Help! I Became A Guy In A BL Novel!-Chapter 162: I Am Sorry

The moon hung low and heavy over the treetops, casting pale silver light over the secluded clearing just outside the estate. The leaves rustled with a quiet wind, the night thick with anticipation. Riven stood at the edge of the path, his green eyes sharp and guarded as he waited.

Ronan wanted to follow and stay nearby, but Riven did not allow it. He knew that Julius was a twisted man at times. He did not want to risk not getting the list in case Julius realised that Ronan was here.

Riven was not aware of how much Julius had changed. Eli did not mention it.

Footsteps crunched over the leaf-strewn path, slow and unsteady. Then Julius appeared, stepping into the moonlight. Riven blinked.

Julius looked exhausted.

His black hair, always so meticulously styled when they were younger, now hung limply around his face. His sharp features were shadowed, not with the arrogance Riven remembered, but with fatigue.

Yet even now, Riven could see that Julius had made an effort. His coat was brushed clean, his collar straight. There was a wrinkle at the elbow of his sleeve—a small, strange detail that made Riven narrow his eyes.

They stood ten feet apart, and Riven made no move to close the distance.

"Riven..." Julius began, voice hoarse as if it hadn’t been used properly in days. He took a step forward. Then another.

Now only three feet separated them.

Riven stepped back once.

Julius halted, a sigh escaping his lips. The silence between them stretched, held taut by years of unsaid things and unresolved tension.

"How are you... Riven?" Julius asked softly.

Riven crossed his arms. "Fine."

His voice was clipped. Measured. There was no room for small talk.

"You have the list?"

Julius hesitated. Riven could see the flicker of something in his black eyes. Regret? Pain? It was hard to tell with him. Always had been.

"Riven, I—"

"Don’t," Riven cut him off, brows furrowing. His tone didn’t rise, but the warning in it was clear. "I didn’t come here for apologies or confessions. And certainly not to be forced by you. I came alone as you requested."

Riven showed Ronan only one side of the letter. On the other side, Julius explained very briefly how he had approached Eli to pass the message along to him. Riven was not mad at Eli in the slightest. He thought Eli did the right thing.

He should give Riven the message. What to do with it would be up to Riven. Besides, he could never be angry at the bunny!

Julius bowed his head. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. His hands trembled slightly as he held it out.

Riven stepped forward just enough to take it, but Julius’s fingers closed gently around Riven’s as he passed the list. The touch startled Riven, made his ears twitch slightly, and his tail flicked in warning.

"Julius..."

But Julius didn’t let go right away.

He held Riven’s hand a moment too long.

Riven looked up, locking eyes with him. Those deep black eyes were different now. Not cruel. Not calculating. Just... tired.

And sad.

The moment lingered like breath in winter.

Then Julius let go.

Riven stepped back again, quickly this time. He tucked the parchment into his jacket. freёweɓnovel.com

"Thank you," he said, turning. He didn’t want to drag this out. There was nothing left to say.

But Julius wasn’t finished.

"Wait," he said, voice cracking slightly. "I’m... I’m truly sorry."

Riven stopped in his tracks.

"I know you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t either. But I want to change. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I—I don’t want to be on the wrong side anymore."

Riven didn’t move.

The wind whistled between the trees.

Then he turned around, green eyes steady.

"You can start by choosing the right side," he said, his voice quieter now. "And staying there."

Julius looked at him, the faintest flicker of hope in his face.

Riven gave a half-shrug, his tone light but not mocking. "I’ll forgive, Julius. But I won’t forget. Not yet."

He tilted his head. "Earn it."

Julius swallowed hard and nodded.

Riven turned away again, and this time, Julius didn’t stop him.

He walked back toward the estate, moonlight trailing behind him. His tail flicked once in thought, then stilled.

He was hoping to get Julius to testify or procure even more evidence. Sure, did it feel like he was using Julius? Maybe, but this was what the original Riven was owed. After the torture he experienced, what he asked of Julius was not too much in the slightest.

He kept his head down, mind already shifting to what tomorrow might bring—how he would explain things to Ronan, how they would use the information Julius gave him.

He had almost reached the door when he caught sight of a familiar figure slinking around the corner of the west wing.

Lord Lucian.

His father froze the moment their eyes met. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but silence between them. Riven’s green eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. Across the courtyard, Lucian looked like he had been caught. He, too, was sneaking in.

He turned on his heel and scurried away, his cloak flapping behind him like a guilty shadow.

Riven scoffed quietly.

A few years ago, this man had stood over him, screaming that he would make his son kneel to his death if he dared defy him. A tyrant draped in pride and power. And now?

A coward, shrivelled in the face of the consequences he never thought he’d face.

He shook his head and walked past the marble pillars into the estate.

The moment he stepped into his room, the faint scent of Ronan’s calming aura greeted him. Ronan was sitting cross-legged on the bed, arms folded, his long white hair spilling over his shoulders.

Despite Lord Lucian’s repeated insistence that Ronan take one of the grand guest suites with beds fit for alphas of noble blood, Ronan refused to leave.

"I will stay right here in Riven’s room." He declared.