Nina stepped into the house, closing the door quietly behind her.
The familiar scent of spices and rice drifted from the kitchen, wrapping around her like a warm blanket.
She slipped off her shoes, rubbing the back of her neck. Her shift hadn't been hard, but the weight of the day still clung to her shoulders.
"Nina, you're back?"
Her mother's voice called gently from the kitchen.
"Yeah. Where are Leo and Luna?"
Nina walked toward the kitchen and peeked inside.
Her mother looked up from the counter, where she was wrapping up a few containers.
"Out. Some official hunter business. They left a while ago. I didn't ask for details. I've learned to stop asking when it comes to their jobs."
Nina's eyes flicked to the stove and the full spread laid out on the table—steamed dumplings, stir-fried vegetables, grilled meat, and bowls of soup.
It looked like her mother had cooked with all three of them in mind. Now, with only her left, there was too much food.
Her mother must've noticed her looking because she smiled softly and said.
"You're free to have dinner with me, if you're not too tired."
Nina gave a small nod and slipped into a seat.
As her mother plated the food, Nina caught a glimpse of something in her expression—disappointment? Loneliness?
She didn't ask. Instead, she told herself to eat as much as she could.
She grabbed her chopsticks and dug in, making sure to serve herself generous portions.
Bite after bite, she worked through the dishes, telling herself it was fine, that it was better if she ate as much as possible so her mother wouldn't feel like her efforts had gone to waste.
[You're going to explode if you keep going. You don't have to eat everything. Just take what you need.]
Her Patron muttered, not even trying to hide his disapproval.
"I'm fine. I have a big stomach. I can handle this."
Nina whispered, her mouth full.
[A king should not lie.]
She ignored him and kept eating until the heaviness settled in her belly like a stone. When she finally pushed her bowl away, she was full to the point of discomfort.
"Thank you for the meal."
She said quickly, bowing her head to her mother before dragging herself up the stairs and to her room.
The moment she flopped onto her bed, her stomach groaned in protest.
[I told you. But you never listen.]
Her Patron huffed.
Nina groaned and buried her face in her pillow.
"I was trying to be nice. You could try that sometime"
She mumbled.
[You're a king. You don't need to be nice.]
Nina was about to fire back when she froze.
Something—no, someone—was reaching out. The sensation brushed against her consciousness like a whisper. Gentle, probing. Testing.
She shot up in bed.
"Do you feel that?"
She whispered.
[Yes. Someone is trying to connect to you. They're trying to find you.]
Her Patron's voice turned cold.
Nina's breath caught.
"What do I do? Do I need to fight?"
[Stay still. Let me handle this.]
He commanded.
A beat passed. Then another. Nina's hands trembled slightly as she reached for the dagger she kept under her pillow.
But then, her Patron's voice returned, smug and composed.
[It's taken care of. They won't be able to reach you again. I severed the link before they could gather anything useful.]
Nina let out a shaky breath.
"So… they were trying to spy on me?"
[They were searching for you.]
"Do you know who it was?"
[You don't have to worry about that. As long as I am here, no one would be able to land a scratch on you.]
Nina swallowed hard, her earlier discomfort replaced by a different kind of heaviness. She rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the chill that had returned.
"Should I get ready? Just in case?"
[Not tonight. Rest. I'll wake you up if anything happens.]
Nina hesitated, then lay back down on the bed. Her eyes remained open for a long time, staring at the ceiling.
The food she'd forced down twisted in her stomach, but it wasn't the reason she couldn't sleep anymore.
Someone had tried to find her.
And they might try again.
As soon as Nina drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep, her Patron's eyes sharpened.
The air around her rippled faintly, a sign that whatever presence had reached for her earlier could still be lingering somewhere—watching, waiting.
Without hesitation, he slipped into the shadow realm, a place only those like him could navigate freely.
His form distorted slightly in the dark, taking on the shape of a tall figure cloaked in swirling black.
With a flick of his hand, he cast a message through the void, targeting the link that had dared touch his vessel.
[This is your only warning. Do not reach for her again. The next time, I won't be so kind.]
The message echoed in a deep, ancient tone.
His warning crackled through the remnants of the broken connection, sending a jolt of pressure along the other end.
Once satisfied that his words had landed, the Patron returned to Nina's bedside. He reached out a shadowy hand and placed it gently on her head.
[You're mine to protect. And I will not let anyone harm you.]
He murmured.
Far away, in the heart of one of the Hunter Association's high-rise headquarters, Sigfried gasped and staggered back from his desk, nearly knocking over his chair.
The sudden backlash from the severed link had hit him like a slap across the face—jarring, raw, and completely unexpected.
"What the hell…"
He muttered, rubbing his temple. His system window buzzed angrily in front of him, glowing with a flashing red warning message.
[UNAUTHORIZED ATTEMPT DETECTED: DO NOT ENGAGE AGAIN.]
He cursed under his breath.
"That wasn't just a barrier… someone hijacked the flow of power and threw me out of her mind. Who the hell does that?"
His heart thudded in his chest, half in fear, half in exhilaration.
He was Siegfried—the #2 ranked hunter in the world. People didn't just shut him out like that, especially not nobodies with no background.
And yet, whoever or whatever was guarding Nina… was not ordinary.
Siegfried slumped back into his chair, muttering,
"Leo really could've warned me. A 'stay away from my sister' memo would've been nice."
His fingers hovered over his keyboard, then danced quickly across the virtual interface.
He pulled up the official chatroom used by the top 50 hunters—mostly quiet, except during major events. But curiosity gnawed at him.
[#2 Hunter Siegfried]: "Does anyone here know anything about Leo's other sister, Nina?"
The reply came instantly.
[#6 Hunter Leo]: "Delete that. Now. Before I'm forced to respond personally."
Siegfried blinked, caught off guard by the speed of the response.
Leo must've been monitoring the chat. That, or his instincts were just that sharp.
He sighed and deleted the message as requested—but not before the rest of the chatroom's elite had seen it.
A few users started typing, but hesitated, likely second-guessing if it was worth poking into Leo's private life.
Still, it was too late. The seed had been planted.
And Siegfried's curiosity? It had turned into a quiet obsession.