"No!" Mason Nightshade immediately denied, "But these things, you don’t need to know."

"Why don’t I need to know?!" Aurelia Shaw raised her voice to question.

Ultimately, the two managed to discuss this matter openly.

Gustavo Yates quietly left.

He thought to himself: Luckily, he had the foresight to book a private room.

Only the two of them were left in the room, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

"Aurelia, that’s not what I meant..." Sensing Aurelia’s anger, Mason softened his tone, "This matter is between Balthazar Shaw and me. Even if there is enmity between us, it’s just between the two of us. You got involved because of me, and it’s understandable you hate me."

As he said the last sentence, Mason’s voice trembled slightly.

Honestly, Mason was happy when Aurelia came back to find him, but he was also afraid she’d show him the same hateful expression again. He feared his attempt to get closer would cause her more disdain.

The hurt was evident on Mason’s face, and Aurelia sighed, suddenly feeling a bit... helpless. Why did she feel like she was bullying a little wolfhound?

Calming herself down, Aurelia said, "I’m sorry, I didn’t know..." Feeling this sounded more like a defense, Aurelia suddenly stopped.

After a brief pause, she said, "Previously, when you saw me, you must have been reminded of your eighteen deceased brothers, and it must have been tough for you, right? I kept bothering you back then..."

Aurelia chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I was really immature at that time."

Mason furrowed his brows, "I’ve said before, this is not your fault!"

Feeling that his tone was somewhat harsh, Mason softened his voice again, "You are you, and Balthazar is Balthazar. Balthazar deserves it, but you..."

As he reached this point, a bloody pain flashed in Mason’s eyes.

Knowing what Mason was thinking about, Aurelia smiled slightly, "The outcome isn’t too bad after all."

They both survived, didn’t they?

Seeing the slightly indifferent smile on her face, Mason frowned, his expression darkening, and said, "Previously, it was not because I didn’t like you that I was distant. Everything I said to you before was true!"

Fearing that Aurelia wouldn’t believe him, Mason emphasized the last sentence with extra weight.

Since the two of them had fallen out, she hadn’t listened to his explanation.

He was terrified that this time she would dismiss everything about him!

"Aurelia, back then, I needed to be responsible for my soldiers. Whether or not that matter was related to you, in their eyes, you were Balthazar Shaw’s daughter, the daughter of the enemy whose hands were stained with the blood and lives of eighteen brothers..." Mason seriously stared at Aurelia’s face, confirming there was no trace of mockery or displeasure, but his heart still couldn’t relax, hanging precariously.

"Mason, I’ll pursue you again."

Aurelia’s sudden words successfully froze Mason’s brain.

Mason was stunned for quite a while before he processed what Aurelia said, "Wha-what do you mean?"

Aurelia buried her head in her noodles, not answering Mason’s question, instead asking, "Mason, why have you started treating me well again?"

Mason understood what she meant this time.

She was asking: Since he was afraid of hurting her before and didn’t dare to approach her, why was he approaching her in this lifetime? Wasn’t he afraid of her getting hurt again?

Mason straightened his expression and said seriously, "In the previous life, I’ve already been responsible for them; in this life, the only one I need to be responsible for is you! As for them..."

It was unclear if Mason sneered, but there was a hint of disdain and a touch of coldness in his smile.

"I no longer need to be responsible for them."