SMITTEN - Chapter 148

LYCANO

“You have to leave now, my lord. Lady Lysha is here, and she’s looking for you,” Lyno whispered to Lycano, hoping that Lady Lymina wouldn’t hear him.

Lyno was outside the tavern as per Lycano’s instruction to look out for whatever it is that would stop Lycano from having fun.

But Lycano couldn’t hear him properly. It must probably be the loud music. Or the liquor that he’s been drinking must have blurred his senses, so he made him repeat it.

“What is that, again?” he asked in a slurred manner before kissing Lady Lymina behind her ear.

“Stop it, my lord. We’re in a public place,” Lady Lymina giggled, but her hands went on Lycano’s thighs.

Lycano’s lips curved up at her aggressive actions. But his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Lady Lysha is looking for you, my lord,” Lyno made it so sure that he would hear it. Unfortunately, Lady Lymina heard it too.

She stopped what she was doing and faced him hastily with an angry demeanor. “Who is Lady Lysha?”

“Lady Aisha?” Lycano repeated back groggily.

Why is it that even no matter how many bottles he drank and how many women he slept with, he still could hear her name?

“Lady Aisha is my first love,” he drawled as he slumped his head on the table, just in time for Lady Lysha to show up.

“Who is Lady Aisha?” The two women chorused together, surprising them both.

At that moment, Lady Lysha’s attention went to Lady Lymina. “Who are you? Why are you with Lord Lycano?”

Her shrill voice interrogated the woman beside him.

Lycano could feel the tension within Lady Lymina as she answered their unwelcome guest, standing up with her hands on her hips. “Who are you? And who gave you the right to ask such questions? I am Lord Lycano’s woman.”

She glared at her like an angry legal wife, infuriating Lady Lysha all the more.

“I have all the rights because I am Lord Lycano’s fiancee!”

Lyno’s palm swatted his forehead as he realized the mess that his lord had made.

Both of the women were from prestigious families who don’t mind Lord Lycano’s bad reputation as long as they will be connected with the powerful lord of the Lycus Clan and member of the Tribal Council.

But Lord Lycano couldn’t care less about this and that. He just wants to forget.

The two women started grabbing on each other’s hair, causing a riot in the tavern.

“Stop it, both of you,” Lord Lycano stood up and was about to stop them, but as he tried to grab one of them, the other one got jealous and pulled her back to the ring.

“Let’s just go, my lord. They will stop once they know that you’re gone,” Lyno said as he pulled him up.

Lord Lycano gazed at the squabbling women. He isn’t in love with any of them. And he knew that they don’t have that kind of sincere feelings for him, too.

He was just entertaining himself, and he knew that they just wanted his power.

They were all just using each other, hoping that they could all have what they wanted. But still don’t.

“All right, let’s go,” he finally decided before he sneaked out of the exit of the tavern with the help of the owner, who seemed to understand where he was coming from.

They went to Market Town which was just nearby where they knew that both women would not catch up with them and enough for Lord Lycano to sober up.

It was midday when he went inside the tavern, and now it was near twilight. He looked up at the setting sun with its brilliance starting to fade away.

From where they are, they could see the streets were already being filled with people coming home from work.

“If you will permit, my lord, why not choose one between the two women? They were both decent and of marrying age. Any one of them would be an admirable partner for you, my lord,” Lyno suggested as he offered a bottle of water to him.

His brows were wrinkled as he pinched his ear. Then he looked in the direction where Lycano was gazing at.

He must have been concerned since Lycano has been wasting his life all these years, unmotivated by anything.

“They weren’t Lady Aisha,” Lycano answered before gulping down a lump of water that soothed his dry throat.

“But she’s already dead, my lord,” Lyno tried to reason out with him.

He knew that. In fact, he didn’t know why he was that attracted to Lady Aisha, too.

They didn’t have the luxury of time that they spent with one another that would give him the rational reason to be that way to her.

But just thinking about her, made his heart flutter. And thinking about what happened to her hurts him until now.

“How about the other women that you’ve been with, my lord? Certainly, there is someone who has caught your heart, even if it doesn’t surpass your affection for Lady Aisha.”

With that, a vision of Lady Marina came to his mind, making him draw in a deep breath.

Their last personal conversation was in the dungeon. She hasn’t talked with him since then.

He understood her perfectly because they had entered into a different level of relationship when he decided to assist Lady Aisha in escaping.

“She could have been it,” Lord Lycano muttered to himself, making Lyno glance at him with furrowed brows.

“Never mind. Maybe I’m just meant to be a bachelor. It’s not so bad because I can have all the women that I want, right?” Lycano laughed as he started walking.

Just then, his attentive ears caught on to the gossip that made his eyes go wide in surprise.

“Are you sure it’s Lady Aisha?”

“Yes, I saw her with my own eyes.”

“But she’s dead! Maybe it’s just a ghost.”

“Or maybe she’s just hiding all these years, so she could escape her punishment.”

With his heart beating wildly in his chest, he went to the gossiping man and asked outrightly. “Did you really see Lady Aisha?”

“Yes, yes, my lord,” the man stammered, “She went that way.”

Then he pointed to the road leading to Sorbus Mountains.

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Stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it.