[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-solflare-the-painter-s-secret":3,"chapter-solflare-the-painter-s-secret-solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-156":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Solflare: The Painter's Secret",{"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},1322984,1757,"Chapter 156: I Thought You Were Standing by the Mirror","solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-156",156,"\u003Cp>They walked out of the hospital together and into the fading light of the afternoon. Early evening clouds filled the sky, purple and gold bleeding into each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily was already in the back seat of the car. Min-seo was buckling into her seat in the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zoe moved toward her own BMW, then stopped. Her silver hair caught the dying glow of the sun as she looked at Leon over the roof of her car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I meant what I said,\" she smiled. \"Time is ticking, and I need answers fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon stared at her, his mind replaying her statement. ’My father wants me to marry into Jade’s family. But I don’t love any of them. So, I want you to play the role of my husband.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fingers curled into a fist at his sides the moment the words replayed with Zoe’s smiling face. \"I know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then think about it.\" She opened the door and slid into the seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her car pulled away, leaving Leon standing alone on the hospital steps. He watched it disappear down the street, the red taillights fading into the growing dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Tell her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon turned back toward the hospital’s entrance, where long shadows were being cast on the pavement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they drove off, Bastion City hummed with life. Cars moved along the streets, people walked home from work, and children played in the last light of the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the Storm mansion, Min-ji had prepared the evening meal when they arrived. Lily ate hers, Min-seo by her side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon sat before his bowl full of jollof with vegetables and beans. Not even a single grain of rice or bean had been taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His elbows rested beside the silver bowl, his jaw cupped in his palms. Deep within his head, Jade’s face looped over and over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Didn’t he also die?’ The thought echoed loudly in his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Min-ji turned her head swiftly toward him, almost as if she had heard him speaking. \"Did you call me, sir?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon shook his head, then exhaled sharply. He loosened his palms from his jaw, then focused on the meal in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chilled surface of the silver spoon seeped into his skin as he grabbed it and took his first bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Why do I feel satisfied with just one spoon?’ he whispered in his head. He paused, the second spoonful hovering over the bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily caught Leon not eating, then paused her own. \"Brother.\" Her thin voice echoed in the dining room like a frozen breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon shifted his gaze to her, then smiled. \"Yes, little Athena.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily squinted at him and the meal, which had only a tiny portion eaten. \"You are not eating your food.\" She frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon looked at the meal, then back to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you don’t eat your food,\" her frown began to turn into a grin, \"...I will tell Aunty Zoe that you have been starving yourself for the past week.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon’s eyes widened, then calmed. \"Okay. I will eat.\" He devoured three spoonfuls at once. \"See, I’m eating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily’s grin vanished. She sat down and continued with hers, yet her gaze never left Leon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After ten minutes, when Min-seo, Min-ji, and Lily had fully emptied their bowls, Leon’s own was just halfway empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Metal clicking sounds echoed as Min-seo began picking up the bowls Lily, Min-ji, and she had eaten from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take mine,\" Leon gestured at her the moment she turned, ready to walk into the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But—\" Min-seo said in shock. She looked at the bowl, remembering the quantity that had been served to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without any option, she grabbed Leon’s bowl, then gave a long sigh. \"Sir, are you okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, she saw a dreadful stare in Leon’s eyes, even as he nodded, faking a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When everyone headed back into their separate rooms, Lily rushed into Leon’s room and then threw herself onto his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is he doing that he has stayed so long in the bathroom?\" Lily murmured, lying on her elbows, her gaze fixed on the bathroom door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother!\" her voice echoed once, twice, yet no response came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grew more irritated as she continued calling Leon, but got no answer in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is he sleeping in the bathroom or what?\" She swept her legs over the bed. The bedsheet crumpled beneath her as she dragged herself off it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soft footsteps echoed inside the bathroom just as Leon turned off the shower. \"What is wrong with me? I don’t feel myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More faces began to reel into his head as he walked toward the towels. He dried himself, then stood before the bathroom mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at his reflection, then closed his eyes. He slowly placed his right hand on the mirror’s surface, then pressed his left palm against his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dad,\" the name escaped him like a death wish. \"...if you’re alive like I know you are, come to me this evening. I need you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thudding sound from the other side of the door intensified as he cracked his eyes open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His reflection in the mirror stayed still as he moved away from it and turned toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as he stretched his arm toward the door, the reflection followed him like a different person staring at him through transparent glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the door opened, the reflection vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, you scared me!\" Lily buckled back, gasping heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did I?\" Leon stepped out from the bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily stepped to the left side of the door, then pointed at the mirror inside. \"I thought you were standing by the mirror.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon shifted his gaze from her to the mirror, then back to her. \"I was, but I’m here now.\" He frowned slightly. \"Why? Did you see something in it that I didn’t?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily hesitated, then looked at the mirror again. \"I thought—\" she paused, then pushed the door shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the bathroom, Leon’s reflection reappeared in the mirror the moment the door closed. But this time, it wasn’t just Leon. Countless skeletal humans screaming for help stood behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Leon’s bedroom, Lily walked toward the bed. She folded her arms across her chest, her lips swollen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What were you doing in the bathroom for nearly an hour?\" She sat lazily on the bed, then turned sharply toward Leon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon bent down, grabbed his nightwear, then put it on, covering his boxer and black singlet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was bathing. What else, little Athena?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bathing... hm.\" Lily squinted at him. \"I’ve told you, I’m older now. Don’t call me little Athena. Call me Madam Athena instead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon moved from his wardrobe, then began teasing her. \"Little—sorry, Madam Athena. I hear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tickled her, and Lily laughed wholeheartedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When is Mom coming back home?\" she asked mid-giggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon gave a long sigh, then opened his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily crawled toward him and sat in front of him. She placed her head on Leon’s lap, her amber eyes watching the night sky through the open window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom will come home soon...\" Leon stated, brushing his fingers through Lily’s hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After just three strokes, Lily began yawning, yet Leon didn’t stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother,\" she turned her gaze from the window and locked it onto Leon’s brown eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it, Madam Athena?\" Leon teased lightly. He pressed her cheeks, stretched them, then brushed his thumbs along her chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, when are you telling Aunty Zoe?\" Lily blinked, then yawned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will tell her,\" Leon stated softly, then turned his gaze from her to the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zoe’s face reeled into his mind for a second, then got replaced with the green, chittering creatures he fought at Granum Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked back into Lily’s sleepy eyes. \"I think it’s time for you to go and sleep.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, I want to sleep by your side, brother.\" Lily curled her arms around Leon’s waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to free himself, but the girl’s grip was so strong it made him smile, then stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This girl is now growing,’ he whispered in his head, then continued brushing his fingers through her hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lily drifted into sleep, Leon gently unwrapped her arms from his waist, then placed her softly on the right side of the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed a pillow under her head, then pulled the thick, blue-black bedsheet and covered her small body with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed quietly as he watched her become like David wearing Goliath’s garment. \"Lily.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The name escaped his lips before he could stop himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crossed his hands behind his head, his legs crossed, then closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memories of the day flashed through his head as sleep slowly took over him, igniting his conscious self to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside his window, a soft wind blew two leaves of the fig tree upward. The leaves puddled in the air, then landed softly on the stool by Leon’s window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, inside Leon’s head, he saw himself standing at the front of Basalt Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With every step his dream-self took, smoke exploded from the cracked sections of the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he stopped moving, a rumbling sound lanced through the mountain. Rocks began falling, crushing the ground with high-pitched sounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams—high-pitched ones—echoed around him. He spun but saw no one, only the smoke slowly fogging the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could take another step, metal clicking sounds and bell-ringing sounds echoed from his front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the smoke, a black triangular box swung in the air, blue light like trapped souls reeling out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon’s dream-self tried moving back, but his body failed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more the sound echoed, the more the smoke parted like a respectful sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the path in front of him became clear, free of smoke, Leon’s eyes rattled in their sockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside Leon’s room, the bathroom door slowly swung open. Smoke spilled across the ground and moved toward Leon’s sleeping form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the space of the bathroom, a figure with sharp, long fingernails began to pull itself out of the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>",1666,"2026-06-05T19:15:29.583Z",1,"novelbin.me","e28ed4840df7abcb7dd8715e87302c4727314b83c7b2558e567b41af1224bdb4","solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-157","solflare-the-painter-s-secret-chapter-155",272,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsolflare-the-painter-s-secret-cover.jpg"]