Chapter 273: Chapter 273- Shock

Fey let out a soft, airy chuckle. "Yeah, I can’t really picture you as the heroic type either. You don’t have that... shiny, self-sacrificing vibe."

Julian’s response was immediate, shifting the comparison to a more fitting candidate. "An image like that suits Kevin better."

"Kevin?" Fey scrunched her nose, unimpressed. "He’s too much of a fool to be a proper hero. He doesn’t count." She then casually shifted the topic, her tone deceptively light. "Speaking of Kevin, I heard he’s still dead-set on finding that girl, Nia."

Julian’s steps didn’t falter, but his gaze sharpened. He glanced sideways at Fey, his voice dropping to a warning tone. "Where did you hear that? Don’t spread unverified information."

Fey shrugged, utterly unfazed by his sharpness. "Just a guess. But it’s an educated one. I know his type. He’s the kind who’d cling to a sinking ship, convinced he can patch the holes." Her voice lost its lazy edge for a moment, becoming somber. "Even though he’ll never find her. Nia’s... gone. We all know it, even if we don’t say it."

Julian fell silent. He had no concrete proof of Nia’s fate, but the pieces were there. Leo’s betrayal, the faction war Nia was entangled in—it was a vortex from which few emerged.

The most likely scenario was one he wouldn’t voice aloud. He had no evidence, only the cold, hard calculus of probability that pointed towards a tragic end.

He could only hope for the best for his stubborn friend, even as he prepared for the worst.

And when he next saw Kevin, he would do what he always did—be brutally, mercilessly honest.

He would hit him with the hard truth, not to be cruel, but to shatter any delusions that would only lead to greater pain later. It was the only way he knew how to protect those he considered his.

"Kevin’s hope is his own business," Julian finally stated, his voice flat and final. "But if he asks me for my opinion, I won’t lie to him."

Fey glanced at his profile, reading the unyielding resolve there. She offered a slow, understanding nod. "Figured you’d say that."

Julian suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Fey directly, his gaze sharp and probing. "Let me ask you directly. Are you here to keep an eye on me?"

Fey blinked, her lazy expression not shifting. "That sounds like way too much work. Why would you think that?"

"It’s a logical assumption," Julian stated coldly. "You could easily be a spy placed by Glaine."

Fey let out a short, genuine laugh. "Please. You’re not that important, Captain. Relax." Her dismissive tone, especially the phrase "not that important," inexplicably irritated Julian.

A muscle twitched in Julian’s jaw. "Is that so? Then don’t expect any help from me when you have to explain your presence to the others." He was certain the women would have... questions.

Fey waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about that. I’ve already got a cover story prepared."

Julian was slightly taken aback. ’She’s already prepared for that?’ His analytical mind raced.

Even if she was a spy, it ultimately didn’t matter. He had countermeasures. His Domination skill could easily subdue her if needed. He could even place a Slave Mark on her, a subtle energy seal that would make it physically impossible for her to act against his will. She would be a contained variable.

Julian pushed open the door to their temporary residence, the familiar surroundings offering a brief sense of normalcy. That normalcy shattered instantly.

"Welcome back, Julian," Clarissa greeted him with her usual warm smile, which then politely shifted to the woman trailing behind him. "And hello there. I don’t believe we’ve—"

The rest of her sentence died in her throat as Emma bounded into the entryway. "Julian! You’re back! Did you get our—" She too froze, her eyes locking onto Fey.

Veronica, having heard the unfamiliar female voice, arrived a moment later, her expression already shifting into a defensive, haughty glare. "Julian, who is this? If this is another one of your—"

Before Julian could even open his mouth to offer a blunt, factual explanation, Fey stepped forward.

She placed a hand on her perfectly flat stomach and delivered the line with the lazy, deadpan sincerity of someone commenting on the weather.

"Yeah, hey. I’ll be joining you guys from now on," Fey announced. Then she dropped the bomb. "Turns out I’m pregnant. With Julian’s kid. So, yeah. We’re kinda a package deal now."

The silence that followed was absolute and deafening.

It was broken by a synchronized, sharp, and utterly stunned gasp from Clarissa, Emma, and Veronica.

"Heeeeee??!"

The sound was so loud it undoubtedly reached Celestia, Aya, and Zoe in the back rooms. Julian stood rigid, his usual composure completely obliterated.

His mind, which could calculate battle trajectories and resource allocation in seconds, short-circuited. He could only stare at Fey, his brain trying and failing to process the sheer, audacious scale of the lie.

Emma was the first to find her voice, her face pale. "J-Julian?! Is that true?!"

Veronica’s shock was rapidly morphing into icy fury."You... you idiot! How could you be so irresponsible!"

Clarissa simply looked back and forth between Julian’s stunned face and Fey’s placid one,her hands fluttering nervously, utterly lost for words.

From the hallway, Celestia and Aya appeared, drawn by the commotion. Celestia’s analytical eyes were wide with rare, genuine surprise.

Aya looked as if she’d been physically struck, her face draining of all color. Even Zoe, who had followed them, was staring intently, her head tilted in silent, intense curiosity.

Fey just stood there, the picture of nonchalance, gently patting her stomach as if nurturing the world’s most inconvenient lie.

The room was in chaos, and Julian, for the first time in a long time, was at the absolute center of a storm with no clear way out. He took a slow, deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"This," he said, his voice dangerously low, "is not what it seems." He fixed a glare on Fey that could freeze lava. "Explain. Now."