There Is No Lie In This World-Chapter 33: Warning

When I left the meeting room, the man who had stood beside me during the proceedings followed closely behind Luc and me. I wanted to ask who he was, but didn’t have the courage to ask him directly, and it felt too awkward to ask Luc while he was right there.

He accompanied us all the way to the private elevator - one that only Luc, her team, and I ever used - which only deepened my curiosity and unease.

He even followed us all the way back to my office. That was unusual. Apart from the Transition Team’s visit on my first day, no one besides Luc and her closest aides had ever stepped foot in this room.

"Miss Roen," Luc finally broke the silence once we were inside and the door was shut, "allow me to introduce a new colleague."

"Yes... please do."

"This is Cassian Vale. Your Executive Advisor."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Roen," the man said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Vale."

"Please - just Cassian is fine."

I considered insisting on formality but decided against it. After all, I already called Cain, Abe, Elune, and even Luc by their first names - though mostly because none of them had ever given me a last name. So, calling him Cassian didn’t feel too strange.

"Okay... thank you, Cassian."

"I look forward to assisting you in any way I can," he said with a professional smile.

"Cassian will be handling most of the internal and external business affairs," Luc explained. "As you saw today, he’ll assist you during meetings with directors and will be in charge of briefings, executive summaries, and related matters."

So... did that mean Luc would no longer be by my side as much?

"As for me," Luc continued dryly, "I’m just your personal assistant. I take care of more... personal errands."

What an understatement. She basically ran the entire show during the Senior Council meetings, not to mention the fact that she was an immortal.

I was still somewhat confused about how this new arrangement was going to work.

"Cassian, that will be all for now. Miss Roen will request your assistance as needed," Luc added, her tone curt but not unkind. It was clear she still outranked him, despite her supposedly humble title.

Cassian gave me another small bow and left.

Once the door clicked shut behind him, Luc turned to me.

"Miss Roen, Cassian is the son of Senior Councilor Vale."

I blinked. I had no idea which of the nine council members that was.

"He sat to your left, in the third seat."

As if I could remember... Still, I nodded politely.

I hesitated, then asked, "Is there a reason you’re telling me this?"

Luc paused, gave me a sly smile, and replied, "Some Senior Councilors are more... loyal than others. You can trust the Vale family. They’ve been with us for a very long time."

To me, it seemed like everyone in that room had been with the Roen Group forever.

"I see."

She offered a small nod as if to say the conversation was over and turned to leave.

But something about all this left me uneasy.

Cassian had seemed polite, competent, even reassuring. Objectively, there was nothing wrong with him. If anything, he felt trustworthy - especially with Luc vouching for him. And yet, I couldn’t shake the discomfort.

I was just starting to feel stable around the people I’d been working with. Luc no longer really qualified as "people," but still - bringing someone new into the fold made me anxious.

As if reading my mind again, Luc said, "Don’t worry, Miss Roen. I will be around whenever you need me."

I wasn’t sure anymore if she was just incredibly intuitive or if this was one of her supernatural talents.

Regardless, I was relieved to hear it.

"Thank you."

But then, I noticed something strange.

Luc’s left hand twitched.

Her stride faltered slightly. Her shoulders lifted as though she were struggling to breathe deeply.

"Luc...?"

Just as I called out to her, she fell to one knee with a short, sharp groan.

"Mistress!"

Elune- who must have been hiding somewhere - rushed in and wrapped her arms around Luc. I hurried to her side too, my heart pounding.

Her face was even paler than usual, her breath shallow and uneven.

"Are you okay?!"

"I’m... perfectly fine," she snapped, as if offended I would ask such a thing.

"Mistress, you are not fine!" Elune cried, visibly distraught.

It was understandable for Elune to be concerned. I was too. But her reaction felt unusually intense, like watching someone helplessly grieve.

"We need to bring you to a doctor," I said - instinctively, stupidly. Only then did it hit me. Luc wasn’t someone a normal doctor could treat.

"I said I’m fine."

She took a long, deliberate breath and then rose to her feet as if nothing had happened.

"Please excuse me, Miss Roen."

Her voice sounded calm again, but her movements betrayed her. She walked slowly, heavily.

When she finally left the room, I turned to Elune.

"Elune... is she really okay? I’m worried."

Elune looked away, and for a moment, the normally cheerful girl seemed subdued and heavy with sadness.

"Please. If there’s something wrong, tell me. I know it may sound silly, but... does she have some kind of health problem?"

To my surprise, Elune turned her back to me without answering.

"Elune?"

I moved to face her, but she kept shifting to avoid eye contact.

"Elune, please. I need to know," I said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She hesitated, then whispered, "Miss Roen..."

Her eyes shimmered with tears, and I tried to reassure her with a calm gaze.

"The Mistress is..."

But before she could finish, a thick shadow spread across the floor between us.

Nabir emerged from it, tall and monstrous.

Elune shrieked, and I jumped back instinctively. His towering form blocked my view of her completely.

He growled.

"This is your second warning, Elune. The Mistress will not forgive another."