Felyn had never really cared about what Viloti thought of him during the contract period.

Whether she hated him or pitied him, he originally felt it didn't matter, so Felyn hadn't asked Viloti all this time.

"So are you still going to avoid me for a while?"

"I still want to... is that okay?"

Viloti lowered her head, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.

Her mind was still in a mess. Even though Felyn currently showed no signs of distancing himself from her, Viloti still hadn't figured out how to face him.

Especially when it came to this serious problem. If she took one wrong step, Viloti felt that their relationship might undergo a drastic change.

Miss Viloti's consideration was not superfluous.

If she had really asked about the contract at this moment, Felyn really wouldn't have known how to answer.

He didn't want to lie to Viloti anymore, but the timing was clearly not right.

"Of course."

Felyn looked down at his toes, drawing lines on the floor with his foot. "But, you've been avoiding me recently, and there are some rumors about us at school."

"Rumors?"

"Mhm. You usually follow me around every day, right? But you've been avoiding me recently, so everyone is spreading rumors that you're pregnant with my child, and that I'm out looking for other women all day, not only gambling, but also frequently getting drunk and staying out all night."

"Not only that, they also say I hit you, and that even though you're pregnant, I show you no mercy. But you're just so infatuated, you can't bear to leave me, and you can't bear to part with the child in your belly, so you can only watch me from a distance and care for me carefully."

Watching Viloti's expression slowly freeze, Felyn shrugged and spread his hands helplessly.

This wasn't something Felyn made up to look pitiful.

There really were such rumors.

Sometimes, one had to admire the knowledge of the young masters and ladies of the nobility. They could embellish a small matter so vividly, making it very impactful and easy to spread.

No one would know what the original version was or who said it.

Because such rumors, in their transmission, would have countless processors adding fuel to the fire, and would eventually become extreme.

"But... but I'm clearly not pregnant with your child."

Viloti covered her lower abdomen and patted it gently, as if she were really checking whether she was pregnant or not.

Felyn watched as Viloti checked for a child in her belly, and a question suddenly occurred to him.

Could Viloti have taken it seriously? Could she be the kind of pure young lady who thinks kissing and holding hands can lead to pregnancy?

"Viloti, let me just ask, do you know how babies are born?"

"Eh?!"

Viloti stepped back, not even noticing the few strands of hair hanging at the corner of her mouth.

Her amber eyes flickered, and with her lips pursed, she said in a low voice, "I... I know... you have to take off your clothes in bed, first kissing, then touching, then doing..."

"Alright, if you say any more, it'll be me sexually harassing you." Felyn reached out, not wanting Viloti to continue.

Tricking a pure and beautiful girl into talking about lewd things in the bathroom, it just didn't sound right no matter how you looked at it.

And Viloti, don't give out the details! Why do you have to give out the details!

"Anyway, to sum up, such rumors have already appeared." Felyn clapped his hands, bringing the topic back on track.

"But Felyn, you're clearly not that kind of person. You're very good to me, you've never been violent towards me, and I don't hate you."

Felyn leaned against the bathroom wall and spread his hands. "Right? There are many things we clearly haven't done, but they will still make up all sorts of reasons to slander you. Some people even do it just for fun, so they follow the trend and agree."

"Th-then I'll scold them back for you. I'll help you stop them. No one is allowed to bully Felyn." Viloti clenched her fists, showing her inner determination.

"Really?"

"Mhm, really."

This was a form of therapy Felyn was using on Viloti.

If Viloti were doing it for herself, she might be too lazy to refute others' words.

But if Viloti were doing it for Felyn, then she would definitely take action.

No matter who it was for, as long as Viloti took the first step of resistance, she would improve.

At least she would know that some people put you down and slander you not because you are really bad, but because these people are jealous of you and can't stand to see you do well.

As long as Viloti figures this out, as long as she doesn't take what others say to heart, she will slowly change.

"But there are too many people like this. If you try to explain to them one by one, it definitely won't work. The best way is to catch one person and hold them accountable, making all the rest so scared they won't dare to speak."

"I understand, Felyn."

"But Viloti, you can't use sigils in this process," Felyn reminded her.

"Can I use a third-tier sigil?"

"No."

"First-tier?" Viloti pouted.

Arguing was not Viloti's strong suit. While others could chatter on for half a day, Viloti's mouth wouldn't even open. So, compared to arguing, Viloti preferred to fight. She was quite in line with the Claude family's style.

"No! You can't just throw sigils at people when you open your mouth."

"I'll try my best, Felyn."

Viloti didn't agree to Felyn's words.

She would only lose control of her emotions and throw sigils when others bullied and slandered Felyn.

She didn't want others to bully Felyn, not at all.

Half an hour later, the locksmith finally came and opened the bathroom door.

Felyn looked coldly at the locksmith in front of him, who was wearing a mask and a hat, but had exceptionally perfect leg lines.

Isn't this Bernice? You couldn't find a second pair of legs like these in all of Seiwa.

Daiyi, you're not even trying to act anymore, are you? You could have at least found an old man to fix the lock.

Viloti didn't stay at the house for long either. After saying goodbye to Felyn and Dai, she got into Silafiel's private car and went home.

Felyn and Dai stood at the door, watching the car drive into the sunset, watching it slowly disappear.

"Dai, did you arrange all of this today?"

"Don't be angry, dear. I'm just finding myself a good little sister, so I won't be lonely at home by myself."

If one had such a magnanimous lover or wife, they should be very happy.

But Felyn couldn't feel happy hearing these words.

He knew Dai's thoughts, and he knew why Dai was doing this.

But Felyn couldn't do anything about it right now, couldn't change anything.

Silence filled the air between them. The setting sun stretched their shadows very, very long.

But their shadows were like parallel lines, never intersecting, keeping their distance from each other.

... ...

Friday, early morning.

Outside the entrance of Saint Andros Academy.

A luxurious sigil-powered private car was parked on the side of the road not far from the school entrance.

A young girl with black hair tied in a middle-parted bun sat properly in the front seat, wearing the red and white uniform of Saint Andros Academy.

"Aunt Noke, I understand."

And sitting behind her was Noke, who had specially rushed over from the Royal Capital District.

Ever since the attack on Adeline in the Royal Capital District, Noke's family had been targeted by someone unknown, and family members had gone missing one after another.

Even Noke's own younger sister had been kidnapped by someone.

Noke suspected that the Claude family and the king had joined forces to do it, but she had not found any relevant evidence. She had sent people to investigate the Claude family but found nothing.

She had even secretly used the help of the Divine Church to investigate the royal family.

Except for that weak princess, she had sent Divine Church members to gather information on the king and the prince, but all came back empty-handed.

On one hand, Noke couldn't stop her surveillance of these people. On the other hand, Noke was also considering other possibilities.

For example, the young man she had ignored at the time, Felyn.

Felyn was a member of the Sorester family. Although the Sorester family was gone now, perhaps he had secretly accumulated power.

The last time four Divine Church members were killed, it was clearly not something Adeline could have done alone.

"Anise, the future of the Noke family depends on you."

Noke had lost a lot of weight these days. The fear of not knowing who the enemy was was the most torturous.

"I know, Aunt Noke. Don't worry, leave it to me."

After getting out of the car, Anise waved at the departing vehicle.

The smile on her face disappeared as the car drove away.

"Tsk."

She kicked a stone on the side of the road, and her previous good girl image was completely gone.

"Making me deal with a down-and-out noble, so annoying. What do they take me for?"

"And haven't people been saying recently that Felyn is an abusive man? He used Miss Viloti and then abandoned her."

"I really don't want to have contact with this kind of person. I feel like I'll get dirty just by getting close."

The noble young lady Anise walked towards the school entrance. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she thought of a good idea.

"That's right, I can just go ask Miss Viloti. She's quite familiar with Felyn, and she was recently deceived by him. If I say a few bad things about Felyn, she might join me in complaining about him, and then I can take the opportunity to inquire about Felyn's recent news. That way, I can avoid having contact with him."

(End of Chapter)