My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Damon smiled at her.

“My foolish sister… why would you assume a contrarian like me would be popular with the ladies?”

Luna glanced at his outfit—a well-tailored suit, the cuffs adorned with purple gemstones, a matching brooch, and the same type of gemstones embedded in the buttons. He was dressed like nobility, a stark contrast to his usual brooding demeanor.

She smiled.

“I bet Xander is popular with the ladies. I guess he beats you at that.”

Damon clicked his tongue in irritation.

“Please. He has a crush on Evangeline, and trust me, I’m the better pick. He’s never getting with her as long as I breathe air.”

Luna nodded thoughtfully.

“Hm, I see… so Evangeline is the one you like.” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Hmm, I see…”

Damon’s eye twitched. He had been baited. His little sister was a sly little villain.

“Ahem… Luna, that was a… Wow, what a nice day.”

Luna blinked in confusion.

“What?”

A soft knock at the door interrupted them. A moment later, a young woman stepped inside, carrying a small bundle in her arms. She glanced at Damon with a faint smile.

So that was the signal for her to enter.

She had long, flowing red hair tied back with a jeweled binder, and her striking green eyes gleamed with intelligence. Her figure was… well, she had curves in all the right places. By the goddess, she was well-endowed. Her beauty was the kind that could topple cities.

Luna couldn’t help but notice something else—the woman’s clothing was made of the same fine material as her brother’s, and the jewels she wore were identical to the ones on his suit. Their outfits matched.

Luna glanced at her brother, then at the woman, then back at Damon. Suspicion crept into her eyes. She tried to stand, but Damon swiftly moved to stop her.

“What are you doing?”

Luna smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry about that.”

She sat back down on her bed, then, with practiced grace, performed a perfect, ladylike curtsy.

“Greetings. I am Luna Grey. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady. If I may be so bold, may I know your name?”

The woman—Lilith—glanced at Luna, then at Damon. Her etiquette was flawless, refined to the smallest detail. She studied Luna for a moment before offering a gentle smile.

“The pleasure is all mine. My name is Lilith Astranova. However, you may refer to me as Lilith.”

Luna’s breath hitched slightly, her eyes widening before she quickly composed herself. Astranova—a ducal house.

‘How does my brother know someone like that?’

Lilith smiled before shifting her gaze back to Damon.

“How is such a well-mannered girl related to you?”

Damon rolled his eyes.

“Sure, whatever…”

Luna, meanwhile, was watching them both closely, as if trying to piece together a puzzle. Her gaze lingered on Lilith, then flicked to her brother.

Finally, she spoke.

“If I may… you wouldn’t happen to be my brother’s girlfriend, would you?”

Lilith glanced at Damon with a teasing smile. Damon, in turn, shook his head in a silent gesture that could only mean Don’t even think about it.

Lilith then turned to Luna.

“What gave us away?”

Luna’s eyes sparkled, her excitement overwhelming any attempt at noble decorum. She instantly dropped her curtsy and etiquette.

“I knew it! I knew it! I mean, you two are wearing the same type of material, and—ooh! I hope my brother isn’t rude or standoffish…”

Lilith smiled, casually pushing her hair to the side.

“Oh, he is… but what can I do? I need him.”

Damon’s expression was priceless.

“…”

He opened his mouth, only to shut the entire thing down immediately.

“She is not my girlfriend.”

Luna gave him a skeptical look.

“But you guys are dressed similarly! And if she’s not your girlfriend, then who else would put up with you? Except me, of course.”

Lilith approached Luna, placing down the small bundle she had brought with her before gently resting her head on Luna’s frail arms.

With a sorrowful sigh, she made the most heartbreakingly sad expression.

“It’s just… I’m a noble, and he’s a commoner. Our love is forbidden…”

Luna gasped, eyes wide in wonder.

“Forbidden love…” she whispered dramatically.

My own brother—who thinks romance is stupid and childish—has fallen into a tragic love story… She sniffled, wiping an imaginary tear.

“Thank you, Lilith… I thought he would grow old and die alone…”

Meanwhile, Damon sat there, watching them act out their ridiculous drama. It was clear they were just ganging up on him to get a reaction. He watched them poke fun at him for a full three minutes, and judging by their synchronized antics, Lilith and Luna were getting along far too well.

Originally, he had asked Lilith to wait outside because he wanted to surprise Luna with a pager he had bought for her. Lilith had even helped him make some payments for Luna’s medical care, leaving him to spend time alone with his sister.

But now that they had met?

He was regretting every decision that had led to this moment.

In the end, he handed Luna the pager—with only his number added. Naturally, she insisted on getting Lilith’s as well.

After spending a few more hours together, it was time to go. Lilith stepped outside to give them some privacy for their farewell.

Damon sat by Luna’s bed as she held his hand.

“Damon…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“When will I see you again?”

He smiled.

“You can always call, you know.”

She nodded before glancing at him, her expression growing softer.

“What’s on your mind? If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine too…”

She had noticed that during their time together, he had been somewhat lost in thought.

Damon nodded, a tired look in his eyes.

“You remember Back-to-Back?”

Luna’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah! I remember him! He’s really nice! I really like him! He bought food for us and helped fix our leaky roof… He’s one of the only people who’s been kind to us.”

Damon lowered his gaze, he felt a deep pang in his chest.

That was right. Luna didn’t know the truth about his toxic relationship with Back-to-Back. To her, he was just a kind elf—someone who had helped them when they were struggling.

She didn’t know he was a dangerous mercenary working for the underworld.

She didn’t know he was someone Damon had hated for years.

She didn’t know how many times Damon had almost died because of him.

He nodded slowly, the weight of the truth pressing down on him.

“He’s… He’s dead.”

Luna’s eyes widened in shock.