How could a mere Grade-2 Sealed Artifact carry a power that even Barbara couldn't see through?

  Maybe there’s another reason? Eros wondered. Maybe the secret chamber is far from the main house, and the travel time accounted for the day? But that didn't make sense. If that were the case, Siphreya would know her massive appetite at dinner was because she had skipped lunch. But she seemed completely oblivious to the missing meal.

  Eros carefully phrased his question. "Is your family's secret chamber very far from your home?"

  "No, it's right in our basement! Why do you ask?" Siphreya replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.

  Eros took a deep breath. "Did you stay in there for a very long time?"

  "Not at all. I was probably in there for about thirty minutes." Siphreya was genuinely puzzled now, unable to fathom why Eros was suddenly so interested in the minutiae of her morning.

  Eros’s lip twitched. She went to the basement in the morning, stayed for thirty minutes, and came out just in time for dinner? Siphreya clearly hadn't realized the discrepancy yet.

  "What about lunch?" Eros prompted. "What were you doing at lunchtime?"

  Siphreya froze. She stared blankly for a long moment before murmuring in a daze, "Lunch? Lunch... I... I don't seem to remember. I have no impression of it at all."

  Suddenly, she let out a pained groan and clutched her head. "My head hurts so much..."

  Eros pulled her into his arms, his voice soothing. "If you can't remember, don't force it. It’s alright!"

  Under his gentle coaxing, Siphreya gradually recovered, though her face remained pale and haggard. Eros kissed her forehead. "Get some rest."

  "Will you stay with me?" she whispered, her eyes filled with hope.

  "Of course. I’m right here," Eros said with a light smile. Siphreya managed a sweet, tired smile and closed her eyes against his chest. The effort of trying to recall those missing hours had exhausted her; she fell asleep almost instantly.

  Once she was out, Eros’s eyes turned deep and cold. Found anything? he asked in his mind.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "I just took a peek at her soul," Barbara said flatly. "A huge chunk of her memory for that day is a total blank. Perhaps we really do need to find a chance to visit that secret chamber."

  Eros looked down at the sleeping girl. "Is this 'blank space' in her soul harmful?"

  "No," Barbara replied firmly. "If she had kept trying to remember, she would have simply fainted from exhaustion. When she woke up, she would have forgotten her attempt to remember and continued to ignore the missing lunch."

  Eros sighed. "I have a feeling this is all aimed at me. Looking back, there are too many 'coincidences.'"

  For instance, the power in Siphreya resonated with him, subconsciously drawing her toward him. And he, in turn, had become uncharacteristically impulsive. When she invited him to see a "cat do a backflip," he had agreed without a second thought.

  Sensing his thoughts, Barbara’s expression became peculiar, and she let out a snicker. Eros’s face flushed. "I admit I like beautiful women, but I’m not that desperate."

  "You'd better not be," Barbara sneered.

  "What else is a man supposed to be into?" Eros muttered. "Studying?"

  Eros slept through his afternoon classes and woke up at dusk. After enjoying a dinner personally prepared by Siphreya, he left the apartment satisfied. If he didn't return tonight, his "stinky sister" would likely explode.

  He strolled back to his villa. Upon entering, he found Undine sitting calmly on the sofa. Before she could speak, Eros struck first:

  "I’ve become the God-Child of the Reincarnation Church!"

  As expected, Undine’s attention was instantly diverted. "What happened?"

  Eros sat beside her, nudging her aside to make room, and launched into a highly embellished, dramatic retelling of his "harrowing" audit by the Cardinal Archbishop. He painted a picture of such extreme danger that Undine completely forgot her original intent to interrogate him, her face filled with genuine worry.

  "It was truly life-and-death," Eros finished with a sigh. "If I hadn't been clever, cautious, and sharp enough, you might not be seeing me right now."

  Undine bit her lip, her voice softening. "You’ve worked hard." She figured an audit by a Sublime One must indeed be terrifying.

  "For the family—and for you—I must persevere," Eros said gallantly.

  Hearing "for you," Undine’s cheeks turned pink. "Who asked you to do it for me?" she grumbled, though her happiness was plain to see.

  Eros breathed a secret sigh of relief. Fooled her. My little sister is so cute~

  The next day, Eros returned to the classroom. A single sweep of his gaze found the red-haired girl disguised as "Thomas" sitting in the corner.

  So, she knows the Archbishop has left? It seemed the heretics had good intel. Without hesitation, Eros walked straight to Ayesha, draped an arm around her shoulders, and asked with a grin, "Why weren't you in class yesterday?"

  Ayesha’s face fell, but she maintained her "Thomas" persona—meek and stuttering. "Fam... family stuff... I... I asked for leave."

  "Need any help?" Eros leaned in, sniffing at the crook of her neck.

  Goosebumps broke out over Ayesha’s skin. Finding it amusing, Eros leaned down and planted a kiss on her neck. Ayesha let out a muffled shriek and nearly jumped out of her seat, but Eros held her firm.

  Her face turned a violent shade of red, her body trembling uncontrollably. This pervert! This pervert kissed my neck! This... this...

  Literal wisps of steam began to rise from the top of Ayesha’s head.