My Vengeful Former Lover

“I’ll take care of your wounds.” The priest’s words interrupted his reverie.

“Please check first to see if Deatrice is okay.”

The priest paused, there was no real reason to further check on her, but he still complied anyways and reassured him once more.
Then he proceeded to assess the lord’s condition.

Despite Lucius’ rejection, the priest insisted on seeing his wounds with a stubborn attitude.

“A wound caused by a monster’s core, or so I’ve heard.
Fortunately, the marquess knew how to use her divine powers and it is no longer as severe as before.
However, it isn’t fully cured.
M’lord, please allow me, or else your wife’s efforts would be all for naught.”

After Lucius had calmed down, the priest began the treatment and he felt the alternating warmth and cool sensation of divine power seep into his back.
Perhaps thanks to Deatrice’s prior treatment, the wound healed quite quickly.

Although the priest did not inquire further about the sleeping Deatrice because a certain someone was already glaring daggers at him, after the treatment was over, he applied a sliver of power into her glabella.

“She’ll sleep better because of this.” He explained.

The hard lines on his face smoothened out and Lucius also greeted back with courtesy.

As soon as the priest closed the door, knights and servants tried to come in to check that he was safe, but Lucius did not hide his discomfort and drove everyone out.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to slap himself.

To think that he had harbored dirty thoughts when Deatrice endured the pain he was going through and subsequently fell asleep due to exhaustion.

“Despicable bastard.”

After wandering around the room anxiously, he finally lowered his head.
For a while, he was controlling his chaotic emotions, but then another series of questions popped inside his head.

Why was that priest so familiar with the consequences of Deatrice’s divine powers? How well-acquainted were they?

If that was the case, when and for whom did Deatrice use her powers?

She was the daughter of a mighty duke.
Who could’ve possibly summoned for her when her power was clearly lacking?

It wasn’t long before Lucius remembered that one rainy day when Deatrice was at the late duchess’s funeral, barely able to stand and required the help of someone else to keep herself from falling.

Back then, he simply thought she was too overwhelmed with grief over her beloved mother’s departure.

“Don’t tell me…” He didn’t want to believe his conjecture, but everything pointed out to the fact that what he was thinking of was the truth

The recipient of Deatrice’s powers…

Lucius recalled the rumors of the seemingly extraordinary relationship between the Duchess and her daughter, along with the rumors that even though the Duchess was diagnosed with a disease, priests rarely frequented the duke’s residence.

How old was Deatrice when her mother was battling a disease?

Sixteen?

Lucius frowned at what might’ve been Deatrice’s tumultuous past.

It may have been unreasonable for the young Deatrice to give up her powers when she knew she could help her mother, even if it meant that she suffered.
However, under that pretense of helping the family, she could’ve also been easily exploited.

If the priest knew of her prognosis in such detail, Lucius felt his blood boil that incidents like today may have happened more than once.

“Then what was that man doing?!” Lucius couldn’t stand it and cursed at the duke.

Leaving her to fend for herself right after marriage clearly shows the weight Deatrice holds in his heart—nonexistent.

Still, Deatrice could muster up the strength to call that man ‘her father’.

“My father thinks it is right not to intervene.
If he stepped in and protected me, people would be suspicious.”

At that time she did not show much emotion when he made mention of the duke, but Lucius recalled Deatrice rolling her eyes after hearing his words like she could care less if he said something bad about her own father.

He didn’t find it surprising now.
If anything, regardless of their blood bond, the duke should be terrified of her.

Lucius glanced at her sleeping figure apprehensively, then he eventually turned around.

This woman, who may have put up walls to protect herself from being hurt again, was the same woman who chose to bear the brunt of his injuries.

***

It wasn’t long before Deatrice opened her eyes.

Her body felt lighter than usual.
A foreign divine power remained in her body, and she quickly recognized that it may have belonged to the priest who had come to heal Lucius.

She was bewildered.

Why give divine power to a person who has simply fallen asleep?

She soon concluded that it was probably because Lucius pressured the poor priest.

Deatrice put on a helpless smile, then she stood on the bed and walked on top of the blankets to leave the room.
It was dark and she couldn’t see well, but she felt like Lucius’ bed had become significantly bigger all of a sudden because she still hadn’t reached the edge yet.

Lucius was not by her side.
Perhaps, as soon as he had been healed, he already left.

Her foot had stepped into thin air and subsequently took a step downwards.
She put on her slippers and was about to stand up when she suddenly heard a low voice in the dark.

“Do you need some water?”

Deatrice, who thought she was alone, was scared silly by the unexpected company.
When she looked at where the voice came from, she could see a silhouette moving.

Soon, a match was lit and Lucius’ face was revealed by the soft glow of yellow candlelight.

His gaze remained fixed on the flickering flame.
Deatrice surveyed her surroundings, “It’s already this dark.
Were you here all this time?”

“Yes.” He replied quietly.

She didn’t ask for it, but he still handed her a glass of water with ice cubes in it.

Maybe it was the shadows playing tricks on her, but his face strangely seemed to have a sunken expression.
As if he had discovered some deeply held secrets.

Deatrice looked into his eyes and asked cautiously, “How are your injuries? Was the rest cured?”

“Yes, they’re fine.”

“Everything’s cured then?”

“Yes.” He replied succinctly.

However, the expression on his face was pensive, as if waiting for the time to speak out the words he had prepared.
Deatrice had an inkling of what their conversation would be about and it made her restless, so she cleared her throat nervously.

Lucius beckoned her to drink the water on her hand, and Deatrice complied.
After having gulped a mouthful, she opened her mouth.

“I know you’re surprised.”

“Why did you do it?”

They both spoke at the same time.
Due to his imposing attitude, she followed his subject without even realizing it.

“I did it because… you seemed like you needed the treatment right away…”

It sounded like a meager excuse.

Lucius said, ignoring her words, “You told me before that we are a couple and if I asked for something, you’d have no choice but to do it.
Then was that, too, performed simply out of duty?”

Rather than having an angry tone, his was soft and quiet.
His words made her speechless.

Not because it was true, but because if she denied it, then that would mean that she… That she wasn’t doing it out of obligation.
Afterwards, if Deatrice explained that she was only worried about him, and Lucius asked why on earth she would be worried…

What should she say?

If you want to support us, please download our awesome cultivation game Taoist Immortal!