If unfairness had a face, William would have given the title to his lover.
"You can’t even let stay upset for an hour, can you?" he said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks.
They were sitting beneath a quiet tree. Emma’s cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were red from crying.
She simply sat there, letting his gentle fingers brush across her face.
William sighed. It was rare to see her cry. But unlike before, she looked almost childlike now.
Her cheeks were slightly puffed, her head lowered, and her fingers clutched tightly onto his shirt as if letting go would make him disappear.
"Seriously... you’re emotionally cornering right now," William said, though there was no real complaint in his voice.
Emma sniffled. "I’m really crying. I can’t bear to *sniff* see you ignoring ."
For a mont, William had the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and squeeze her tightly.
But he restrained himself.
He had to teach her a lesson so she would never try sothing like that again.
Gently cupping her cheek, he lifted her face.
Those ocean-blue eyes froze him for a brief second, softening his resolve. Still, he forced himself to remain firm.
In a quiet voice, he said, "I’ll say this one last ti, Emma. I could watch this entire world burn without caring... but only if you’re standing beside , safe and smiling."
Emma remained silent, but she listened to every word.
"If you ever dare sacrifice yourself again for anyone or anything," he continued, "I swear I will never speak to you again. Not in this life, and not even in the afterlife."
Emma sniffled and tugged him closer. "I understand... so please... don’t be mad anymore."
William felt his anger crumble the mont he saw how desperate she looked.
Shaking his head, he finally gave in and pulled her into his arms.
Emma released a long breath of relief as his warmth surrounded her like a shield. His arms wrapped firmly around her back, and the steady beat of his heart filled her ears.
"I nearly lost myself today, Emma," he whispered. "Please... never make feel that again."
Emma gave a quiet hum in response. At that mont, she would have agreed to anything he asked. The thought of a life without him was unbearable.
They remained like that for a while.
Then a soft rumble broke the silence.
Emma’s stomach.
Being so close, William felt it clearly.
Emma froze in embarrassnt and clung to him even tighter, refusing to move. William chuckled softly.
"We haven’t eaten anything since morning," he said. "Let’s go get dinner."
Emma slowly loosened her grip and looked up at him. "You promise you’re not mad anymore?"
William gently brushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and murmured, "I promise."
Then he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
All that anger...
Gone within minutes, lted away by her tearful eyes and helpless cuteness.
Seriously, he is hopeless.
....
"Rovena..."
A voice drifted from behind as the woman wearing a wide sun hat stepped into the clearing.
She paused and turned.
Leaning lazily against a tree stood the familiar silver-haired youth. His arms were folded across his chest, his posture relaxed, but the atmosphere around him felt anything but calm.
His eyes were closed as if he had been waiting for a while.
"You were supposed to observe," he said slowly, his tone sharp despite his stillness. "Not participate."
The short woman with twin-tails, who had been standing nearby with her arms crossed, huffed loudly and stepped forward.
"Not participate? She didn’t just participate, she actually helped those bitches!" she snapped, pointing a finger toward Rovena. "How exactly are you planning to explain that to us, woman?"
Rovena, the sa woman who had appeared before William and saved his father, simply smiled.
She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear before replying calmly, "I believed it was the most practical course of action. After all, the sooner they left that place, the sooner we could proceed with our plan—"
Her words halted mid-sentence.
The shadow beneath her feet suddenly expanded, spreading outward like dark water.
For a brief mont, her breath caught in her throat.
Then she smiled again.
She knew that presence well.
Zagreus, their leader, had not even moved from his position. The shadow was rely a warning.
Just as she expected, the silver-haired youth slowly opened his eyes.
Cold and pissed.
His gaze locked onto her like a blade.
"Lie to again," he said quietly, "and see how that ends."
He straightened slightly from the tree, the air growing heavier with his presence.
"You might be powerful, Rovena... but before my authority, you would beco nothing more than a weak, helpless woman."
Rovena did not argue.
Because in part, he was right.
As the sole descendant of Hades, Zagreus possessed the authority to influence the Curse that bound her.
But whether that authority alone could determine her fate...
That was an argunt she knew she could win.
Still, voicing such thoughts here would only escalate the situation.
So she remained silent.
A third figure finally spoke.
Ambel, the oldest among them and the one responsible for maintaining their barriers, stepped forward slightly. His voice was calm, unlike the other two.
"Why, Rovena?" he asked.
His eyes studied her carefully.
"It cannot be that you suddenly fell for that young man and allowed your emotions to guide your actions."
For a brief mont, Rovena’s smile deepened.
Sothing unreadable flickered in her eyes.
"It’s sothing greater than that, Ambel," she replied softly.
She adjusted the brim of her sun hat before adding,
"However... I understand that my intervention was not particularly appreciated."
Her tone remained light, almost playful.
"So I will refrain from interfering again."
in narrowed her eyes. "Can you, though? I find that hard to believe. When the ti cos and Zagreus faces that man, you might very well turn against us just to protect him."
Rovena let out a soft chuckle, the sound light and almost amused.
"I possibly couldn’t do that," she replied, her tone calm. "And you all know it."
She slowly turned her head toward Zagreus. Beneath the brim of her hat, her violet eyes briefly flashed with quiet confidence before she added, "Don’t you agree?"
The silver-haired youth narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
For a mont, the clearing fell silent.
Then he clicked his tongue in irritation and muttered with a faint snarl, "Your participation in this operation is unnecessary. You are our backup. Rember that."
Without another word, his figure dissolved into the air, vanishing as though he had never been there.
Rovena exhaled quietly.
In truth, she was grateful.
Her role did not require her to directly attack the academy.
She tilted her head upward and looked at the moon.
The pale silver light bathed her face, making her skin appear almost translucent. The small tear-drop mole beneath her left eye stood out faintly, lending her an otherworldly charm, like a fairy wandering through the mortal world.
Closing her eyes, she whispered under her breath,
"I wish that day would co soon... and that you would finally liberate from this tornt."
....
"How do you feel now?"
Carter slowly turned his head toward the voice.
He had only woken a few minutes ago and was still trying to gather his thoughts when his son and daughter-in-law stepped into the room.
"William..." he muttered, his brows slightly furrowed. "How... did I survive?"
It was the first thing that ca to his mind.
Not only was he alive, but he could circulate aether normally. Even his left arm responded when he flexed his fingers.
The last mory he had was of darkness swallowing him whole, forcing him to relive every painful mont of his life. The weight of those mories had nearly crushed his will to keep living.
Yet now...
He felt as though none of it had ever happened. As if he had never been dragged to the brink of death.
It felt unreal.
"You were rescued by ," William replied casually.
With a playful grin, the younger Delimore added, "Guess what? The devil who injured you lost to . Doesn’t that make the strongest in the family now?"
Carter’s lips curved faintly.
Shaking his head, he muttered, "I was simply caught off guard."
William snickered. "That’s how a weakling speaks."
Emma lightly slapped his forearm. "Don’t start teasing him the mont he wakes up."
Then she turned back to Carter, her tone softening.
"How do you feel now, Father?"
Carter exhaled slowly. "Alive... even though my mind can’t understand why."
His eyes moved between the two of them.
"What exactly happened?"
William and Emma exchanged a brief glance.
They had already decided to keep the truth hidden from everyone, especially Carter.
So Emma answered with a lie.
"I used an elixir I made long ago," she said calmly. "It was created from a rare herb I found during one of my outings. I tried using one of my highest-tier healing spells first, but it didn’t work. That elixir was the only option we had left."
Carter shook his head...he knew they were lying but he didn’t force them to speak the truth.
Moving his gaze to the ceiling he softly said, "William..."
William humd in question, "What is it, old man?"
Carter remained silent for a mont before he finally told him,
"I am going to choose my successor. I am stepping down from my position soon."
°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, drop a comnt.
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