Chapter 33\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 33\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
(25)\u00a0<\/p>\n
The box was light in my arms, yet I held it close as if it were the most precious thing in the world. For the first time in a long while, I was genuinely pleased with how the day had gone. Everything had turned out exactly as I wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let a smile curve across my lips as I walked down the quiet path, the forest humming softly around us. The auction house was far behind now, the noise of greedy bidders replaced by the rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lady,\u201d Evelyn said beside me, her voice hesitant but curious. \u201cAre you sure you don\u2019t want me to help carry it for you? You shouldn\u2019t be holding anything heavy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down at the box, before shaking my head. \u201cNo, it\u2019s alright. I should carry it myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn nodded, though her gaze lingered on the box as if trying to understand what I found so fascinating about a pile of dusty old junk. \u201cI wonder what\u2019s so special about that box,\u201d she said, tilting her head. \u201cYou\u2019ve been smiling ever since we paid for it and collected it. Is there something about it nobody knows about?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWouldn\u2019t you like to know,\u201d I said teasingly. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, you\u2019ll find out soon enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn pouted but didn\u2019t push further, and I turned my eyes back to the road. The evening air was cool against my skin. I was in a good mood. Especially knowing that I\u2019d just bought one of the most important items in history for a single silver\u00a0<\/p>\n
coin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we walked, I came to an abrupt stop. My gaze drifted toward the dense forest to our right, something in the shadows catching my attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn noticed instantly. \u201cMy lady?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems there\u2019s only one of them following us now,\u201d I murmured, tilting my head slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn blinked in confusion, looking around nervously. \u201cFollowing us? Who-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before she could finish, a gust of wind swept past, strong enough to rustle our dresses. When I turned, a man was already kneeling before me, one knee on the ground, his head bowed low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lady,\u201d he said, voice deep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn gasped beside me. \u201cSilas!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled, lowering the box slightly in my arms. Silas looked different now His dark hair fell over his forehead, his brown eyes glinting even under the shade of the trees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since the arena incident, he had recovered remarkably fast. Arthur was still confined to bed rest, but Silas was walking as if nothing had happened. That was the thing about black wolves, their healing ability was something extraordinary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I left the manor with Evelyn earlier that day, I made it very clear to Silas that he was not to follow us. I didn\u2019t need anyone knowing that someone as powerful as him was my bodyguard. That kind of attention only led to questions, and questions led to curiosity, something I couldn\u2019t afford right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But, of course, Silas never listened when it came to my safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He followed anyway, lurking in the trees like a watchful predator. I could sense his presence, always keeping a distance but close enough to strike if needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d wanted to interfere back at the market when that guard raised his sword against me, but I told him to stop. And he did, remaining in the shadows, silent and unseen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:45 Tue, Dec 23\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 33\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, walking down the path that led back to the temple, I could see the faint flicker in his expression, the way his eyes. darted toward the dark line of trees beside us, every muscle in his body alert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this about the person following us?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silas turned his head sharply, his eyes widening a fraction. For a moment, he didn\u2019t speak. Instead, I heard the words echoing faintly from his mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018How does she know something like that? The person is so good at hiding their presence, it\u2019s even hard for me to pinpoint where they are. That means the lady must be powerful. But how is that possible?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
I almost laughed at that. I really shouldn\u2019t have been reading his thoughts. I\u2019d told myself I wouldn\u2019t read Evelyn and Silas thoughts. But sometimes, it just slipped. They were both far too entertaining not to listen to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He frowned slightly, confusion crossing his features at my sudden amusement. \u201cWhat should I do, my lady?\u201d he asked carefully. \u201cShould I get rid of the person?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head. \u201cNo need. She doesn\u2019t seem to be a problem.\u201d I adjusted the box in my arms, glancing briefly toward the forest again. \u201cThe issue was the man, but he\u2019s no longer following us. She\u2019s simply watching now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silas\u2019s brows drew together. \u201cShe?\u201d he repeated. \u201cHow can you tell the person is a woman?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe footsteps,\u201d I replied simply, meeting his gaze. \u201cA man and a woman walk differently. Even when they\u2019re trying to hide their presence, the rhythm gives them away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know that, my lady?\u201d Evelyn asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How do I know?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well, after living as a commander in my past lives, it was impossible not to know. I\u2019d spent lifetimes studying the tiniest details of people, the way they moved, breathed, the sound of their footsteps, the rhythm of their hearts. When assassins came for my life, I had to know everything about them, even their gender, before they ever reached my blade. It wasn\u2019t a skill I was proud of, but it had kept me alive more times than I could count.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t bother explaining all that to her. Instead, I waved my hand dismissively and said, \u201cThat\u2019s another conversation for another day, Evelyn. Let\u2019s go back to the temple, it\u2019s already late. We can\u2019t let anyone know we went out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn nodded quickly. \u201cYes, my lady.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silas followed with a quiet bow of his head, his eyes scanning the trees again before stepping closer to us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as we started down the road, a soft rustle brushed past me. I turned, catching sight of a man walking by, cradling something in his arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lady?\u201d Evelyn\u2019s voice broke the silence. She turned toward me, her brow furrowed in concern. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer her. My gaze had already locked on the figure walking away. The man was older, his hair gray and wild, his steps slow. In his hands, a small dog barked quietly as he made his way toward the auction house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It can\u2019t be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew that face, and that kind smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the old merchant who had once sold me the box in my past life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn followed my gaze and asked, \u201cWho is he, my lady?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 33\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAn old acquaintance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAcquaintance?\u201d Evelyn blinked. \u201cHow can you know someone like that, my lady?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shrugged. \u201cI do. It was just one time, but I\u2019m happy to see him again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked even more confused, but I didn\u2019t know to give her the chance to ask further. My feet moved on their own, carrying me forward until I was standing just behind the man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWait,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned, eyebrows lifting in surprise. His gaze landed on me. \u201cYes, lady?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI owe you something,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He frowned slightly. \u201cI don\u2019t recall ever meeting you, young lady. How could someone like you owe a man like me anything?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s okay,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reaching into my pouch, I pulled out five gold coins and held them out to him. The man\u2019s eyes widened, shock flickering across his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stared down at the coins for a long moment, mouth parting as if to speak, but no words came out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI should still pay,\u201d I said softly, pressing the coins into his hand. \u201cEven if you don\u2019t remember-I do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 33 Chapter 33\u00a0 Chapter 33\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 (25)\u00a0 The box was light in my […]<\/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-27827","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\/27827","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=27827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27827\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}