Chapter 22
âMy dear son. Are you saying you intend to turn against me? When that foolish princess is willing to take a cripple whose hands tremble, you should grab the chance immediately, Gerard.â
Gerard pried his motherâs hands off with one hand.
âIf you want it that badly, why donât you marry her yourself.â
âYou ungrateful, insolent boy! Until you change your mind, donât set foot in my house.â
At her calling the Castion grand ducal residence my house, Gerard let out a tired, derisive laugh.
âIâll attend the funeral. As a son should.â
âGerard!â
Leaving her sharp voice behind, Gerard strode out of the office in anger.
* * *
Rumors spread everywhere that Arvina had purified Gerard when he was on the verge of rampaging.
The story was embellished with a romantic narrative, that Gerard, who had not absorbed any Purifierâs power before, had chosen only Arvina.
Moreover, purifying an Awakened on the brink of rampage carried another implication.
âSo, how was it, Arvina?â
Chelsea nudged Arvinaâs arm with a sly grin.
âWhat do you mean?â
âDonât pretend you donât know.â
The female Purifiers gathered around Arvina burst into giggles, their eyes sparkling. Even though she had become the talk of the capital, Arvina sat as elegantly as ever, composed and dignified.
âIt was your first time, right? How was it? Hmm? Just tell us.â
âI donât remember anything.â
âHe must have been so aggressive. Hehe. Our innocent lady even lost consciousness. Ah, Iâm jealous, Arvina.â
That night. Nothing like what they were imagining had actually happened, yet their fantasies had already grown endlessly in their minds.
Resting my chin on my hand, I glanced at Arvina beside me. Should I step in and stop them?
But contrary to my concern, her expression didnât waver at all. She only gave an awkward smile, as if watching a group of immature children.
âPlease stop saying such rude things about someone who was in pain.â
âTch, youâre no fun.â
âAre you defending your lover? You acted so cold before, but I knew it would end up like this.â
âWeâre not like that.â
ââWeâ? Did you hear that, everyone? She said we!â
The Purifiers seized on her words, teasing her however they could. Arvina let out a helpless laugh.
Comments like âphysical intimacy mattersâ and âtheir child would be so beautifulâ went around. Though Arvina tried to stop them at first, she eventually gave up.
âOh, right, Louize.â
Then suddenly, the attention shifted to me.
âI heard Lord Castion gave you a ride in his carriage?â
âLouize?â
Everyoneâs gaze turned toward me. I slowly lifted my chin from my hand. Even Arvina, who hadnât looked at me once, now stared at me in surprise.
âIs it true, Louize?â
Her gentle voice sounded almost like an interrogation. Before I could answer, Chelsea spoke instead.
âApparently more than one person saw it. When the Castion carriage stopped in front of the temple, everyone assumed Arvina would get out. But instead, apparently it was you, Louize.â
I hadnât done anything wrong, yet for some reason I found myself conscious of Arvinaâs reaction.
âY-Yeah⌠When I said I was Arvinaâs friend, he offered to give me a ride.â
âWow, Lord Castion even looks after his loverâs commoner friend? Thatâs impressive devotion.â
âHe must love Arvina so much.â
While everyone spoke with dreamy admiration, only Arvinaâs expression wasnât pleasant.
âBut how did he know you were Arvinaâs friend?â
ââŚLord Castion once mistook me for a thief. Arvina told him to treat me to dinner as an apology, so somehow it just⌠turned into that.â
âHe treated you to dinner?â
Arvina asked while looking straight into my eyes. Her eyes curved gently as usual, but her tone carried a hint of disbelief.
fundmypink
Bruh Arvina is a white lotus, ugh I hate this for Louize. Iâm afraid of what society will say once itâs out that sheâs the real lover