Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
I passed her the small cloth and said, \u201cHere you go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
05\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn stared at my hand for a long moment. Even after we\u2019d made up, she still couldn\u2019t quite believe I was being kind to her. She looked down at the little square of fabric, her fingers trembling, then lifted her eyes to mine. There was no hatred there, and when she saw that, she accepted the cloth. \u201cThank you, Miss Selene,\u201d she whispered, wiping at her cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nearly thirty minutes had passed since we\u2019d reconciled, and she hadn\u2019t stopped crying once. She was overwhelmed, but I didn\u2019t try to silence her, I let her wail as long as she needed, holding her close whenever she shuddered. Eventually, the sobs began to fade, and she grew quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I studied her face. Evelyn was young and beautiful. There was no long scar across her cheek yet, which meant the accident hadn\u2019t happened. I sighed in relief, a smile tugging at my lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn dabbed at her face one last time and noticed me watching. She flushed and quickly looked away, embarrassed. \u201cI\u2014I apologise for crying and making a scene, Miss Selene.\u201d she murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled softly. \u201cIt\u2019s fine, Evelyn.\u201d Then I tapped my chin, as if weighing something important. \u201cBut I think we need a few rules.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her brows lifted. \u201cRules?\u201d she echoed, puzzled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, rules. Just a few, to make things easier.\u201d When I caught the flicker of worry in her expression, I waved it off. \u201cDon\u2019t fret, it\u2019s nothing difficult.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
AL 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held up one finger. \u201cRule number one, you don\u2019t have to apologise every time. I won\u2019t be offended if you slip up. If something\u2019s wrong, I\u2019ll simply correct you, nothing more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded, uncertain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held up a second finger. \u201cSecond rule, fight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFight?\u201d she repeated, bewildered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Fight. If someone bullies you, you don\u2019t swallow it. If they try to frame you, don\u2019t stand there and take it. If they get physical, hit hard enough that they remember who they messed with and won\u2019t do it again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened. \u201cW-won\u2019t that implicate you?\u201d she whispered. \u201cI don\u2019t want to cause trouble for you. Rumors spread fast in the pack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let out a short, scornful laugh. \u201cI don\u2019t have a good reputation to begin with, why should I care what those tiny insects think? They can all go to hell. I\u2019ll do whatever I want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn glanced around as if afraid someone might overhear, eyes flicking to the doors and the servants moving about. Then she looked back at me, panting slightly from the effort of calming down, and nodded as if committing the rules to memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cO-okay, I understand, Miss Selene.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, satisfied \u201cGood. Now that we\u2019ve taken care of that, we focus on the issues at hand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded again, waiting for me to continue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Think about something.\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:39 Tue, Dec 23 MG\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her head tilted. \u201cMy lady?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything,\u201d I urged, waving my hand lightly to coax her. \u201cEspecially something that has to do with me. I want to confirm something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her brows furrowed, but when I gestured again, she gave a hesitant nod.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Hmmm, Miss Selene is so kind and beautiful. Why did Lord Kane slap her beautiful face? I felt like slapping him back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze, lips parting slightly as the thought slipped into my head as clear as spoken words. I stared at her, my heart quickening. I could hear her. The corners of my mouth curved upward despite my confusion. Gods, was this real? Did I really have the gift to hear what other people were thinking?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before, I hadn\u2019t paid it much mind; there was too much chaos and too many accusations thrown my way. But this was different. This wasn\u2019t the mind-link, that had limits and was meant for communication, not for prying into thoughts. In all my lives, nothing like this had ever happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I bit my bottom lip. Did the Moon Goddess give me a gift? If so, I need to learn its limits, what it could do and what it couldn\u2019t. I couldn\u2019t afford to misuse it, especially against the wrong people. But damn it, it would be an amazing weapon against my enemies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Is Miss Selene okay? I hope the fever doesn\u2019t make her weak again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I heard her worried thought and looked up at her, offering a soft smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many hours did I sleep for?\u201d I asked, changing the subject.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn blinked. \u201cHours? You are wrong, my lady. You slept for a week, not an hour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I paused, staring at her in disbelief. \u201cA week?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded quickly, worry flashing across her face. \u201cYes, my lady. You were so sick, you even had a huge fever. I was so worried about you. At some point, you even stopped breathing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My brow arched. \u201cI stopped breathing\u2026?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked down, wringing her hands. \u201cIt was only for a minute, but after a while, you got better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A week. In all my past lives, I had never been unconscious for so long. My rebirth must have taken a toll on my body this time, draining it so much that it forced me into that deep sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned back against the pillows. A week? What else had changed with this life?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mentioned that time that the doctor wouldn\u2019t come. Why is that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn bit her lip so hard it almost bled. I knew her too well. It wasn\u2019t that she didn\u2019t want to answer, it was that she feared it would hurt me. But what else could hurt me now, after everything I had lived through?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeak, Evelyn,\u201d I told her gently, though my tone left no room for argument. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked at me, hesitant, then finally lowered her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe temple doctor wouldn\u2019t come. He stayed with Lady Sienna almost every day. When I cried and begged him to come, he said\u2026\u201d Evelyn\u2019s voice broke before she forced the words out, \u201che said you didn\u2019t matter, and he wouldn\u2019t let the real moonborn die. I even begged your brothers, but Lord Kane said you were pretending just to get attention, and Lord Cross\u2026 he didn\u2019t even pay me any attention at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:39 Tue, Dec 23\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 10\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s eyes flickered up, searching my face for emotion. I could see the concern etched there, but I couldn\u2019t blame her. The old me would have shattered into pieces upon hearing such words, crying that noborly loved me, and begging for affection I would never get.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is better.\u201d I said, my voice calm, and detached. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to owe anyone like them for saving my life. Thank you for saving my life, Evelyn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her body froze, as if she didn\u2019t believe I was thanking her. She slowly looked down, her voice small. \u201cI didn\u2019t do much, Miss Selene.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean? You saved my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shook her head. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to tell you because I didn\u2019t want you to be worried about anyone else when you were sick yourself. But\u2026 I can\u2019t take the credit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waited silently, watching her until she forced herself to continue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you fell sick, and I begged the doctor, no one answered me. Except for a young boy working in the temple as an apprentice for the doctor. He said you could get better if we found a plant, they called it Silverpetal. It\u2019s a highly rare plant, but I couldn\u2019t leave your side to look for it. Silas went instead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he returned with it, he was wounded. Before I could even tend to him, the temple guards stormed in and arrested him for leaving without permission on the holy night. He\u2019s still detained, and still being punished. They won\u2019t even let me see him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment I just stared at her, my face blank. A slow, cruel smile curved my lips, but my eyes remained sharp and\u00a0<\/p>\n
merciless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So while I slept, those bastards dared to bully my people? They\u2019re about to pay for that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
AD\u00a0<\/p>\n
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12:39 Tue, Dec 23 8 MG.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 10 Chapter 10\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 I passed her the small cloth and said, \u201cHere […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-ruthless-tycoons-obsession-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27804\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}