Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord
Chapter 156: Holding on (1)

Chapter 156: Holding on (1)

"Reginald, you look tired. Are those two stressing you out?" Xavier asked as he walked by the butler.

"Not at all, Lord Blackthorn. Your father is out of the home while your mother is alone in her room. Should I call her down for you?" Reginald asked.

Reginald was happy to see Xavier, though it didn’t show on his face. Since Josephine hadn’t seemed like herself lately, Xavier might be what she needed to cheer up.

"No, I will find her myself. Why haven’t you been visiting Harold? It is not like I would send you away or stop him from having a day off. Are you two not getting along?" Xavier inquired, a bit puzzled by the relationship the two had.

"My brother and I get along well, but we are both busy with the homes we look after. There’s hardly any time for us to speak, and if we do meet, there is nothing to talk about," Reginald replied.

Reginald never vented to Harold and likewise since neither wanted to share the personal matters of either Blackthorn.

"It concerns me how you both are so loyal to your work that you do not meet. A glass of blood would be wonderful," Xavier said, sending Reginald off so he would be out of the way.

Xavier made his way up to his mother’s room to see the state she was in. Was she drowning herself in a good drink or was she carrying on like nothing was wrong?

When Xavier entered the room his parents shared, he found his mother sitting out on the balcony soaking up the sun.

"What are you doing here, Xavier? What have you come to tell us now?" Josephine asked, her eyes closed.

"I should be asking why you are sitting out here like this. I hope you had enough blood to not let the sun burn you. Please don’t tell me you are so heartbroken you would injure yourself over this marriage," Xavier said, hoping that was not the case.

Josephine opened her eyes and sat up to look at Xavier. "I love your father but not that much. I was only soaking up the sun a little. It’s a little unfair the humans get to enjoy but I have to move quickly before I burn. I did have enough blood to help with it."

Josephine was bored and didn’t know what to do so lying out under the sun felt good in the moment. It wasn’t every day she got to do this since she avoided the sunlight as much as she could. If Nathaniel had been the one to show up, misunderstood what she was doing and then stopped messing with Xavier to focus on her, would that be so bad?

"Now I am almost tempted to see if your father would snap out of what he is doing now if he thought it was pushing me to harm myself. Does he love me that much to stop?" Josephine wondered.

"If you have to go that far to see if he would pick you then you already got your answer. He’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants or the family feels satisfied. Unfortunately for all of you, I don’t plan to end my marriage with Selene. You’ll have to put up with this for a long time," said Xavier.

"That I already know. Your father thinks you are out to turn me against him. I wonder what your plans are," Josephine said.

If it was that Xavier simply cared for her then she would feel over the moon.

"I don’t care whether you want to stay with him or leave. It is up to you but I am only here to see what choice you would make. I have to decide if I want you to keep meeting with Selene. I can’t have you getting in her ear to attempt to destroy what we have now," Xavier explained his actions.

"So," Josephine smiled. "It is all about her. Don’t misunderstand me since I do not mind you caring for her so much. I’ve always wanted you to find that person to make this long exhausting life feel worth living."

"I also want to see that you aren’t suffering all because you love him. I won’t tell you to leave him but I must guide you in some way before you ruin yourself over him. If what I said about him picking you is part of the reason behind your sadness then I apologise," Xavier said, knowing it couldn’t have been pleasant for her to hear.

It was the truth but it was harsh and a wake-up call for his mother.

How Selene was treated now could be how Josephine could have been treated in the past.

"I said it because of what I overheard in the past. How I turned out settled any doubt about you. You’re from a well-respected family but-"

"-I wasn’t good enough for your father then," Josephine finished in place of Xavier. "I’ll never be from one of those five families. He could have married any woman from one of those families but he picked me because he said he loved me."

What bothered Josephine was why if Nathaniel picked love over his duty in the past, why couldn’t he help Xavier pick love now? Why was he acting like he had a mistake to make up for?

It could be true that Nathaniel loved her but it could also be true that there was some regret with his decision. Josephine didn’t want there to be any regret. He should love her and know it was right.

Josephine laid back down to feel the sun against her skin. "When I decided to be with him, I thought it would be for the rest of this long boring life. Don’t you think it’s a curse we have the chance to live forever? I know humans envy us but I don’t see it as wonderful."

"You could live a long happy life if you pick yourself over a man who is creating a lot of trouble for this family. I already said my gates would be open to you," Xavier offered.

Josephine liked the offer but she did not need it. "As foolish as it might sound, I still love your father. That feeling doesn’t go away overnight. Look at you. You love Selene despite what the kingdom says."

"Selene and my father can’t be compared. She doesn’t go around acting as he does and disregards my feelings. That is what makes her special. What?" Xavier asked, not understanding her smile.

"This is how I had to hear that you love her? I know they aren’t the same. You wouldn’t marry anyone who acts like your father. I was only saying you love her despite what anyone says. If I must leave this marriage then I will make the decision alone and I will be fine," Josephine promised.

While it would be fun, Josephine didn’t want to look so pitiful that she needed to stay with

Xavier and Selene. Without Nathaniel, Josephine would always be fine.

"Besides, there are plenty of men who would jump at the chance to take care of me. I was quite sought after, you know," said Josephine.

Xavier frowned, seeing it as his time to leave if they were going to speak about this. "I have a wife to return to."

Josephine laughed. "Not yet. At least talk to me a little more before your father returns. I’m bored."

Xavier sighed. That increased the chances of him running into his father but he couldn’t leave his mother lying around like this. "I will give you an hour of my time."

’That will do," Josephine replied.