx continued.

"For decades now, the villagers have blamed Leona. They call her cruel, unfeeling, power-hungry. They curse her for every harsh decision that's been made."

"But they don't see who's whispering in her ear, who's weaving the lies behind the curtain."

She looked directly at him, her voice firm.

"It's Julius. He's the root of it all. And you realised that."

She gave him a small, approving smile.

"Thank you for that. For being smart enough to see through the obvious scapegoat."

"Hold on." Luca held up a hand, still processing. "You're telling me Julius is the mastermind?"

"That Leona's just...doing what he wants?"

Nyx smirked faintly, amused by his surprise.

"Of course. Isn't it obvious after what I've said so far?"

"No, it's not that." He shook his head. "It's just...you always called him 'brother-in-law' in such an affectionate way. You sounded like the perfect doting sister-in-law earlier, who adores him."

"So seeing you switch like this is...surprising."

"That was all an act, Hero." She scoffed before coldly saying, "Every word, every smile, it's all a lie. A sham. A moment of deception."

After all, I had to keep him close. I had to play the role. That's how you survive around men like him."

She leaned forward slightly, eyes hardening.

"The truth is...long ago, before the marriage, before Leona ascended, before Luna and Lulu were even born...I did feel something toward Julius."

"Not love. Not romance. Nothing like the rumors claim."

"I simply thought he was a decent person. Observant as I am, he seemed trustworthy. Kind. Someone I could rely on."

Her voice turned colder.

"Then everything changed after the marriage. After Leona became queen. After the children. My sister...she became someone else entirely. Cruel. Cold. Ruthless in ways she never was before."

She looked at Luca, eyes fierce.

"I know my sister, Hero. I know her soul. She is gentle. Kind. The sweetest person you could ever meet. She would never make the decisions she's made these past decades on her own. Never."

"So the only possible conclusion is that someone is forcing her hand."

She paused, letting the weight settle.

"And that someone is Julius. The moment he entered our lives, everything turned rotten. Everything got worse."

Luca frowned. "Do you have any proof."

"I don't." Nyx admitted. "No concrete evidence. No documents. No witnesses willing to speak. But I know my sister and I know she wouldn't be acting the way she's acting now without a reason."

"I've also asked her over and over 'What's going on? Why are you doing this? I know Julius is behind it. I can feel it.'"

"But she never answers." She said in a pained tone.

"She just...looks at me with this deep, hidden sadness. Like she's locked up. Like something is binding her tongue, preventing her from speaking the truth."

"But her eyes...they scream it. She's trapped."

Nyx looked at Luca again, a faint, tired smile touching her lips.

"Just like you told her once. She's bound. Shackled. And the one holding the chains, the one who forged them is my dear brother-in-law, Julius."

"The mastermind behind everything that's happened for the past five decades."

"I have no solid proof like you ask for but I know from the bottom of my heart that he's the one pulling the strings."

"I can even swear it on my life if that's what you want."

She said in a rather fierce manner like she was scared that Luca would dismiss her claims.

"Calm down, Nyx." Luca said gently, raising both hands in a placating gesture. "There's no one here but us and I'm not against you. I believe you. Completely."

"Julius is involved in this, I'm sure of it now. And I'm glad you're on my side too."

He paused, rubbing his chin as he thought.

"But...what about the rumors?" He asked quietly. "Why were you spending so much time with all those men? Especially the married ones? Does that tie into Julius too?"

"It does." Nyx nodded slowly. "Completely."

She leaned back against the railing again, arms crossed, eyes distant as she gathered her thoughts.

"My sister never tells me anything. She keeps her mouth shut almost like she's terrified. Like if she speaks the truth, something terrible will happen to her, or to the girls, or to the whole village. I could see the fear in her eyes every time I pushed."

"But I refused to give up just because she wouldn't talk."

She met his gaze again.

"So I started my own investigation. My own observations."

"I needed to know what Julius knows—what he's hiding. And the only way to get close enough was to play the part everyone already expected of me."

A bitter little smile curved her lips.

"I acted like I adored him. Like the perfect, doting sister-in-law. Smitten. Infatuated. Always hanging around him, laughing at his jokes, touching his arm, looking at him like he hung the moon."

"I even leaned into the rumors on purpose—made people think I had a hopeless crush on my own brother-in-law."

"That way, he'd lower his guard."

"He'd think I was just another silly woman blinded by desire, who was completely harmless."

"But Julius is cautious." She sighed. "Too cautious."

"He doesn't make mistakes easily. The only time he ever lets anything slip—anything at all—is when he's heavily drunk. So I started drinking with him."

"Night after night. I'd sit there, pour him cup after cup, laugh at his stories, pretend to hang on every word....hoping he'd get loose enough to reveal something. Anything."

"But he never did." Her voice turned dry. "Not really. Even drunk, he just talks in circles. Narcissistic nonsense. How great he is. How everyone owes him. How clever he is."

"Nothing useful. Nothing concrete."

Luca tilted his head and curiously asked,

"And the other men? The married ones you were seen with? What's going on with them?"

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