I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 22: 22:Questioning

In the original novel, Cruella accidentally crossed into the restricted sector during her first integration after getting separated from her temporary team.

Everyone thought she was dead. Instead, she discovered an injured elemental beast hidden within the ruins. It was rare, an absurdly rare occurrence. This was one of the creatures that had later become central to her rise.

This had sparked a flood of Contractors going to the Red zones and leading to a lot of deaths in the process.

Silver frowned slightly.

He remembered the results clearly, not the exact location, nor the exact timing. He only had fragmented memories from the text.

Ruins, fire, collapsed underground tunnels and Cruella nearly dying before forming the contract.

’Should I go?’

Silver shook his head inwardly. No, he couldn’t. Not yet. Rushing blindly into a red zone as a beginner sounded like suicide.

The original protagonist survived because protagonists cheated strategically.

Silver preferred remaining alive. Still, he should remember carefully. If he recalls more details later, the information might matter.

”Silver?”

He looked up immediately.

Cruella stood several steps away now, holding a compact rifle against one shoulder, her hair shifting softly despite not being any wind in the wasteland. Several men nearby were clearly pretending not to stare at her.

Poor fools.

Silver straightened slightly. ”Cruella.”

She hesitated briefly, biting her bottom lip lightly, before walking closer. There was this confusion in her expression. It wasn’t the usual emotional confusion most people experience but Social confusion.

Cruella couldn’t understand why Silver stopped behaving correctly. That had been disturbing her since yesterday and she couldn’t accept it.

”... Can we talk?”

That immediately drew attention from nearby Awakeners and Contractors. Cruella was famous amongst, almost every man in the base.

Silver sighed inwardly. He ignored all the burning stares directed at him.

”Sure.”

Cruella lowered her voice slightly once she reached him. For several seconds, she simply looked at him carefully, studying him, trying to find something familiar.

”You’ve been avoiding me?” She said it directly which surprised Silver a little bit.

He almost admired it.

”Have I?”

”Yes.”

Silver almost burst out laughing. If it had been another woman, the talk wouldn’t have gone this way, not like any other woman in her position would have approached him.

The natural response would have been along the lines of; You stopped harassing me or thank you for finally acting normal.

Or even avoiding him completely like he had the plague.

Silver kept his expression calm.

”I figured giving you space would be appreciated.”

”That never mattered to you before,” she whispered back, only for his ears.

She was fair on that point though.

Yesterday Silver would have followed her into an active war zone if she smiled politely enough. The current Silver found that version of himself spiritually exhausting. Being in a one-sided almost parasitic relationship wasn’t really something most people wanted.

Cruella crossed her arms lightly.

”You didn’t even sit near me during the convoy ride.”

”There were limited seats.”

”There were three empty ones.”

Did she expect him to break the rules of not changing seats and get his ass punished on the first day?

’The selfishness of this woman’

”... The Sanctuaries education system has failed me.”

That caught her off guard briefly. Silver noticed immediately. She wasn’t used to him joking casually.

Before, every interaction carried weight, expectations, and need but now he sounded relaxed, detached even. And strangely enough that seemed to bother her even more.

Cruella frowned faintly.

”You’re different. ”

”So I’ve heard.”

”You used to talk to me constantly.”

Silver shrugged lightly.

”I’ve recovered.”

That earned an actual blink from her. Cruella couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

’Recovered’

As though liking her had been an illness. For the first time since approaching him, Cruella looked genuinely unsettled. Not exactly hurt, more... displeased.

Silver already understood. Of course, Cruella never liked the Former Silver romantically but she liked being liked. Everyone did, especially someone raised constantly surrounded by admiration.

She was a complete narcissist. An emotional vampire to say the least.

Silver Ruddington had been useful attention. Expensive gifts, public devotion, and emotional reliability. No matter what happened, she always knew he would revolve around her.

Until suddenly, he didn’t.

Cruella’s fingers tightened slightly against the strap of her rifle.

”... Did someone say something to you?”

Silver almost laughed.

The immediate assumption is that another person is influencing him somehow instead of him simply changing naturally.

”No.”

”Then why?”

’Because I watched you manipulate three different men into killing each other in the novel. Because you emotionally collect admirers like accessories. Because I already know how the story goes.’

Silver smiled faintly instead.

”I realised obsession isn’t attractive especially when the recipient doesn’t like it.”

The silence afterwards spread slightly too long.

Several nearby Awakeners were absolutely listening now despite pretending not to.

Cruella looked at him carefully. Her eyes searching, probably expecting resentment, bitterness, lingering affection. Instead, she found nothing much.

Just calm politeness which somehow felt more uncomfortable.

”You used to enjoy spending time with me,” she finally said.

Silver nodded honestly.

”I did.”

”And now?”

That question came too quickly as though she couldn’t hold her curiosity in much longer.

Silver noticed.

’Well, would you look at that’

He answered simply.

”Now I think we work better as acquaintances.”

Silver had basically just friend-zoned the female lead publicly. That was her job not his. She looked visibly bothered but she still managed to hide it and not show it openly.

Cruella was too composed for that. But the tiny shift in her expression still existed because rejection felt unpleasant even from people you didn’t want. Especially when they stopped first.

Silver almost felt bad.

Almost.

Then he remembered how the original Silver destroyed himself emotionally for scraps of her attention and the feelings disappeared completely.

The moment broke naturally afterwards.

Cruella adjusted her rifle straps quietly.

”My team is heading east.”

”Sounds safer than most choices.”

”Thats usually the point.”

A brief pause followed. Then Silver added casually:

”Try not to wander into restricted sectors.”

Cruella blinked.

”What?”

”Just survival advice.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

”... You’re being strangely reasonable today.”

”I’m trying a new lifestyle.”

That almost made her smile despite herself. Then she turned away toward the waiting group of Awakeners preparing to leave the checkpoint.

Several men around her immediately moved closer again.

Silver watched for a moment before exhaling slowly. The story was definitely changing because for the first time, Cruella looked back at him before leaving.

Silver turned towards Shawn, who, to his surprise, hadn’t left yet. They both stared at each other before Shawn spoke.

”What are you looking at?”

Silver chuckled then shook his head.

”Nothing.”

He had too much on his plate at the moment. Since the Former Silver wasn’t the most liked, he didn’t have a team or anyone to at least guide him. Most of the ones he had tried to hire refused after hearing his name.

Words of the Original’s behaviour had really fucked him up real bad.

’This is not going to end well’