A few minutes later, Lyra returned to the table.
She wore her usual warm smile.
As if nothing had happened.
"Did I keep you waiting?" she asked softly.
"I'm really sorry, sweetheart."
Aethron immediately shook his head.
"No, no… not at all," he replied quickly.
Then he hesitated for a moment.
He frowned slightly.
"B-But…" he added quietly.
"I feel a little strange."
Lyra looked at him attentively.
Aethron sighed and continued.
"Today's date was supposed to be about repaying you…"
"For helping me, for inviting me…"
"I wanted to thank you."
"But now…"
"I feel like I'm even more in debt."
His voice was sincere.
There was no trace of pretense.
"We bought clothes I could never afford in my life," he said with a small smile.
"And now I'm about to eat a meal I'll probably never taste again."
"It's kind of…"
"Embarrassing, to be honest."
Hearing this, Lyra was secretly amused.
A faint sparkle appeared in her eyes.
Aethron's innocence and honesty were incredibly adorable to her.
She gently placed her hand on the table.
And spoke softly.
"Sweetheart," she said.
"Don't worry."
"Today, you gave me a wonderful day."
"There's no price for that."
"Really."
As she spoke, there was a hidden meaning in her gaze.
But Aethron didn't notice.
He simply smiled in relief.
A few minutes later, the waiters approached the table with silent steps.
They were holding silver trays.
Their movements were elegant and precise.
As if performing a small ceremony, they carefully placed each dish on the table.
First came the main course.
Then the side dishes…
Special sauces…
Fresh vegetables…
Beautifully arranged garnishes…
After that, drinks and small treats…
In a short time, the table was completely filled.
Each plate looked like a piece of art.
The colors were perfectly balanced.
The presentation was flawless.
And the aroma instantly stimulated the appetite.
Aethron couldn't take his eyes off the food.
For a moment, he even forgot how to speak.
"Wow…" he murmured unconsciously.
The menu looked truly incredible.
He had never seen such luxurious food in his life.
The meat was perfectly cooked.
The sauce on top shimmered softly under the light.
Even the side dishes were carefully prepared.
Lyra smiled when she saw Aethron's amazed expression.
"Do you like it?" she asked playfully.
Aethron nodded slightly.
"T-This… looks amazing," he said honestly.
There was a faint excitement in his heart.
Lyra and Aethron began eating their meals slowly and quietly.
Under the dim lights of the restaurant, the aroma rising from the plates felt even more tempting.
Aethron carefully cut the meat with his knife.
He took a small piece.
And put it into his mouth.
The moment he took his first bite…
His eyes widened slightly.
"Hmm…" he murmured.
"It's really delicious…"
"It feels like it's melting in my mouth."
His voice was completely sincere.
He had never tasted something like this before.
Lyra was also enjoying her meal.
But the pleasure she felt came less from the food…
And more from the person sitting in front of her.
Watching Aethron was a feast in itself.
They stayed like that for a while.
The sound of cutlery, soft music, and occasional murmurs filled the air.
Then Lyra thought silently to herself.
"Now… it's time for phase two."
A brief dark glint flashed in her eyes.
Then she put on her warm smile again.
"Sweetheart," she said gently,
"if it won't bother you, may I ask you something personal?"
Aethron looked up while continuing to eat.
"Of course you can," he replied casually.
"At least I can do that."
Lyra's smile slowly faded.
It was replaced by a more serious expression.
Her gaze deepened.
"Aethron…" she said softly but meaningfully.
"Have you ever felt that there's something strange about your family?"
Aethron hesitated.
His fork froze in midair.
"What do you mean?" he asked in surprise.
Lyra lightly bit her lip.
As if she were reluctant to continue.
"I mean…" she said slowly,
"Appearance-wise… you don't really resemble any of them."
"Not your father…"
"Nor your mother…"
A brief silence followed.
Lyra looked away.
"…I don't really want to say this, but…"
Her voice dropped.
Lyra looked away from Aethron for a moment.
As if she were weighing the gravity of her words.
Then she looked back at him.
Her voice was gentle…
But her words were extremely heavy.
"I looked into your family's past," she said calmly.
"I researched their history."
Aethron frowned slightly.
He didn't fully understand what she meant.
Lyra took a deep breath.
"Your mother, Jennifer…" she continued.
"Had a serious workplace accident seventeen years ago.""What do you mean?" he asked in surprise.
Lyra lightly bit her lip.
As if she were reluctant to continue.
"I mean…" she said slowly,
"Appearance-wise… you don't really resemble any of them."
"Not your father…"
"Nor your mother…"
A brief silence followed.
Lyra looked away.
"…I don't really want to say this, but…"
Her voice dropped.
Lyra looked away from Aethron for a moment.
As if she were weighing the gravity of her words.
Then she looked back at him.
Her voice was gentle…
But her words were extremely heavy.
"I looked into your family's past," she said calmly.
"I researched their history."
Aethron frowned slightly.
He didn't fully understand what she meant.
Lyra took a deep breath.
"Your mother, Jennifer…" she continued.
"Had a serious workplace accident seventeen years ago."
"According to official records…"
"She lost her ovaries after that incident."
"That means…"
"According to doctors, she could no longer get pregnant."
Those words exploded in Aethron's mind like a bomb.
For a moment, his world stopped.
The fork in his hand trembled slightly.
It lightly tapped against the plate with a faint metallic sound.
His heart began to race.
His throat went dry.
"T-That…" he murmured.
"What does that mean…?"
He slowly raised his head.
Shock, fear, and denial filled his eyes.
Lyra watched him silently.
Her face showed an expression that looked concerned.
But deep within her eyes…
Something else was shining.
After Lyra's words, all of Aethron's energy seemed to drain away.
His shoulders slumped slightly.
His gaze became empty.
His first instinct was to deny it.
"This can't be true…" he thought.
"There must be a mistake."
"Someone got it wrong…"
But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself…
Certain memories began to surface from deep within his mind.
His relatives' strange jokes…
"You don't really look like the family," they would say.
"You don't resemble us at all," they laughed.
The way his parents reacted uncomfortably to those jokes…
How they always changed the subject immediately…
And most importantly…
The vague doubt Aethron had carried inside for years…
When all of it came together, denying the truth became harder and harder.
His chest tightened.
A lump formed in his throat.
He wanted to say something…
But no words came out.
A heavy silence settled over the table.
Neither of them spoke.
They continued eating slowly, mechanically.
Even the sound of cutlery felt dull.
For Aethron, the lively atmosphere of the restaurant had completely disappeared.
Meanwhile, Lyra watched him quietly.
She no longer needed to say anything.
She had already achieved the effect she wanted.
Aethron's mind was in chaos.
His heart had lost its balance.
His emotions were in turmoil.
The psychological instability required for the second phase of her plan…
Had been successfully created.
Lyra silently thought to herself.
"Now… we've reached the third and final phase."
At this point, she didn't need to do much anymore.
She only had to…
Wait a little.
Everything would unfold on its own.
The meal was almost finished.
Most of the plates were nearly empty.
Aethron was slowly eating his last few bites.
Just then…
His phone suddenly began to vibrate.
Did.
Did.
Did.
Messages were coming in one after another.
Startled, Aethron took his phone out of his pocket.
When he looked at the screen, he saw that the message was from his mother, Jennifer.
He frowned slightly.
Then opened it.
Son, it's very late.
Come home now.
There's something very important I need to tell you.
Aethron read the message several times.
His heartbeat quickened slightly.
At first glance, it looked normal.
But…
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
His parents…
Had never called him "son."
Not once.
They always called him "Aethron"…
Or used nicknames like "my baby" or "dear."
The word "son"…
Had never come from them.
That small detail made a strange uneasiness rise inside him.
His stomach tightened slightly.
"Why… did she write it like this?" he wondered.
He lifted his head and looked at Lyra.
Aethron slowly put his phone back into his pocket.
He hesitated for a moment.
Then he looked at Lyra.
There was a hint of embarrassment on his face.
"Lyra… I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"But I think I need to go home urgently."
Lyra slightly tilted her head.
An expression of concern appeared on her face.
Her voice was gentle.
"Nothing bad happened, right?" she asked worriedly.
"Is there a problem?"
Aethron quickly shook his head.
"No, no," he replied, trying to reassure her.
"My mom just wants me home urgently."
"Since she wrote like that, it must be important, but…"
He shrugged.
"I don't think it's anything too serious."
As he said this, he seemed to be convincing himself as well.
As if he were trying to suppress the uneasiness inside him.
Lyra watched him silently.
On the surface, she looked worried…
But deep within her eyes, there was a completely different expression.
As if everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
Lyra smiled softly.
"It's no problem," she said gently.
"It's already late anyway."
Hearing this, Aethron felt relieved.
He looked at her with gratitude.
There was sincere appreciation in his eyes.
"Thank you for everything, Lyra," he said honestly.
"Today was really special for me."
Lyra's smile grew even warmer.
"On the contrary," she replied.
"I should be thanking you, sweetheart."
Aethron picked up the shopping bags.
He paused for a moment.
Then slightly bowed his head in farewell.
And walked away.
Blending into the crowd.
Lyra remained where she was, watching his back.
As she stared at Aethron's retreating figure, a mysterious smile formed on her lips.
She whispered quietly.
"I'm sorry for being so cruel, my love…"
"But one day, you'll understand me."
"I'm sure of it."
At that moment…
Her eyes suddenly glowed blood-red.
Her innocent appearance vanished completely.
It was replaced by a cold, dark, and terrifying aura.
She lightly clenched her teeth.
"Those filthy dogs…" she muttered.
"Even though they're just my pawns…"
"There's no harm in using them to hollow out my baby."
The madness mixed with affection in her voice made the air tremble.
As she watched Aethron walk away…
She had already handed him over to his fate.