Chapter 19 - The First Guilt

'What's with her face?', While Avendial was seated inside his Rolls-Royce Phantom Limo, en route to the exclusive lodging designated for various noblemen just a mile away, he looked out at the opulent mansions that appeared no less extravagant than a princess's palace. He supported his chin with his knuckles, his elbow propped up on the nearby window, observing Rivia as she quietly entered the car with her usual impassive demeanor before taking a seat beside him.

"Are you okay, Rivia?" As Avendial inquired, his eyes disregarded her nurse attire, reminiscent of scrubs. Instead, they focused on the faint hint of knuckles marred by a blood clot, suggesting a recent impact. Next, they locked onto her amethyst eyes, portraying a mix of coldness and anger simultaneously.

"Yes, I am completely fine, Master." Rivia turned her head to the man, who was still a few inches away from her in the car. His face brought back memories of a few hours ago, making her feel relieved and temporarily forgetting about her anger towards Alfred. The pain in her knuckles, from hitting a tree earlier, intensified by their intense moment, still lingered throughout her body.

Contrary to her usual ability to effortlessly turn trees into dust with her Synergy, or to land from a three-storey building without any ankle injury, she experienced a sense of helplessness for the first time in her life.

It was as if she had become just a mere human and lost all her abilities, which slightly made her anxious. If something like this happened, then there would be no reason for someone like her to stay beside this man.

But even in the unlikely event of that happening, she was still overjoyed as she had finally achieved all her lifelong dreams tonight.

"Give me your hand." Avendial witnesses her condition deteriorating to the point where she no longer resembles the monstrous Sword masters, instead appearing as a frail yet beautiful woman.

"Huh?" Rivia was taken aback by his sudden words, keeping a blank expression while instinctively reaching out her injured hand towards Avendial before resting it on his hand.

'She lost all her synergy,' Avendial felt guilty from within due to this woman's present state, but not showing anything on his face; his eyes glanced at her back, adding, "You will need to drink healing potions and synergy boosters."

"....Yes", Rivia, who was only focusing on the sense of touch, ignored what her eyes were seeing, what her ears were hearing, and any smells she was noticing. The only thing she paid attention to was the warmth of his palm where her hand rested.

"Sigh, let me guess, do you have a crush on me?" Avendial, noticing her eyes fixed on his hand which was holding hers, felt that she was distracted by something else and not paying attention to his words, prompting him to try to give her a small shock.

"Eh? W-whaat? C-crush?!" Rivia had hidden her emotions so deeply that she never expected this man to notice. However, upon hearing his words, a clear electrifying feeling rushed through her body. Her eyes widened, pupils contracting, as a teasing expression danced on Avendial's face, his sapphire eyes already accentuated by the moonlight just caused her heart to race out of her chest.

"Oh, I was just kidding, no need to panick" Avendial gripped her hand when she tried to pull away in surprise, his eyes observing the subtle changes occurring in her body: the shyness, irregular breathing, and subtle hint of blush. These confirmed his suspicion, 'So, she really loved me, huh?'

Naturally, up until now in his previous life, he never paid attention to others' feelings because he was solely focused on his business.

This made him realize the importance of considering others' emotions, especially after receiving information from Alfred, who had revealed a truth following the execution of Patric Vrandin.

Indeed, in previous life, Rivia died while protecting Avendial by killing Sebastian and all the soldiers who barged into the room to accuse him of treason. She also destroyed all the evidence, including the entire room, allowing him to escape at that time.

But she died because her wounds did not heal as they usually did, and there was no synergy left in her body for some unknown reason.

She took her last breath in his arms, smiling as if she had found something more important than death and didn't care about it.

Sequentially, Avendial had gone after Patric who had fed him aphrodisiac causing all the events and loss of Rivia, but it appeared that much stronger forces were involved in this.

The Royal Family caught Patric, and he was executed. Afterward, Alfred revealed a series of information to him which was unbelievable and heart-wrenching at the same time.

Information has revealed that 124 women, who were not from prominent noble families, and who had caught Avendial's interest since his childhood, have either died in accidents or been murdered in their homes.

And Alfred said that it was done by none other than Dominic Rivia Aurelia.

It all appeared fictional, and at that time Rivia was not alive. Avendial chose not to learn more about her, only wanting to preserve the final image of the woman who protected him without any additional corrupted memories.

But now that he was back in the past and had already dealt with obsessive women before, he knew how much dangerous Rivia could become if not handled well.

So, he first needed to confirm if she really loved him, and if she did, to what extent, and then decide how to deal with her accordingly.

"A joke?" Rivia blinked while continuing to look at him, trying hard to understand his words, which were confusing. He had never joked or shown this side to her before, making it all the more perplexing. However, it also ignited something within her, prompting her to nod while deleting all expressions from her face." I see.."

Avendial glanced at the nearby section inside the Phantom Limousine, opened the drawer, and retrieved a first aid box. He began to bandage her hand, with him glancing at her for a second, feeling the need to clarify something to her. Above all, he wanted to erase the first stain on his heart.

A guilt which kept showing him a mirror of pain and agony, causing him to face it for his own satisfaction. "Hey, Rivia."

"Yes, Master," Rivia kept looking at the hand before lifting her eyes to meet Avendial's gaze as he tied the bandage on her.

Avendial finished tying the last knot on the bandage and calmly stated, "It was my fault that you lost all your Synergy."