[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dawn-walker":3,"chapter-dawn-walker-dawn-walker-chapter-137":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Dawn Walker",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1836794,2443,"Chapter 137: Misunderstanding  III","dawn-walker-chapter-137",137,"\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mira stood slightly to one side, shoulders straight, hands clasped calmly, eyes clear. She did not look frightened, but she looked ready, the way a person looked when they had chosen a road and had accepted that it would not be gentle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The twins stood together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vera and Vela.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They moved like a paired rhythm. Same posture, different expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One watched the gate like it was an enemy. The other watched Sekhmet like he was a storm she had decided to stand inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their clothes were simple for now, but they wore them like people who had once been noble and were refusing to forget it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gate had not opened yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards had not fully recognized the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still that brief moment before a house decided whether to welcome you or question you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the gate cracked open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A servant stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes widened when he saw the number of women behind Sekhmet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His brain visibly struggled to count.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his gaze slid toward Auri, the too-calm assistant who looked like she could kill a man with a polite bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant swallowed and hurried back inside, because he was not paid enough for this kind of emotional math.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, the main doors opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily stepped out first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had clearly been waiting, and now she was pretending she was not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena followed behind her, composed, hands folded, eyes reading everything in one glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat tried to push past Elena, but Elena held her gently by the shoulder like a prison guard restraining a small criminal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat’s eyes locked onto Sekhmet instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sprinted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master,\" Bat Bat shouted, voice echoing in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet caught her smoothly, because he had learned that Bat Bat was essentially a projectile with feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat hugged his thumb like it was her favorite possession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You back,\" she announced. Then she sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes. \"Master smell like paper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet did not respond to that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Bat Bat was not wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s gaze moved past Bat Bat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It landed on Mira.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the twins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then back to Mira.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then back to the twins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s expression froze in the kind of stillness that meant a storm was forming behind her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she did not react emotionally. Elena was too old and too tired for dramatic jealousy. She simply analyzed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who are they. Why are they here. Are they dangerous. Are they disrespectful. Are they going to make extra work for the servants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat, however, reacted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pointed at the twins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Two,\" Bat Bat declared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she pointed at Mira.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Three.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she pointed at Lily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Four.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she pointed at Auri.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Five.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she pointed at the maids behind the doorway, because Bat Bat believed counting was now a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Six. Seven. Eight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat turned to Sekhmet and nodded seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master,\" Bat Bat said, \"master collect girls like food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily choked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the maids made a sound like she was trying to swallow a laugh and her own tongue at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s lips twitched faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet stared at Bat Bat with quiet disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bat Bat,\" he said, voice flat, \"stop counting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" Bat Bat replied confidently. \"Counting is education. Lily teach.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s face turned slightly pink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s eyes slid toward Lily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily lifted her chin like she was not embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Lily stepped forward, gaze sharp, voice controlled but trembling at the edges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sekhmet,\" Lily said. \"Explain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet’s mind moved quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not tell her the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not tell her about vampire conversion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not tell her about the system note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not tell her that these girls were not just staff, but potential kin, potential blood-bound loyalty that could shake the city if revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he chose the clean lie. The believable lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I went to the Contract Market for business,\" Sekhmet said. \"I needed help.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s eyes flicked to Mira.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mira bowed slightly, polite and steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My name is Mira,\" she said. \"I am an administrative candidate. I signed a bonded retainer contract.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s gaze shifted to the twins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vera and Vela stepped forward together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes met Lily’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vera spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am Vera,\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vela followed immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am Vela,\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in a voice too calm for the words she was saying, Vera added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We are his concubines.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence fell like a dropped blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily froze so hard it looked like her soul had stepped out of her body for a moment to process what it had just heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the maids inhaled sharply like she had been slapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat’s eyes widened in delight, because Bat Bat loved drama the way other creatures loved food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elena,\" Bat Bat whispered loudly, \"what is concubines.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elena’s eyes snapped to Bat Bat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bat Bat instantly pretended she was invisible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet’s head turned slowly toward the twins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression stayed controlled, but his eyes narrowed slightly, because the twins had just said the exact thing Lily did not want to hear, with perfect timing and no mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vela’s gaze remained steady, almost stubborn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vera’s mouth was set in a hard line, as if she dared anyone to mock them for clinging to the last demand they thought would protect them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s face finally moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did not soften.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did not calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What,\" Lily said, voice tight. \"What did she say.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sekhmet exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept his voice calm, because if he matched Lily’s storm, the house would become a battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was contract structure,\" Sekhmet said. \"The only way to secure them under the market’s terms. I did not come home to show off women. I came home to stabilize the business and protect the house.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s eyes glistened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not with weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With anger and pain mixed together so tightly they became sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You went to the Contract Market,\" Lily said, \"and returned with three women. And you tell me it is business.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1012,"2026-06-09T06:31:32.937Z",1,"novelbin.me","659f3b1a520cbb1ddc0beb6c01e59c5b63f43df4da355793db057c669ab4bea4","dawn-walker-chapter-138","dawn-walker-chapter-136",359,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdawn-walker-cover.jpg"]