Myths Reawakened

Kristen didn’t have a flexible view on love like Wayne did, and her first love was singular rather than plural like his. Swept up by Wayne, exchanging breaths and more with their lips pressed together, she soon lost herself in the heat of the moment.

When she realized it, she was straddling Wayne’s waist in a scandalous position, and Wayne was blushing.

Veronica would’ve punched him for acting innocent after taking advantage. Not Kristen, though. Her face was more flushed than Wayne’s. Thinking back to how she had actively asked for more kisses, her brain short-circuited, and her temperament suddenly shifted.

She looked down at his sprawling form on the bed. Her eyes were frosty enough to freeze everything in view.

What, did she switch to a different personality?

Wayne recognized her state and speculated that the graduate student was bashful and hesitant to express herself just like him, so she let another personality take over to enjoy the forbidden fruit.

Interesting! He sat up and met the icy gaze, pressing his lips to hers once more.

Although her appearance hadn’t changed, her changed temperament made her seem like a different person. Still, her icy front didn’t make her immune to embarrassment. The aloof version of Kristen endured less than two minutes before turning back to the shy one, her face flushed adorably.

Wayne picked her up and made it to the bathroom. “Let’s shower. It’s been a hectic day, and you’ve gotten quite a lot of dust on you. I’ll wash you clean for you.”

The bath took two hours.

Although nothing had happened, everything had. Kristen lay back on the bed, burying her head in a pillow as Wayne approached her with a smirk.

What an incorrigible man! How could he do that... and that. She was no longer pure!

Wayne pulled her into his arms and soothed her mortification with sweet words. His senior had been on top of him and pressing against him, so he was no longer pure, either. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

And after repeated confirmation, he was certain that back in Klofron, Kristen had indeed been the bouncy and supple one he had felt. Case closed.

“Your divine blood is too precious. The legendary mages would always covet your body. Although Obed failed, others might be after you. With your purity taken tonight, they may finally stop eyeing you.” Wayne spouted a nonsensical excuse with a straight face.

It wasn’t completely illogical; Dorrin had lost it and planned to replace Kristen after hearing about her exhausting workout sessions with Wayne.

Kristen didn’t really get it. She rested her head on Wayne’s shoulder and whispered a few words. While she didn’t spell it out directly, she was basically saying that since she was no longer pure, she might as well lose her purity completely.

“I would like to, but how would doing it with a clear intention be any different from harming you?” Wayne said. “Then I’d be just like those legendary mages.”

Kristen bought that reasoning. Touched, she kissed Wayne on a corner of his mouth, asking for more.

They spent a little more intimate time together. Wayne warned, “Your High Reverend is up to no good. After learning that you have divine blood, she will surely pull tricks on you. No matter what she says, don’t say yes. Tell me first before giving her an answer.”

“High Reverend is nice,” Kristen said quietly.

“Only you’ll think that.” Wayne rolled his eyes. He should show Kristen his diary to teach her the malice of a human heart.

On second thought, though, maybe not. He wouldn’t want to involve Veronica in this relationship. He exposed Filomina’s pretense instead. “Remember that night? When I coaxed you to sleep at my residence?”

“What happened that night?” Kristen asked. Listening to his strong heartbeat while lying on his chest, she could feel sleep creep up on her. She was exhausted from learning knowledge that her textbooks didn’t teach and putting it into practice.

“You were in a strange state that night, like you were seducing me. You’re not that kind of girl. I’m sure the High Reverend put you up to that.” Wayne scoffed. Every time he thought about it, he got angry.

“Well, that...” Kristen looked up, suddenly wide awake. “High Reverend did consider that, but gave up in the end. She said that while you were a good person, you might not be a good man. Worried that I would get hurt, she... decided to... take matters into her hands.”

“???”

Wayne was thoroughly confused, but he did catch the keywords. He embraced Kristen tightly and said, “Don’t listen to her. It’s all slander. I’m a good man!”

“...”

“Say something, Kristen!”

“I’d still like you even if you were the devil,” Kristen said with certainty.

Wayne was willing to risk his life for her, so what if he wasn’t a good man? She could change her preferences for him. From now on, she liked bad boys.

When you hate someone, no matter how many good points they have, you’ll only see their flaws. Conversely, when you like someone, no matter how flawed they are, you’ll only see their good side.

That’s love!

Kristen knew that Wayne had been shamelessly trying to juggle three relationships, but she liked him so much that she chose to ignore the potential heartbreak for now, enjoying the present and taking one step at a time.

It shouldn’t be a serious problem. Wayne and Veronica were siblings and could never get together. Vera... well, Vera wouldn’t even pose a threat!

Kristen convinced herself that she would win.

Her smile confused Wayne and made his scalp tingle. “If the High Reverend didn’t tell you to seduce me... what happened that night? Why did you suddenly throw yourself at me?”

He felt awful. He had only been leading Filomina on because he believed she had been bullying Kristen. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have the moral high ground.

Shit, I am the scum!

I mean, I suppose I’ve always been. But still! This won’t do!

His panic went entirely unnoticed by Kristen. Remembering the heavy ‘truth’, she sat upright and pulled Wayne up.

“There’s something I’ve been thinking, Wayne. I decided to make it clear with you.” After tonight’s intimacy, she believed she was entitled to having this conversation. “You’re the heir of the Lando family, aren’t you?”

“So you know...” Wayne came to a belated realization. All this time, Kristen had had feelings for him, but she pretended not to realize it for various reasons. After learning about him being the Lando family heir, she felt pressured into actively pursuing him that night.

It all made sense now.

It turned out that he had misunderstood Filomina. The unlucky High Reverend had been giving herself away freely from the very beginning, doing nothing but being a victim of his deception.

“Yeah, I already know.” Kristen nodded, holding Wayne’s hands and speaking seriously, “You can’t be with Veronica. It’s wrong. From now on... You can seek me out.”

Wayne was confused again, but it didn’t matter. Although he didn’t know what Kristen had imagined, he stood to lose nothing but the millions of seeds in his seed bank.

“Then I’ll say yes first.”

He put aside his confusion and leaned in to whisper a few words to Kristen. She shook her head with a blush. The knowledge she had just learned was too difficult, and she didn’t want to review it now. But she had brought up the truth and made a promise. After a moment, she agreed to a one-on-one tutoring session.

This time, Kristen was the student, and Wayne was the teacher.

***

The second day, Wayne emerged from his bedroom feeling refreshed. When he opened the door to Mona’s room, he didn’t see anyone on the bed, but he heard movements in the bathroom.

Hearing the door open, Mona popped her head out and saw Wayne. She swapped the bathrobe for a towel before walking out.

Having released his pent-up frustration, Wayne was able to confront her heavy affection without stress. Like a proper angel, he told Mona to behave herself. Their relationship was purely one between an employer and an employee. While he was on top of her in hierarchy, he wasn’t actually on top of her. She should stop wearing a towel like clothes.

Under his serious gaze, she slowly put on a formal outfit, tasked to stay put and be good.

She felt hurt, her eyes reddening.

“Alright, alright. Stop looking at me like that.”

Wayne sent her a telepathic message. Although this was his home, he wasn’t the master of this estate yet. It would be inappropriate for him to reward her here. Later, he would reward her doubly.

He didn’t specify how much later. Then he dismissed Mona, telling her to leave through the sewers.

He had been too busy to run his detective agency recently, so he instructed Mona to manage it in his stead. From today on, she would be his special assistant rather than a regular employee.