[ Monday, 10:05 PM — Valemont Estate ]
Inside one of the many rooms within the vast Valemont Estate—
Kyle quietly sat near the edge of the bed while Evelyn sat behind him, gently brushing through his slightly messy hair.
Both of them showed clear signs of exhaustion after spending the entire day together.
The soft golden light illuminated the peaceful atmosphere quietly while the cold night breeze gently moved the curtains near the window.
At this moment...
The intimidating matriarch feared by countless people simply looked like an ordinary grandmother spending time with her grandson before sleep.
"Now..."
Evelyn's gentle voice quietly broke the silence inside the room.
"Do you think you can finally tell me what happened?"
"...About what?"
Kyle asked almost absentmindedly.
His grandmother slowly stopped brushing his hair before narrowing her eyes slightly at him.
"You already know exactly what I'm talking about."
Kyle quietly looked away.
"And do you seriously think your grandmother doesn't know just how deeply in love the two of you were?"
"Hell, you even said that you would get married the moment both of you graduated."
Kyle quietly lowered his gaze.
For a brief moment...
The only sound inside the room was the soft noise of the brush moving through his hair.
"...Things change."
"And... sometimes things change so suddenly that you don't even understand what went wrong."
Kyle quietly spoke while staring toward the floor.
"Everything was fine one moment..."
"...And then suddenly it all changes."
"It's like you had something in your hands..."
"But before you even realize it..."
"It slips away like it was never there in the first place."
"...Leaving behind only the feeling that it once existed."
For a brief moment, silence filled the room once again.
Then suddenly—
Kyle turned toward Evelyn.
"You understand what I'm trying to say, right?"
His voice carried a faint helplessness that he himself didn't seem to notice.
"We were happy just a few days ago."
"Talking..."
"Cuddling..."
"And then suddenly out of nowhere..."
"She's just not with me anymore."
"I don't even know what went wrong."
Kyle once again looked toward his grandmother.
"...You are listening, right?"
Evelyn gently looked at him before softly stroking his cheek.
"Yes, my child."
"I'm always listening to you."
Her expression gradually softened while quietly watching her grandson slowly spill out the emotions he had been trying to suppress this entire time.
And for a long while...
Evelyn simply listened.
Without interrupting.
Without trying to force advice onto him.
Only quietly nodding from time to time while gently stroking his hair.
Kyle spoke about everything.
About how much he loved Amelia.
About how much Amelia loved him.
And strangely enough...
That was exactly why everything felt so wrong.
Even Evelyn remembered how Amelia used to endlessly talk about Kyle the very first time she visited the Valemont Estate.
That girl had looked at him like he was her entire world.
Which was exactly why...
None of this made sense.
"...Do you think her love for me disappeared?"
Kyle finally muttered quietly.
But the moment those words left his mouth—
Evelyn's expression slightly changed.
"No."
Her calm voice immediately interrupted him.
"People change."
"...Situations change."
"But feelings like that don't simply disappear overnight."
Kyle quietly remained still.
As if trying to process her words.
"...Then what am I supposed to think?"
His voice came out quieter than before.
And for the first time since the breakup...
A different kind of confusion slowly began appearing inside him.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
But doubt.
Evelyn gently looked at him before softly brushing his hair once again.
"I may be old, Kyle..."
"But I'm not blind."
"That girl loved you far too much to disappear without reason."
After saying those words, Evelyn suddenly went quiet for a brief moment.
And when she finally spoke again...
Her next words only deepened the confusion inside Kyle even further.
"...There are some situations where people don't always get to choose freely."
Kyle slightly frowned.
Just as he was about to ask something else—
Evelyn gently placed her hand over his head once again.
"But that's enough for today."
"It's not good to think too much about painful things late at night."
Her soft voice slowly eased the heavy atmosphere inside the room once again.
"Now go to your room and get some sleep."
Kyle quietly remained silent for a few moments before eventually standing up from the bed.
"...Goodnight, Grandma."
"Goodnight, my child."
After that, Kyle reluctantly made his way toward his room.
And not long after—
He quietly plopped down onto the bed before staring silently at the ceiling above him.
For several long minutes...
He simply remained there lost within his thoughts.
"...Was there really a reason..."
"Or did she actually want this and I just never asked..."
His voice sounded unusually quiet within the dark room.
Slowly...
Kyle closed his eyes.
And before long, exhaustion quietly pulled him into sleep once again.
'''''''''''
[ Tuesday, 9:12 AM — Valemont Estate ]
Standing near the front entrance of the estate, Kyle quietly adjusted his jacket before preparing to leave.
Parked directly before him was the sleek black Astraeus V12 waiting silently beneath the morning sunlight.
"Make sure you aren't late next time, boy."
Evelyn's familiar scolding voice came from behind him once again.
Kyle helplessly smiled before turning toward his grandmother.
"Yes, yes... I'll definitely remember next time."
"Hmph. You better."
After a few more brief conversations, Kyle finally entered the backseat of the car before quietly departing from the Valemont Estate.
As the luxurious vehicle smoothly made its way through the roads of Varen City, Kyle slowly leaned back against the seat with a tired sigh.
Then quietly...
He pulled out the old device from his pocket.
The same mysterious device that had somehow followed him without him even realizing it.
In fact...
Kyle had only noticed it late last night while changing into more comfortable clothes before sleeping.
Kyle quietly looked toward the still developing world displayed before him.
Compared to before...
Asteria no longer felt like an empty world.
Life itself was slowly beginning to fill the lands beneath the silver moon.
After quietly observing the world for a few moments, Kyle naturally moved toward the shop section once again.
Honestly...
He wasn't expecting much.
Most of the items inside the mysterious store were one-time purchases that never appeared again after being bought.
Which was exactly why Kyle was slightly surprised when something new suddenly caught his attention.
A new option had appeared within the shop.
< INCREMENT CARD : Increase Synchronization by % 3 >
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