Chapter 78: With Natasha Under The Shade Of A Tree

About half an hour later, Elias and Natasha sat together in the garden behind the manor, beneath the shade of a thick tree whose broad branches protected them from the morning sun.

A white wooden table stood between them, accompanied by two matching chairs positioned opposite each other. The quiet rustling of leaves and occasional songs of birds filled the otherwise peaceful surroundings.

Natasha had changed into a light yellow gown, and for the first time since Elias had met her, she had tied her long black hair into a single braid that rested over her shoulder, a small change that somehow gave her appearance an even greater sense of mature charm.

Elias, meanwhile, wore a simple white shirt with dark gray pants, and he had pulled his hair back so that it would not fall over his face.

He glanced around the garden for a few moments before his attention returned to Natasha, who was sitting across from him and watching him with her usual expressionless face.

A few moments passed as the two simply sat beneath the tree, listening to the rustling leaves and the distant chirping of birds.

Eventually, Natasha picked up her notebook and slid it across the table toward him.

Elias lowered his gaze and read the words she had written.

So, what happened last night?

Elias leaned back slightly in his chair before answering, and he told her about everything that had happened after returning from the spatial rift, including the confrontation with Trons and Part, the way they had threatened Benjamin, and how his anger had eventually caused him to sever Trons’s arm.

He did not hide what he had done, although he also explained that he had later restored the severed arm using Heal.

Once he finished speaking, Natasha stared at him with a faint frown before lowering her gaze toward the notebook.

Elias understood what she wanted, so he pushed the notebook back toward her.

Natasha took it and quickly wrote something before turning it around.

You did not have to go to such lengths... All they did was say a few unpleasant things. However, that does not mean we have to chop their arms for that.

Elias read the words and sighed before answering through Mental Whisper.

[I know. That is why I reattached it and made sure they do not speak of it.]

Natasha immediately shook her head and began writing again, her expression becoming slightly more serious.

That is not the problem. You have to stop yourself from doing so in the first place. How many arms would you sever if you continue to let that happen?

Elias stared at the sentence for several seconds before frowning and crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned farther back in his chair.

[I know I was wrong. There is no need to lecture me. It was in the heat of the moment, and I would not repeat it.]

Natasha’s brows furrowed more deeply as she wrote her response.

I am not lecturing you.

Elias raised an eyebrow.

[It seems that way to me.]

Natasha stared at him silently, not like she could say anything anyway...

Elias almost felt as though she were trying to argue with him, but there was only so much she could express without her voice, and the blank stare she gave him somehow made the situation even more amusing.

Several seconds passed before Natasha finally looked down and wrote again.

Is that all you want to talk about? Or is there more?

Elias nodded before he answered.

[There is more.]

Natasha immediately wrote: Tell me.

Elias’s expression became more serious as he looked at her.

[I am planning for us to leave Kilmir.]

Natasha blinked, and her fingers paused above the notebook.

After a moment, she wrote: You want to leave the city?

Elias nodded seriously and explained.

[Yes. Staying here is going to become more troublesome once the rift is taken care of. I do not want that wretch to hurt you three in any way.]

Natasha listened carefully before giving a small nod of understanding, and she lowered her eyes toward the notebook once again.

Where are you planning for us to go?

[I talked to Priest Mekah and he suggested that we should go to the east, what do you think?]

For the briefest moment, Natasha’s expression darkened, and her body stiffened, but the reaction disappeared so quickly that Elias failed to notice it.

He simply looked at her with determination burning in his eyes and continued through Mental Whisper.

[Do not worry. No matter what your choice is, I will not allow anything to happen to you.]

Natasha stared at him for a few moments, and then, for perhaps the first time that morning, a genuine smile appeared on her face.

She lowered her head and wrote:

I am okay with what you have decided. I trust you.

Elias read the sentence.

For a moment, he did not know how to respond.

Those three words carried more weight than Natasha probably realized.

I trust you...

Hearing something like that from Natasha made Elias feel prouder and more competent than anything the Crimson Ducal Clan had ever given him.

The clan had never truly accepted him, and even when he had remained beneath their roof, he had always felt like an outsider who needed to prove that he deserved to exist among them.

Yet Natasha, who had every reason to distrust the world, was looking at him and telling him that she trusted his decision.

A warm smile spread across Elias’s face.

[Thank yo—]

Before he could finish the sentence, an orange screen suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Ding!]

[Affection Rate is increasing!]

[Natasha Sephila’s Affection Rate: 10]

[The host can now inspect Natasha Sephila’s Status.]

His eyes gleamed upon seeing the message screen, and he remarked inwardly, ’Finally, I can see Natasha’s status as well... is it not ironic that the one I consider the first wife is the last one for this?’

He chuckled and remarked inwardly, ’Status.’