NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 268: Avey
"Yes… now that I think about it, that woman was standing very close to Lucian that day at the engagement function."
Avey's thoughts started to spiral, replaying the scene in her head.
Celestia Valentino.
She was there.
Close to Lucian.
Too close.
"Is there something wrong going on here?"
She frowned.
"In my past life, she never had any contact with Lucian… so why is she suddenly involved now?"
It didn't add up.
Something was off.
Something was going on.
[Ding! Ahhh… Mother and that bitch are being too hard on Lucian... If this goes on like this, Lucian's truth will come out! I have to do something, but what?!]
Avey stiffened.
Her breath caught.
Another inner voice.
And this time
It was Rose.
Avey blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of everything.
She was still calculating, still piecing together the scenario
When suddenly, another voice rang in her head.
[Ding! No way… Rose woke up? I guess it's over for me. She will tell Mother everything now…
Will they hate me?
Maybe try to run away from me after knowing the truth.
Well… not like it'd be the first time.]
Avey froze.
A tired, nervous voice.
One that sounded like it had already given up.
Lucian.
Avey exhaled sharply.
"Truth, huh?"
This time, she didn't even flinch.
She was getting used to it.
But hearing Lucian like this…
It bothered her.
She frowned deeply.
"Ahh… he's still in sadness. Sigh…"
Her heart ached.
"Lucy seems to be stressed… but what did he do?"
She clenched her fists.
"I need to help him as fast as I can."
Lucian's thoughts replayed in her mind.
"They'll hate me."
Then
"Not like it'd be the first time."
His words felt heavy.
Like a wound that never healed.
Avey clenched her fists tighter.
She didn't even realize she was gripping her clothes so hard her knuckles turned white.
Just then, another voice rang in her head.
[Ding! Rose woke up… Good. It's great. I almost thought I'd lose her.]
Aunt Olivia.
Her voice was relieved.
Avey processed everything quickly.
"From these thoughts alone… I can already picture what's happening."
It's clear now.
Lucian was hiding something.
And Rose was the only one who knew the truth.
And whatever it was
It must be bad.
Bad enough that if Olivia found out, Lucian believed she would start hating him.
and
"Why is Celestia even there?"
Avey's eyes darkened.
Was she involved in this too?
And
"Is she really close to Lucian?"
The system only let her hear the inner voices of people close to Lucian.
And yet
She had heard Celestia.
Which meant
Celestia was close to Lucian.
Heer mind was still Stuck There.
More thoughts poured into her mind.
[Rose~ Lucy looks so stressed… Is he worried I'll tell everything about that? He's even telling lies here and there… I think I should help him. If I don't, Celestia and Mother will just… sighhh.]
[Lucian~ Huhh?? Wait Rose is helping me?
Why is she repeating sane story as i just told…?
Wait how does she even know the story I just made up?!
Was she awake all along?!
and
Why is she covering for me?!
What's going on?!]
Avey's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait… Rose is covering for Lucian?"
Even Lucian himself was shocked.
"That's surprising. I didn't know Rose was like that… and here I thought she hated Lucy."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Well, at least she can keep Lucian's secrets… seems like a good thing."
Avey stood there, still on the balcony.
But now
She had a much clearer picture.
Lucian was deep in trouble.
And she needed to find out everything.
Everything about Rose.
Everything about what Lucian was hiding.
And most importantly
Everything about Celestia's involvement.
Because something was very, very wrong.
Suddenly
More dings!
[Ding! Why am I feeling like Rose is lying here too? But why would she lie? Maybe I'm thinking too much?]
Avey's eyebrows furrowed.
"Celestia… is suspicious?"
Her gut twisted.
Celestia's thoughts confirmed it.
That woman was watching Rose carefully.
She didn't trust her.
And
She was stretching her legs too far into Kane family matters.
---
**[That damn vicious woman… why does she even care?
She's not even part of the Kane family.
Why is she meddling in this? For what reason?]
Before she could process it
Another voice rang.
[Olivia— Hmm… That's a relief. I almost thought Lucy was lying to me...
No, how can I even think of that?
Maybe stress is getting to me…
But still, I am angry at him for not informing me about all these incidents the whole night.
I'll talk to him later about this.]
Avey's eyes flashed.
"I see… even Aunt Olivia is suspicious of Lucian."
She was relieved, but
She was also wary.
Lucian had hid something from her all night.
And Olivia knew it.
She wouldn't let it slide.
Before Avey could even dwell on it
[Ding! Looking at Lucian's face… he's confused.
I need to do something to make him believe in me… but what?
I can't think of anything…
Yes… I can do that.
But what will he think? It's too much…
Umm… no, it's alright.
We'll see how it goes.
It's just to make him trust me.
And maybe with this…
Maybe we can start getting close with each other…
Yes. It's the best way.]
Avey blinked.
Her expression softened.
"Great. Rose is really sweet, thinking so much about Lucian."
She could tell
Rose truly wanted to help him.
She was even willing to do something drastic just to gain Lucian's trust.
Avey's heart felt lighter.
"At least…"
She exhaled.
"At least they're starting to care about Lucian."
Maybe
Maybe now, after everything
They finally understood his worth.
After everything that happened in the past…
Maybe
Maybe things were finally changing.
But then
Something clicked.
Her breath hitched.
Her entire body stiffened.
"Wait…"
She froze in place.
Her thoughts spiraled.
"Why did this change?"
"They didn't use to be like this… in my past life."
Her blood ran cold.
"Wait… they aren't just like me, are they?"
A horrifying realization settled in.
What if
What if they were regressors too?
What if they also knew what had happened?
Her breath shuddered.
Her mind raced.
"What if… they came back in time, just like me?"
That terrifying thought echoed in Avey's mind.
Max hadn't told her anything about this possibility.
But
If she really thought about it…
All these changes.
Their actions.
Their attitudes.
It was all so different from her past life.
If they had regressed too…
That would explain everything.
Just as she was digging deeper into this thought
Ding!
[WTF?! Rose THAT BITCH!
How dare she?!
How dare that bitch kiss MY Lucian?!
I'm going to KILL HER.
How dare she kiss my darling?!
I'LL SKIN HER ALIVE RIGHT NOW!]
Avey's entire body froze.
Her mind blanked.
"Wait… what?"
She felt like her soul had been shaken violently.
"Rose… kissed… Lucian?"
"HUH?!"
Avey's vision spun.
Her heart pounded dangerously fast.
"My Lucian…?!"
Her brain refused to process
"No. No, no, no"
She almost stumbled back.
The thought hit too hard.
"This has to be a lie, right?!"
Rose is lucian sister.
Her mind screamed.
But
The system doesn't lie.
And
That voice… was Celestia's.
"Missunderstanding. This has to be a misunderstanding."
Avey's breathing quickened.
"Maybe I heard it wrong"
She tried to convince herself.
But then
A second ding.
[Ding! Why?
Why did Rose kiss me?
Was it a mistake?
What is this?
Does Rose mean it?
Wait I need to separate away…
She's trying to kiss me again?!
She's even trying to force her tongue into my mouth?!
What's wrong with Rose?!
Wait my first kiss…
I… I…
It was my first kiss…]
A pause.
And then
[...Sorry, Avey.
My first kiss is gone.]
Avey's entire body shook violently.
Her legs gave out beneath her.
She slammed onto the floor.
Her breathing was erratic.
"No… This… this can't be"
Her fingers dug into the cold ground.
Her heart twisted painfully.
Rose.
Kissed.
Lucian.
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