He couldn’t easily close his eyes until the deep night, when everyone was asleep, gave way to the blue light of dawn.
Seo-yul, whose back had once been a familiar sight, was now nestled in his arms, breathing softly. He had only been able to watch him in secret before, but now, lying face-to-face like this, he could look at Seo-yul whenever he wanted.
‘It still feels like a dream.’
He was afraid to sleep, worried that if he closed his eyes and opened them again, all of this would turn out to be nothing more than a dream. So, he held onto Seo-yul even tighter, staying there for a long time until the warmth of his body became familiar.
Without getting a wink of sleep until morning, he carefully released Seo-yul from his embrace. Seo-yul remained fast asleep, likely exhausted from the night before.
“Keep sleeping,” he whispered in a quiet voice, careful not to wake him. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, he got out of bed, rolling his stiff neck before heading to the bathroom.
Once he had finished getting ready to leave, he walked back over to the still-sleeping Seo-yul and pressed a kiss to his pale forehead. He planned to return quickly, but before that, he hoped Seo-yul wouldn’t wake up.
“I’ll be back.”
Leaving those words behind, he stepped out of the room and was immediately met by his waiting aide. The gentle smile that had lingered on his lips disappeared as he walked alongside the aide, leaving the mansion.
“Take me to the hospital.”
“Yes, sir.”
The car carrying him drove straight to the village. The moment it arrived in front of the hospital where Ina had been left behind, he didn’t even wait for his aide to open the door—he stepped out on his own.
“Vincent-nim, please slow down just a little—”
The aide had to rush after him, nearly out of breath from keeping up with his fast pace. Meanwhile, Vincent had already reached Ina’s room and, without knocking, pushed the door open.
“Gah! You scared me.”
Ina, who had been in the middle of changing clothes, frowned at him for barging in unannounced. Vincent simply shrugged and sat down in the chair by the bed. After finishing dressing, Ina sat down across from him.
“Go back to the mansion.”
“…And if I refuse?”
“You’re planning to force me out?”
At Vincent’s shameless remark, Ina let out a laugh of disbelief. She had risked her life to come all the way here—just yesterday, no less. And now, out of nowhere, he was telling her to leave. Alone, at that.
“So, you’re basically telling me to go off and die?”
“I don’t recall saying that.”
Their eyes, burning with vivid flames, clashed fiercely. The tense standoff continued. Ina was determined to take him to District 1, while Vincent had no intention of leaving.
If neither of them was willing to back down, they would have no choice but to fight it out until one of them gave in. But in her current condition, Ina stood no chance against him—her injuries were too severe. As frustrating as it was, they had to settle this with words.
“Think about it. If I go back now, I’ll let Joshua know you’re alive and that you’re here. Do you think he’ll just sit back and do nothing?”
“He’ll come running here to kill me immediately.”
The moment Ina had arrived, the walls of secrecy they had painstakingly built began to crumble. Even if not right away, now that they had lost the Fifth, Joshua’s men would do whatever it took to track this place down.
And once they did, it was only a matter of time before the truth about Vincent being alive came to light. That meant they had to strike first—before their exposed backs could be targeted. Seo-yul had already made his choice. There was nothing holding Vincent back anymore.
“A week should be enough, right?”
“For what?”
“For you to recover.”
For an ordinary person, that amount of time wouldn’t be nearly enough. But Ina was a Shining. A week was more than sufficient for most of her injuries to heal completely.
“How many soldiers do you have left?”
“…Almost none.”
When Joshua’s purge of the Shining began, Ina had fought alongside her personal soldiers. But after years of grueling missions, they were already exhausted. One by one, they fell, and only a handful—including herself—barely managed to escape with their lives.
Hearing just how dire the situation was, Vincent fell into deep thought. If Ina’s forces had been intact, they could have considered an all-out confrontation. But with their numbers so decimated, they had to wait for an opening when the enemy least expected it.
“When is the inauguration ceremony?”
“In a week.”
He had expected it to be rushed in order to minimize the power vacuum left by the district leader’s absence—but this was even sooner than anticipated. A hastily arranged event meant plenty of gaps in security.
That meant there would be a way in.
“In a week, we will go back to the mansion.”
“I’m not going alone.”
“Who said you would?”
Ina’s eyes widened in surprise. If she hadn’t misheard him, that meant Vincent was coming with her.
Finally, her eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Instead, I have one condition.”
Just as Ina was about to let her excitement show, Vincent poured cold water over it. Whatever his condition was, she had no doubt it wouldn’t be anything pleasant. But she had no choice—getting him to come with her was the priority.
“What condition?”
Ina asked bluntly. Vincent smiled.
***
It had been weeks since the large-scale purge of the Shining began, and now, the only ones left in the mansion were Joshua and me. No—Joshua was nothing more than a breathing corpse, so really, it was just me, Jeremy.
I had finally achieved what I wanted—I was the sole remaining Shining. Drunk on the triumph of it, I hurriedly prepared for the inauguration ceremony. Officially, Joshua would be named the district leader, but the real power lay in my hands.
The elders who had once looked down on me for my diluted color now bowed their heads, desperate to maintain their positions. They even started pushing their children into my bed, trying to secure their places.
Life was indulgent and leisurely, day after day.
“Joshua.”
I visited Joshua every day. Taking care of him, washing him like a fragile doll lying still in bed, was one of my greatest pleasures.
“Joshua, it’s time for your medicine.”
I gently mixed the fine white powder I had brought with me into a glass of water and slowly poured it into Joshua’s mouth. More of it dribbled down his chin than he actually swallowed, soaking the pillow beneath him.
I wiped his lips with a soft handkerchief, unable to hold back a laugh. Watching Joshua so utterly helpless sent a thrill through me.
If only Mother were alive to see this. She should have witnessed what a pathetic fool her precious Joshua had become. Lately, I found myself resenting how early she had died—it was a shame, really.
“Just one more week, Joshua. After that, District 1 will truly be yours.”
I gazed into Joshua’s vacant eyes as I delivered the good news. Not that he would understand a single word of it.
Oh dear, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“It’s unfortunate that Father won’t be attending, but don’t worry—I’ll make sure your inauguration is the grandest, most extravagant ceremony ever.”
An inauguration without the previous district leader was humiliating, disgraceful. But Joshua wouldn’t even realize it. He would just sit there like an idiot, waving his hand at the crowd.
And once the ceremony was over, I planned to lock him away in the most secluded room in the mansion. A fate worse than death awaited him, but at least I was being generous enough to let him live.
“Rest well, Joshua.”
Leaving those parting words behind, I stepped out of his room. To ensure no one could enter, I had stationed nearly all the remaining guards around his quarters.
His condition had to remain a secret until the ceremony—especially from the Shining. Not that there were many left. Just the two of us now.
As I walked past the heavily guarded corridors and entered the office, I sat down at the district leader’s seat as if it were the most natural thing in the world. One of the nervous aides cautiously approached me.
“Sir Jeremy, I have something to report.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“We’re still struggling to track down Ina Shining. Her whereabouts remain unknown—”
My good mood shattered in an instant. The aide hastily explained that if she was still within the district, they would eventually locate her. But by then, my irritation had already peaked.
“You mean to tell me you can’t even catch one person? How utterly useless.”
Ina’s private soldiers had been wiped out, and she had barely escaped with her own life. She wasn’t a threat anymore. She was probably hiding somewhere, unable to return to the mansion.
But even so, the fact that the Fifth Shining—the one with the fifth-most vivid color—was still alive posed a potential problem in the future. My position was already precarious. If I wanted to solidify my power, eliminating all risks was crucial.
“Have you searched the villages near the outer perimeter?”
“Not yet—”
“Then send people there immediately.”
The Shining purge had drastically reduced the number of available personnel, and with the inauguration ceremony approaching in just a week, even the mansion’s guards were stretched thin. There was no one left to spare for a search mission that far out.
But the aide had no choice but to nod and obey.
After the aides finished their reports and left, I turned my chair toward the wide window, gazing out at the view beyond.
“The moon is beautiful tonight.”
