There Is No Lie In This World-Chapter 34: The Envelope and the Light

The surface of my desk shimmered quietly as the afternoon light angled through the glass walls. I sat still in the chair - though it still didn’t feel like mine - staring at the folder in front of me.

Executive briefing. Quarterly review. Board expectations. Performance index of sectors I didn’t even know existed.

Cassian stood nearby, speaking calmly as he flipped through summaries. His voice was low and precise, a perfect blend of reassuring and authoritative, like an AI that has become sentient and was now superior to human, yet remained loyal and obedient.

"Here, you’ll want to open with a short statement of appreciation to the board. After that, let people report to you. If you are unsure about anything, you can ask questions."

He then continued, telling me what I should expect - and what people would expect me to do in the upcoming series of meetings. He gave me background information. Current status. Anything that would help me look less clueless once I really start attending these things and sit at the head of the table.

I nodded, trying to take notes, though I was never sure how much of it was actually entering my brain. What I could understand were easily forgotten. What I couldn’t understand were written down, only for me to later look back and ask ’why did I write that?’

"Are you following so far?" he asked gently.

I looked up. "Kind of..."

To his credit, Cassian didn’t sigh or frown.

"Would it help if I broke the categories into metaphors? Luc mentioned you might like to visualize things more narratively."

Luc.

I turned my head instinctively toward the spot nearby where she usually stood. Where she would be, silent and unreadable and constant. But she wasn’t there.

She hadn’t been there all day.

And even yesterday, she’d drifted in only to drop off a file and say a few clipped words before disappearing again.

"She’s busy," I had told myself. "She’s always busy."

But now I wasn’t so sure.

Cassian, meanwhile, was still explaining.

I tried to focus on his words, but my eyes kept flickering to the closed office door, expecting her to enter. Even if just to silently correct something Cassian said. Even if only to give me that ever-so-slight glance that said, I’m watching. You’re not alone.

"Miss Roen?"

I startled a little. "Sorry. Yes. You were saying... something about sector nine?"

His smile was kind. "We can run it again from the top if you’d like. This isn’t urgent, and you’ve had a long week."

I nodded gratefully.

Cassian gathered the documents neatly, tidying up the desk with mechanical efficiency. As he did, something slid across the desk - an unmarked envelope that must’ve been buried beneath the stack.

I frowned. "Wait... what’s this?"

He looked over. "I’m not sure. I didn’t bring it."

I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. Plain. Thin. Unsealed.

Inside was a photograph.

It was a picture that made it to my high school graduation album. Taken during a field trip. Everyone laughing, smiling - including me. But to my eyes I always stood out in this photo. Why did I always look so awkward even when I made - or tried to, at least - the same expressions as everyone else?

Was it just me or did everyone else see it the same way?

My breath caught in my throat.

I hadn’t seen this in years. It didn’t look like the photo was cut out from the graduation album. It looked like it was newly printed from the original digital file.

Someone had it, printed it, and now It was here.

Here. On this desk. In this building.

"Where did this come from?" I asked, my voice quieter than I expected. Somehow, this time it felt different from seeing my old name tag in the Offering Room. I was still confused but calmer, as if part of me that I didn’t understand was expecting something like this again.

Cassian shook his head slowly. "I truly don’t know. Perhaps Luc?"

But even he sounded uncertain. Even he knew Luc would never leave something like this without a word.

I swallowed hard.

"I see," I whispered, slipping the photo back into the envelope and put it inside the desk drawer.

Cassian said nothing further. He simply bowed slightly and stepped back toward the door.

"If you need me," he said, "I’ll be downstairs preparing the minutes from this morning’s meeting. Call for me anytime."

Oh yeah, we did have a meeting this morning. The first one without Luc. The first one with Cassian alone. freēnovelkiss.com

He was as helpful as Luc assured he would be. His presence offered me comfort even when all eyes were on me. Every time I felt like my brain was getting overloaded and I was about to embarrass myself by not understanding something or blurt out something stupid, he expertly intervened - without making it appear to be an interference at all.

Luc was right. I should trust this man.

I nodded again with nothing much to say. As the door clicked softly shut behind him, I let out a slow, uneven breath.

Once I was alone, I took opened the drawer again and saw the envelope. I did not pick it up. I just stared at it for a moment.

Then I looked around. Elune wasn’t here. She was probably preparing for dinner. She’d bring something amazing again and it would be great. She had such a soothing effect on me that I was slowly starting to accept.

But for now, sitting alone here...

The room was too quiet.

Too still.

Luc wasn’t here.

But someone else had been.

And they knew who I used to be.

I closed the drawer again and looked at the surface of the desk. It shimmered quietly as the late afternoon light angled through the glass walls. I sat still in the chair - feeling a little more comfortable in it than I was before.

But the loneliness was growing.

Where are you, Luc...