Chapter 66: Did You Ever Love Me?

After finishing his seventh cigarette on the Magic Affairs Bureau rooftop, Lu Xin felt a sudden tug at his heart and turned to the east.

A white-haired, golden-eyed girl stared back at him, her expression calm as still water.
She landed softly on the rooftop.

They gazed at each other in silence, unmoving, like two stone monuments standing wordlessly apart.
Only the flutter of her eyelashes in the breeze and the rustle of his thick beard betrayed their living nature.

“How have you been these years?” Lu Xin broke the silence first.

Unsure how to address Corona in this body, he wracked his brain, managing only this dry question.

“I… I’ve been fine,” Corona replied, stunned for a moment before turning away.

Another silence stretched between them.
Lu Xin scrambled for his next words, while Corona mulled over his tone and aged appearance.

His voice lacked the vigor of youth, his face weathered, no longer carrying the dashing charm that once stirred hearts.

“I…” Lu Xin began.

“I…” Corona said simultaneously.

Their voices overlapped in an uncanny moment of sync, followed by another pause.
Then, as if resolving himself, Lu Xin spoke before Corona could.

“I can’t keep running from this.”

“I can’t escape the wrongs I did to you.”

“Saying sorry won’t erase the fact that I violated you.”

“So, whatever resentment you hold, let it out on me.”

“Whether you cripple me or take my life, I won’t complain.”

“It’s the punishment I deserve, just long overdue.”

His words drained him, and he nearly collapsed, his legs trembling.

Corona, surprised by his candid confession, turned to face the bearded, weary man.

“You… weren’t like this when you were young,” she said, shaking her head.

“You were full of spirit back then.”

“Full of passion.”

“You admired magical girls.”

“I could see it.”

“Yeah, magical girls…” Lu Xin sighed.

“Forever young, forever beautiful…”

“And the root of my mistakes.”
He hung his head heavily.

His obsession with the beauty of magical girls—his love for Corona—had overwhelmed him, leading to his actions against her when she was incapacitated.

Afterward, like a coward, a rat, a thief, he fled the magical girl team, unable to face her, even when she gave him days to return.

But he ran.

Hearing his heartfelt words, Corona fixed her gaze on his dulled eyes and asked, “Since you loved magical girls so much…”

“Did you ever love me?”
Her heart skipped a beat as the question slipped out.

She didn’t know why she asked—perhaps a lingering hope for him.
But thinking of Yuehua, her “little moon,” she regretted it.
She had loved Lu Xin once, but now she loved Yuehua.

To avoid disrupting Yuehua’s life, she buried that love, playing the role of “sister” while Yuehua remained her “little sister,” her princess, her treasure.

Did you ever love me?

The question echoed in Lu Xin’s mind.
He knew the answer but felt unworthy to say it in this body.

She was married.
Their connection should be nothing more than former colleagues.

Yet her question suggested she might still feel something for him in this form.

“Did you ever love me?” Lu Xin blurted out, instantly regretting it.

His strength gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, head bowed, spine seemingly gone, utterly defeated.

“I did,” Corona said, looking away, her lips pursed.

Lu Xin’s head snapped up, eyes filled with exhaustion and disbelief.

“Why would you love me after what I did to you?” he murmured, head dropping again.

“And you’re married…”

Seeing his pitiful state, Corona sighed, crouching before him.

“I only did love you,” she said calmly.

“And I’m not married.”

“But… Alice Phil said you were married, so where did Lu Ming come from?”

His pupils shrank as a horrifying realization dawned, connecting Lu Ming’s youthful appearance as Abyss and Lu Yue’s face.

Ignoring his reaction, Corona continued, “Maybe part of it was my fault back then.”

“I was too indecisive, letting misunderstandings crush you, driving you away.”

“I was too slow, too hesitant to show you my feelings.”

She lifted his face, forcing his gaze to meet hers.

“Do you know what my Solar authority represents?” she asked.

Lu Xin, listless, didn’t respond, so she continued.

“It’s light, heat, the embodiment of all things masculine.”

“But I’m a woman.”

“For some reason, being with you always felt calming, steady.”

“Even my authority, sometimes unstable, stabilized around you.”

“Maybe that’s when I fell for you.”

“At least back then, I loved you.”
She wiped a tear from his eye.

“So, on our last mission, I asked you to support me alone when I was incapacitated.”

“I knew my authority’s instability could affect you.”

“I was still conscious, but to avoid unpredictable effects from my unstable authority, I pretended to be unconscious.”

Lu Xin’s mouth fell open, stunned.
He realized why he, usually so restrained, had acted that way.

“That’s why I willingly gave you my first night,” Corona said, avoiding his gaze.

“It was my slowness, my indecision, my failure to express my feelings that broke you and drove you away.”

“I even hoped you’d come back to see me.”

“All these years, I never sought anyone else.”

“The one who should apologize is me, not you.”

“So when I got pregnant and gave birth alone at home, it was my own bitter fruit.”

“And I never told Lu Ming who her father was…”

“Yes, as you’ve guessed,” she said, releasing his face, confirming his suspicion.

“Lu Ming is your daughter.”