Mr. Mysterious

A torrent of emotions and questions swirled in her mind, and she could only manage to utter, "You..."

The man's words cut through the air, "You're not supposed to be here."

Before Lucienna could present an explanation or even fully comprehend the situation, the man acted swiftly. He pressed her sleeping acupoints, sending her into unconsciousness.

"Master!" the shadow guards appeared in front of them. And they couldn't believe that their master was hugging an underaged-looking young woman.

"Master! Your subordinates are incompetent. We will receive punishment now!" all of them kneeled. Afraid that their master would send them to train in another dimension.

"No need, but how did this woman enter?" he stared at the unconscious woman in his arms. 'The hidden array did not alarm when she entered,' he thought.

"Master, this little lady might have climbed from the fence. We were in a hurry to catch the young master's soul, and we were too late to respond when she met you."

"Such a fragile-looking woman? She can climb the height of that fence?"

"Master, we will install electric barriers next time so that no one can get in without your permission."

"It doesn't matter. What's fated will always be fated. What happened to my nephew this time? Has my eldest brother and sister-in-law arrived in Simburgen?"

"The eldest master and the eldest madam have arrived safely, but they were still searching for the medication that young master Thanatos needed."

"Did he scare nanny Evelyn again?"

"Young master Thanatos indeed scared her."

"Take care of nanny Evelyn more. She's already too old to have her heart race. Is Thanatos still unconscious?"

"Master, young master Thanatos is already fighting his life against death."

"Prepare his identity for me. I'll replace him in the meantime. Our family needs to avoid the eyes of the censor while my eldest brother and sister-in-law are not at home."

"Master, how about the company?"

"The empire won't fall even if I play as Thanatos for a while."

"Master, your subordinates are worried. Your soul will also travel from time to time. Won't it affect you?"

"Being a traveler has always been in our blood as descendants of the great Black Panther Goddess. But evil is not something all of us can control. For the time being, Thanatos hasn't evolved into a villain. I can still protect him."

A week had passed since the strange incident. Lucienna, now safely back home, couldn't fathom how she had returned or what had happened during that lost time.

Her car's monitoring system had been thoroughly wiped clean. Even the mansion's surveillance recordings from that specific date had mysteriously disappeared.

As she pondered these puzzling events, her eldest brother approached, tapping her on the shoulder, his voice laced with concern.

"What's wrong with you? You looked absent-minded. Is there something that's bothering you?"

They entered the car and drove to Lucienna's school.

Lucienna, reluctant to share the upsetting encounter with her family, chose to deflect the inquiry. "Nothing, I was just preoccupied with projects lately," she responded, masking the truth behind her reliable demeanor.

Her brother, still worried about her well-being, offered a suggestion. "I know you're still on top of the whole year. Maybe you should relax a little and have fun?"

Lucienna, burdened by her family's curfew, couldn't readily embrace the idea of leisure. "Where? Can't you remember that I have a curfew?"

Her brother still urged her to consider the opportunity. "We're here. Don't stress yourself too much, Cien."

She offered a noncommittal response, stepping out of the car and watching her brother drive away.

Her thoughts were consumed by the encounter from the past week.

She suddenly saw the young man she'd been thinking about. "Thanatos is back..." she mused, her mind restless with questions.

She quickened her pace, almost catching up to the young man's fleeing form. But something about him seemed different, and as a doctor, she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling.

'His bone structure... looked different,' she observed, scrutinizing his appearance from afar.

A troubling thought began to take root in her mind. 'Can a human grow three inches taller in one week?' The enigma surrounding her only deepened as questions piled up faster than answers.

During the PE class, Lucienna once again found herself partnered with the class president, their movements guided by the rhythm of the dance.

However, there was an undeniable difference this time around. His grip on her waist had a subtle intensity, and the gap between them had significantly diminished.

'Why is he so firm? I could not even move an inch away from him when I wanted to.' Lucienna thought.

"Don't move..." the man warned.

Lucienna's heart raced within her chest, and she could hear the rapid thumping. She couldn't help but steal glances at the man's hands, keenly aware that they felt different from their previous interactions.

Her thoughts raced, and she wondered, 'Was Thanatos truly replaced by someone else? His hand can't be as calloused as this.'

As they continued to move together on the dance floor, the world around Lucienna seemed to blur, and she momentarily lost herself in the depths of her thoughts.

Unbeknownst to her, her feet stumbled, causing her to miss a step and lose her balance. This time, no one in the class noticed their mistake, but she couldn't deny the soft, tender kiss that graced her forehead.

Though embarrassment tinged her cheeks, Lucienna couldn't help but appreciate the man's steadiness.

'That was embarrassing,' she thought with a soft smile. 'Thankfully, this man is also very stable.'

As the dance class came to an end, Lucienna felt a growing unease settling within her. The man's presence and the mystery surrounding him had sparked an internal restlessness. She apologized for her earlier mistake, her words tinged with genuine regret.

"It doesn't matter," he replied, his voice carrying an air of melancholy that did little to alleviate her concerns.

Lucienna made her way back home with a sense of urgency, a strange unease coursing through her. Her head throbbed with pain, a stringent ache that refused to subside.

She sought relief, reached for a bottle of pain relievers, and carefully measured out a dose, hoping it would alleviate the discomfort.

But as she swallowed the medication, an alarming feeling flowed over her. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, the shaking originating from deep within, an involuntary response she couldn't quell.

"Young lady, are you alright?" Butler Kenneth's voice, tinged with concern, reached her ears. "Should I call the doctor for you?"

Lucienna attempted to gather herself, though her body refused to cooperate fully. "No, just tell them I will eat dinner if I want to. Please don't let other people disturb my rest."

Still trembling, she went to her room and managed to make her way to her bed, where she collapsed, her body and mind exhausted from the unexpected turmoil.

As the darkness of unconsciousness enveloped her, she whispered to herself, 'What's wrong with me?'