Reborn, Its Time To Save My Family And.. My Enemy!
Chapter 174: Safe

Chapter 174: Safe

"My lady, it had been hours!" the butler seemed worried as he urged Olivia. She sighed.

"I do not know if i should entertain him. I am not the lady of the house. I am just like all of you. Working here!" Olivia had noticed when the guest had arrived. His cold eyes had left her unsalted the moment she had met them.

"I have already informed his grace that the lord would not return anytime soon. He had been waiting for hours, my lady. It is humiliating and he might hold a grudge. And as far as i understand..." the trailed until she looked at him, "you are not like us. And you have every right to entertain the guests." Olivia frowned but her heart raced. She knew the staff was whispering.

"Please.." Olivia sighed. For some reason, she had already worn her best dress and the only necklace she owned. Though she would return it soon to Edward.

"I will go." She stood up and followed the butler who looked much relieved.

She knocked on the door before entering. The maids follow behind her with a tray of various snacks.

"Your grace." she curtsied. "I am afraid that the lord might not return till night."

She did not sit. Her meaning was clear And Rhistel had only smiled.

"I know."

He had made himself at home in the velvet armchair by the hearth, long legs stretched out, cloak draped over the side like a shadow bleeding onto the rug. The fire hadn’t yet been lit. The room was cold.

But it was his presence that chilled her.

Olivia walked to the sofa with a careful grace, her skirts whispering against the floor.. The weight of his gaze met her halfway down, sharp and curious, like a scholar inspecting an artifact he couldn’t yet name.

"You’ve been very patient, Your Grace," she said as she sat beside him. Her voice was polite but there was impatience filled in it.

"Time bends in strange ways when you’re old," Rhistel murmured, his silver eyes never leaving her face. "It slips, forgets itself. I barely noticed the hours."

"I am Olivia Witherland. You know my sister." she asked, folding her arms loosely.

He leaned back, fingers steepled. "You do not remind me of her." she frowned at the strange reply.

"I am sure we have met for the first time." she smiled, already staring at the door like a caged bird.

"Your sister is not like you at all." he leaned again, watching her with an eerie gaze that left her uneasy.

Olivia’s pulse ticked faster, though her face remained serene. "You’ve said that already."

"And yet you did not ask me who you reminded me then?." His voice was soft, too soft. And then he laughed, surprising her. "It’s maddening, you know. To feel something ancient stir in your bones, to see a face and feel the tremble of old truths scratching at the edges."

Her throat tightened.

"I remind you of an ancient truth?" she asked, trying to show amusement but failed. There was something that itched her. As if an old whisper in her ears asking her to run away.

"No, for now, you remind me of Damon. His smell still lingers on you." he smiled, which did not look like a smile.

The air between them thickened. Outside, a crow cawed sharply, then silence again.

He tilted his head, and in the dim light, something shifted in his expression—almost reverent. "Tell me, Olivia. When you sleep... Do you dream of fire?"

She frowned and shook her head.

"I never dreamt of fire, my lord?" he titled his head as if confirming her thoughts.

"Then your death?" she froze for a second only to smile again.

"I am too young to think about my death, your grace. But.. Why are you interested in my dreams?"

Rhistel rose, slow and deliberate, like a man standing at an altar.

"Your sister seems too worried. I thought you share the same worries. Did Damon tell you about me?" he had told her strange things like the kids did not belong to his face and that Oriana would stay in the north for forever.

But she did not believe any of them.

"I came here to invite you to meet your sister. Since she would never return. I am sure the kids want to meet her too. And you would not send them alone. Do you?" her eyes widened and she stood up too.

In that second, they were too close and she flinched when his breath caressed her skin. She had the illusion that he would take a step closer to touch her. But he did not. He stood there and watched her. Yet she felt his touch and something else that panicked her.

"Your grace.." she took a step back and the spell was finally broken. "What do you.."

"She would be disappointed if you do not come to meet her," he repeated.

"Are you getting married to her?" Rhistel laughed. Slow and enchanting. But she felt her skin crawling as if a reptile was coiling around her.

"Yes! I think so, but nothing is certain until we tie the knot." he chuckled. "Are you worried about your own marriage? Olivia." The name sounded too intimate for their first meeting.

"My lady or lady witherland." she corrected but he only laughed.

"We are going to be a family. Do we need to follow such formalities?" she wanted to impose. But she knew he was right. If he really married Oriana. He would be his new brother in law.

"Do you love her, your grace?" she pressed not knowing why. But she did not like this man.

"Love is a luxury, my lady. I am sure nobles could not afford it. But she would stay safe with me. And I will take care of the kids. You do not need to worry about them anymore." he assured and then turned toward the door. She had not heard the steps. But there stood Damon watching them with an intent to kill.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.