Buried Truths

Raina strolled downstairs with her hands in her pockets.

Nearby, Mireille had just come out of the restroom and caught the familiar voice. She frowned slightly and murmured, “Raina?”

But she quickly dismissed the idea as ridiculous.

What kind of place was this? That useless, good-for-nothing Raina probably didn’t even know the Medica Society had an auction.

Mireille shook her head, lifted her chin, clicked her heels arrogantly, and returned to the suite.

Meanwhile, Raina left the auction hall and headed straight to the Square Hall, where Briar was already waiting at the gate.

Bathed in moonlight, Briar stood tall and elegant. The pale moonlight cast a faint white glow around him—like a gentle halo. Calm, refined, and strikingly handsome.

His beauty wasn’t aggressive—it was the quiet, reserved kind. Always calm, almost distant.

But the moment he saw Raina, every part of his expression seemed to come alive. He took a few quick steps forward, smiled softly, and said, “Raina!”

Raina smiled as she approached. “Senior, if you hadn’t called me over, I was about to die of boredom.”

Briar’s dark eyes met hers briefly before shifting away. He spoke gently, “I just got free. If I’d known you were so bored, I’d have called you earlier to keep grandpa company. Come inside. It’s a bit chilly out tonight—don’t catch a cold.”

As they walked, Raina asked, “Alright, but why did teacher come in person today? It can’t just be for the Eclipse Vine, right?”

The Eclipse Vine was rare, sure. But old fox Elias had seen everything under the sun. He wasn’t here just for that.

“He came to see an old friend,” Briar replied.

An old friend?

Raina had no idea who that might be, but it must be important for Elias to come personally.

Still, she didn’t press further—some things you don’t push. If she asked, Briar might be stuck not wanting to answer. She didn’t want to make things awkward.

They soon entered the Square Hall, passing through the front courtyard and into the main hall where Elias was sitting, drinking tea.

As soon as they stepped inside, the scent of jasmine tea filled the air. Elias turned, smiling. “Raina, you’re here! Come, have a seat. I brewed some tea for you. Try it.”

Raina didn’t hesitate. She sat down on the sofa beside him, took a sip, and got straight to the point.

“Teacher, I have something to ask.”

Elias sighed. “If it’s about your mother again, Raina, I…”

She interrupted him. “It is, but not exactly.”

Curious, Elias raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You’re not trying to trick this old man again, are you?”

Raina’s tone turned serious. “No. You should know my mother once built two experimental bases. Have you heard of Experimental Base No. 1? Or do you know anything about it?”

Elias took a sip, stared at her for a moment, and said, “I do.”

Her pupils tightened slightly. looks like Elias wasn’t lying this time. She fixed her gaze on him and asked, “Have you ever been to Base No. 1?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Seeing her doubt, he added, “Since you know about Base No. 1, you should also know your mother never let outsiders in. I only know it exists, but I’ve never stepped inside.”

Elias hadn’t been there either?

That meant, besides her mother, no one else knew the secrets of the underground lab.

Raina let out a reluctant sigh and lowered her voice. “Do you know if maybe back then, my mother was researching some kind of antidote? Or maybe…”

She paused, locking eyes with Elias. “Maybe she was poisoned by some rare toxin?”

Ever since seeing the walls covered in writing and the claw marks of varying depths in the underground lab, she’d had a terrible suspicion. But she couldn’t prove it yet.

Mr. Shaw had casually mentioned the writing looked like notes on antidotes, but Vireon Labs had never released any antidotes.

The more Raina thought about it, the more confused she got. She kept peeling back layers, examining every detail over and over, afraid to miss a clue, but she simply didn’t have enough information to put the whole truth together.

After a moment of silence, Elias finally said, “Your mother did study a certain medicine. But it wasn’t an antidote—that medicine itself was poison.”

“What? It’s poison itself?!” Raina didn’t even realize she’d suddenly raised her voice—almost shouted it out.

Somehow, her right hand knocked over the teacup beside her. The scalding tea splashed onto the back of her pale hand, instantly turning it bright red—but she didn’t feel a thing.

Briar’s eyes were sharp and his reflexes quick. He immediately grabbed her hand. It was an instinctive move, and when he realized he’d touched Raina’s hand, his own went stiff. After pulling her hand away, he instinctively avoided touching her again.

He lowered his eyes, clearly trying hard to hold something back, but his tone stayed calm as usual. “I’ll go get some medicine.”

Only then did Raina snap back to reality and glance at the back of her hand. “No need. It’s just a burn—doesn’t hurt.”

That was true.

She’d had all kinds of injuries since she was a kid. Especially five years ago, when her face was slashed—during the healing process, the wound had to be ripped open and healed again and again. Compared to that, this little burn was nothing.

Briar frowned slightly but stubbornly insisted, “It’s a big red patch—how can it not hurt?”

With that, he left.

Raina didn’t notice anything off about Briar, or rather, she just wasn’t paying attention to his expression. Her mind was completely stuck on Elias’s words from earlier.

She stared at Elias, her breath catching for a moment, her voice hoarse: “Teacher…”

Elias glanced at her hand and sighed. “That’s all I know. As for what your mother was researching, or why she was so focused on it—I really don’t know. And during that time, she seemed scared of something. She hardly left the No. 1 Research Base and wouldn’t meet anyone who came looking for her.”

“Raina, you keep asking me about your mother. Honestly, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you—I just don’t know. Your mother’s a strong woman, she never wanted to say anything, always carried everything alone. Watching her all these years made me tired just from looking at her. But no matter how hard it was, she never complained.”

He paused, then quietly said, “The truth is often cruel. Maybe not knowing anything, not remembering anything, is the only way to live freely… Raina, it’s time to stop.”

Raina looked at Elias, confusion flickering across her face.

Is that really it?

Not knowing anything, and just living at peace with it?

***