Chapter 149

An aged yet powerful hand gripped an antique telephone. Upon hearing the words on the other end, a hearty chuckle reverberated through a broad chest. Immediately after, an exceptionally old yet resonant voice sounded, "Haha, that girl has finally deigned to wake up. You must have been worn to the bone looking after that troublesome girl all this time. Now she's finally letting you off the hook, haha..."

"Grandpa, is that any way to speak? What do you mean by finally letting me off the hook?" Tear-Wiper complained from this end, then muttered under his breath, "It's not like she's a sworn enemy, yet she finally lets me off the hook? Grandpa really has a way with words."

The old man on the other end ignored Tear-Wiper's self-absorbed murmuring, sighing with a touch of emotion as he said, "Sigh, since the girl has woken up, it's about time I made a trip over."

Hearing this, Tear-Wiper's previously relaxed and slightly childish tone instantly turned dead serious and solemn. He spoke heavily, "Grandpa, if you come this time, do you no longer need to heed that person?"

The old man on the other end did not reply immediately. An oppressive, solemn atmosphere instantly enveloped them both. After a long pause, he let out a cold laugh. "Heh, as for that person, it's not a matter of heeding him; I simply find him a nuisance."

Tear-Wiper's mouth twitched at those words, and he muttered gloomily to himself, *Who was the one who said he couldn't come over in the first place, and portrayed himself as so 'fragile'? And now...* Despite these thoughts, Tear-Wiper wouldn't dare say them aloud. His pleasant voice came through the line, "Grandpa, Lan awaits your esteemed arrival."

Hanging up the phone, Tear-Wiper's eyes gazed out at the sparkling river surface in the distance, his gaze brimming with myriad brilliant lights.

Returning to Shadow-Moon, each time a segment of her memory was restored, her consciousness would temporarily detach, as if allowing her subconscious to recuperate. Once the rest was complete, another previously forgotten segment in Shadow-Moon's mind would be unlocked once again.

---------------------------------------- Lost Memories ----------------------------------------

It was yet another season of blooming mountain flowers. Looking at the sea of purple before her, a natural sense of familiarity and warmth welled up in Shadow-Moon's heart. Gazing at the violets covering the mountains and plains, a radiant smile spread across her face. Her violet eyes harmonized with the surrounding violets, blurring the lines between flower and person.

"Do you like it?" a youth's melodious voice drifted from behind her.

Shadow-Moon turned her head at the sound. A slender figure stood quietly behind her, his back to the sun. With a cascade of golden hair, fair skin, and azure eyes, he was bathed in a golden halo. Everything about him made him look like an angel fallen into the mortal world, so dazzling that one could not tear their eyes away.

"I like it," Shadow-Moon replied in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum, yet perfectly clear. Her violet eyes, as though bewitched, stared unblinkingly at the brilliant man standing against the light, answering in a daze.

Arthur smiled quietly. With a flick of his palm, a box engraved with ancient, intricate patterns appeared. As Arthur opened the box, two dazzling beams of purple light flashed and vanished. Looking closer into the exact center of the box, a pair of exquisitely crafted, lifelike earrings lay resting there.

The earrings were two blooming violets, their petals unfolding layer by layer. A faint fragrance of violets even drifted to the tip of her nose, leaving no doubt that these were two fresh blossoms in full bloom. Yet, they were truly nothing more than a pair of exquisitely crafted and lifelike diamond-encrusted earrings!

Shadow-Moon's bright eyes sparkled as she looked at the earrings in Arthur's palm and asked, "What are these?"

Arthur smiled, picked up one of the earrings, and said, "I had these custom-made especially for you. Look." With that, Arthur turned the back of the earring over. Engraved on the back in cursive English was a single word—*my!*

Shadow-Moon's eyes widened in astonishment. A thought flashed rapidly through her mind, and she quickly picked up the other earring, turning its back to look. Sure enough, the back was also engraved with a cursive English word, only this time it was—*your's!*

Indeed. Shadow-Moon raised her head, looking straight into Arthur's eyes as if waiting for his explanation, or perhaps already understanding.

Arthur's smile deepened. Seeing Shadow-Moon's expression, he knew his deliberate gesture had not disappointed.

*Blue, you truly understand me!*

Then, holding the diamond earring engraved with *my*, Arthur placed it on Shadow-Moon's right ear. Nodding with immense satisfaction, he leaned over and whispered in a low, bewitching voice right beside her ear, "You—are—mine." He then straightened up and looked at Shadow-Moon.

A tremor ran through Shadow-Moon's heart. Instead of speaking immediately, she silently pulled Arthur's neck down, raised both hands, and fastened the earring engraved with *your's* onto Arthur's left ear. In an instant, the purple light emitted by the diamond dazzled Shadow-Moon's eyes. She heard Arthur whisper once more in a low, enchanting tone right by her ear, "I—am—yours."

Hearing this, Shadow-Moon pulled back slightly from Arthur, her eyes harboring a meaning that only Arthur could comprehend. A radiant rose blossomed upon Arthur's rose-colored lips. Then, lowering his head, his lips pressed against the pale pink cherry lips before him. No superfluous words passed between them; everything was fully conveyed through this single kiss.

The scenery before her shifted once again. Shadow-Moon found herself standing inside a luxurious study before a large desk, her head lowered, her small frame trembling slightly as she did not dare to look up. Behind the desk sat a man—a man exuding an aura of mature handsomeness. His eyes, filled with arrogance and disdain, fell upon the young girl before him as he spoke calmly, yet with unmistakable mockery, "It seems that in the years I've been away, you've been living quite comfortably and happily, my little fiancée, Miss Lan Shadow-Moon?"

Upon hearing this, Shadow-Moon raised her gaze to look at the man before her in disbelief, screaming frantically inside her heart: *Why has he returned? This man, why has he returned? Why must he return to shatter her beautiful and happy life? Is he a demon? As long as he is here, can happiness never descend upon her? Was he born to be a grim reaper, shattering her happiness and dragging her down to hell?*

"Don't look at me like that, my dear." The sophisticated man seemed to thoroughly enjoy the girl's angry gaze. Smiling faintly, he stood up, walked over to Shadow-Moon, and extended a hand covered in light calluses. With a tingling sensation, his fingers brushed against Shadow-Moon's chin, lifting it upward. He stared directly into her eyes and said, "My dear, you shouldn't resist me so much." Closing the distance between them once more, he parted his lips and actually licked across Shadow-Moon's slightly pale lips. He arched an eyebrow and said, "In a few days, our wedding ceremony will be held. You should get used to it as soon as possible."

All the color completely drained from Shadow-Moon's face. Staring at the evil man before her with utter disbelief, she cried out, "You're lying! You're lying! He said so! He said he would marry me!"

A wave of mockery filled the depths of the man's eyes. With a look of disgust, he brushed Shadow-Moon's chin aside, walked back to the chair behind the desk, and sat down. Resting his chin on one hand, he spoke in a playful tone, "Are you talking about my precious son, Arthur?" The man noticed Shadow-Moon's body stiffen instantaneously at the mention of Arthur's name, and continued, "It seems he has taken very good care of his little mommy." Without caring about Shadow-Moon's reaction in the slightest, the man spoke entirely to himself, "I suppose I should thank him. Hm... How about this? To thank him for his thoughtful gesture, we shall hold our weddings together!" The man proposed, his eyes full of amusement. Having said that, as if feeling his own idea was exceptionally brilliant, he nodded heavily and said, "Hm, let's do it that way. By now, he and Jeanne should have developed some feelings for each other." The man spoke as if talking to himself, yet every single word entered Shadow-Moon's ears. Her slender frame instantly stiffened, standing frozen in place like a statue.

Having finished speaking, the man glanced at the girl whose soul seemed to have been sucked entirely from her body. A cruel curve formed at the corner of his lips, and he cheerfully said to Shadow-Moon, "Very well, my dear, run along and prepare properly. After all, it's not just the two of us getting married; our precious son will be marrying at the same time as well. It should be a very busy time for us all."

When Shadow-Moon regained her senses once more, she was already back in her own room. The steady, rhythmic ringing of a telephone echoed in her ears. Yet, no matter how many times it rang, no one ever answered. With each unanswered ring, Shadow-Moon's heart grew stiff and gradually turned to ice. The grievance and anxiety originally on her face vanished entirely, replaced by a creeping indifference.

After countless unanswered rings, Shadow-Moon silently hung up the phone, stood up, and walked toward the back garden of the villa. Like a soul-less corpse devoid of focus in her gaze, she heard whispers drifting to her ears, carrying faint traces of mockery.

"Have you heard? The master of the house is going to hold a wedding with Miss Shadow-Moon, just a few days from now."

"Mm, I know. The very day the master returned, I found out."

"Yeah, me too. I never expected that Miss Shadow-Moon was actually going to marry the master. I thought—"

"Shh—" One of them clamped a hand over the speaker's mouth, glanced around their surroundings, and whispered cautiously, "Don't talk nonsense. Have you worked here all these years and still not learned what should be said and what shouldn't?"

The person whose mouth was covered showed a look of terror and nodded vigorously before being released.

"I heard that Master Arthur is going to hold an engagement ceremony with Miss Jeanne, who is far away in Switzerland, on the very same day as the master!"

"Ah? Really? The handsome and charming young master is taken too? Sigh, my sweet dreams are shattered!"

"Yeah, me too..."

The crowd gradually walked away, leaving no further sounds behind.

Shadow-Moon's utterly placid expression trembled slightly upon hearing those low murmurs. She had already walked to the edge of the fountain. Looking at her own reflection in the water, she stood in silence for a very long time. As the surrounding light gradually dimmed, Shadow-Moon raised her right hand to her ear. With a sudden sweep of her arm, a flash of purple light traced a semicircular arc through the air, followed immediately by a splash. Silence descended once more upon the surroundings.