After Death, Love Unveiled (Elara and Lysander)

Hearing the teasing remark from the video call, Elara felt even ore awkward. She cleared her throat, realizing that her carlier aggressive demeanor must have been seen by Lysander's colleagues. "Get back to work," she said quickly before retreating and shutting the door behind her. Once outside, she couldn't help but slap her own forehead. How dumb could I be?' she wondered. She had actually assumed that Lysander skipping dinner was some sort of petty protest aimed at her.

As it turned out, his mood was perfectly fine. He wasn't sulking. He was calmly attending his meeting, leaving her alone downstairs, stewing in misplaced frustration.

The door soon opened, and Lysander stepped out. Seeing her standing in the hallway, still smacking her forehead, he stared at her. "What's wrong? Why are you hitting yourself?" Elara wished she could dig a hole and disappear. Awkwardly, she asked, "Weren't you in a meeting?"

"It's on pause. What do you need?" he asked.

Earlier, when she had stormed in, Lysander'd thought something serious had happened.

"Nothing. I just wanted to ask if you were going to eat. You can go back to work. I thought you were mad at me and skipping dinner because of that," Elara explained.

You go ahead. I'll come down when I'm done," he replied.

Elara took a couple of steps away but then paused and turned back to look at him again. Noticing her lingering, Lysander asked, "What now?"

"I thought we'd had a fight and you were sulking, but it looks like you're not angry at all," she said.

'So what have I been agonizing

downstairs for the past half hour?' she wondered.

Lysander, hearing this, said calmly, "It's fine. I'm very good at cheering myself up."

He added, "Now go eat. I'll be down in a bit."

Elara nodded and headed back downstairs.

Since Lysander was busy, she invited Magnus to join her for dinner. Magnus sat beside her and said, "Elara..."

Elara glanced at the man in front of her, who was, admittedly, quite good-looking. It made her wonder why handsome men were so hard to find on the streets. Because a lot of them were busy with their careers. She smiled at Magnus and asked, "Are you around Lysander every day now?"

"Most of the time," Magnus replied. "Why?"

"What kind of person do you think Lysander is?" Elara asked.

Seeing Magnus brought a sense of familiarity to her.

Even though he seemed a bit younger and greener now than she remembered, the bond was still there. After all, in her time travel, Magnus had been the last person she saw before her death.

Magnus thought for a moment before replying, "He's great, just a bit strict. But he's incredibly competent and responsible. Also, his mind is just amazing. When I'm around him, I often feel like I'm really slow by comparison." 1/3

Elara chuckled. "I get it."

Even Asher, who always considered himself a genius, couldn't stop ranting whenever Lysander came up.

Magnus added, "And there's one more thing... he really, really loves you. He's not much of a talker around us, but he often brings you up."

"Brings me up?" Elara asked, her curiosity piqued. "What does he say about me?"

"He just says how great you are. Whenever we're busy with work and he mentions you, I know it's because he's thinking about you. It's just a shame he has so much on his plate. This job keeps us all so busy." He sighed. Hearing about her relationship with Lysander from someone else's perspective left Elara feeling strangely surreal. She couldn't help but smile. Just then, Lysander came downstairs.

Magnus immediately stood up when he saw Lysander. "Hi, Lysander."

Lysander's gaze shifted to Elara. While he'd been gone, she seemed to be having quite an enjoyable conversation with someone else.

Magnus sensed the tension instinctively like a prey sensing a predator. "I'll head out now," he said hastily and without waiting for a reply, he bolted.

Elara looked at Lysander, puzzled. He hadn't said anything yet, but for some reason, she could feel a dangerous aura radiating from him. "I was just casually chatting with him," she explained.

"You treat him differently," Lysander said.

Elara coughed awkwardly. "There's a reason for that."

"He does have a decent face," he said.

"That's not what I meant." Elara denied it.

"Fair complexion, youthful. He's got potential to be a kept man, Lysander added.

"Lysander!" Elara was exasperated and couldn't bear to hear it. "I was just casually chatting with Magnus. What's all this talk about? And stop calling him that. He's your friend!"

"Defending him, are you?" he mocked.

"Fine, I admit I have a weakness for good looks. But Magnus is an upright guy. Don't assume the worst about him." She paused and then remembered something. "Wait... Are you on some jealousy spree lately? "First, it was Juan, now it's Magnus. You picked him to be by your side. Don't you know him well enough?"

"Of course, I know him," Lysander replied. "I'm just worried you'll suddenly lose control and ruin him."

Elara puffed up her cheeks, amused despite herself. "Wow, you saw right through me."

His face darkened further.

She handed him a fork. "Eat. I was joking. No matter how terrible I am, I wouldn't go after someone you trust." Sure, she might be a little shameless, but she had principles.

Lysander took the fork, fixing her with a penetrating gaze. "So, as long as they're not someone I know, it's fair game?" Elara cleared her throat. "If that day ever comes, I'll do my best to keep it from you."

Her composed expression and delicate features only added to Lander's exasperation. "I just thought of something," he said suddenly. "What?" Elara asked, popping a slice of cucumber into her plate and looking at him curiously.

Lysander leaned back slightly. "Elara, if it weren't for Asher, would any handsome man in this world have been fine for you to marry?" "Why do you ask so?" she said.

"I'm starting to think you're with me just because I'm good-looking," said Lysander.

'Not because I am irreplaceable, but because I happen to be attractive enough to crush Asher's self-esteem., Lysander wondered. Though he'd known her reasons from the start, after being married for this long, her casual attitude still got under his skin.

Elara lowered her head, biting into the cucumber slice she'd just grabbed.

"Say something." Lysander pressed.novelbin

"Well, sort of," Elara admitted. "I wasn't about to pick someone uglier than Asher. People aim higher. Isn't that normal?"

In her time travel, Elara had been stupid enough to choose a man who was not only poor but also a terrible person.

Now, being with Lysander, even if he didn't treat her well, at least he was handsome and came from a good family. Even without love, she wouldn't lose out. "Wonderful," Lysander muttered, his voice tinged with sarcasm. He sat down beside her, picked up his glass, and took a sip of

water.

Seeing his sulky expression, Elara served him a portion of soup. "Darling, have some soup. She made it, especially for you. It's supposed to be good to you." Lysander's eyes darkened. "Do I look like I need it?"

Elara raised an eyebrow. "You're injured. Of course, you need it. Where's your mind wandering to?"

He glanced at the soup, then picked up a spoon and began eating. As they ate, Elara studied him for a moment. "You've been busy these past few days. Do you have work that needs handling here?"