My Villainess Ex Won't Leave Me Alone

Chapter 219 219: 6.28 - A "Sweet" Reunion

The Rochefort property in the capital wasn't as big as their main house, but it was still secured by high walls and guards.

The gardeners were preparing for the cold season, raking the leaves off the paths and trimming the dead branches. Lucian searched for a more secluded area of the garden, the labyrinth, in the hope of not being seen by anyone.

Celine soon appeared with her back facing him, and he pleaded with his heart to 'Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.'

She was so beautiful, his heart couldn't take it. It was the evening time, and the sun was setting, casting a golden hue over the place. So many poems began with that line, but his heart felt like it was burning with the sunset, ready to explode.

"My Lady," Lucian made his presence known with a whisper, making her turn around.

"My dear─" she paused, "─Gardener," she caught herself in time, turning the smile on her face into a 'you dare to show your face after so long' scowl.

She knew exactly what those words did to him. As if he could ever forget about the gap in their standing.

"It's...it's been a long time," he said, throwing her jab over his shoulder. He craved a sweet reunion, not a mood-spoiling one. But did he deserve a sweet reunion in the first place?

"Has it?" Her eyes flicked to his dirty fingers and shirt. She took in his sweaty clothes, his messed up hair, and his flushed cheeks from the gardening job, "A while, huh? Time sure flies when one is having fun, entertaining oneself with women in the south, while their wife to be is left to rot in the capital."

"..." He missed her way too much and wanted nothing but to pull her into his arms, deciding to be the bigger person and tolerate her slander. "How are your studies going?" he asked instead, "You haven't burned down the academy yet, I hope."

She shook her head, unable to contain her laughter. "Not yet, though I'm quite tempted."

He grinned, her laughter making him feel a little bashful. He tucked his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels, "Well, if you ever need any help burning down buildings, I'm your man."

"It's already enough that we are hiding like a pair of criminals. I would prefer you to make the world a more beautiful place instead," she made a step toward him, probably expecting him to retreat, but he didn't, "You have a talent for bringing life to things, even the most hopeless of causes, after all."

Lucian used the watering can to wash his hands clean. "The world is a beautiful place, but sometimes, it needs a bit of trimming. I would gladly get my hands dirty for you."

Having had enough of his sweet words, she looked at him with those pretty eyes, waiting patiently for a sign of affection.

He wiped his hand on his pants, then held out his arms. "Can I─" He didn't get to finish his question.

Celine jumped into his arms, making him stumble back a bit from the impact.

She wrapped her arms around his torso, sighing against his chest, "You are such an incurable romantic; it's infuriating."

He squeezed her tightly, helplessly, "Only with you."

She used her weight to lean against him, and they tumbled to the ground. She straddled him, their faces only inches apart, "I missed you so much that I started to hate you for it."

"Is that why you were so mean?" he asked with a chuckle.

"No. I was mean because you didn't seem to miss me as much as I did you," she complained in a whisper, "You're always smiling, like everything is perfect in the world."

"Because when you are around, everything is."

Instead of getting flustered, his flattery seemed to irritate her even more. "On how many women did you practice those lines on?"

She refused to wait for his answer and began to wiggle happily on top of him as if trying to shake away her dark thoughts. "It's a pity that I can't check if you are still a virgin. I bet you have defiled a few girls during my absence."

"Of course, no." He placed his hands on her waist and gently moved her off his lap, but she didn't let him. "I'm saving myself for the woman I love."

She raised an eyebrow, her gaze moving downwards to his groin, then back up to his face, "Really? Are you saying you haven't bedded any women since our last meeting?"

"No, I haven't."

"Are you sure? It's been a year," she pointed out, poking his cheek, "I wouldn't blame you if you had found some girl to scratch your itch."

His cheeks turned a shade of pink when her finger began to trail his neck and down his chest, "I can control my urges, unlike some people, My Lady. You are the one who is more likely to have found someone else in my absence."

She slid her hand between his legs, feeling his lack of arousal. The emerald stage gave him more control over his body functions. It was not the lack of desire, but the ability to stop his body from reacting to her touch.

"See?" He didn't stop her from moving it further, but his body refused to harden for her. "I have no problem restraining myself."

He expected her to be impressed. Instead, a cold, dangerous shadow crossed Celine's eyes. Used to their constant bickering, he assumed she was simply annoyed that her usual charms had failed.

Wanting to tease her for being a sore loser, his hand slipped under her skirt, daring her not to get wet from his touch. He didn't even get to move his fingers an inch higher.

Smack.

She slapped his hand away with vicious force.

Lucian looked down at his red hand and back at her, "I proved my innocence, so let me check yours."

He continued to caress her leg, but in a more coaxing manner this time, as if to tell that he had given up on provoking her, "It's alright, you can react to me, only to me though."

Instead of following his pace with a flirtatious response, she reached for his throat and squeezed it hard.

"My Lady…?" Lucian looked up at her in surprise, feeling like something was wrong.

"So, I'm not enough to arouse you anymore?" She hissed, her eyes growing darker with anger, "Why did you come here then? To take back your promise?"

Celine began to apply more pressure, forcing Lucian to pull his hand from under her skirt to try to pry her hand off his throat.

To him, being able to turn off his desires was the ultimate display of absolute loyalty, proof that no other woman could ever tempt him.

But to Celine, it seemed that his perfect control must have felt like an abandonment. Because if he could turn off his desire for her at will, did he even need her anymore?

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╔═══ Author's note ════╗

Btw, this chapter was actually the opening chapter of the previous version of Villaines. 🤣 I can't believe it took me 200+ chapters to finally reach this point in the rewrite. 😭🙏

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