Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress-Chapter 684: Your Husband Did Not Tell You?

Arabella hoped they would understand, but perhaps they were still too young since they looked at her sadly even more.

’How do I explain this if they keep looking at me with such eyes the more I explain?’ Arabella wanted to scratch the back of her head.

"Brother Benjamin said the Emperor seems to really like you. He had been looking at you all the time too since you arrived. Does he love you?" Lei spoke this time.

Arabella smiled at their youngest’s observation. "Yes, he likes me a lot. He loves me. A lot."

"But he used his power to marry you. Everyone knows no one could say no to a marriage proposal from him," Nicholas pointed out and Eloisa nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but he had since apologized about it repeatedly and regretted starting our relationship that way. He admitted it was a mistake on his part not to try to woo me and try competing with Andrew as the others did," Arabella clarified.

"He apologized?!" Eloisa and Nicholas were so surprised.

[Someone like him would apologize?] the two thought. They were impressed with Ferdinand’s gifts but that did not mean they would forget about his reputation.

"Yes, he did. He kept apologizing about it until I scolded him to stop parroting about it. As I have said, he’s kinder than he looks. The rumors we have heard about him were mostly false. Sure he’s good at fighting but he did not conquer lands without a purpose. The lands he conquered triggered Valeria first. And the other rumors about him eating and drinking fresh flesh and blood were all nonsensical lies spread to make people hate him," Arabella defended her husband.

There was a point in her past life where she would have happily fanned the flames of such rumors and even made more rumors about him. But this life is different. She had finally come to know what Ferdinand was truly like and he had likewise opened himself to her.

Arabella had to answer a ton more questions from her younger siblings before they finally believed her and finally proceeded with asking her about Valeria instead.

"What about the nobles there? Are they treating you well?" Eloisa inquired.

Since Arabella’s marriage, Eloisa had taken over Arabella’s tasks in the kingdom so she now understood the workings of the noble society and how important Arabella’s tea parties with the noble’s children close to her age were.

"Yes, I keep receiving a ton of gifts from them. At first, they were on guard when it comes to since I am from a foreign nation. But after working in the palace and attending the Assembly in Medeus, their treatment of me has greatly improved. They keep sending me a lot of gifts. A lot of the fresh produce I brought here with me were gifts from them. As you can see, they chose the ones of the best quality."

Arabella bragged about the current treatment of her and did not mention much about the former rumors about her that circulated among the nobles.

Thanks to her positive stories, her younger sibling finally came to see Ferdinand and Valeria in a new light.

They spent hours catching up with each other, slept for three hours, and woke up early in the morning to have breakfast together.

[Is Arabella not ready yet? I need to see her. I want to speak to her now.]

Ferdinand waited for Arabella in front of Lei’s room.

’He could have waited for me at the dining hall,’ Arabella smiled upon hearing her husband’s thought.

Thus, she went out first since her husband was getting antsy waiting for her for some reason. He couldn’t be getting impatient just because they were not together last night, right? They manage to work away from each other after all.

Arabella came out to see her husband pacing outside Lei’s room. He stopped immediately when the door opened and brightened up when he saw her. He looked like he hadn’t slept a wink and had huge eyebags under his eyes for some reason even though he does not usually get it if he doesn’t sleep for a night or two.

"Arabella!" Ferdinand reached out and hugged her.

Arabella gestured to Rendell to close the door so her younger siblings would not see this.

Rendell was quick to understand and obediently did.

"Why are you here? This is still Lei’s room even if I’m here. You could have waited in the dining hall," Arabella chided but hugged him back.

He seemed weird for some reason. Before Arabella could even ask why, she froze when Benjamin walked into the hallway with one of his arms in a cast with a sling support tied to his shoulders. Both his hands were bandaged and he looked gaunt like he did not sleep at all.

"Brother?! What happened to you?" Arabella freed herself from Ferdinand and ran to meet her brother.

Their younger siblings seemed to have heard her voice and quickly got out of the Lei’s room. Their gasps were audible at the sight of Benjamin in a cast.

"Was there another assassination attempt?" Nicholas asked.

"There were assassination attempts on Elder Brother?!" Lei paled and turned green.

"Nicholas!" Eloisa chided Nicolas for mentioning it and said to their youngest. "Lei, you should go back to your room."

"No! I’m old enough to know what’s going on now. I want to hear it too," Lei insisted.

’Oh my. I should have kept my voice low. But how come Benjamin was injured? Was there an assassination attempt on him after he parted with Ferdinand last night?’ Arabella eyed the thick bandages around her brother’s hands and arms.

"Calm down, everyone. It’s not an assassination attempt. It just happened, haha," Benjamin assured their younger siblings.

"Then, why are you injured," Arabella inquired.

"Oh, your husband did not tell you?" Benjamin tilted his head and Arabella turned to Ferdinand right in time to see him flinch.

"Ferdinand?" Arabella tilted her head and frowned. Why would her husband be involved in this?

"Arabella, I... I can explain. I didn’t mean to..." Ferdinand glanced at Benjamin.