Page 154 of Godless Saints

They posed. Cillian gave her that polished, polite smile, the one he used when he was actually trying, and my stomach flipped, hard.

Stop that.

Yuna grabbed his arm. “Come on, teddy-bear oppa. I want to show you around.”

“Yuna—”

“Hyun-seo.”

My mother stood in the doorway. She descended the steps and pulled me into a firm hug.

“I missed you,” I murmured against her shoulder.

She drew back, hands on my shoulders, studying my face the way she always did. “Have you been eating properly? Your father keeps mentioning scandals at that school—”

“There are no scandals,” I said, gently easing her hands down. “And yes, I’m being force-fed. Vivi makes sure of it.”

Yuna stayed glued to Cillian’s arm, chattering away as we approached the house.

I lowered my gaze. “Mom… this is Cillian Ashbourne.”

Cillian stepped forward, Yuna still attached to his side, and gave a respectful bow before taking my mother’s hand. “Mrs. Moon. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

My mother’s expression softened, just a fraction. “You may call me Hana.” Edwin stepped out as the staff took our bags. Same quiet presence he’d had since I was a child.

“Hyun-seo,” he said, pulling me into a brief, firm embrace. “You’ve lost weight. I’ll have the chef prepare something proper for dinner. Extra carbs. You’re still fencing. You need to eat.”

“I’m fine, Edwin.”

He glanced past me. “And Miss Vivienne? Will she be joining us tonight?”

Cillian shifted beside me.

“No.” I cleared my throat and gestured toward Cillian. “Edwin, this is Cillian Ashbourne.”

They shook hands. Cillian smiled, easy as ever. “Fiancé.”

Edwin’s eyebrows rose, then his face broke into a genuine grin. “Fiancé?” He clapped Cillian on the shoulder. “Well then. Congratulations to you both. We’ll have to celebrate properly.”

He turned to me, still smiling. “I’ll speak to the chef. Something special for tonight, galbitang with a few side dishes. Or would Mr. Ashbourne prefer something closer to home?”

My ears went hot. “Edwin—”

He waved me off, already pleased with himself. “Dinner at seven sharp. I’ll make sure everything is ready.” Edwin gave me one last look, the same one he used to give when I came home from school with scraped knees, then disappeared inside with the staff.

Cillian didn’t let go of my hand. He tugged me in close, lips brushing my ear so only I could hear. “See? Everyone loves me already.”

My chest seized. I pulled back. “My father isn’t here yet. This can still go wrong.”

His palm cupped my jaw. “Turn that head of yours off for five minutes. It’s not helping.”

He was right. It was always me. I exhaled and looked at the house. The windows. The staff moving inside.

“Fine,” I said. “Let’s get cleaned up.” I headed toward the front door.

“But I want to show Teddy Bear Oppa around.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Yuna, have you thought about asking Cillian what he wants to be called instead of just giving him nicknames?”