24: They are the Light and They are the Darkness (2)

And they continued spreading rumors, implying that the husband used to compensate his wife by satisfying her with his money and his tongue... When mentioning the tongue, they didn't just only mean the flattering tongue , they were literally distorting the truth for their own purposes. As for the husband, apart from some sharp glances from some women and his wife's absence from their home, he didn't notice anything.

Soon, those glances turned into whispers among women about him, spreading more and more until he still didn't feel anything happening behind his back. His only apparent damage was his frustration with his absent wife, who he needed but was not present. Ultimately, this was a conversation among women, and he didn't pay any attention to it.

But does it stop there? Of course not... And since women are skilled secret keepers, The matter did not last long before these stories were whispered into their husbands' ears during meal times or in bed, only then, when they saw some men looking at him with disgust and describing him with derogatory terms like eunuch, pleasure-seeker, or money bull. Only after it was too late did the husband connect the threads of all the strange things that had happened to him and finally realize the type of problem he had fallen into.

At first, he was angry and threatened his wife with severe punishment, sticking to his stance for a long time. However, even with his rock-solid determination, the impact of his wife's absence on one side and the pressure from society and rumors on the other side slowly but surely wore down his resolve. He could have gone to brothels to fulfill his needs if it weren't for his noble upbringing regarding such matters, unlike his treatment of his wife.

As time passed, the man's stubbornness completely crumbled, and he decided to take a step back, admitting his mistake, apologizing to his wife for mistreating her, and promising to change his ways for the better.

As for his wife, this is what she was looking for, so she didn't want to make it harder for him than it already was. Just as the husband needed her, she also needed him. Their marital relationship quickly returned to normal, even stronger and more cohesive than before.

The husband learned his lesson regarding women. He had always thought of his wife as nothing but a pleasure he could toy with as long as he provided her with shelter, food, money, and some other benefits. However, during this ordeal, he saw how hurtful his wife could be and how she could stand against him in her own ways, revealing her dark side.

He appreciated his wife's actions when she returned to him without making things difficult for him, and this was the bright side of her that he hadn't noticed too before.

As for her friends, when they achieved their goals, they rejoiced in the effectiveness of their actions and assisting their friend. They began spreading other rumors that undermined the previous ones and denied them. Those rumors no longer benefited the relationship between the husband and wife.which is exactly the scenario they wanted to happen with Doudrian.

They just wanted him to admit his mistakes to them and to their fellow women and to stop his sadistic actions. They didn't realize the extent of their mistake in using this method with him until after the tragedy that made him a living nightmare for every girl who had heard of him.

.

..

...

Despite Stella's body trembling with fear over the answer she awaited from Sina, she still clung to a thin thread of hope. She hadn't lost hope that Sina would unexpectedly smile and say to her, "Of course, I'm just kidding." However, contrary to her hopes, her expectation was correct. Sina looked at her with a serious expression devoid of any sign of jest.

"Unfortunately, I'm not kidding at all. The person who claimed to have come to purchase you as his slave was none other than Doudrian."

"Ho... how could this be? Out of all people, the person who set his eyes on me was the worst of them?"

Stella bowed her head, and silence filled the place. Although Sina couldn't see the expression on Stella's face, the tremble of her body indicated the kind of emotions the girl was experiencing.

Sina couldn't help but sigh in understanding of the situation Stella was going through. How could she, with Dudrian's notorious reputation, who pursued her relentlessly, look down on Stella? Sina couldn't help but feel pity for Stella and be grateful that she wasn't in such a situation.

In fact, if she were in Stella's place, she wouldn't imagine herself feeling anything other than similar emotions. In reality, she knew that even if she were to find herself in a situation like Stella's, she wouldn't feel exactly what the girl was feeling now because she wasn't like Stella; she wasn't alone. At least Sina didn't believe she was fighting alone.

'Thinking about it, Stella isn't actually alone after all... there are those who stand behind her without her even realizing it.' Sina quickly recalled a fact that had been hidden from Stella.

'As for me, it's enough for me to know that my older brother still stands behind me, helping me. So let me indulge my heart a little and my need to do good, and I'll be your support in this moment.'

That's what crossed Sina's mind during this somber silence. This decision she was about to make was for Stella as much as it was for herself.

'I hope this brings me some contentment.'

Aside from Sina's worldly reason for distancing Stella and increasing her chances with Fayte, there was another goal, an innate one within her.

Humans are born with pure instincts, and throughout their journey in life, those pure instincts become tainted. Only a few people can maintain that purity without being greatly affected by life's matters.

As for maintaining it entirely as they were born, that's impossible. The world in which people live is not ideal for such perfect purity to exist. Either one becomes tainted by it, more or less, or purity doesn't exist in it at all.

Returning to Sina, judging by her age, experiences, beliefs, and decisions she had made, she had managed to maintain the purity of her instincts to a great extent. Therefore, this act of kindness she was about to do was beneficial for her and her nature.

Some might think she's doing it voluntarily or hypocritically, but the truth was it had various benefits, and among those benefits was preserving her pure nature.

But what was the purpose of that? Why might some people do it? What's the goal of preserving one's nature?

Humans have many requirements for their bodies like food, drink, sleep, and intimacy to maintain it and its vital functions. The more one indulges the body's desires, the weaker their other side becomes. People often forget or neglect that a human isn't just a body; fundamentally, the body is a vessel for the soul.

And that was the purpose of this known act for people without reward. It was soul food, which in turn preserves a person's nature and contributes to their happiness and contentment with themselves.

"Do you understand now why I told you to leave this place, Stella?"

"Should I escape and leave this place? or Should I stay and confront Doudrian directly? Should I hide somewhere until things calm down?" Many thoughts collided in Lolli's head, and many options clashed in her mind.

None of these choices were convincing enough for Stella to make a decision. Each option had its negatives and positives, and no choice Stella could make would come without risks. There was no perfect option, so all that remained for her was to choose which risks she decided to take.

Would she risk losing trust with her fiancé, who hinted at wanting to fix things between them? Or would she risk going to the Snake's Den and facing the fearsome women?

If you listened to Sina, she would risk her relationship with her fiancé, but would Stella listen to her?

'What should I do?'

It would be logical to listen to Sina because ultimately, it was the best available option to avoid trouble until things became clear.

'I have shown him enough loyalty over the past months, so... just once, I want to be cautious. Our relationship won't be damaged, right?'

If it was all just a misunderstanding, then things would return to their normal course. As for her relationship with her fiancé, it might be affected, but if he was sincere in the words he said to her that morning, he would forgive her to support her trust in him, aven if she escape from the palace.

"Come on, Stella, let's get out of this palace quickly."

"......."

"Stella, please don't hesitate. If he catches up with you, things won't end well at all."

"...No, I won't go. I'm going to leave this palace until Fyate knows about it."

Yes, following Sina's choice was the most appropriate decision any girl could make in such a situation, but Stella wasn't like any other girl. Her beliefs and thoughts weren't like those of other girls her age, especially after living and witnessing her family, her father and mother who left her with such a dry head.

"Do you have anything in your mind? Don't you know that if you stay here, you'll meet the perverted sadist Duderian?" Sina flared up at this girl, unable to see her decision as anything but pure foolishness.

"If you think he'll fall for you, I'll remind you he doesn't even need women, and if you think he'll take pity on you, I'll remind you he's a sadist. So let me ask you again, do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

Sina's anger wasn't unfounded. She had been trying to get Stella out of her trouble for a while, to take her to safety, but this stubborn girl had a dry head. Unlike her shy personality, she always defied her words. She was truly angry because her desire to help Stella was not reaching her due to the insistence of the loli on staying in the palace.

She didn't want to hear after a week that Stella, the sweet little girl, had suffered the same fate as that poor girl, and because of her great pain and torment, everyone knew what a monster this so-called Doudrian was.