MIRACLE lowered her eyes. She chose to back down than to make a staring contest with Ymar. The guy was frowning. He suspected her of doing something wrong. Miracle don't know if telling Penelope his secret was a good thing or not but all she ever wanted is to have someone who can help her protect Ymar. Her body is weak, and the little ability that she had is useless.

'What's the point of seeing the future if I have no way of stopping it?' The guy himself won't believe her anyway. It's not an understatement to say that Ymar hates her. Although she didn't know why.


"Michael, you should stop running around the place," Miracle reprimanded him. "You just ate to brim. Are you not afraid of stomachache?"

"No!" The little kid showed his teeth. "I'm your cousin. So play with me."

"Michael, have you seen the Old Sy lately?" Ymar folded his feet and sat with his back on the wall. His arms were crossed with a defiant expression in his face. It was so different than his usually obedient and gentle demeanor. Miracle was glad that she knew Ymar better than anyone. And the guy was never good. "It's been days since his injury. When is he going to be okay? He's always sick nowadays."


"Uh... I guess he's just being old. Old people often gets sick. You know that." Michael hunched his back to play with the flowers in his hand. "Now that I think about it clearly, I heard him ordering Broggy something the other day. It's a medicinal plant for his cold. Why do you ask, Ymar?"

"Nothing. In the future, stop asking me those questions. Miracle, you're not teaching this kid how to treat me well?"


Miracle couldn't hold back the snap in her voice. "It's not like the ruling family still exist, right? What's wrong with Michael's question?"

Ymar's eyes widened. He looked offended and pained. "I'm still here so the ruling class still exist. You guys are here to serve me, the only one who's left."

"No one wanted your family to rule over us, Ymar." Miracle sighed. "You can't force us to follow you just because of that."

"What do you want me to do then?" Ymar waved his hands. "There's nothing I can do in this situation. You think I like being coddled here? Miracle, it seems like you trust that Penelope and Joaquin so much. How come you have forgotten what brought us in this situation? Someone betrayed the clan. My family! We're supposed to be working as one!"

"Working as one?" Miracle stood. "It was your family who decides for everything while we, the peasants, blindly follow your every move. It was your family who brought the downfall of the fluffle! Your family trusted the wrong person!"

" ..don't bring Ms. Blacke and Mr. De Villa here. They helped us in exchange for nothing. I just want you to stop acting so lofty and start respecting us the way we do to you, is it really hard to lower down your pride, Ymar?"

Miracle heaved a long breath. She scoffed. "Don't act as if I would not possibly know about you sneaking around and following the Old Sy without even telling me why!"

Ymar went silent for a second. His lips twitched. "Why do I need to tell you? Miracle, can't you just shut up? Fine. I won't talk to all of you from now on since all of you sees me as an ungrateful person. Fine. You're nothing like your parents. They believed us. They believe me. They never questioned the authority of my family."

Miracle stomped her feet. "So stupid!" She grabbed the startled Michael and dragged him out of the room. She spat, "And in the end, my parents died for nothing. Go on and continue your tantrum, Ymar. Once everything will be settled, I will bring the children with me. You have no colony to rule now. Might as well give up the idea."

"Miracle!"

"THERE ARE a lot of moronic person in the world, Joaquin." Lance casted Joaquin a side glance. He hiccuped. "But fuck, I didn't expect my fated mate to be one."

"At the moment, we know that he's not after me but for Miracle." Joaquin tilted his head. The backside of the house was empty and dark. Lance sat in the grass with a small lamp and a glass of beer. "Why do I find this kid's claim as suspicious?"

"Hah. Me too." Lance gritted his teeth. As if he's feeling the rush of alcohol in his nerves. His face flush with tension. Joaquin lost count of how many bottles he had consumed. "He doesn't trust me or you or anyone in this place. That Ymar is hiding something from us. That's what my gut has been telling me."

Joaquin frowned. "Anyway... how did you manage to fool your mate just like that? You even had a time to drink now. Like it doesn't bother you."

"I took a heavenly oath to protect you with my whole life. I didn't mind dying for you once. I can do it for twenty times if the lord will allow me." Lance shrugged. "He's just a mate. Nothing more."

Joaquin took a deep breath. He smiled when he noticed something. "Father's spell has rubbed off you, Lance. Your lie stinks. You care about him."

"It's not that I care." Lance tsk-ed. He pointed his chest. "It's that... it's really uncomfortable in here. In my heart. When he smiles and thinks I'm obedient when in fact he's being played, it was like I'm being strangled. I'm not... used to this heavy feeling. I easily get distracted by his smell."

"So much that you didn't get to buy what I ordered you. What's with the groceries anyway?"

"Damn wolf thought he can buy my conscience with his plastic bags." Lance went silent for a moment. He said, "What are we going to do next?"

"Let's wait for Penelope. She said, there's something we need to know about Miracle. Maybe Ymar was right when he told you that Miracle is the one your mate has been looking for."

"It suits her." Lance nodded. "I thought it was Ymar at first but then he admitted lying to me when we got closer to the cabin. He said it was Miracle, the one who got a unique red dot in her forehead. That she's the reason why he got almost killed."

"I like that girl. She's responsible."

"Gah!" Lance chugged another glass of beer. Joaquin patted his arm and patiently waited for Penelope. "I need to go back and ask your old fart if is there any protective spell that can help Miracle."

"You're really close with father, hmn?"

Lance's hand paused. He grinned. "Of course. We are relatives after all, cousin."

Joaquin gave him a fake smile. "If you say so, cousin."

Lance doesn't trust him too.