Chapter 259 (2): It’s Fine, We’ll Each Use Our Preferred Forms of Address

“It’s not about if you seem like a pervert or not...”

Auston answered the question Wayne hadn’t asked out loud like he could read minds. The two men went back and forth for a while until Auston finally believed that Flora was truly dead.

“Strange. Given her beauty, what had she done to make you kill her?” Auston asked suspiciously, probing, “Did she make Veronica suffer?”

“With me protecting Veronica, she couldn’t do that.”

Wayne sighed. He didn’t want Auston to overthink, and Veronica’s loss of purity could lead to misunderstanding, so he confessed the truth.

“Ha, Flora killed her student, whom you like, so you killed her for revenge.” Auston scoffed coolly.

And you said you weren’t a pervert!

Wayne couldn’t argue against that. He said quietly, “The fact that she died despite her beauty is proof enough that I’m not a pervert.”

Rumors stopped when they reached a wise person. To frame him, Auston would rather be unwise. Wayne knew that, and since it was impossible to wake someone pretending to be asleep, he simply gave up and admitted to the rumor.

“Buy a private library in the Western District in my name,” Wayne said. “I need it to house my fourteen new lovers. Pick a remote one, away from the bustle of the city. And it shouldn’t be profitable.”

“You can handle something that trivial on your own.”

“I don’t want to waste the money.”

They fell silent.

Auston huffed. Never would he pay to support Wayne’s lovers. He would have Megan handle the purchase with the young master’s allowance.

They talked about many things. Wayne brought up the Nature Knight’s whereabouts—there seemed to be a high-level dungeon, figuratively speaking, in the Frozen Land. Pope Ludwig was ready to step down, and Wayne boldly predicted that he would be ambushed by the Death Knight on his way home then. Senna, as the master of the next Nature Knight’s master, was very likely to become the new Pope.

“That crazy woman won’t do. If she becomes Pope, a war will break out.” Auston made his disdain for Senna clear. He warned, “Don’t treat her as one of your own just because she’s given you benefits. She needs you because you’re going to be the chosen knight, and you can help her secure more power. That’s it.”

He made a bold speculation, “Let me guess. Did she target your weakness for women and give you a taste, expressing her admiration for you?”

“You’re right!”

Wayne was amazed. Although Auston had gotten the process wrong, the result was spot-on. Senna had given him many tastes. As expected of Auston. He was just as smart as Wayne was.

“So, did you just play along?”

“Yes, out of trust in an ally, I told her some secrets: that I’m the Death Knight and you’re the Darkness Knight.”

Auston shot to his feet. Then, thinking of something, he sat back down. “Don’t make a joke like that. I know you know that she’s not trustworthy. What are the terms of your alliance? She couldn’t have told you about the curse of dragon blood because you lied about supporting her to become the Pope.”

Auston trusted Wayne’s ability to fool women, but Senna was another story. Her extreme attitude shift had to come from something else.

“She really does know our secrets. I even transformed into the Death Knight in front of her.” Noticing Auston’s grim expression, Wayne smirked and said, “I’ll tell you a secret, too. Don’t tell Master. Senna’s mine now. She will do whatever I say, worshipping me even more than Mona does.”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Auston stiffened, looking at him incredulously. “What’s the reason this time? The Nature Knight?”

“It’s love!” Wayne declared and praised the greatness of love. Even an incorrigible woman like Senna would become love’s captive after encountering true love.

As if I’d believe you!

x2

Auston and Megan, who was eavesdropping, shared the same thought.

Auston was so curious that he wanted nothing more than to pull the truth out of Wayne’s mouth. After a while, he said, “I’ll ask one last time: she really won’t betray you?”

“She really won’t. Even if I tell her to die, she won’t hesitate to off herself.”

“She-she...”

Although it had been years, Auston could still recall Senna’s appearance and voice. He recognized her as a great beauty. Based on appearance alone, even the most critical person wouldn’t find any fault with her.

A beauty like her falling into Wayne’s hands—she had to have lost her innocence.

“She’s Silvia’s master. You... With Silvia... Just retrain yourself and don’t let her find out.” Auston gripped his silver coin, looking at Wayne with a strange gaze.

Not only had Silvia picked up a student for herself, but she had also picked up a man for her master. Hm... um, the addresses were a little complicated. He needed to sort their relationships out.

“It’s fine. We’ll each use our preferred forms of address from now on.” Wayne raised an eyebrow, chuckling. “Like the two of us—I’ll call you Father, and you’ll call me Uncle.”

“...” x2

Auston’s eyes twitched. He kicked Wayne out by saying, “Is there anything else? If not, I need time to calm down.”

“That’s all for now. I’ve been through too much recently, so maybe there are things I have forgotten.”

Just when Auston was going to breathe out a sigh of relief, Wayne slapped his thigh and said, “There’s one more thing—one important thing. That night, Veronica and I couldn’t help ourselves and reached home base in the heat of the moment.”

Clack!

Auston clutched his chest as if he were having a heart attack. He breathed with difficulty, his hands trembling nonstop. Losing his grip for a moment, the silver coin fell onto the sofa.

He hurriedly picked it up, not giving Wayne a chance to touch it. Glaring at the trash before him with bloodshot eyes, he said through gritted teeth, “I deeply regret driving you out of Londan back then. That was the biggest mistake in my life. I should’ve stuffed you in a barrel of cement and dumped you in the river!”

The father was beside himself with rage. Although he knew that this day would come, he still couldn’t accept the terrible news.

“Our marriage—”

“Don’t even think about it!” Eyes red, Auston snarled at Trash Jr. to get lost immediately. Even if Silvia beat him to death, he wouldn’t hand Veronica’s hand over to Wayne at the wedding.

Piss off! Your face annoys me.

“You’ll regret it, Auston!”

“I’m the head of this household!”

As usual, their conversation ended unpleasantly.

Megan entered the study. “Master, you should arrange for their marriage immediately. There are many other girls Young Master likes. Every day you delay their marriage—”

“What? Let him get married so that he can seek out his mistresses?”

Auston scoffed. He knew that marriage wasn’t going to tie Wayne down. It would only make Veronica sink more and more into the relationship. He would tell her the truth while there was still time. She would know what decision to make.

He believed so. She should know better. Perhaps...

Auston’s face became as dark as the face of the Darkness Knight. It pained him that Veronica was as easily deceived as Silvia, and he resented the bets he had lost, allowing Wayne to have written evidence against him. He became an accomplice who pushed Veronica into the burning pit indirectly.

“Megan, what do you think are the chances of the Darkness Knight successfully assassinating the Nature Knight tonight?” Auston’s eyes blazed. Wouldn’t it be nice for Wayne to die in a clash between two chosen knights?

“Don’t be unreasonable, Master. The Darkness Knight and the Nature Knight are allies. You’re no match for the combination of the Death, Darkness, and Nature.” Megan stated the truth, advising Auston to quickly arrange a marriage so that the young lady wouldn’t suffer more.

“Do you think I can’t handle him?”

“Master, he’s the heir of your choice.”

Auston clutched his chest, his heart spasming once more.

***

Wayne’s residence.

When Wayne unloaded his luggage from the car, he saw Kristen waiting at the door. He raised both arms to lift her, spinning her twice before lowering her.

“Kristen, how did you know that I was back?”

“I asked your butler. He told me.” Kristen’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

Wayne nodded discreetly, turning to Veryl, who was moving his luggage inside. The butler pressed a fist to his chest and bowed slightly.

Miss Vera also asked about you. I told her that you’d be home the day after tomorrow.

Beautifully done!

Miss Filomina called to inquire about your return. I said you’ll be back in five days.

So professional.

There’s also Secretary Mona. She’s been staying at the detective agency these days. She’s an excellent secretary and has been diligently managing your assets. You should pay her a visit, Master.

I’ll do as you say.

Wayne was deeply moved. Without Veryl, he couldn’t have managed his time this well. If he didn’t have such an excellent butler, he didn’t know how he would live.

While thinking about their previous conversation, he felt Kristen kiss him on the face.

Wayne lowered his head and nuzzled Kristen’s cheek, smelling the overwhelming fragrance of longing. He felt a warmth in his chest. “I’m tired from the journey and covered in dust. Allow me to shower and get changed. So many things have happened during my trip. Prepare to stay up late. I’ll tell you the stories slowly tonight.”

Kristen nodded, taking his briefcase from him. Like a dutiful wife, she followed him into the bedroom and had even filled the bathtub in advance.

It had been three months since they last saw each other. Missing him, she lay in her beloved’s embrace with only a towel around her body.

Wayne was about to say something when Kristen sealed his mouth. She didn’t care how thrilling and exciting the trip had been. It was enough to know that he was back by her side.

After a lingering kiss, Wayne pulled away and said, “Veronica withdrew and didn’t become the Holy Maiden. She still wants to play with you and Vera.”

“Just me and Vera?” Kristen blinked, her tone wry. “Can’t you two siblings be more rational? You know you’ll make mistakes, but refuse to give up.”

“We really aren’t siblings...”

You will be! You said you had to stay pure for the selection, but you don’t have an excuse now, do you?

Gritting her teeth, Kristen grabbed the blanket and covered herself and Wayne...