Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 14: Arrangement (2)

"You didn’t mention anything about us getting married. Why?"

Selene liked that it wasn’t mentioned by herself or Xavier. "I didn’t want Gabriel to have time to do something to get in the way of it. He must think you are only using me for a short time and that I will come back to him. I want the divorce to happen before he knows."

Xavier was impressed by her thinking. She wasn’t a fool. "Again, I question why you settled for him. You could have found someone better. Even a pureblood."

"Then you have missed how much my family name was tarnished and how my relatives have been so greedy that they have tried to strip everything my father left for me from me. I wasn’t able to keep my hands on the family home. Who would want to bring such drama into their lives?" Selene asked.

Gabriel had not been her first choice. The obvious thing to do was to find another pureblood so her children would be purebloods as well, but Gabriel became the man who accepted the offer.

"I had been away from this town for some years so it took time to decide who I could trust. Just because we are purebloods never meant we would always have each other’s backs. We can all be vicious when we want to be so marrying below my status seemed worth it at the time. He was kind then," Selene said, not having an answer to what changed.

"You did not marry for love the first time and now, you are doing it again. Wouldn’t you wish for love the second time around?" Xavier asked.

"That would have been wonderful but it is not possible now. I don’t have time to go searching for love. I am a woman who knows what must be done to survive. Love does not matter to me now as I am almost certain it will not matter to you. Do you plan to love me?" Selene asked, guessing his answer.

"Isn’t love one of those things that are unpredictable? I do not love you now but I can’t speak for the future. If you continue to entertain me then I just might fall in love with you," Xavier replied.

Selene smiled. His answer surprised her but it didn’t make her look forward to the future. "That will not be love. It will be you no longer are bored. I do not need you to love me, I just need some respect as your wife. I have been ridiculed enough for this one life."

Selene faced Xavier. "What shall be our arrangement?" free𝑤ebnovel.com

Xavier glanced at Agnes which Selene noticed.

"Agnes is loyal to me. She will not speak of this," Selene promised. "We have known each other before I married Gabriel so I have taken her with me wherever I go. I did the same with Elsie."

"I will trust your word that she will not speak of this or anything else she witnesses. I have not taken someone’s tongue or hands in a long time. You would not want to be the first since I might be too sloppy. You were saying?"Xavier switched back to Selene.

"Must you be like this?" Selene asked, knowing he had just terrified Agnes.

"Be like what?" Xavier feigned ignorance. "Why are you walking around with someone who scares so easily?"

"She is loyal to me. You should know how hard it is to find someone loyal to you in this world and you must admit that with your reputation, it is quite normal for anyone to be afraid of you. You also speak in a way to scare others. I do not mind it for others," Selene said since it would be quite useful in the future.

"That’s a first. We shall share a bed. I do miss that room," Xavier said and then waited for her response. He could make a good guess of what was going on inside her head. "I am not asking for us to be intimate so you may relax. What fun would that be if you were only fulfilling a duty?"

Selene sighed in relief. "Forgive me for looking so happy but I am not ready for that yet. If this displeases you in the future and you wish to share a bed with someone else, please inform me so I can leave before I am laughed at again."

"It seems you have your mind made up that I might welcome another woman into our marriage. I could promise you to the moon and back yet it wouldn’t mean much for you. The wound is fresh so I will do my best to have you trust me," Xavier said, determined to have her realise he was not like Gabriel.

It was insulting for them to be compared.

"If there comes a time when you feel alone and need a man around to help with your desires, I will be a gentleman to help you. Luckily for you, I shall only be an arm’s length away. The red does go well with the pale skin," Xavier said, taking note of her cheeks.

It was obvious that she hadn’t done much or anything at all with Gabriel. Xavier liked knowing this, not for his pleasure but so Gabriel couldn’t speak about it.

Selene was lucky to have walked out of the marriage without a child to tie her to Gabriel.

"What will your family think of this?" Selene asked, his family finally coming to mind.

"What are they to think? They are not the lord of my estate therefore their opinions do not matter. I recall my mother once adored you and your mother," said Xavier.

"That was during a time when my family name meant something. Now I come to you with only the money I have left from my father. Gabriel will certainly slander my name so I have brought trouble to you. She might not be pleased though she once liked me. I shall impress her," Selene said, confident she could.

"I do not care for you to make my mother like you. My marriage is not something we discuss since I had spoken about going to sleep and being woken up when the town became worth residing in," Xavier said.

"Is that why you have a coffin you lay in? I know our elders rest and ask to be awakened but you are too young for it. Have you felt that alone you would rest early?" Selene asked, curious about Xavier’s days in his estate. Wasn’t there anyone to visit him?

"Being alone is not a problem for me since I prefer to be alone but I am bored of this town and the useless drama. I shall make space for you if you wish to join me," Xavier offered, something he had never done before.

"That is kind of you but I must refuse. I only intend to lay in a coffin when I am dead. I will stay with the bed and hope to never find you when you are resting. I would not believe it if someone told me in the past that we would get married but now I look forward to it," Selene said, hopeful the outcome this time would be different.