<h4>Chapter 486: 486-She Loves Him A Lot</h4>


    <strong>Ian:</strong>


    I could not sit around and do nothing. Since I knew something was going on, I had to go out and wander around.


    Maybe I will find some clues. As I did, I noticed Mariana and Fauna returning to the mansion, probably from their evening walk or something.


    "Are you headed out?" Fauna asked me the moment she saw me moving toward the exit.


    "Yeah, I was feeling kind of bored inside," I replied, continuing to walk. She hurried along with me, almost running because of her small feet, since she was a little slow.


    "Is there something you want to talk about?" I asked once I noticed how hard she was trying to keep up with me.


    "Oh no, I just wanted to, um," she paused, then scratched her back. "You are right. I want to have a conversation with you, if that is okay. I do not want to bore you," she added with a smile.


    "Yeah, sure. Tag along," I told her, making a small hand gesture.


    The moment we stepped outside, we started walking on the track around the garden with my hands sped behind my back.


    "You probably know that I am desperately in love with your friend," she began.


    He was so brutal with her that sometimes even I wanted to shake her awake and tell her that it was not possible and that she needed to just move on from him.


    "Yeah, and I can tell that you are not regretting wasting your time," I remarked when I turned my head slightly toward her.


    I noticed a bit of sadness on her face.


    "I want you to find a mate who will love you a lot, Fauna. Everybody deserves to be loved," I exined to her, keeping my steps very slow so she could catch up with me.


    "It is easy for you to say. You have your mate. I do not," she replied, looking down and ying with the bracelet she was wearing on her wrist.


    "What is that? It looks cute," I said, noticing the small bracelet made of various things, like someone had put different pieces together to make it.


    "Um, he did not feel that way about me when we were kids."


    The moment she said that, I pped my head and raised my brow, and she noticed my reaction.


    "Yeah, he was not always that harsh to me. We were good friends for arge part of our lives, and when my father mentioned that he wanted us to be together, Haiden stepped back. He broke our friendship and everything," she replied in a pained tone.


    She lowered her hand and gently held her elbow, squeezing it as a means offort.


    "So, tell me, Ian, what is it like to be loved?" she asked, and a smile formed on my lips.


    I looked straight ahead, almost as if I could see the wind, thinking about Clementine. That was how clear everything became for me whenever she was mentioned.


    "It is special. Knowing you have someone who makes you their priority is a different kind of feeling, Fauna," I continued.


    "You know, we got married in the north," I said, watching Fauna p her hands and step forward until she was in front of me.


    She turned around and started to move backward.


    "Did you really? How was it? I want to know everything," she asked eagerly.


    One thing I noticed about Fauna was that she really paid attention to what others shared with her. It was not just about her wanting to express her emotions. She wanted to be a good listener for others as well.


    "Well, it was set up on the darker side of the north, at one of the most well known venues. I got her the most perfect dress from an antique shop. She did the same. It was a perfect moment," I reminisced.


    A big smile was probably on my lips as I remembered Clementine wearing that gown and walking toward me. That night marked the beginning for me. How I wished I had not let her out of my sight.


    As I finished telling Fauna everything, I realized we had both stopped halfway. She was watching my face dreamily, as if thinking about her own wedding day. I could tell my eyes were a little moist as I remembered my Clementine.


    "That sounds so dreamy," shemented, and I nodded in agreement, my hands still tied behind my back.


    "You two are married. Congrattions. But what about Haiden?" she asked.


    I had expected that question from her. Her worry was that Haiden was not thinking about moving on from Clementine until he got rejected. Honestly, seeing the way Haiden and the others acted, I believed that too. As much as I knew Clementine and what we had talked about, she did want to reject other mates.


    "I do not think that will change anything, Fauna. If Haiden pushes you away that much, then there might never be a chance," I told her, feeling bad for her.


    To be honest, I had spoken to many women before, not in a sexual way, but in general. Fauna was the only one who gave me little sister feelings, even though she was not that young to me.


    We were probably the same age. There was something about her that made me feel like I was talking to my sister.


    "You do not know what tomorrow holds. And I do not believe that he pushes me away," Fauna replied as she started to smile to herself. "You know what? We used to have a spark."


    The moment she said that, I was a little shocked.


    "Really?" I asked, and she nodded confidently.


    "And then, by the time we were thirteen or fourteen, we were shy around each other. There were moments when he would tease me about taking me out on dates. So no, he did not hate me, and he still does not. I just have a feeling that he is scared that if he keeps me close, he will make mistakes, and he does not want to make mistakes because his eyes are on the bigger prize, the better one," she remarked, with a mild smile on her lips.


    "Well, if that is the case, then I hope the rejection works," I replied.