After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World - Chapter 1013

Chapter 1013: Lady Octavia

A/N: I know everyone misses Althea and Alterra (I do too~) but yeah, we got a lot of future arcs to set up and the setting can’t be told in Althea’s limited POV while she’s safely in Alterra. xD

Wait a little more, my loves~ We’ll finish this mini-arc soon! Probably!

…

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Octavia went to Orion’s study and saw him writing in his study, surrounded by documents. Her heart clenched again—just by the sight of him.

The current image overlapped with the ones decades ago, when he was much smaller.

Orion started doing documents early on and was trained as the heir from as early as he was 15 years old.

Because he had the ability and the level-headedness, he was also given more responsibilities early on. Even at that age, he was an admired ‘golden boy’ in the city.

He had become the ‘standard’ of what an heir should be like, and people forgot how weak Zaol was.

She admired him so much and was proud that her future husband was so capable and handsome.

Although he was never affectionate with her, he never overtly denied their arranged marriage either.

Even when the arrangement wasn’t a formal one, everybody assumed it was, so she had been so certain that she’d get married to him.

But now…

She pursed her lips and walked forward. “Orion…” she said, her voice soft, hoping he’d turn to look at her again.

“What is it, Octavia?” he asked, without pulling his eyes away from the documents.

When she was a teenager, something similar happened. At the time, she was so jealous of the paper she actually hid them…

It didn’t take long for Orion to figure out who was the suspect. Instead of being mad though, he simply ignored her for months after that. No matter how many times she visited him, how many gifts she sent, and how many words of apology she uttered—he didn’t mind them at all.

She wished he had yelled at her instead. At least, in that way, he would show emotions. At the time, she felt like she was not even worthy to show his anger to.

Those were the worst days of her life, only overtaken by that night when she lost him to another.

She heaved a deep breath and walked around the table, her arms holding his shoulder.

His eyebrows furrowed and he turned to look at her with a frown. “What are you doing?” he asked, standing up to put distance between them.

Instead, she rushed forward, hugging him from behind.

“Please… Orion. Please help me.”

“Have some dignity, Octavia.”

“Please, take me. You don’t have to leave Hilda,” she said. “You just have to take me in, even if it is only in name, please…”

If her father found an heir, then it was only a matter of time before she got married off.

It wasn’t that she had not tried killing her father—it was in her blood, after all.

However, that man was a powerhouse level 65. He was the strongest in the entire city next to some hermit elders who didn’t care about anything anymore.

He was also deeply mistrusting. He would be able to kill the women next to him without batting an eye if they showed even a hint of being suspicious. He also had special tools and equipment that would make him virtually impenetrable to them, even when he was asleep.

However, despite this, he still desperately tried to get sons even if the chances were almost nill—as if it was better than putting her on the throne.

Orion took away her hold on him and stepped back. He stared at her for a moment, as if considering, but he shook his head in the end. “You know how my family is, and I agree with our values.”

“I’m begging you so much. Do you not feel sad for me? I can be married off to a bastard!!”

Orion sighed. He knew he was being callous. A woman’s marriage could determine her life and death. However, she had betrayed his trust once—who was to say she wouldn’t do it again?

He could not risk the peace his parents worked so hard for for such a woman.

“I am the next patriarch of the family. I will not risk our current dynamic for others.”

“I’m sorry, Octavia,” he said. “I can help you find a good husband—”

“STOP IT! I want you!” she yelled. “I can marry no one else.”

“You cannot have everything you want, Octavia. Not everyone is blessed with such good fortune.”

Her father was doing everything to avoid putting her as an heir, and this man was doing everything to avoid taking her, when she was throwing herself at him!

She had always been proud and revered as a woman, since she was a child. How could things be like this?!

“You will regret humiliating me so much!” she said and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

….

Orion stood still as she left, not even giving another look. At some point, he heard soft footsteps approach the open door, tentatively entering it.

“Husband…” Hilda whispered, stopping an arm’s length away from him. “Will this really be alright?”

He sighed. It would be a lie to say he never had affection towards Octavia, but it was more like that of siblings.

Because they were close, he also knew of how Octavia could be.

Octavia… wasn’t too far from how her family was. She was just much more muted thanks to the Golds’ influence, but she did have the tendency to be a little mad.

Although she hid it well, Orion had designated himself to be the protector of his family and its peace.

So whenever his instincts flared, he would investigate it. For one, he found out what she did to various women, nobles or not.

Those who were also discussed as his fiance candidate all met some form of misfortune. No one lost their lives, nor was anyone gravely injured, but they were all traumatized.

Even those ladies that his mother showed favors to had become unlucky one way or another.

As someone who had watched Octavia grow up to a lady, Orion felt sad seeing this.

In fact, if his mother hadn’t been there to be her guide—to show her sincere motherly affection—Orion knew Octavia would have done much graver things.

Then, she gave him a love potion, trying to control him to make love to her. That had been the final straw and caused him to adamantly be against being with her.

He had known of his parents’ struggles building the family. He was born while the former patriarch was alive.

The situation of the Golds was something his parents worked hard for.

Adding a person like Octavia… it was bound to ruin it.

He didn’t risk taking her in even as a nominal mistress either. Knowing her tendencies, doing so was to put his wife and child at risk.

However, for the sake of history, it wasn’t that he didn’t try to find her a way out. The best way was to find her a good husband.

However, there was no good man he could pit with such a woman, knowing she could destroy his life.

The man that would fit her was unlikely to be a good man, so he didn’t want to get too involved lest he be blamed.

His wife waited patiently for his answer and he sighed.

“What can we do but simply prepare ourselves?” He asked. In fact, one of the main reasons he was going to Holt without taking the Teleportation Array was to possibly find some ways to secure his family, even if the Bleuelle Lord (and daughter) decided to go against them.

“I’m worried…” Hilda mumbled, shivering a bit. Octavia was her cousin. She, of all people, knew what she was capable of.

She was lucky so far because of Orion’s protection. For their engagement, he even gifted her a mid-grade protection charm, something she still wore close to her chest to this day.

Orion looked at his wife.

Hilda had plenty of insecurities, but she had a pure heart that was rare among nobilities.

She was weak, but he thought he could be the strength for both of them. As long as the family was raised and maintained well, that was all he needed from her.

He sighed and patted her shoulder before walking out of the room. “Let’s go down,” he said. “We have a lot of things to explain things to the family.”