I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

“But you have no respect for me at all; you don’t treat me as a friend.”

"—You won't even call me the head of the family."

Despite Francis's words, the man stubbornly insisted, "I only beg you to uphold justice! I just want those bastards to suffer! I'm willing to pay any price for it!"

Francis sighed, slowly rose from his seat, gently placed the cat in Duanmu Yan's hand, and then slowly walked towards the man.

"My old friend..."

"What did I do to make you disrespect me like this?"

He gently patted the man's shoulder, his tone filled with helplessness and regret.

“If you come to me as a friend, those bastards who hurt your daughter will be tortured.”

"Friend. You know, friend."

"Instead of humiliating me with money, it's like paying a street thug to do something for you."

"I've almost forgotten when was the last time you invited me to your house for coffee."

Five years ago? Or ten years ago?

The man seemed to finally understand the deeper meaning in Francis's words. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, respectfully took Francis's hand, lowered his head to gently kiss the back of his hand, and solemnly said...

"Master of the household—my respected friend, please uphold justice for me."

"very good."

Francis nodded and patted him on the shoulder again, his tone full of approval.

Just then, the knocking sounded again. After being given permission, someone pushed the door open and entered—

It's Coppola Motari.

As soon as he stepped into the room, his eyes met those of Duanmu Yan. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Father."

Francis turned to look at him, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable weight: "Did you spend time with your family today?"

Coppola calmly replied, "Of course."

“Very well, because a man who doesn’t make time for his family isn’t a real man,” Francis said slowly. “This matter is now in your hands. Don’t let our old friend suffer any injustice.”

Coppola nodded, offering no excuses or justifications, and led the man out of the room.

The door closed gently, leaving only Duanmu Yan and Francis in the room.

Francis slowly sat back in his chair, his gaze falling on Duanmu Yan: "I've already heard about your affair with Koleta."

His tone carried a hint of approval: "You did a great job. You not only thwarted the cult's plot, but also saved the family from immeasurable losses."

Duanmu Yan humbly bowed his head and replied, "This is my duty. Besides, I was just assisting Miss Coleta."

“It seems there’s a reason why Koleta chose you.” Francis smiled heartily. “I, this old man, don’t want to interfere too much in the affairs of young people. Koleta… does need her own space. A true Motari shouldn’t revolve solely around the family.”

At this point, his brows furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed.

“As a Mortari, Koleta carries too much on her shoulders. She has never truly experienced her own life, and even her beliefs and ideals were shaped by me. The family she has today is everything to her.”

"Therefore, I hope she can live in this world as 'Colette,' defining her own rules."

"Then, I entrust Koleta to you."

"May your appearance add a vibrant touch to her unchanging world."

"I look forward to the day you truly join the family."

Now that things have come to this, and the relationship with Koleta was a sham, it's impossible to say anything more.

Now that things had come to this point, he didn't want to spoil the atmosphere.

Finally, he could only bite the bullet and assure Francis, "I promise that Miss Coleta will not suffer any injustice."

“Yes, good boy.” Francis nodded in satisfaction. “Go on. Coleta should be waiting for you.”

Volume 1: Chapter 52 What is a woman you can see but I can't?

He and his grandfather...

How are things going?

In the foyer's corridor, Coleta stood silently, her gaze drifting aimlessly across the rain outside the window, her mood as chaotic and unpredictable as the gloomy weather.

She wasn't worried that Duanmu Yan would mishandle his meeting with his grandfather.

On the contrary, after spending this time together, she had already developed almost complete trust in him. A simple meeting should have been a piece of cake for him.

Moreover, this wasn't the first time he had met the head of the family.

—Didn't he handle Cantrella quite skillfully before?

So why is he so skilled at it?

Thinking of this, she unconsciously bit her fingertip, and the scene from that day reappeared before her eyes, a trace of unspeakable resentment and unwillingness quietly spreading.

"What if Duanmu really gets seduced by that woman?"

"Should I do something to strike first?"

"But what should I do?"

"Second miss."

His voice came from behind, making the girl's already chaotic mind even more difficult to calm down.

But as the second daughter of the Motari family, Koleta was already used to quickly suppressing her emotions.

Therefore, when she turned around to face him, there was only a faint smile on her face, calm and undisturbed, without any other trace.

She is very good at using different masks to represent herself.

This is an essential means of communication within high society.

—Never let the other person know what you're thinking.

This was one of the most important rules her grandfather had taught her long ago.

"Hmm? You've already met your grandfather?" Kolatta's voice was soft, almost lingering in Duanmu Yan's ears.

Duanmu Yan nodded: "Yes, I just saw him."

"What's your impression?"

"Well... how should I put it?" He raised his hand and scratched his hair, carefully choosing his words. "He's... an enigmatic person."

"Is that so?" Koleta's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before she turned around. "Let's go."

"Go? Where?"

She turned around, a hint of confusion in her eyes: "Of course, I'm going to see that painting. Aren't you curious about the secret that the cult has kept hidden for hundreds of years?"

Only after she mentioned it did Duanmu Yan realize that there was indeed a story behind that painting that should not be underestimated.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't curious.

He followed Koletta through the corridor until they reached a door. She pushed it open, and the painting she had acquired at auction sat quietly on the easel in front of her.

Duanmu Yan walked up to the painting, squinted slightly, and examined it carefully.

Although he had examined the painting repeatedly at the auction, he was still unable to decipher its mystery.

As its name suggests, it depicts nothing more than a scene of a group of people having dinner together—the composition of which vaguely resembles the famous painting from the previous life, "The Last Supper".

“I have had a professional study this painting.” Koleta said as she walked to the painting and carefully took it out of its frame. “Its secret is not in the painting itself, but hidden behind it.”

It wasn't until Koleta completely removed the painting that Duanmu Yan stared intently at it and was shocked to discover that a stone slab was hidden on the back of the painting.

A magnificent horse soaring high in the sky is meticulously carved on the stone slab.

Duanmu Yan froze on the spot.

The magnificent horse on the stone slab—

It was exactly the same Pegasus he had seen in the world of Sonora!

Koleta gently stroked her fair chin, examining the stone slab with a tone full of doubt: "As you can see, this is the secret the monastery has kept hidden for hundreds of years—a magnificent horse carved on the stone slab. But the question is, what does this have to do with the monastery?"

Duanmu Yan pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Second Miss, you mentioned before that there were two gods in the history of Lina Xita, but only one was the true Lord of the Year. Do you think this celestial horse... might be that true Lord of the Year?"

“Very likely. Otherwise, the Order would never have gone to such lengths for this.” Koleta said thoughtfully, “A long time ago, Raguna split into two factions due to the faith of the Lord of the Year, and even went to war. It wasn’t until later that the two sides reconciled and jointly founded the Hidden Sea Order.”

“If this celestial horse is the true Lord of the Year, the Order will naturally have every reason to destroy all this evidence. For thousands of years, the image of the Lord of the Year has been deeply ingrained in the faith of the people of Laguna. If we were to tell them now that what they believe in is not the true god… I’m afraid the entire order of Laguna—no, the entire Lina Xita—would collapse as a result.”

The Mortari family has always pursued freedom and truth, but when the truth of a thousand years is finally within reach, Koleta hesitates for the first time—she is unsure if she truly has the courage to uncover this secret that has been hidden for so long.

Once made public, it means that Lina Xita will undergo a complete reshuffle, and Laguna will likely find it difficult to avoid falling back into the abyss of the civil war of a century ago.

Moreover, she has no conclusive evidence to prove that Pegasus is the true Lord of the Year.

Even if she has the courage to make it public, who will believe her?

"It seems the situation is more complicated than we imagined," Duanmu Yan said seriously. "So what do we do now?"

Koleta shook her head and sighed softly, "I don't know either. My grandfather told me to hide this painting. Perhaps one day, the truth hidden for a thousand years will be revealed to the public."

Just as Duanmu Yan nodded, he suddenly saw a flash of light on the stone slab, and immediately felt a sharp headache.

He instinctively pressed his brow, waiting for the dizziness to subside before opening his eyes again.

"Second Miss, I—"

Before he could finish his words, he stopped abruptly.

He stared in disbelief at what was in front of him—

A colossal tower hangs upside down in the sky.

He looked around abruptly. The familiar room was gone, replaced by a dilapidated and desolate scene, as if he were in a once magnificent castle.

Beneath the castle, however, lay not solid ground, but rather...

A heart-stopping height of sky.

Where am I?

Could it be... that I've entered Sonora's world once again?

"Hey, you...who are you?"

A soft, slightly timid girl's voice suddenly came from behind.

Duanmu Yan suddenly turned around and looked at the unfamiliar girl who had appeared behind him at some point.

She seemed completely unprepared for his appearance, her eyes filled with surprise and bewilderment, her lips slightly parted, yet she didn't know what to say for a moment.

How could she see me?

Despite his doubts, Duanmu Yan calmed himself down, waved to her in a friendly manner, and tentatively asked in a soft voice.

"Hello?"

Volume 1: Chapter 53 Katishia

here……

What exactly is this place?

And who is this girl?

Why would someone appear in a place like this?

And she can actually see me?

"H-hello..."

The girl was slightly taken aback, then lowered her head as if afraid of meeting his gaze, only occasionally raising her eyes to glance at him very lightly and quickly.

His gaze swept over the subject like a dragonfly skimming the water, then hurriedly looked away, as if it were just a casual glance, and then he dared not look again.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Who is he?

—And how did you get here?