Chapter 90
***
“Jenny, how about lying down now?”
“Are you seducing me right now?”
The big man’s face turned as red as if it had been set on fire.
Genevieve giggled.
“Iāll just dry my hair and lie down.”
“Oh, Iāll do it for you.”
“You donāt have to…”
“I want to. Will you sit here?”
Harrison smiled gently and led Genevieve to sit on the bed. He fetched a thick towel and began to dry her damp hair.
His calloused hands handled her hair delicately, as if he were dealing with fragile glasswork.
The husband, who treated his wife with such tenderness and care, was gentle and considerate.
Genevieve was gradually falling for the husband she had hastily chosen.
āHis Grace insisted I get married within ten days, so I just found someone… I was lucky.ā
He threatened to choose someone for her if she didnāt do it herself, saying he would ensure marriage news was published.
He even offered to support her if she wanted to become the next empress, casually mentioning that Crown Prince Edwin seemed somewhat interested in her.
Genevieve panicked at the mention of Edwin. She didn’t dislike him but never wanted him as a husband.
āHe doesnāt see people as people, and if I somehow fell in love with him, he would use me to the bone, take the children, and eventually discard me when Iām no longer useful…ā
Genevieve had just one condition for her husband:
He had to be kind. Thatās all.
Since she couldn’t prioritize her husband or family above everything else, it was okay if he had something more important.
Harrison, being a knight, could put loyalty above love, and she would understand. As long as their time together was tender and peaceful, that was enough for her.
It was a comfortable and complacent choice. But it was also a rational one.
Harrison told Genevieve that he liked her and gave her loyal affection. He was a stable and even-tempered person.
He might be boring and unremarkable.
But is that a bad thing?
Harrison’s affection was positive and bright. It wasnāt the twisted obsession like Shane’s, nor did he treat emotions like objects, as Edwin did.
That ordinariness was attractive to her.
Genevieve lead a turbulent life. She was the continentās treasure and the savior of the world, born from the love of a goddess, but the life given to her wasnāt easy.
When the first person who had ever treated her kindly died meaninglessly before her eyes, Genevieve wished for the world to be destroyed. It didn’t seem like a world worth purifying with the power of the gods.
She wished the world would just end.
Maybe that was why Genevieveās purification powers werenāt all that great. She seemed to understand now.
Adeline probably never imagined that Genevieve harbored such dark thoughts.
She probably didn’t know how much Genevieve liked her. She was merely kind, and it was lonely Genevieve who attached meaning to it.
Perpetrators tend to forget easily.
But those who have things taken from them can never forget.
As they say, the axe forgets but the tree remembers.
āShe cried so much… I should visit her tomorrowā¦.ā
āPardon?ā
āLady Adeline, I mean. She was so shocked to hear that I was attacked again today, she cried.ā
āAhā¦ She must be quite sensitive.ā
Harrison responded with a gentle face. Genevieve made a peculiar expression.
āSomeone who remained steadfast even when kidnapped, sensitiveā¦?ā
It couldn’t be a less fitting description.
āSheās notā¦ sensitive.ā
āReally? But she cried out of shock.ā
āSheās brave and kind.ā
āIāve heard a lot about her. Crown Prince Edwin talks about her often too.ā
āAh, I doubt he has good things to say.ā
āThey were good things. Thatās all I remember.ā
āSheās kindā¦ strong, and lovely. To me.ā
āThen, hearing just that, I would think the same. Iām grateful to her.ā
Genevieve leaned back, placing her weight against Harrisonās firm stomach, and he kissed her cheek. Genevieve said,
āI want a child, Harrison.ā
āJennyā¦.ā
āI used to think there wasnāt much good in living in this world.ā
āā¦ā¦.ā
āBut if I have more to love, I think I might like it more.ā
Genevieve longed for someone she could love completely.
Just like Adeline, who had been kind to her, she wanted to be someone kind to another.
Instead of replying, Harrison gently embraced Genevieveās slender body.
