30

Isaac rummaged his bag, searching for something. Once he found it, he turned around and poked the oblivious man beside the window.

The oblivious man is, of course, Xie. He woke up from his reverie and turned to face Isaac, confusedly looking at the man.

"Ah, sorry. I was too deep in my own thought. Do you need something?"

"Here."

Xie saw Isaac holding out a thin, black file towards him. The file exchanged hands.

"What is this?"

"The pictures of the house and the bakery. I forgot to give you the rest of the photos this morning. That is the complete compilation of the photos."

Xie still hasn't opened the document. He thoughtfully kept his eyes on Isaac.

"Please take a look." Isaac urged him. "I got the best photographer in the entire city to take the pictures." He looked proud, and his triumph smile made Xie chuckle. He's just like a dog. Xie could imagine how Isaac's tail wagged excitedly with his ears perked up.

How childish. Such a smile is totally unfit for this man's frosty countenance and icy temperament.

Xie: "....." Hmm...should he praise him or not? Seeing the sunny smile on his face almost blinded Xie's eyes. If he deliberately forgets to compliment him, will the smile on his face dim out? The answer would definitely be yes. Thus, out of his kind heart, Xie exaggeratedly thanked him. "Thank you. I really, really appreciated your effort, Sir Isaac. I'm sorry for troubling you, though."

"It's...it's not a trouble." Isaac's cheeks had suspicious pink hues. Was he blushing?

Oh, my god. Someone as cold as him, who can freeze someone and make them into an ice sculpture, could also blush like a teenage girl? How fascinating!

What should he do? This man makes him feel awkward. Xie felt his own cheeks heat up, so he shifted his eyes to the file in his hand.

"That...thank you..." He shyly thanked him again in a soft voice.

Isaac suddenly stretched out his hand, brushed off the stray curls from his forehead, and gently ruffled his hair. His lips curved slightly.

"You're welcome." If it can make you happy, I will be glad to do anything for you. "Enjoy yourself."

Xie was stunned. He could still feel the lingering touch on his head. His face blushed again and was more prominent than before. He used the file to hide the pink shades on his cheeks.

Stop acting so sweet to me, you rogue! I still cannot forgive you for molesting me this morning!

Xie shook his head.

He opened the file, and his bright emerald eyes brimmed with energy as he saw numerous pictures of the house from different angles, which instantly caught his attention.

He was very excited about the house. He had a sleepless night due to his overexcitement and had been imagining his dream home until early in the morning before he could fall asleep.

Wow, this house looked so beautiful that it appeared surreal! It resembled a cottage. Flowers filled the vast front yard, and wooden-type fences painted in white surrounded the two-story building.

One of his dreams is to own a house which will come true soon. His nose felt sour, and he wanted to cry. Finally, he will get his own home.

The small, underground room did not belong to him. He rented it from an elderly couple. The room was small and cramped, and the ventilation was terrible, especially during summer. He felt like he would die due to suffocation if he stayed inside the entire day.

The benefit of owning such a tiny room unleashed after the apocalypse descended on earth.

The weather was uncertain, but summer rarely happened. The sun always hid behind the dark, tumultuous clouds. And during winter, he experienced a freezing hell. He recalled that he had to warp himself in several layers of thick clothing to survive the cold night. There's no hot water to warm his legs. But...amazingly, he survived those harsh weathers.

In the middle of his grogginess, a silhouette of someone often sneaked into his room. He quietly laid beside him and hugged him to sleep. That person gave his body the warmth he craved, and he usually drifted to dreamland less than a minute after he appeared.

There were many suspicious points about the mysterious person. How can that person enter his room? Where did he vanish to after he woke up? And why he couldn't remember his face?

It was weird, but he didn't repulse the man's touch despite him being a stranger. Instead of feeling scared, the man gave him a strong sense of security.

Xie picked one picture from the rest that fully showed the house's structure and started reconstructing something inside his mind.

There were so many parts he wanted to renovate so that the house would meet his demand and be his dream home.

"Madam, can I ask you something?" Alaric leaned in closer to Xie and said in a whisper tone.

"Sure. What is it?" Xie's eyes were still on the pictures of his dream house. He was too engrossed in those photos that he didn't realize Alaric's grim expression.

"What if master changed his mind and refused to let you go?"

Xie's cheerful demeanor diminished.

With a frowning eyebrow, he came face-to-face with a serious-looking Alaric. Such possibility had made his mood terrible. Additionally, Arthur's current behavior made him uneasy. So, he was afraid that he could not escape from that person.

"Why...why wouldn't he do that?" He coolly asked this question. Then he added the following sentence in a low voice, afraid to be heard by the people in front. "He had promised me to sign the divorce agreement."

"Well, it's just the feeling I got." Alaric saw the worry inside madam's eyes. "He hasn't signed it yet, madam. Either he does it intentionally or not, but he might have the intention to drag the issue until inevitably you cannot escape from his clutches."

"You made him sound like a maniac."

Alaric rolled his eyes. Madam was too far in love with his husband before and was head over heels for his affection. He might not yet realize it, or he chose to turn a blind eye to the master's personality.

But, despite the master's indifference, his craving for control was terribly worse. If one day, the wife, who had been staying by his side, decided to leave him because he no longer loved him, what does a man like his master strive to do in that kind of situation? Will he willingly let him go? Or, will he put madam on a house arrest so that he can never see the outside light ever again?

Maybe master never reciprocated madam's love, but familiarity bred fondness.

And, Alaric knew that master never truly hated madam. It's due to numerous misunderstandings and miscommunications that led them into this current predicament.

"I only want to remind you, madam. Master Arthur is a shrewd businessman. If the divorce causes his company's reputation to plummet, do you think he would agree with your demand? Besides, the King and he had signed an agreement in secret. If the two of you wish to separate, do it after you reach your tenth marriage anniversary."

Xie's eyes widened. "What?! How come I never heard that before?"

"You're the one who told me, madam. How should I know that you had forgotten about the secret deal?"

"I...I know?" Xie stuttered. Shit. There's nothing about this deal in his memory. Why?

"Of course, the night where you and Master Arthur had a big quarrel, he brought out about the divorce. And you said in a sarcastic tone, if Master Arthur dares to divorce him right at that moment, then the fund that the King gave him will be taken back, and his company will collapse." Alaric narrowed his eyes. "The attendant and I were there, so we heard about it. Madam, you seemed to forget about many things. Should we go to the hospital and see the doctor?"

"I...I had short-term amnesia. There are things I can remember and some which not. No need to trouble the doctor!"

"Are you sure?" Alaric became even more suspicious. Did madam hide something from him? "Then, do you remember the deal you made with the King?"

"Uhh...maybe? Which one?"

Alaric released an exasperated sigh.

"Since you forced the marriage, which your father initially rejected, he made you promise him something in return. If you ever wished to dissolve the marriage before ten years ended, the King said he would send you off to the neighboring country and marry the crown prince there as his concubine."

Xie felt his jaw drop.

"I...I don't want-"

"Of course, as your servant, I never thought you would ever propose divorce without a backup plan. Thus, when you daringly gave the letter to Master Arthur, I'm sure that you have something behind your sleeve."

Xie wanted to hit his head somewhere. To think the original deliberately hiding something like this from him! Did he want to kill him twice?! How can he hide from the slag husband and the ruler of this nation?! Was it already too late for him to take the divorce paper away?

"Looking at your pale face, perhaps, you didn't have any plan yet?"

Xie pitifully nodded his head.

Alaric groaned inwardly. Madam, you're so reckless. Even if Sir Isaac helps them cover their track, he is not powerful enough to challenge the King's authority.

"Then, are you still willing to divorce right now?"

Xie pursed his lips. The rims of his eyes had turned a bit red.

"Not willing. Not yet." It was hard to say this conclusion, but he didn't have any choice.

------

Someone must be wondering why he suddenly brought up this topic.

Unfortunately, he got a message from Master Arthur just a moment ago.

The man reminded him to make sure madam returns home in two weeks or else...there will be severe consequences waiting for him.

Alaric never wishes to betray madam, but he had to make sure madam had prepared for the worst before jumping into a pit of fire. If he intended to leave Master Arthur unscathed and secure his freedom, he needed to work harder for that.

All human has two sides.

The personality they were willing to show to the others and the one which they dared not. The latter is their ugly side that had to be hidden from being known by the others.

Master Arthur had not yet unleashed the hidden side of his personality. He always gave the others his never-changing frosty look, with the usual prim appearance. He seemed ordinary at first glance, but Alaric heard many nasty rumors about this man from his friends(coworkers that worked in the same mansion for years).

That Arthur Vie Vermillion was the one who murdered all of his family in a fire.

Vermillion was an older noble family with a long-standing tradition and respectable reputation. Their prosperous life was not only blessed by wealth but also health, especially flourished with several children for every generation. Thus, the fight for inheritance was brutal and very intense compared to the other household.

Regardless of the gender, in the Vermillion, which only applied to the pure-blooded lineage, as long as you have the capabilities, anyone could slowly rise up in rank and power, accumulate experience and virtues, until finally, they stood at the pinnacle of their life.

Until one tragedy took everything in one fell swoop, where three generations of Vermillion died, only leaving behind the youngest Arthur, eight years old.

------

Mini Theater.

Apocalyptic World.

Art stood at the top of a skyscraper, alone. He solemnly swept his gaze towards his surrounding. His eyes saddled with sadness.

Maya: Are you still here?

Art: What do you want, Maya?

Maya: Accompany my brother, who is heartbroken because of the death of his lover?

Art: Joke aside, did you find the person who had controlled Wu Zhi through hypnosis?

Maya: Yes. And you knew who. But that girl had already died. It is due to the explosion you caused before.

Art: Tsk. It's too bad. I wanted to torture her to vent my anger and resentment, yet she died easily.

Maya: (Kept her silence for a while, still hesitating whether or not to break the unpleasant news)That girl and Wu Zhi had a connection.

Art: And?

Maya: If Wu Zhi reincarnated in another world, that girl would surely follow him. These two people were born under the unlucky twin stars. Their path will definitely cross since it was their destiny to be enemies.

Art: You mean, right now, in a world where I can't get my hands on to, there is a dangerous factor hunting Wu Zhi?

Maya: Yes.

Art: (Eyes flashed a dangerous glint before returning to normal) Wu Zhi...I failed to protect him before. If I fail again, the world better perishes for eternity. There's no way I will let him die again!

Maya: But you cannot go there. In that world, you cannot fully utilize your power due to restrictions. That world will mercilessly kick you out once you step into its perimeter. The only way is by possessing the body of that world's resident. But-

Art: I know, Maya. There's no need to say anything further. (Exhaled a heavy sigh) We're the same person, but why did he reject my influence? (Said in a bitter tone) Wu Zhi, what should I do?