Was there any specific reason for which Austin had to approach Rhea?
Yeah, he had. Not because Rudolph asked him to, but rather, once Austin rembered the reason why Rhea seed so upset because of that incident, he feared that the Protagonist might end up killing herself.
Although he didn't like the pinkhead much, it was an irrefutable fact that Rhea was a necessary asset for him and this world. She is the only living entity who can summon two soul shards at one ti and can slay the Demon Lord.
As such Austin has to ensure that she doesn't end up taking any step that can change the world's fate for the worst.
That's why after talking with Valerie and asking her to remain nearby, Austin approached Rhea.
Valerie didn't seem to be willing but when Austin told her about Rhea's situation, she didn't say anything. She never stopped him from eting her, however, when the reluctance in her eyes subdued, Austin felt comfortable approaching Rhea.
Why was he being so mindful of Valerie's opinion? Well, of course, he would care about what his partner likes and what she doesn't. In the future there might arise instances where Austin wouldn't like her accompanying soone, so he would naturally express his displeasure.
After his talk with Valerie, he asks Rudolph where he can find the pink-head
"The last bench in the garden; where she always goes at tis like these..."
Austin nodded before, with Valerie's help he walked towards the garden
Once they spotted the girl, Valerie said, "I will be nearby."
Austin nodded before he advanced toward the Protagonist.
Staring at the sky, she remained sitting silently. Her eyes were red and her whole deanor showed how tired she was of her life.
"Can I sit here?"
She jerked in surprise hearing his voice before turning toward Austin and hurriedly getting up, "Yeah, sure. Ah, why are you roaming around like this when you haven't recovered yet?"
She saw him limping slightly so she tried to help him—only to flinch as she sensed an ominous presence from nearby.
However, when she turned she found no one there.
'Strange ..'
"The nurse said that it was okay to take a few minutes of walk...." Austin said while he settled down on the bench.
Rhea didn't bother to check why she felt so horrified just now and sat down beside the blond Prince.
"How is your health now? Does it still hurt?" She asked in concern.
Austin shrugged, "Better than before; thanks to Valerie's support."
Rhea fondly smiled, "I saw you two earlier. Seriously, the way she takes care of you...I feel I should learn from her."
Austin smiled—he likes it when soone praises his lover.
"Well, she is a sweet girl." He sighed as the duo turned montarily silent after that.
Glancing at her, Austin asked, "What about you? How is it going?"
Rhea didn't raise her head to look at him as she muttered, "Doing good. Valerie did knock out back then but it was still nothing compared to how much pain I had received during training."
"I am not talking about your physical health, Rhea." Austin plainly stated, making Rhea flinch.
She still refused to look at him as she sighed.
There were a few monts of silence and Austin didn't urge her to speak.
Finally, after she collected her thoughts, Rhea spoke, "There was soone close to ...when I used to live alone back in the town. He was my neighbor, a sweet guy. He was six years older than , and when he found out that I lived alone, he started caring about ...you know, providing food once in a while, bringing stuff from his farm."
There was a pause, the girl seemingly quite sensitive about the topic, as she continued, "I adored him as a brother...but it turned out he had so other thoughts about ."
Leaning back, she said, "One of those days, he drugged and tried to force himself on . I escaped since my natural tolerance against drugs is quite strong, and later, when people searched his ho, nurous disturbing things were found."
Austin asked, "Just like Parkinson?"
She glanced at him, before nodding, "Yup, just like him, that guy was also a creep. Collecting my things and using them for whatnot."
Austin was aware of the incident. Canonically, when Parkinson hears about it, he decides to change himself, and the fact that he once used to stalk Rhea is never revealed.
A weary sigh seeped through her lips, as the girl muttered, "That's why...I felt so shaken up when I found out that my best friend was the sa as that guy. I was shaken down to my core and couldn't bear to look at Parkinson again."
With her expression turning a little sad, she added, "And since that day, I have been ignoring Rudolph as well...I can't tell him the reason why I am like this."
"Then why did you tell ?" Austin asked. Rudolph was as close to her as Austin was. However, she didn't hesitate to disclose her past to Austin.
Rhea smiled at the blond one before confessing, "Because I knew you wouldn't sympathize with , and that would save from feeling pathetic."
Austin chuckled, "I seed to have ford a very cold perception in your eyes."
"More like you have reserved all your warmth and love for a certain soone." Her smile was contagious, which urged Austin to smile as well, in response.
Rhea got up, "Okay then, let's go back. I will be fine by tomorrow. Hopefully."
Austin also got up before suggesting, "You should probably talk to Rudolph. He is quite-" Austin paused as he sensed soone approaching them.
Turning towards the person, he noticed it was one of the Professors from the third year.
"Austin." He said, in between his labored breathing, "You have been summoned to the Headmaster's office. Soone ca to et you."
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A/N:- Thank you for reading. Drop a comnt.
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