Multiple footsteps can be heard in the silent, hidden garden as Layla hides behind the bushes and covers her mouth to avoid making any noise. She focused on her breathing, trying to remain calm and undetected.
Her heart is beating so fast that she can feel it in her chest, and she wonders if the other person can hear it too.
Layla waited nervously for whoever that was, and then she heard the footsteps getting nearer.
"Be careful," a male voice said softly.
Layla's heart beats even faster as she heard a familiar voice. She definitely knew who the owner of that voice was. Despite only hearing it once before, she could never forget the sound of it.
"I'm fine. You're so overprotective," a female voice responded.
Layla held her breath without her knowing. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized the owner of the voice.
"How can I? When you just recovered from your cold," the male voice said.
The owner of that voice was the hero, Samuel Archer.
"Didn't I tell you already? I'm fine now, Sammy." The female voice responded.
That's Claudia's voice. How can Layla forget that when she hangs out with her for a few days?
Sammy, she thought.
Why is that familiar?
Layla was aware that Claudia called the hero by his pet's name that she made herself, but somehow Layla thinks that it was familiar in a way as if that word already came out of her mouth multiple times and not read it.
Then suddenly, memories flashed in her head. It was Ophelia's memory.
Ophelia used to call the hero by that name. Is it only a coincidence that the wife and the heroine called the hero by the same pet's name?
Based on Ophelia's memory, she made the pet's name herself for the hero.
In that memory, both Ophelia and the hero were happy and in love, and the pet's name was a special term of endearment between them.
Layla feels a pang in her chest.
"Isn't this place more beautiful than the greenhouse?" the hero said.
Layla keeps eavesdropping on the two as if she has other things to do in her situation.
"It does. But nothing compares to the way you make my heart feel," the heroine replied.
Layla suddenly felt cringe at the heroine's cringe statement. She read that in the novel, but it's different when she heard it in person.
The hero brought the heroine here to show her this magnificence, this hidden garden, and this spot.
Wait, wait, wait.
The hero responded with a gentle smile, "That's all I ever wanted to do—make your heart feel that way for a long time."
Layla remembered what would happen in this scene. She remembered too vividly.
The silence, privacy, and ambience of this place and there's only the two of them, which they thought they were.
Layla gripped her hair.
This can't be happening. I don't want to witness that! Of all the scenes in the novel, I don't want to witness that particular scene!
It would be too much for her to handle.
Layla focused on feeling her surroundings when the place went silent.
Did it start already?! Oh my gosh!
Layla started hearing pants and sucking noises. She tried to block out the sounds but couldn't help feeling disgusted.
She started hearing other noises as well.
Those erotic noises!
Her face turned red with embarrassment as she realized what was happening.
Layla remembered what she read in the novel. The smut scenes! She couldn't believe she was hearing them in real life.
She quickly covered her ears and tried to block out the sounds.
"S-sammy, let's change our position," the heroine said between panting.
"Sure," the hero said, his voice low and husky.
Oh my gosh! How can I hear what they're saying?! Are they doing it near me?!
She wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, but she couldn't do that without them noticing.
Layla was getting crazy as she stayed quiet and hidden as she kept hearing erotic noises and skins clashing together.
She was horrified; how could they be doing it near her?
How could the hero do that when he has a wife?!
She couldn't believe what was happening and felt disgusted.
Layla feels a pang in her heart, but her feeling of disgust is overshadowing it.
She wonders if she should confront them or just walk away. But she doesn't have the guts to confront them.
She wishes she could just disappear from the situation.
Layla didn't know how many hours had gone by as she was lost in her thoughts and busy keeping herself sane.
"I love you, Claudia." Layla heard what the hero said.
She felt a pang in her heart as she heard that and decided to ignore it.
Finally, it's finished!
"I love you too, Sammy."
Whenever the hero and heroine finish their intimate exercise, they always end it by saying what they feel for each other.
It was their little ritual.
"I would do anything to stay with you forever," he whispered, holding her tightly.
Wait, I didn't remember that was in the novel, though. Is the hero proposing to the heroine right now?
Layla remembered in her previous life how the readers complained of how slow and hesitant the hero seemed about proposing to the heroine when it was clear in the novel that they were into each other.
Now that Layla knew the truth, she got the idea why the hero was acting like that in the novel.
Is he hesitant about proposing to the heroine because of Ophelia? Then why is he proposing now when Ophelia is alive and well?! Isn't that supposed to make him more hesitant? Why is he so bold and confident now?
It just doesn't make sense.
It was still too early for him to propose based on the novel's timeline and the circumstances surrounding their relationship.
Maybe by the time the hero proposed to the heroine in the novel, Ophelia had died by then.
Layla heard footsteps and waited for them to disappear. She waited for a few minutes before emerging from her hiding spot.
Her buttocks and her body in general were aching from sitting in the same position for so long.
Layla sighed in relief and stretched her limbs.
"Gosh, that was torture!" she said to herself.
"But at least I didn't get caught." she comforted herself.
Layla roamed her eyes around the area and thought it was shameful that she couldn't look the garden without ever remembering what happened. What happened tainted her memories of the place forever.
Sheesh, those animals!
In this novel, even though both of them are serving the church, they are still free to get married and have children. In Layla's world, it's forbidden for the people of the church, especially the priests, to engage in romantic relationships or having a family, and they must remain celibate forever.
They have to stay clean and don't have to succumb to human desires.
This rule is strictly enforced, and those who break it may face severe consequences. This world is pretty laid back about those kinds of things, and they are more likely to encourage their people in the church to do that since they believe that the children of the powerful figures in the church will also inherit their rarity and abilities.
They basically just want them to have children to bring forth new powerful beings. This belief is often referred to as "divine blood" or "holy lineage."
The higher-ups in the church will likely welcome the children of powerful figures, such as the heroine, since she's very powerful. They believe that their offspring will inherit their divine powers and continue their legacy.
They would be happy to hear that the heroine was pregnant with the hero, as the hero was also a powerful paladin from the church, meaning that no matter what happens, they don't have to worry about their child being rejected from the church.
Layla's energy was drained from all the unexpected things that happened to her that day.
***