CHAPTER 19: LILY’S DILEMMA

Lily closed the door to her room with a soft thud, her silver hair fluttering behind her as though it carried her irritation.

She took a deep breath, her blue eyes scanning the luxurious space she called her own.

The bedsheets were neatly arranged, the pillows fluffed, the faint scent of perfume still lingering — courtesy of the maids.

Her fingers tightened on the doorknob until her knuckles paled.

"That damn bastard..." she muttered through clenched teeth.

Lucius.

Lucius.

Lucius.

Everywhere she went, his name followed her like a curse.

She couldn’t escape it.

His face filled the headlines, his voice played on news reels, his awakening had shaken the world.

The world buzzed about him as though he was the second coming of the First Awakener himself.

"I’m tired of the name," she spat, walking to the bed and throwing herself onto it.

Yes, he was a sweet guy once.

She couldn’t deny that.

He used to buy her gifts — clothes, jewelry, perfumes, little things that showed he paid attention.

But had she ever truly liked him?

The answer was clear.

No.

Their engagement had been nothing more than politics.

A shallow arrangement meant to bind the Silberhains to the Hohenbergs.

But when Lucius fell into a coma and was swiftly disowned by his clan, she had been forced to leave him behind like excess baggage.

And then — she found Elliot.

"Like hell I’ll text that guy," she muttered bitterly, biting her lip as anger mixed with guilt in her chest. "He’s probably doing all this to get my attention."

Lucius being the first space Awakener in centuries meant nothing to her, or so she told herself.

To her, he was still a desperate, spineless simp chasing her shadow.

"Whooo," she exhaled, rolling onto her back, "let’s see if Elly texted me."

Grabbing her phone, she unlocked her Stitch app and flicked into her DMs.

They told her Elliot was shy, but that wasn’t it.

He was nothing like Lucius.

Elliot was cold, distant and unfeeling..

The opposite of everything Lucius had been.

And Lily... Lily loved it.

It drove her mad that he could be so indifferent.

She was a Silberhain.

She was beautiful.

A maiden of noble blood who deserved devotion.

Yet Elliot acted as though she was just another woman in the crowd.

Her heart skipped as she refreshed her DMs.

A new message blinked into existence.

[@Ellion: Hey...]

’He sent a message!’ Lily thought, grinning like a schoolgirl.

Her fingers flew over the screen.

[@Lillian: Hey love]

She hugged a pillow close, smiling at the thought of him.

Elliot usually didn’t answer quickly, but today... today was different.

Another message.

[@Ellion: You’re back from Lucius’s awakening right?]

[@Lillian: Yes love, I just got back and I’m tired]

[@Ellion: Okay, I won’t be online for a while. You sure he’s not going to fight me?]

Her heart stumbled.

Fight him? The idea of Lucius standing against Elliot felt absurd.

She quickly typed:

[@Lillian: I don’t know love, I think he’s acting like this so he can get my attention]

And then — silence.

The tiny checkmark below her message turned blue.

Elliot had read it.

But no reply came.

Lily’s smile faltered.

She pouted, throwing the pillow at the floor.

"He’s so mean," she muttered. She was a maiden, damn it.

She deserved love. She deserved his attention. Why was it always like this?

Sighing, she flicked back to her homepage.

If Elliot wasn’t going to talk, she might as well distract herself with streams.

The instant the app loaded, her expression soured.

Lucius.

Everywhere.

Advertisements of his new Stitch account filled the screen.

Trending hashtags, featured reels, even special effects banners celebrating his verification.

Her jaw dropped.

"He opened a Stitch and didn’t tell me?" she hissed, tapping the glowing banner against her better judgment.

Lucius’s page opened with a crisp animation.

[LuciusHohenbergOfficial🔹]

[Followers: 5,000,000]

[Posts: 1]

[Following: 0]

The account was less than an hour old. And yet — five million followers?

Her eyes darted to his post.

[Fresh out of the shower 🙂‍↕️🤚]

[Likes: 12,000,000 🩷]

[Comments: 2,000,000]

The photo was simple, but it stole her breath.

Lucius had taken a selfie, his hair still wet, strands falling loosely against his sharp jawline.

He wore a plain black robe, but somehow it made him look more regal than most nobles in their banquet suits.

His violet eyes glistened like polished gems, vivid even through the camera lens.

"What the absolute fuck..." Lily whispered, her face heating. "...why is he so hot?"

Her thumb hovered as she scrolled through the comments and her eyes widened.

Lily slammed her phone shut, her heart racing.

Her breath came in shallow bursts, and a strange heat pooled in her chest.

She had never... never looked at Lucius this way before.

But damn it, why did he suddenly look like that?

As if the world itself had changed around him.

And worse — why did it bother her that millions of others were thirsting over him?

She clenched her fists and tossed the phone across the bed.

"No... He’s just doing this for attention. He wants me to notice him," she hissed, trying to convince herself.

But her body betrayed her, cheeks glowing red.

[Meanwhile...]

Lucius glanced at his phone and sighed as the notification popped up.

[You have been followed by @LillianSilberhain🔹]

[@LillianSilberhain has sent you a DM]

He shook his head, setting the device down.

"This girl... still the same," he muttered.

A true 2030 woman.

She had the protagonist’s love wrapped around her finger, and yet she was still sniffing around.

"I don’t have time for this."

Sliding back into his chair,

Lucius opened his Stitch inbox again.

The top guilds had already flooded him with messages the moment he opened his account.

Offers, sponsorships, invitations to join.

But one guild in particular hadn’t reached out.

Grimmaw.

He wasn’t surprised.

If he were in their shoes, he wouldn’t message a newly awakened Space Awakener either.

Especially while they had no chances..

Still, his fingers moved. He searched their profile.

[GrimmawGuildOfficial🔹]

[Subscribers: 5,200,000]

[Posts: Last active 2 years ago]

The profile picture showed a woman — Vanessa.

Lucius paused, staring at the photo.

"She looks... different," he muttered.

The art he remembered from the Manhwa didn’t do her justice.

The Vanessa staring back from the screen had an aura of strength, maturity, and a beauty that hit deeper than any shallow noble girl.

He smiled faintly, tapping follow.

And then he opened the chat box.

[Message GrimmawGuildOfficial?]

Lucius began typing.