The Villainess's Oath: I'll Kill The Protagonists

135. Doubts

Zadhea froze in complete shock, looking at Sullivan with her wide, round eyes, even forgetting to breathe. She opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say. Her eyes turned red and misty. "Sully..." she finally mumbled in a very faint voice. "I..." Tears fell from her eyes as she covered them with her hands, weeping. Her shoulders shook as she whispered over and over, "I'm sorry."

Sully squeezed out a small smile. "Zadie, don't cry, okay? It's not your fault."

"But..." She couldn’t speak. She felt so sad for him, as though her heart broke into a million pieces. "You... Eliana... I... I don’t know what to say, Sully. How did you... How did you bear such pain? I... I can’t believe it. You are so strong..."

Sullivan ruffled her hair. "Zadie..."

She continued to cry. "Oh, Sully..."

He let out a soft sigh before pulling her into a gentle hug, softly stroking her back. "I had to be strong. It’s been a hundred years already, but I still haven’t lost hope. I'm sure she’ll be back for me. I trust her, Zadie. My beating heart trusts her." He put a hand over his chest and glanced up at the sky. "She’ll be back for me. I know she will."

Zadhea gritted her teeth as a wave of fury spread across her body. "That bastard! Why didn’t you kill him then? You should’ve buried him alive!"

Sullivan shook his head. "It wouldn’t do anything. It wouldn’t change anything. He’s dead already, so please don’t hate a dead person, Zadie. Plus, I promised Eliana I wouldn’t harm anyone, and I’m glad I kept my promise."

"Mmm..." Zadhea nodded reluctantly. "What happened after that? How did you end up in this country? Princess Eliana’s kingdom is truly very far from here."

"As I promised her, I traveled from one country to another for nearly a hundred years. As Eliana told me, I could meet different kinds of people from all over the world, both good and bad. I decided to help good people, ignoring the bad ones." He paused for a while to collect his thoughts. "Then I met an elderly couple. Long story short, they asked me to be their grandson. After years, I could finally be part of a family, so I thought, why not? They’re the ones who sent me to Ashenara Academy. Actually, I didn’t know they were so wealthy. If I had known before, I would have refused to be their grandson, but what could I do..."

Zadhea nodded understandingly. "It’s a good thing you came here. Haven't you met wonderful people like Cyrus, Apollo, and Browny?"

"Of course," Sully agreed without hesitation. "And..." He gave her a warm smile. "I could meet a very good sister. Sweet and kind but kinda feisty."

Zadhea rolled her eyes before laughing.

Sullivan felt better watching her laugh. He quietly observed her before asking, "Zadie... So what do you think? Do you believe in love?"

Zadhea blinked as her smile disappeared. She lowered her eyes to her lap. "Okay, I admit true love exists precisely because I believe in your love with Eliana, Sully. It’s pure and... I don’t know how to describe it exactly. But the thing is... Heidith and I... I don’t think we’re in love with each other. Yes." She nodded as if to convince herself. "Otherwise, how could he make up his mind to cheat on me? I already told him that if he found someone else, he should tell me so I could happily give them my blessings. But look at the way he acted! How could someone stoop so low, Sully? How could someone act so pathetically? What a low life!"

Sullivan scratched his chin, thinking. "Maybe he didn’t cheat on you, Zadie. The evidence... Is it strong enough? Why don’t we go back and investigate this matter further? This is about your life, Zadie." He looked at her firmly. "You have to fight for your love. You’re not in love with him just to give up over a misunderstanding, right?"