Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord
Chapter 165: Empty graves (3)

Chapter 165: Empty graves (3)

Selene spent the time she waited for Xavier to return staring at the palm of her hand.

Selene gently ran her thumb against where there should be a cut but there was none. For so long she had been seen as worthless after her parents’ death but she carried something all purebloods sought after. It was something most valuable now with all the current attacks.

Selene cared very little about healing from holy weapons. What she cared about was hearing that her parents were alive. She wanted both of them to be alive but if it was only one, Selene was grateful for any extra time she could have.

Selene waited by the door for Xavier to return with what he found. She couldn’t think about anything else and all that Agnes did to distract her did not work.

To the right of Selene stood Harold and Agnes who were confused about what troubled Selene.

Harold assumed there was trouble somewhere in the town because of Xavier’s quick return and departure based on what Gertrude said. If there was trouble which made Xavier have to leave so fast, Harold knew to stick by Selene to protect her.

"What could it be?" Agnes wondered. Selene had been in such a good mood and was excited to see Xavier return home only for it to end this way. ’It must be her family or the palace again. I have asked but she hasn’t responded once. Only smiled."

Agnes recalled one time she saw Selene like this and it was during the time she lost her parents.

"It is not our place to ask questions right now no matter how close we are to them. It might only upset her. Simply find a way to be at her side to comfort her until he returns. That is why he ordered you to return to her side. He trusts you will comfort her," said Harold.

"I don’t know if I can do it as best as he expects from me when she is still in that state. Elsie was the one most close to Selene and would have known what to do now," Agnes said, once again wishing she could switch places with Elsie.

Selene needed someone more useful.

"That name again. If you would stop comparing yourself to someone who is not here, you would be far better. She is married to a lord now who is a very important man amongst our kind. She doesn’t have time for you to be acting like this," Harold advised Agnes.

Harold took a liking to Agnes but he wanted Selene to have a confident maid at her side who would not make any mistakes. If Agnes couldn’t do that then Harold wanted Selene to see past having a maid she cherished at her side and place a more reliable one.

"If you care for her, stop comparing yourself to another and be what she needs. There are plenty of maids here who would jump at the chance to take your position. Everyone is replaceable when they don’t do as they are meant to. She has gotten up," Harold said, going closer to see if Xavier had returned.

Agnes remained in her spot for a moment, letting what Harold said sink in before following her. "Harold, could you help me?"

"There is a head maid. Go to her for advice," Harold declined to help. He had too much work to do to add to becoming Agnes’s teacher.

Selene didn’t pay any attention to what Agnes and Harold spoke about since she noticed someone riding up to the front doors on a horse. Looking closely, Selene realised it was Xavier.

Selene opened the large doors and walked out to greet Xavier. She lost hope her parents were alive since Xavier returned without anyone by his side. "We were wrong," she said, her disappointment unable to hide in her tone.

"We weren’t wrong," Xavier replied, this time unable to tell her right away what he learned.

Selene picked up on his hesitation which replaced her disappointment with concern. "What is wrong? I can handle that they are gone. I have come to terms with it from the time I buried them."

Xavier got down from the horse and held the reins as Harold came out to take it from him. "It is not that. They were not there. The coffins are empty and I suspect they have been gone for some time now. We should speak in private."

Selene was once again stumped by what Xavier told her. How could her parents not be in their graves? It was one thing to not notice there was someone alive in the graves when she visited but it was another for the bodies to be moved.

How could she have been visiting empty graves?

"This isn’t on you. When you bury someone, it never crosses your mind to check if they are still in there. I already spoke to the caretaker and he doesn’t know when anyone could have moved them. Harold, bring a carriage for us. We need to head out right now," said Xavier.

"Do you know where to find them?" Selene asked, having a spark of hope.

"No," Xavier shook his head. "I have started a search."

Selene needed to sit down once more. Why was this happening with her parents? Why couldn’t they be left alone?

Selene remained silent while she waited for the carriage to come around so she could go wherever Xavier wanted to take her. There was much to think about in the meantime.

Had her parents made a plan for after they were killed by the court or had someone else taken them?

Selene blamed herself for losing sight of them. Had she kept the old home in her hands, then she could have buried them there and would have seen if someone tried to take them.

Xavier held Selene’s hand, offering her support since she might trip with how lost in thought she was now. There was much she had to be told in one day but she was handling it quite well.

He helped Selene into the carriage first and once settled, they both set off to visit her childhood home.

Xavier held Selene’s hand once again and sat beside her to provide some comfort. "It is likely your parents had a plan. They might not have reached out to you to protect you. There must be more to what they had been accused of. If this is to protect you then I hope you can understand it."

"I am not angry," Selene softly spoke. "I know my parents. Part of it hurts they have not reached out to me but they have always thought of my safety. Whatever this is, I know they would like to see me and it must hurt to be away. I only want them to be safe and to be together."

Selene’s hope returned. "I healed you so maybe whoever I inherited this from was able to heal the other."

"There is a chance that happened," Xavier agreed. "I am taking you back to your childhood home to see if there were things you missed before that might give you clues now you know."

"We will find them. No matter how long it takes, we will find them and have your answers," Xavier promised.