[One month passed. And with your progress moving faster than before, all thanks to the new kind of food you had started eating, you had now reached 4% of the Vital Purification stage.]
[Another month passed, and your relationship with Selena deepened further... until, at last, you crossed that final line.]
[When you returned home, Lilith, who somehow knew, looked stunned. Then, as if something inside her had snapped, she began pulling at her hair while screaming: "Am I not enough?"]
[You tried to talk things out with her, but after hugging you tightly and feebly punching your chest with her fists as she cried, Lilith eventually retreated to her room and refused to see you.]
[Four months passed. With your current progress speed in the Blood Refinement Path more than double what it had been before, you continued growing stronger. Now, you had reached 12% of the Vital Purification stage.]
[But you couldn’t feel too satisfied — during those months, you had barely spoken with Lilith.]
[It was during that time, while you were wondering if you should try a different approach with her, that she herself came knocking on your door.]
[You welcomed her in with a smile full of joy. And Lilith, with her hair messy, and appearance unkempt, hesitantly stepped inside.]
[You exchanged a few awkward words, before Lilith, her voice trembling, finally said: "I thought you already knew about my feelings... I thought your behaviors were signs that you felt the same way toward me too... was I wrong?"]
[You stayed silent at Lilith’s question, your eyes falling to her fidgeting hands, her nervous gestures. You studied her expression for a while before finally apologizing — that your feelings were probably not the same as hers.]
Why did he reply like that?
Noel, with a raised eyebrow, wondered as he read that part of the simulation.
[Lilith seemed stunned by your reply, and you followed up by telling her how precious and important she was to you.]
[But in the end, your words had no effect. Lilith fell to the ground, and while on her knees, she began murmuring, "That can’t be."]
[You moved toward her, intending to hug her — hoping to calm her down. But the moment you took a single step, she suddenly raised her head. And with a twisted expression, she said: "You’re wrong, brother. You probably just don’t understand your feelings."]
That’s probably right.
Noel nodded as he read Lilith’s words — then shook his head, thinking that the life of imprisonment was about to begin once again.
[As soon as her words ended, your knees weakened, your eyelids grew heavy, and you lost consciousness.]
[You woke up alone in a modestly furnished basement room. And sighing heavily, you didn’t waste time dwelling on your situation — instead, you shifted your focus to training.]
[Time passed. And when Lilith finally visited you — guilt written across her expression — you looked at her neutrally and asked a single question: if she thought this kind of action could change anything.]
[Her answer was simple — that even if it couldn’t change anything, at least she could have you for herself... in this time.]
[Three months later. Sleeping together on the same bed, with Lilith always hugging you tightly and whispering, "You’re mine." You could already feel she wanted to take your relationship further.]
[She wanted more than just simple hugs. She was simply waiting for your consent. But... you didn’t give her that.]
[23 years old. Even after your imprisonment, the nutrient-rich food didn’t change. And with even more time to devote to the Blood Refinement Path, your progress became faster than ever. You had now reached 24% of the Vital Purification stage.]
[But even with such rapid progress, you were already reaching your limit — enduring this kind of life was becoming harder by the day.]
[It was on that day, lying on the bed with Lilith buried against your chest, and your fingers brushing through her hair, that you asked, for the first time, about Selena, and what kind of relationship she had with her.]
[Lilith was naturally displeased. But in the end, maybe because of her good mood — the result of spending so much uninterrupted time with you — she actually answered.]
[She explained that the Cross family and the Everen family had long been on bad terms. But more than just family matters, there was another reason. Because even if she too had played a part in your current situation... at the end of the day, Selena was still the main reason.]
Now... is that really the case?
Noel, eyes narrowing, wondered how much of that he could believe.
[You didn’t respond to what Lilith said. Instead, sensing she wouldn’t say anything more on the topic, you brought up another name — Coren Merrow — and asked if she knew him.]
[Lilith casually replied that he was just a dog following Selena around, then asked how you knew him. But you only smiled and said nothing more.]
[Four months later. You continued training, and had now reached 32% of the Vital Purification stage.]
[Your strength kept growing, and eventually, feeling like not even a wall could stop you anymore, you tried to escape. But neither the wall nor the door showed even a scratch from your strikes. They were impenetrable.]
[It was during that time — while you, in a gloomy mood, were practicing the Blood Scripture — that someone finally came.]