CHAPTER 214: THE RETURN OF NOLAN (1)

The sky slowly darkened, and the moon took the sun’s place.

Cicadas chirped outside, while seabirds still circled above the Hermes family’s mansion.

Inside her bedroom, Elina lay under her blanket.

"Hiks... Hiks..."

Soft sobs slipped from her lips as tears filled her eyes.

"Brother... why did you lie to me? Didn’t you say you’d stay by my side forever? So why did you die instead?" She whispered between sobs.

A few days ago, she looked strong on the outside, but inside she was completely shattered by the news of her brother’s death.

She wanted to scream, cry, and blame everything on Rafine. But then she remembered her brother’s words—never let emotions control you in a tough situation.

Otherwise, it would only ruin her future. Yet following that advice was far harder than the theory itself.

Her heart ached terribly, as if pierced by dozens of swords at once. After all, her brother was the one she loved and cared for most in this world.

Losing him felt like half her life had been destroyed.

Knock!

"Your Highness, you haven’t left your room for days. And you’re not eating properly either. Please, come out at least to eat."

Luvistar’s worried voice came from beyond the door. Elina, however, ignored him completely.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Luvistar let out a quiet sigh when he realized she wasn’t responding.

This is really dangerous, he muttered with a frown.

Ever since their victory against the sea monster, Elina hadn’t stepped out of her room. Her lifestyle had completely fallen apart—she wasn’t eating properly, and he wasn’t even sure if she had bathed in days.

That was dangerous and could harm her health. Yet he couldn’t just barge into her room either. If he did, Elina would surely be furious, and that could cause an even bigger problem.

With a helpless smile, he placed a tray of food on the table near the door and raised his voice slightly. "I left the food in the usual spot, Your Highness. If you’re hungry, you can take it. Just call me if you need anything else."

Once again, there was no response from behind the door. Luvistar had expected that. Shaking his head, he turned away and left.

Inside, Elina’s stomach growled. She pushed aside her blanket and slowly sat up.

Her gaze wandered across her room. It was neat, yet shrouded in darkness. Other than the pale moonlight slipping through the window, every lamp in the room was off.

The silence was heavy, broken only by the faint sound of waves in the distance. Elina rubbed her small, hungry stomach and slipped out of bed.

The moment her bare feet touched the wooden floor, a sharp chill ran up her body, making her flinch slightly.

But she ignored it and walked toward the door, pulling it open.

After picking up the tray, she closed the door again and walked toward the table in the center of the room, flanked by two sofas.

She set the tray down, then sank into the sofa opposite the window, her eyes drawn to the beautiful night sky outside.

"Brother..." Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes once more.

For some reason, sitting there reminded her of the days she had spent with him.

Back then, he would often ask her to make tea, and they would sit together in this very spot, talking and teasing each other.

But now, those moments were nothing more than memories—things she could only recall.

Krrk!

Her stomach growled, shattering her thoughts. With tears still streaming, she began to eat the food in front of her.

It was delicious, yet to her it felt bland and tasteless. Her feelings matched the old saying: "No matter how sweet honey is, when you lose the one you love, it no longer tastes sweet."

"Hiks... Hiks..."

Elina cried as she ate, choking every so often when food caught in her throat. But she didn’t care—she just kept eating.

Then, a worried voice suddenly came from the window.

"My dear sister, what are you doing? Eating while crying like that is dangerous—you might choke."

Upon hearing that, Elina stopped eating. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked up at the window and saw a young man leaping in.

He was very handsome, with slightly messy black hair. He wore a black robe with a side cape draped over his right shoulder, bearing the symbol of a spinning black dragon.

Tall and striking, he stood under the moonlight, which seemed like divine rays shining down on him.

A beautiful smile curved on his lips as he looked at Elina with a gentle gaze.

"You..." Elina gasped in shock, the spoon slipping from her hand. "Brother!?"

She hurriedly stood, her face filled with horror and disbelief.

"Brother, is it really you? Aren’t you dead? Was what I saw just an illusion?" She rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

But Nolan’s figure remained where it was. That could only mean one thing—he was real!

"Dead?" Nolan looked at her in confusion. "Why would you think I’m dead? There’s no way I—"

Before he could finish, Elina suddenly rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"Brother! Brother! Wuuu~ I missed you so much! I thought you were dead!" She cried, burying her face against his broad chest.

Her arms clung tightly around his waist, as if she feared he might vanish the moment she let go.

Nolan paused for a moment before smiling softly. He wrapped her in his arms, resting his chin on her head as his hand gently stroked her back.

"Alright, don’t worry. I’m here. You don’t need to cry anymore," he said softly.

But instead of calming down, Elina’s sobs grew louder. Nolan could only hold her and wait until she let it all out.

Fifteen minutes later, her crying gradually subsided until it finally stopped.

Elina loosened her embrace just a little and looked up at Nolan’s face.

"Brother," she called softly, tears still glistening in her eyes. "How have you been? And..."

Her gaze wandered over his chest, abdomen, and neck before continuing, "Were you hurt by the sea waves? Do you feel pain anywhere? Or..."

She began rambling like a mother fussing over her child.

Nolan gently pinched her nose, making her pause and forcing her to stop.

"Don’t worry. As you can see, I’m fine—and I’m not dead," he said warmly.

Elina pouted in dissatisfaction, but the relief in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Still, how did you survive? Who saved you?" she asked in surprise.

Nolan’s smile turned mysterious as he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "It was the Singularity of Chaos..."