Su Nian froze for a moment.
‘My residence in Academy City?’
Countless fragmented images flashed and collided in her mind.
The moment she considered the question, a torrent of memories began to pour back in.
Her initial landing point should have been the dormitory of the Magic Feather Fantasy idol group.
But the place she stayed most often…
A name surfaced from the deepest corners of her memory without warning.
The number of times she had stayed there was few enough to count on her fingers.
Shadowmoon Manor.
It was an incredibly grand estate.
Luxurious, magnificent, and spanning a shockingly vast area.
She remembered meticulously manicured gardens and an artificial lake with water so clear she could see the bottom.
The room she lived in was large and beautiful, with a sea of blooming flowers visible through the window.
If she remembered correctly, she had lived there for a long time.
That had to be the place.
But why would she be staying at Shadowmoon Manor?
Her memory had a gap there.
She only vaguely remembered being a prestigious guest in the manor, having her own private room, and even having maids dedicated to taking care of her daily life and meals.
However, it was precisely this gap in her memory that caused her heart to race in panic.
‘I couldn’t have lived in the same place as the man in front of me, could I?’
Su Nian wanted to write down the four words “Shadowmoon Manor” on the paper.
She gripped the pen, her fingertips cold.
She subconsciously looked up, her gaze sweeping across the man on the opposite side of the table like a blade.
He had already finished writing.
The carefully folded slip of paper lay quietly on the tabletop, like a verdict waiting to be revealed.
As for him, he leaned back lazily against the chair, arms crossed over his chest.
His deep, bottomless eyes were fixed on her with great interest.
His posture and gaze were filled with undisguised certainty.
It was as if he already knew the answer and was now simply enjoying her futile struggle.
A surge of nameless anger rose within her.
‘Maybe…’
An idea grew wildly in her mind.
She could just write down any random place.
The Magic Feather Fantasy dorms, or even the Red Maple Magic Academy dorms.
Lie.
Cheat.
Use a lie to shatter that “victory is in my hands” look on his face.
The idea was extremely tempting, making her fingertips tremble slightly.
But…
Doing so would provide no benefit other than a momentary emotional release.
Instead, it would completely mess up the clues to finding her memories…
She needed answers.
Even if that answer was the result she was most reluctant to face.
‘Forget it. Maybe… it’s not the same place.’
Su Nian numbed herself with the last bit of wishful thinking and lowered her eyes in resignation.
She stopped looking at the man and focused all her attention on the point where the pen tip met the paper.
Her slender fingers tightened, and the pen tip glided across the paper, making a scratching sound.
A resolution like burning her bridges.
The final stroke of the pen carried a hint of decisiveness she hadn’t even noticed herself.
Shadowmoon Manor.
After finishing, she mimicked Chu Tian and folded the paper neatly.
Then, she slapped it heavily onto the table.
“Slap!”
A crisp sound rang out like a slap in the silent air.
“Alright, let’s look together!”
She spoke coldly, trying to hide her panic with a forced, tough tone.
The two of them reached out at the same time.
Without a moment’s hesitation.
They exchanged their slips of paper in mid-air.
The paper belonging to him landed in Su Nian’s hand, carrying the lingering warmth of his fingertips.
Su Nian took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly due to a lack of oxygen.
With her fingertips trembling violently—a detail she was unaware of—she slowly unfolded the thin slip of paper that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Her movements were very slow.
Like a gambler slowly revealing their final hole card.
Soon, two words written with bold, powerful strokes met her eyes.
Manor.
Her heart skipped a beat at that moment.
Although there were only two words, the direction was already unmistakably clear.
‘No.’
‘Maybe it’s just a coincidence.’
Academy City was so large; there had to be more than one place called a “manor.”
As if accepting her fate, she unfolded the paper completely.
Two more words followed the first two, completely shattering all her illusions.
Shadowmoon.
At the same time.
Opposite her, Chu Tian also unfolded her note.
When he saw the words “Shadowmoon Manor” written in elegant handwriting that carried a hint of stubbornness and reluctance, the facade of profound calm on his face finally crumbled.
A smile bloomed at the corners of his mouth.
It was the smile of a victor, one who was determined to win and had brought everything back under his control.
He looked up, his gaze accurately catching the way the color drained from her face instantly.
“It seems we have an answer.”
His voice was very light and soft, yet it felt like an invisible sledgehammer ruthlessly smashing the last remnants of hope in Su Nian’s heart.
‘It’s over.’
‘It’s completely over.’
Her mind went blank.
The natural testimonies from her parents and the Contract Beast.
The necklace that responded to his Magic touch.
The clothes that fit perfectly but made her too ashamed to look at.
And now this.
A common residence written down by both of them at the same time.
All the evidence was no longer scattered fragments she could dismiss as “coincidences.”
They were all strung together by an invisible thread.
‘Am I… really in that kind of relationship with this man named Chu Tian?’
“Screech—”
The wooden chair made a piercing sound as it scraped against the floor.
A shadow loomed over her, bringing with it an undeniable, aggressive masculine scent.
He stood up and walked slowly toward her.
Su Nian’s breathing hitched for a second.
She was forced to look up, her gaze crashing into his bottomless eyes.
He looked down at her from above without saying another word; the silence itself was the strongest form of pressure.
The facts were laid out before her, irrefutable.
“Since we’ve confirmed our shared residence.”
His voice was very soft, but every word entered her ears clearly, dismantling her final psychological defense.
“Then the best way to regain your memory is to return to the environment we’re most familiar with.”
He paused, giving her a brief moment to process his words.
“Let’s move back to Shadowmoon Manor and live like we did before,” Chu Tian suggested.
‘Live like we did before…’
Those nine words turned into a cold current that instantly surged through Su Nian’s entire body.
‘What was it like “before”?’
Images of the clothes scattered across the Bed flashed uncontrollably through her mind.
‘Did I wear that maid outfit with its outrageously bold cut… or did I put on those pink, fluffy rabbit ears and strike some shameful pose in front of him?’
‘I can’t think about this anymore!’
A burning heat suddenly rushed from her chest to her head, making her cheeks—which had just lost their color—turn as red as if they were about to drip blood.
Su Nian snapped her head up.
Her beautiful sky-blue eyes could no longer maintain their surface composure, filled with clearly visible resistance and panic.
Facing Chu Tian’s proposal…
Would she agree to return to Shadowmoon Manor and live with the man before her?