Chapter 86: The Heart of Jealousy

Olivia...

Hearing this name, Rayan's mouth was filled with bitterness.

He had never thought that he would make a girl cry. From any angle, this was not an attitude a man should show towards a woman.

"She must really hate me now."

Rayan's head throbbed painfully, and he couldn't help but rub his forehead with the palm of his hand. He already possessed Ninth Tier Battle Qi, and in ordinary border towns, he was almost unbeatable. Yet, facing a resentful, crying woman, he really didn't know what to do.

Olivia was not a Fighter, but she was more troublesome than a hundred slave mercenaries.

"No girl would cry for a man she despises."

Duke shrugged his shoulders, "You're so smart, how can you not understand this?"

"But... I'm afraid she'll be angrier if she sees me."

"Do you care if she gets angry?"

Duke raised one eyebrow, "Or perhaps, you've already given that place in your heart to another girl?"

"I..."

Rayan suddenly didn't know how to answer, his usually clear thoughts tangled like a rope with ten thousand knots, the more he tried to unravel it, the tighter it became.

"Alright, I won't ask anymore."

Duke smiled knowingly, "You don't have to worry about Olivia. If you don't care whether she gets angry, just apologize to her out of politeness as a gentleman should. If you care about her being angry, then you should apologize even more—because if you don't, she'll only get angrier."

"So, no matter what I think, I should apologize..."

"That's right."

Duke said seriously: "Technically, this isn't a big deal, but I'd rather not teach you any moves until I've taught you how to not avoid the responsibilities a man should bear. You need to become a real man first, and only then a man of legend."

Rayan finally understood Duke's intention. Duke's words struck deep into his heart. As a man, there are indeed things that cannot be avoided. This spirit should not only be shown in fights with men but also in interactions with women.

Avoiding is never a solution.

"I won't avoid my responsibilities. But... what can I say to make her not angry?"

"Don't be foolish, whatever you say, she'll be angry because she's a woman," Duke chuckled.

Rayan's heart sank. His unintentional avoidance of Olivia had finally reached a point where he had to face her. He lifted his eyes, looking at Duke's face which was reveling in schadenfreude, and retorted, "Boss, are all these lessons from your experience?"

"That's right!"

Duke said proudly: "Even though you're already a Ninth Tier Battle Qi and govern a small territory, in my eyes, you're still the green boy you used to be."

"If these are your experiences, why are you still alone now?"

Rayan frowned slightly, "Could it be that your experience in this area is flawed?"

Duke's face turned red, and he quickly covered it up with a few coughs, feigning anger, "Kid, don't look for excuses to escape! Apologizing is necessary!"

"Yes, boss."

Every time Duke "got angry," Rayan always obediently replied with a "yes," and this time was no exception.

Duke was pleased with his apprentice's attitude, "Alright, I'm going to cook, remember to come back in time for dinner."

Saying this, he turned and walked down from the attic, entering the kitchen.

"Brother Crow, please take care of Sola."

"Wu ah!"

Crow jumped onto Sola's chest, staring menacingly at the unconscious girl.

This scene made Rayan involuntarily remember the time when he was just rescued back to Ravenstorm Inn, with Crow having the same expression, seeming ferocious but touching in retrospect.

This expression was etched in Rayan's heart, never to be forgotten.

After collecting his emotions, he took off his lord's robe, changed into a lighter black cloth outfit, and then checked Sola's physical condition to ensure there was no immediate danger before leaving the attic.

Olivia's house was just across from Ravenstorm Inn, separated by a not-so-wide street, but Rayan moved as slowly as a snail to Olivia's door.

His hand raised to knock, but hesitated and did not fall.

Apologizing to a woman was harder than he imagined. Rayan felt his throat dry, desperately needing water.

He was about to turn around when the door opened from the inside, and Olivia stood there with an icy face, her hair messy and her eyes red and swollen, clearly having been crying just moments before. Her once delicate face looked as if it had been ravaged by a storm.

Rayan's heart ached inexplicably, and the apology he had prepared got stuck in his throat.

Olivia had already seen the hesitant Rayan through the window. Unable to wait for him to knock, she rushed out without regard for her dignity, staring at him with hateful eyes, her face as if she wanted to pull Rayan's handsome face into her mind, to crush, bite, and swallow it.

No, even that would not quench the hatred in her heart.

The two stared at each other, neither speaking.

The silence lasted for dozens of heartbeats, Olivia's eyes softened first, but her tone remained firm, "What are you blocking my door for? Are you here to collect my taxes too?"

"I..."

Rayan bowed his head, his face ashen as he said, "I've come to apologize."

His gaze first touched Olivia's chest, her breasts were small but perky, and even through her spring attire, Rayan could recall the crescent shape—but realizing this was disrespectful, he moved his gaze to her slender waist, her flat abdomen, her long legs—his eyes shifted several times, but he could never find a proper place to rest, every part of Olivia's body had been desired by him.

He would not forget, one night, how he lay awake fantasizing about Olivia's body. But at the same time, he would not forget that he and Olivia could never be. He always had to leave this small place, and there was no room for Olivia in his adventurous life...

"Apologize?"

Olivia's heart chuckled, but her face remained unthawed. Having Rayan personally come to apologize was a celebration-worthy event from any angle. If it were any other love-struck girl in Shadowcrest Ridge, she might have already fainted from delight. But Olivia was Olivia; she wanted more than just an apology.

"You are the Crow Lord, and I am just a small village chief under your jurisdiction, how dare I make you apologize?"

Now, she had to slightly raise her head to catch the expressions in Rayan's eyes.

Rayan had anticipated such sarcasm and bitterness, so his stone-hard face showed no change in emotion—this slightly disappointed Olivia, who wanted to provoke him.

Rayan merely pursed his lips, continuing with a somewhat stiff tone, "I shouldn't have been so harsh to you, I was just in a hurry to save someone."

This sounded sincere, but Olivia would bet her legs that Rayan must have rehearsed this line over and over.

"It's a slave—"

Olivia emphasized bitterly, "You were in a hurry to save a barbarian tribes slave, a female slave."

Her resentment was not entirely without reason. People from the Auroria Continent and those from the barbarian tribes were inherently considered different classes of beings, with the latter often seen as monkey-like creatures that resembled humans.

So, in her view, Rayan's actions were no different than getting angry at her over an insignificant monkey. But if Rayan had indeed been holding just a monkey, Olivia wouldn't have cried so bitterly—

He got angry at her over a lowly female slave. A young, delicate, exotic-looking female slave...

Thinking of their physical contact, Olivia could almost see a future scene where that "shameless little wench" climbed onto Rayan's bed, flirting coquettishly...

Her knuckles turned white from gripping.

Jealousy is a woman's nature, and malice is jealousy's best companion.

Olivia was not a bad person; had the same situation happened to someone else, she might even have sympathized with the slave girl's plight. But now, filled with jealousy, she was surprised by the malice that sprouted from her heart, yet she did not regret it. She had fallen in love with Rayan, and it no longer mattered what kind of person her love turned her into.

"Sola is a barbarian tribes person, but she shouldn't be anyone's slave."

Rayan did not notice Olivia's overwhelming jealousy, still mistakenly explaining, "Her injuries were caused by me. I even thought about killing her to silence her, but when I saw the hatred and defiance bursting from her orange eyes, I couldn't go through with it. The Crow Sword should not kill the innocent, so I decided to save her. Since I made that decision, I won't let my efforts be wasted."

"And I just happened to block your noble self at that moment."

Olivia's anger grew more intense, and her tone became sharp and acerbic, "How kind Lord Crow, and yet I am just a narrow-minded country woman."

"You're not a country woman, you..."

"Then what am I?"

Olivia said angrily, "A bipedal monkey? Oh no, I forgot, I'm even less than a monkey in your eyes!"

The silence suddenly became as oppressive as stagnant water.

Even if Rayan was foolish, he could hear the anger and grievance in Olivia's voice. His angular lips parted slightly, and he said softly, "It seems I've messed up the apology."

Olivia snorted, not responding.

"If I've messed up, please don't mind it."

Rayan's stone-like face still showed no emotion, "Because I just wanted to cheer you up, but I'm really... too clumsy."