Chapter 110: Serious
Atlas took a sip of his wine, exhaling deeply before meeting Ezekiel’s gaze.
"I..." he began, but Ezekiel cut him off gently, expressing concern. "You don’t have to explain, Atlas. I know you’re reliable and responsible. But I hope you can move on from my sister and embrace a new life without regrets, without hurting yourself or others," he said.
Atlas fell silent, refilling their glasses. He cast his gaze over the garden, now bustling with arriving guests, his eyes scanning the crowd below in search of Ezme’s face. His mother had taken Ezme with her early in the morning. He felt relieved seeing Ezme getting along so well with his family despite having met them only the night before.
Ezme was a peculiar woman indeed. Last night, she had challenged him, and he found himself entangled in her playful antics. He had to admit he was surprised at how much she seemed to affect him. He still couldn’t believe he had spent the night sleep-deprived while she slept soundly beside him.
Atlas found himself questioning what Ezme meant to him before he had even considered the proposal of a marriage of convenience.He found solace in her presence; she kept him distracted from the ache in his heart. Despite her stubbornness and childishness, he found her company tolerable. In fact, he enjoyed her naughtiness and found himself unable to imagine being with anyone else but her at this point of his life.
’Look at her, entertaining the guests like she’s already a part of the family,’ he mused to himself as he observed Ezme welcoming the arriving guests alongside his mother.
Ezme noticed his gaze and waved with a wide smile, prompting a slight curve of Atlas’s lips. "I guess I shouldn’t worry," Ezekiel teased, noticing his friend’s reaction.
Flushed, Atlas avoided Ezekiel’s gaze, busying himself with pouring more wine. "What happened to your hand?" Ezekiel inquired, noticing the bandage on Atlas’s palm.
"Just a minor cut," Atlas replied nonchalantly, his gaze lingering on the injured hand. He remembered the day Ezme had scolded him for intentionally cutting himself so she could drink his blood instead. That day, she decided not to go out with Apollo at the Black Market, saying that she would just hunt for animal blood instead. It was clear she disliked seeing him wounded, even though his blood was tempting to her.