Reborn: The Tyrant's Obsession-Chapter 338: His wild cat

"Adrian..." His name left her mouth in a whisper, "To you, what is love like?"

He looked into her eyes quietly.

For a moment, only silence stayed between them.

But then he opened his mouth, "All-consuming."

Obsessive. Possessive. Destructive.

Yet, gentle. Patient. Healing. And nurturing.

Ella smiled a little when she heard that, "I didn’t see you as a poetic person," she chuckled.

But suddenly, the man gripped her chin and made her look at him.

He was still buried inside her as he laid on top of her but his face was solemn as he said, "What is it to you?"

Love... What was it to her?

The smile on her face faded a little but in the darkness, her eyes sparkled like the brightest stars as she said, "You.’’

Nobody said a word after that yet the silence seemed more than enough.

Adrian didn’t need her to say more; she didn’t want to take back what she had just said.

They stayed like that, tangled, skin pressed to skin, the warmth of their bodies keeping the night at bay.

His breath tickled the crown of her head as she nestled closer, and his hand traced lazy patterns down her spine, as though trying to memorize her.

In that moment, the world outside could have ended and Ella wouldn’t have noticed.

And surprisingly, she did not know when was the last time she had felt this way. This unguarded yet safe...

Because be it her previous or this one, her heart had always been in chaos. But in this moment, all she felt was bliss, like she had never felt before.

At this moment, a faint shuffle of gravel was heard, followed by the crunch of boots approaching in their direction.

The ambience shattered instantly and Ella stiffened in his arms.

"Someone’s coming," she whispered.

They were still in a very compromising position and state right now.

Ella gently pushed against his chest but Adrian did not budge from his spot.

Instead, his voice cut through the night like a blade.

"Step back."

The approaching footsteps froze at once, then retreated into silence.

Followed by that, Adrian moved in an unhurried manner as he separated from her.

And then he gently lifted her up before beginning to dress her.

He slipped the clothes back into place with the same precision he used to take them off but he was even gentler this time.

When he tied the last knot, he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, his gaze unreadable.

When they stepped out of the shaded nook, Ella froze.

All around them, the night was filled with shadows of men, tall and broad, every one of them clad in black.

They stood like statues, their presence suffocating, their gazes lowered.

The one at the front strode forward, then immediately dropped to one knee before Adrian.

"Second Master," his voice carried respect edged with fear. "We came to search for you when we noticed the delay. Forgive us... for arriving late."

...

The moment they returned to the Main Mansion, a sombre air greeted them.

Everybody was gathered in the main hall, their faces solemn.

"Are you fine?" The atmosphere was broken by Ruby who rushed towards Ella without a care as she examined her from head to toe.

Ella nodded, feeling a warmth settle in her heart. When Adrian’s grandparents summoned Ruby over too, Ella thought that Ruby would be uncomfortable or worse even intimidated here.

But knowing Ruby, she carried herself with grace and dignity. Yet, Ella could feel the subtle discomfort she felt here.

But regardless of it all, she was not scared to stand out and show her care.

Ruby still examined Ella from head to toe. After seeing that there was not a single scratch on her body, she retreated to Kade’s side.

Ella regained her composure, and let her gaze wander off in the place before her eyes landed on Lilith who was standing behind Adrian’s grandparents.

Lilith met her gaze with a composed smile.

Ella opened her mouth to speak but Lilith beat her to it, "Ace, are you fine?"

Old Madam King stood up, her solemn face cracked as she approached her grandson, "Little Ian, they reported that your horse was injured by the traps placed in the woods. Are you wounded somewhere?"

"No," Adrian responded without any change in his expression.

Old Master King and Old Madam King were visibly relieved when they heard that.

But Ronan’s narrowed eyes slowly traced over Adrian’s body with a knowing look.

"Then... Then why do you look so pale?" Old Madam suddenly looked unconvinced.

Kade looked at Ella idly.

Ella gave him a look as she tilted her chin with a smile.

Kade bobbed his head questioningly.

Ella glared at him.

With a light cough, Kade immediately stepped forward, "Grandma, Grandma, relax a little. What do you mean brother looks pale? Don’t you know it already?"

"Know what?" Old Madam King turned to look at him when she heard the conviction in his tone.

Kade stepped forward and declared very righteously, "Brother is a pale beauty, delicate and fragile like a white lotus..."

Ella closed her eyes.

"You... What nonsense!" Old Madam King shook with anger.

Still unconvinced, she turned to Adrian, "Little Ian, quickly come over... Let Grandma see..."

She held Adrian’s arms and turned him around in concern.

"Your face is a little pale. Other than that, you seem fine," Old Madam King suddenly paused, "Little Ian, what are these deep scratches on your neck... There are some on your ears too and they are bleeding!"

Adrian paused, his deep gaze settled on Ella for a brief moment before he looked at the old lady, "A wild cat.’’

Ella’s face flushed at the insinuation.

"Cat? There are cats in the woods? I will send the people to take a look tomorrow..."

The brief exchange between them was missed by the old couple who were extremely worried about Adrian.

But it did not go unnoticed by the others in the room.

Lilith’s gaze frosted over.

Only after ensuring that Adrian was unharmed did the Old Lady turn to Ella.

Ella knew that it was time to clear the air about the entire matter. So, she opened her mouth, "Grandma, regarding this incident..."

"We know everything," It was the Old Master King who spoke up.

Ella looked at him in surprise. They already knew that it was a conspiracy against her?

"The servant boy has already confessed everything," Old Madam King sighed, noticing the look on her face, "It’s fine. After all, you are a young girl and this was your first time riding a horse. We won’t hold it against you."

Ella’s surprise turned into confusion just as fast.

"Miss Yu, even though the Old Master and Old Madam are not upset about it, what you did was extremely irresponsible. Not only did you put your life in danger but it almost harmed Ace as well," Lilith spoke up.

Ella’s eyes narrowed for a moment.

But then she smiled and looked at Old Madam King.

"I don’t understand... Grandma, what happened?" Ella asked.

Old Madam King sighed, looking a bit disappointed before she explained, "The servant boy who was guiding you today has been working here for years. His previous generations have served us loyally as well."

"When the horse went rampant, he was scared and worried. So, he told us the truth."

The more Ella listened, the more the expression on her face worsened.

The servant boy had told everyone that Ella had mishandled the reins and insisted on riding alone, due to which the horse lost control.

Otherwise, it was impossible for such a gentle horse to go berserk out of nowhere.

In fact, Ella had been thinking about this incident the moment she was saved by Adrian.

She knew it was no coincidence, nor an accident.

It was a well-crafted plan from the very beginning. Lilith brought out this horse which shared some history with Adrian.

Adrian learnt horse-riding with such a gentle horse so of course, he wouldn’t overthink if Ella were to ride it as well.

Had it been any other horse, Adrian would not have left Ella’s side so easily.

So, of course, with Adrian gone, everything fell upon the servant boy who was to play Ella’s instructor.

He deliberately mentioned Adrian’s childhood and his elder brother. Hearing about that, Ella had gotten emotional and her guards were lowered.

But soon, she realized something.