Chapter 427: Chapter 426- Manipulation?

To be honest…I had a feeling about this.” Ariana finally said, breaking the heavy quiet that had lingered between them for nearly five minutes. Her voice was steady, but not entirely unreadable, carrying a sharpness that made Adrian’s chest tighten.

He had told her everything—what happened during his trip, the fragments of memory that returned to him, the moments he shared with Raven, and finally, what happened last night. He hid nothing. He never planned to. If anyone deserved the truth in its raw, unfiltered form, it was Ariana.

He wasn’t ashamed of what occurred between him and Raven. What shamed him was the idea of letting Ariana remain in the dark. That would have been a betrayal far worse than any past sin.

The rooftop carried a soft, cooling breeze that swayed Ariana’s silver hair like a drifting ribbon of moonlight. They sat side by side, facing the glowing campus below.

After dinner, Annabelle had gone to take a short nap, and Adrian was quietly grateful for it—he needed this conversation with Ariana, alone, without Annabelle nearby, without anyone listening in.

With Annabelle, he would need to take a different approach. She was an emotional person whom he would approach differently. But with Ariana…he confessed everything bare and straight.

“How so?” Adrian asked, raising his brows at her earlier statement.

Ariana rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug. “When you appeared and I hugged you, I smelled a scent on you. A woman’s scent. Strong.” She shot him a sidelong glance. “And the way you kept looking at me from the corner of your eyes told me you had something weighing on your mind.”

Adrian lowered his head with a faint hum, unable to deny it. Ariana’s senses were sharp—sharper than most. And when it comes to him, she can just see right through him.

Hiding something from her was as pointless as lying to the wind.

After a brief lull, Ariana’s tone softened. “You…don’t remember why you left her? In your previous life?” She asked it gently, almost too gently, as if she feared her own voice might push him off balance. Yet her eyes revealed nothing. No anger. No jealousy. No accusation. Just…calm curiosity, which somehow weighed on him even more.

He shook his head. “Not at all. The last thing I recall is storming out of the house in a fit of rage. After that…everything just turned blank.”

The memory—or rather, the void—made the edges of his chest ache. He could feel the guilt seeping in again.

Ariana bit her lower lip before speaking, “What…happened to Querella after that? Did she survive?” She wasn’t asking out of pity. It was something else—something quieter, deeper.

Adrian nodded. “From what I heard, she helped her people rebuild their homes. Became someone influential. Respected.” His voice dipped, heavy with sorrow. “But all her influence…all her connections…none of it helped her find me. She searched for years. Lived with that hope until age finally claimed her.” He swallowed the tightness in his throat. “She died in the same church where we exchanged vows.”

Ariana closed her eyes for a moment, drawing a measured breath. “She is a brave woman.”

She looked ahead, gaze fixed on the horizon, though her tone carried a strange vulnerability. “People think I’m bold. Fearless. Harsh even.” A faint smile pulled at her lips, fragile enough to crumble. “But in her place, I don’t think I could have done what she did. If the person I loved disappeared like that…I might have bled out rather than live through that grief. And if I survived, I’d probably cut myself off from the world.”

Adrian had no words. He stared at her profile, illuminated by the rooftop lights and the moon’s faint glow, and his guilt pressed like a stone on his chest. He hadn’t just hurt Querella back then, he had broken her.

“I committed a crime,” he murmured. “A great one. As Avirin…I hurt her in a way she never deserved.”

Silence fell between them again, thick and unsteady.

Ariana spoke first. “On the server…she knew, didn’t she? She knew exactly who you were.” Ariana’s voice held a hint of disbelief. “And even then, when she met you in person again…she didn’t yell? Didn’t confront you? Didn’t say anything?”

Adrian let out a breath. “I asked her that too. She told me she was waiting for me to remember everything first. She didn’t want to complain to someone who didn’t remember her love or her pain.”

Ariana gave a dry chuckle under her breath. “If it had been me, the first thing you’d have felt would’ve been a tight slap. A very tight one.”

Adrian let out a faint, helpless laugh. “Honestly, I deserve a lot more than that.”

Ariana nodded, not disagreeing in the slightest. Then the two of them fell quiet once more, the silence now softer—filled with uncertainty, but no longer suffocating.

Then Ariana finally asked, her voice quite low, “So? What do you plan on doing now? Remarry her?”

Adrian exhaled, the question hitting him harder than he expected. “I…haven’t thought that far ahead,” he admitted. “But it’s true, Ariana—I won’t leave her. Not again.”

He turned fully toward her, gently taking her hands into his own. His hold was fragile, almost hesitant, as though he feared she might pull away at any moment.

“I’ve broken your trust,” he said quietly. “You never stopped me from growing closer to Ruby because we trusted each other. We had clarity between us.” His voice tightened. “But this—everything with Raven—it came out of nowhere. So I understand what you must be feeling.”

Ariana lowered her head wordlessly, letting her hair fall like a curtain between them. She didn’t pull her hands away, but she didn’t speak either.

Adrian drew a slow breath, steeling himself. “As shameless as this sounds…” he whispered, “…I want both of you in my life, Ariana.”

Her fingers twitched in his grasp, but she remained silent, waiting.

“I won’t abandon Raven,” Adrian continued, voice heavier now, “but I can’t let you go. She’s tied to my past—my buried memories, my unfinished promises…but you…” He swallowed, lifting her hand slightly as if to anchor himself. “You are my present. The part of me that’s alive. The part that steadies me. My other half. You’re the one who makes me whole.”

He leaned closer, his words trembling with sincerity. “I can’t imagine a life without you, Ariana. Not even for a moment.”

Ariana’s voice trembled, barely holding itself together. “And what if I decide to leave you…break this engagement…and go back to being just cousins?”

“I won’t let you,” he said instantly.

There was no hesitation, no plea hidden beneath the words—just a quiet certainty, as if he already knew he would stop her no matter what path she tried to take. The conviction in his tone made her chest tighten.

Ariana lifted her gaze to him for a heartbeat, only to flinch away when she met the cold steel of his eyes. She turned her head, voice soft but edged with frustration. “This world is full of men who have several partners. Women don’t get a say in anything. So why are you so bothered about what I think?”

“Because it’s me, Ariana,” Adrian answered, leaning a little closer, his voice lowering to something firm and intimate. “You know I don’t follow those rules. Your opinion matters to me because you matter to me. You’re one of the most important people in my life.” He exhaled slowly. “And for this—especially for this—I want to convince you. I want your permission to bring Raven into our family.”

Ariana gave a small, irritated hmph and turned even further away, her displeasure practically radiating off her. “Is it even my decision anymore?” she muttered. “It feels like you’re just manipulating me into accepting her.”

Adrian helplessly smiled at her as he leaned back and spread his arms, “I am right here, Ariana. Punish me anyhow you want for trying to manipulate you. But just…don’t stop talking. That would be worse than any punishment.”

Ariana sniffled, wiping her eyes she said, “Why would I stop talking to you? Are you thinking I am a coward like Avirin who would run away from a situation?”

“Ouch…” he winced, “…that’s quite a harsh one but I accept the allegation. I am a criminal.”

Ariana chuckled, though her eyes were still glimmering with tears.

Then, she asked, “Will…she accept it though? Me being in your life too?”

Adrian wryly smiled, “Raven was worried about the same thing…and the answer is I will make things work anyhow.”

Ariana leaned back and closed her eyes, “I…I don’t know what to say right now. Can you give me some time?”

Adrian hummed, “Yes, sure…but just don’t start to ignore me now.”

Ariana didn’t answer to him but the way she held his hand it was certain she was not going away.

She was willing to give their relationship a chance.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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