Ahem! Arella faked a cough to hide the embarrassment.
Andrew was measured enough not to tease her over and over again. By the time they finished exploring the villa, the lunch was ready. Both of them were hungry. Arella asked him to stay for lunch, which he happily complied with.
The cooks served them mechanically. They did what was necessary and stepped aside as soon as their job was done. Both Arella and Andrew ignored it. Once they had their meals, Arella proposed to visit the nearby area.
Andrew had nothing better to do, so he happily led her. Arella felt that she was being too demanding, but contrary to Arella's beliefs, instead of being annoyed with her demands, he was quite happy with it. Because according to him, it had been ages since he had taken a day off for leisurely purposes!
Adrian was a work machine! He worked day and night without breaks. So, being his assistant, he had to stick with Adrian, committing himself to nothing but a life of boredom and work. It was all thanks to Arella that Adrian himself gave Andrew a day off to keep her company. Andrew was quite pleased with it.
He also informed her that Adrian had an important meeting because of which he could not stay with her. He asked her to cheer up because Adrian would head home as soon as possible.
Arella was not disappointed at all. She was not here to distract or impede his progress. She was here to accompany him on his journey. His being busy was natural.
As they checked out the nearby area, Arella developed a better understanding of both, the compound and the guide, Andrew. Through their talks, she came to know that Andrew was raised in a military orphanage.
Every year, the military would pick up youngsters from the local orphanages and train them to become soldiers. Once they reached adulthood and received their aptitudes, a fierce competition would be organized. It was a chance for them to earn their place in the military.
But the competition was akin to a massacre, where only the strongest survived.
The competition had no rules. Only the top contenders were allowed to enter the military. For a lucrative life, even the lowest E and D aptitude people risked their lives. Being trained since birth with a military mentality, they had only two options, it was either selection or death.
Because once discarded, they were thrown away like trash into faraway places or used as guinea pigs for experiments. The military never invested in a lost business. They knew how to squeeze every drop of their investment out of the discarded people.
Only winning could save them from a gruesome future.
Open attacks, covert hits, metal attacks, turning into beasts, and alike, everything was allowed. A lot of beastmen would succumb to madness, giving an edge to the tamers. But a lot of tamers were subdued by higher aptitude beings.
A cutthroat competition. Only those who could attack and defend, and proceed and concede at the right moment could stay alive.
At the pliant age of reaching adulthood, what the military people were looking for was not aptitude, but command.
How better could you reign your emotions in? How hard could you put up a fight? How good of a command you had on your beast. They only wanted soldiers. One who could be used. One who would not run away in the face of death. One who could control his beast and not succumb to the emotions.
"I do not know what the Chief saw in me back then. But one thing is sure, had he not intervened, I would have died in the competition. You know, when he chose me, he was directly confronted by his superiors." Andrew looked forlorn as he recounted his tales from the distant past.
"His superiors blatantly told him that there was no place for a C ranked measly beast like me in their esteemed military. But the Chief, when he heard that there was no suitable place for me, he created one. He appointed me as his personal assistant then and there only. Thus, allowing me to live." Andrew spoke highly of Adrian.
Now Arella knew why he stayed with Adrian despite the boring life and the rumors of his ruthlessness and coldness.
As they spoke and wandered around aimlessly, the sun started its descent. Noticing that it was almost dusk, Andrew walked Arella to the villa and then left. Arella invited him for dinner, but he resolutely denied it.
After his departure, Arella went into the bedroom to have some solitude. The presence of the helpers had made the ground floor stuffy.
Arella felt like an uninvited guest. No matter how much the helpers tried to tend to the basic requirements of being a subordinate, they could not hide the silent mockery of her low aptitude in their demeanor.
Around an hour later, the door of the bedroom was gently knocked. Arella instinctively knew who was outside. She hoped on and went to open the door hurriedly. Adrian's calm visage filled her vision, and before she could process anything, she naturally embraced him.
Only a second later, she realized that his body had become stiff because of her embrace! Her mind instantly became sober. An unnatural pallor colored her face. Was he rejecting her? She felt overwhelmed by the possibility!
She wanted to back off and look at him, but as soon as she loosened her hold and tried taking a step, a sudden force pulled her in.
Adrian, he was hugging her tightly. His hold was so firm as if he had wanted to embed her into his own flesh and bones. As pleased as she was, she still wanted to break free. Because his embrace was too tight!
She found it uncomfortable. She squirmed a little to make some room, but Adrian's pleading voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Stop moving. Let me hold you. I missed you so much." His longing tinged voice bore into her core.
No matter how uncomfortable, she still found some comfort in his strong hold. He, on the other hand, had comfortably buried his head in the nook of her neck, breathing in her scent.
It was only when her legs were about to become numb, did Adrian set her free from his iron clutches. They were too close, so Arella could feel his excitement and enthusiasm.
Frankly speaking, with how excited he was, Arella was expecting something more than just an embrace. But Adrian did not do anything to her at all.
Instead, he backed off and went into the bathroom to take a bath, leaving a dazed Arella behind.
Out of Arella's perspective, in the bathroom, he opened a hidden cupboard, took out a vial and a syringe, and expertly injected himself with it. His face flushed for a minute, and then the redness started fading away.
Satisfied, he took off his clothes and then took a cold bath.
When Adrian came out of the bathroom, he found Arella standing on the balcony, overviewing the compound. He lightly walked towards her and gave her a gentle back hug.
Arella was not surprised. She knew that Adrian had come out. What stumped her was his state. He was now more relaxed as if a burden had been uplifted from his shoulders. And he, he had become soft. Could a cold bath be so effective? Arella was not so sure.
Unknown to Arella, the excitement that she was counting on and looking forward to, was clinically killed by her beloved.