Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 56: Still standing (3)

"I am amazed by you, Selene. I knew you were strong but I didn’t realise how strong you had to be," said Xavier.

"For buying a spot for my parents to rest? It wasn’t anything special. I only had to offer some of the money left for me. If you are speaking about his advances for me to sleep with him then, that wasn’t a challenge. He was not the only one who thought I would need to offer my body to receive help," Selene shared.

As soon as Selene revealed this part of her past, she regretted it because she did not want to speak about it. Since she already did, Selene decided to get it off her chest.

"To the town, my life was over. It shouldn’t be a surprise some people wanted to use that chance to use me. I managed to stand strong that would not be the woman I would become. I don’t know if the arrangements with my marriage are far better," Selene said since she was offering herself to anyone for protection.

"What we have is far better than giving yourself to others. I am not asking you to sleep with me. Did he?" Xavier asked, curious about her previous arrangement. "How did you last so long not sharing a bed with him?"

"Gabriel was the one who said we shouldn’t share a room. For the first six months of our marriage, we had only kissed when we got lost in the moment. Still, neither of us spoke about how we felt," Selene said.

She knew this was the start of their marriage not lasting but it was for the better with the way Gabriel treated her now.

"I don’t want to think of what could happen if I had told him. I have been thinking that I should have been so bold to go to you first. I’m jealous of how you were able to scare him. Everyone says that all purebloods are terrifying but I was raised gently. I might be one of the few who do not scare anyone," Selene said but it wasn’t a bad thing to her.

"I think you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You found a way to survive in this town of all places. Many would have turned to the red light district but you found yourself a husband to support you. That one was a fool but look at the wonderful husband you have now," Xavier complimented himself.

Selene nodded her head. "You are wonderful."

"I am amazed that you are still standing. You need to give yourself a break," Xavier advised Selene.

"I don’t need a break. What have I been doing to need one? The wedding wasn’t as tiresome as it might have seemed," Selene replied.

"I don’t mean a break for that. You had to hear what was said about your parents, witness them be killed by the king’s orders, bury them, fend off relatives from taking what belongs to you, throw yourself into a marriage with that man, and face that human. You need a break," Xavier repeated.

"You’ve been either constantly seeking ways to survive or dealing with someone’s foolishness. I will not judge you if you want to take a moment from your revenge or thinking of your family. I applaud your strength to keep yourself together but I also worry," Xavier voiced his concerns.

There was going to come a point when everything hit Selene all at once and the emotions she bottled up to appear strong would greatly affect her. She didn’t give herself enough time to grieve after Elsie’s death.

"Thank you for your concern but I am fine. I’ve cried about many things and for others it was anger I already got over. I won’t crumble," Selene promised. A break could come later when her life was peaceful.

"Sometimes, you are an awful liar. I will always be near if you need to share your feelings with me or speak to the little mouse here. Go to your friend and do not let the guard lose sight of you. I will see you at the estate when you return," Xavier bid goodbye.

He was most concerned about leaving her side for so long when humans were targeting their kind. Being his wife, Selene would make too good of a target.

"Wait! How will you make it home?" Selene asked, looking outside the carriage for what Xavier planned to use. "There isn’t a horse here to take you home."

"I will find a way. Do not worry," Xavier replied. If she didn’t need to visit her friend, he would gladly stay longer to hear her be concerned for him.

Xavier lifted Selene’s right hand to kiss the back of it. "One day I will need you to take responsibility for something, Selene. I hope you will."

Selene placed her hand on her lap after Xavier stepped away to close the door. Again, he was strange by doing things that got her flustered if she didn’t know he was just teasing her.

The carriage started to move after Xavier closed the door.

"That man is strange," Selene mumbled.

"He will not always refer to me as a little mouse, will he? I do not want a witch to think I would make a good mouse. Do I resemble a mouse?" Agnes asked, palming her face.

"Of course not. You must ignore what he says at times. He is trying to make you panic and it is working. I will protect you if a witch wants to take you," Selene said and then bit her lip not to laugh at Agnes’s worried expression. "I have always said you are my cute little lamb. Ignore my husband."

Agnes lowered her hand and thought of Selene starting to refer to Lord Blackthorn as her husband. It was right to call him that but it was a little surprising to hear it roll off of Selene’s tongue so easily. "What do you think about what the lord said about taking responsibility?"

To Agnes, it sounded like the lord was making a confession about his feelings but she couldn’t be certain.

"I do not intend to think much about it. Who knows what is going on inside of his head? I am thinking about Fiona. I hope she is not too upset that she could not attend the wedding. Should I have brought something along with me?" Selene wondered since it seemed rude to go empty-handed.

"You were the one who just got married, Milady. It is only fitting that Lady Fiona be the one to prepare a gift. Is there something else that troubles you? It seems like you have a lot on your mind," said Agnes.

"I am a bit worried about her husband. We have limited the time we see each other in the past because of her husband. I am hoping there isn’t any trouble because I am coming for a visit. Perhaps it would have been better to invite Xavier that far," Selene said since his presence might help with Fiona’s husband.

Agnes remembered the man who changed his ways once it came out about Selene’s parents. Fiona was always nervous when he came around during Selene’s visits. "You are now Lady Selene Blackthorn. The lord doesn’t need to be at your side for anyone to act right."

"I am not worried about how he will treat me. I could always handle him but I am worried about Fiona," Selene clarified. She did not like leaving Fiona with her husband.