Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 149: Breakfast at Storm’s Mansion

The bed was soft as Leon lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling while silence pressed hard on his skin.

Lily’s welcoming smile resurfaced in Leon’s mind as sleep slowly swallowed him. He giggled in his sleep.

In a blink, heat blasted across his skin as the memory of Basalt Mountain forced its way into his dream.

Black-red vapor rolled over the ground. Longwei stood ahead of him, smiling.

"No!" Leon’s voice shot up from his dream and blasted through his room. But the silence that whirled around him swallowed it before anyone could hear. Yet Min-seo felt the walls vibrating strangely in her room.

"What was that?" She tried tapping on Min-ji’s door, hoping to wake her, but Min-ji was already deep in a dream where she and Leon had borne a bouncing baby boy, where Lily was her pet.

Back in Leon’s room, the stands of his bed scraped the floor harshly, igniting tiny sparks as Leon’s body kept thrashing roughly on it.

Leon lurched upright with a sharp gasp, sweat pouring and cooling his skin like ice. The curtains stirred lightly, the outside light and air blessing the room for just a few seconds.

The bedsheet crumpled into Leon’s hands as he gripped it, a crackling sound echoing from him.

As soon as he managed to swallow his scream, his mother’s soft, charming voice lanced into his room like a death prayer.

Leon’s troubled heart dulled the moment he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes.

His mother’s smiling face and charming voice looped in Leon’s mind, replacing the damned dream as sleep took him after a couple of minutes of focusing on her voice.

The trees, the fountain, and the garden all moved with a grace that swept over Bastion City.

But at Basalt Mountain, a chittering sound escaped from the cracks on the side of the mountain, followed by grey air that moved like breath.

As the early morning sun rose over Bastion City, the workers’ bus halted just a few distances away from Leon’s mansion, its horn blasting the world apart.

Leon woke up before everyone else in his home could, including the maids.

He pushed himself from the bed, rubbed both palms over his face, then exhaled the last droning breath from his lungs.

He sat on the chair placed at the side of the wardrobe, then began to reminisce about the Longwei dream he had.

Soft footsteps echoed from behind his locked door.

"Brother?" Lily’s voice bounced off the wall, almost as if she had learned Leon’s actions. "Are you awake?"

Leon cleared his throat, stood up from beside the wardrobe, then neared the door. "Yeah."

"Open for me. I want to tell you something." Lily’s voice rose again, followed by three soft knocks.

She peered in, already dressed, the moment Leon unlocked the door.

Leon stared at her hair, which was gathered in a lazy knot that looked as if it had been made on her way to his door.

Lily looked at Leon, a strange smile widening on her lips. "Mom asked if you are sleeping like a pregnant pig again."

Leon frowned, staring at her. "Mom will never say that." He laughed, then pulled her closer, tickling her.

Lily’s sweet laughter filled the hallway, wafting into all the rooms, including that of the maids.

Min-ji frowned, then folded her hands on her chest. "That stupid kid again. God, when will she shut her mouth?"

A haze of blazing air exploded from her nose and ears as she moved forward and pushed her door shut.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Min-seo’s voice echoed from the bathroom, but received no response.

Back in Leon’s room, Lily managed to pull herself away from her brother’s grip, then walked toward the door. "I’m going to tell mother you said her head is big."

Her laughter followed through the hallway after Leon tried to grab her.

Leon’s heart laughed as he stared at the door, thinking about Lily’s reactions. "This girl. I will really miss her more when it’s time for me to leave."

Leon walked to the washroom, washed himself for a couple of minutes, then exited, wearing a blue-black pajama.

By the time he got out of his room and descended onto the staircase, the house had already awakened.

Sunlight spread in clear blocks across the floor, seeping through the walls and transparent ceiling.

Utensils clicked softly as he moved past the kitchen in that direction. The smell of porridge and toasted bread drifted through the hall, entering his lungs and forcing his eyes shut with every inhale.

Li Mei sat by the open window in the sitting room, her hands resting on the folded red cloth on her lap that shimmered as the sun’s rays landed on it.

Lily crouched on the rug in front of her, talking fast about something that had happened when she entered Leon’s room.

When Leon closed in on them, Lily’s tone thinned as if whatever she was saying was not supposed to be heard by Leon.

Li Mei turned her head, then stretched her left arm forward. Even without the sight to see, the arm perfectly pointed in Leon’s direction.

Leon sat in a lotus posture and rested his hands on Li Mei’s lap, but not touching the red cloth.

Li Mei’s fingers brushed through Leon’s jet-black hair, then she turned her head toward the outside sky.

Birds flew in harmony with the clouds, their wings flapping so softly that they seemed not to fly without them.

On the street outside the walls of the mansion, children teased one another as they ran after each other.

Colorful vehicles moved along the streets. Inside, families smiled at each other, siblings stared at each other with smiling eyes, and couples held hands.

In the cars that were occupied by single people, different kinds of emotions were being experienced. Depression. Misconduct. Pain. And the hate of life.

Back in Leon’s mansion, Min-seo walked and halted a few meters away from Leon, then bowed. "Please, sir, the morning meal is ready."

She walked back to the dining table, set bowls down neatly, then smiled, seeing everything arranged perfectly like she used to do for the Qing family.

When Leon, his mother, and sister neared the table and took their seats, Min-ji appeared holding plates filled with meals.

She placed Li Mei’s first, Lily’s second, then leaned in to set Leon’s. Intentionally, the sleeve of her dress brushed Leon’s skin.

When Leon tried to touch the transparent ceramic bowl, Min-ji grabbed his arm and squeezed it sarcastically. "Careful, it’s hot."

Leon lifted his gaze and looked at the composed face and wet lips of the lady.

Across from him, Lily’s head was down, busily tearing bread into pieces and placing them in her porridge. Li Mei’s head and face were directed toward Leon, but she could not see anything due to her blind eyes.

Standing beside Li Mei, Min-seo saw everything.

She cleared her throat, and Min-ji stopped her act, then moved away from Leon.

’What at all was she trying to do?’ Leon lowered his head and whispered in his mind.

While the sweet fragrance filled the inside of the mansion, the natural fragrance from the trees also filled the outside, the fountain splashing its water so marvelously.

An engine sound lanced through the air as a vehicle rolled to a stop just outside the main gate of the mansion, where Leon’s name was written boldly at its top.

The iron gate opened wide after the man at the driver’s side showed a card to the security mechanics.

Inside the hall, Lily’s face glistened with a smile when she saw the vehicle halting to a stop just in front of the mansion through the transparent glass wall.

She spun around, singing a lalala song. "They came!"

As if in response to her, Min-ji walked toward the entrance of the mansion, then pulled the door open.

Darian entered first, followed by Zoe.

"Uncle." The name escaped from Lily’s mouth as she saw Darian’s face. When she shifted her gaze to Zoe, memories of Zoe flashed in her head.

Darian closed the gap between him and Li Mei, then bowed. "Auntie."

Li Mei’s face softened at once, her mind creating the face she believed belonged to Darian.

Lily neared Leon, pulled Leon’s sleeve, then smiled at him. "Your girlfriend is here." She whispered into Leon’s ear, then began to smile at Zoe.

Leon gave a short laugh, then shook his head, lowering his gaze from Zoe to her boots.

Zoe moved past everyone, including Lily, then stopped by Leon’s side. "You look better." She spoke in a voice that sent Li Mei’s heart into a calmer state.

While everyone turned their attention to Leon and Zoe, Min-ji moved by them, then intentionally shouldered Zoe.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," she said, showing a more saddened face as she pleaded.

Zoe looked at her and instantly caught her action, but brushed it off. "It’s okay. I’m the one who should say sorry."

Min-ji walked out of their sight and entered the kitchen, feeling delighted that Zoe Qing had said sorry without her doing anything wrong.

’Leon Storm is mine and no one else’s.’ The thought lanced through her mind as she grabbed a kitchen knife and stared at her reflection in it.

Back in the hallway, Leon laughed shyly, his nose rising. "Do I?"

"A little." Zoe’s eyes searched his face quickly, then left before another thing could take over. "Your house suits you also."

As hours passed, Darian kept speaking with Li Mei about Bastion City and their security.

Lily kept interrupting to correct details she believed Darian was getting wrong.

And Zoe and Leon continued exchanging words of comfort.

After she joined Li Mei’s side, Leon watched her from where he had gone to sit and looked away whenever he became too obvious.