The mont Adrian entered his room, Ronan was already at his heels, "Where is it?"
Kade trailed behind, brows furrowed, "Where is what?"
Adrian said nothing. He calmly shrugged off his rider suit, then tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. The fabric slid down his arm, revealing a jagged wound slashed across his skin.
It was sared with a strange, dried paste, dark green, almost earthy, the faint scent of herbs lingering in the air.
But despite the green paste, one could not overlook the size of that wound.
Kade’s eyes widened, "Brother! That’s huge!" His voice cracked, half horrified, half exaggerated, as though his brother’s arm had just fallen off, "And here I thought Grandma was being dramatic. You really are injured. Knight, quickly treat my brother!"
While Kade urged him, Ronan frowned. He leaned closer, narrowing his eyes. Then, he bent down and sniffed the dried ss.
His lips moved, a whisper barely audible, "...Tagetes."
Kade blinked, "Tag-what now?"
Ronan straightened, his expression clinical, "Tagetes. Commonly known as marigold. The leaves are effective in stopping bleeding... among other properties," His gaze flickered to Adrian, "Did Ella co up with this?"
"Yes," Adrian said simply.
Kade’s jaw dropped, "Wait—what? That whole ti I thought she was just throwing around herb nas and playing around with skincare products for passing ti," His hands flew in the air dramatically, "But she actually knows this stuff?"
Adrian glanced at the green paste still clinging to his skin. His eyes, cold as steel a mont ago, softened at once.
It was just the slightest shift, almost imperceptible.
Ronan scoffed, shaking his head. "This ti, consider yourself lucky, Ace. Your body’s in good enough condition for such things to be effective. Otherwise, no amount of leaves would’ve saved you."
But Adrian wasn’t listening. He seed entirely elsewhere, as though trapped in his own pink bubble, his mind replaying the sight of her tending his wound.
Both Ronan and Kade looked at him, speechless.
There was even a hint of a small smile on Adrian’s face.
"...Is he seriously smiling right now?" Kade muttered under his breath.
Ronan pinched the bridge of his nose, "Hopeless."
...
The knock on Ella’s door echoed again.
When the door opened, Lilith stood there.
Her arms were crossed, her gaze sharp. The second her eyes landed on Ella, her lips curved into a thin line.
"I want to talk to you..." Then, noticing Ruby beside her, she added coldly, "Alone."
Ruby did not move imdiately.
It was only when Ella gave Ruby an assuring gaze that she left the room and walked in the direction of the guest room they had assigned to her.
Lilith shut the door behind her with a soft click, her heels echoing against the polished floor as she stepped inside.
"I’ll admit," she began, her tone deceptively light, "I hadn’t expected you to deal with things in that manner. Getting the servant fired without ever exposing the truth."
Ella blinked at her, her expression as clear and guileless as fresh spring water, "I don’t know what Miss Quinn is talking about," she said innocently, "I rely spoke the truth. It was the kindness of Grandpa and Grandma that they dismissed him for his... grave mistake."
Lilith’s smile faltered, her sharp eyes narrowing, "It seems Miss Yu is quite apt at playing naïve. Tell —" her voice dipped with a faint bite, "—is that how you impress n?"
A soft chuckle slipped from Ella’s lips, "My man doesn’t mind it," she said, leaning back casually, "and I don’t care about others."
At the ntion of Adrian, Lilith’s expression cracked. A shadow flitted across her face, and although it was quickly masked, Ella caught it.
Her smile sharpened, "Miss Quinn," she said, "did you wish for to die in the woods today? Or were you only hoping to see humiliated in front of Adrian’s family?"
Lilith stiffened when she heard Ella’s straightforward words that she hadn’t seen coming, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Ella tilted her head, eyes glinting with mischief, "See? You know how to play naïve too."
Lilith’s fingers curled into a fist, "Are you mocking , Miss Yu?"
Ella walked right up to Lilith and leaned close, her whisper brushing against her ear, "Do you think I don’t know whose command that servant was working on? Miss Quinn, how badly do you want to suffer really... do you think I am not aware of that too?"
Lilith froze again.
For a fleeting second, her mask slipped but then she straightened up, retreating one step with a composed smile, "I was rely here to say... it’s such a pity that today had to unfold the way it did."
Lilith’s tone regained its cool poise as she continued, "But don’t worry. The plans for tomorrow will be... exciting."
She turned toward the door.
But just as her hand brushed the handle, Lilith paused.
Glancing back, she added smoothly, "Oh, I nearly forgot to ntion. My friend is already here, resting in one of the guestrooms. A pity that because of all the incidents, you two couldn’t et today. I do hope you’ll et tomorrow, though."
Ella’s brows furrowed, a faint confusion lingering in her heart. But just as quickly, it was replaced by calm composure.
The mont Lilith slipped out, Ella turned toward the bed with a weary sigh.
At this point, she couldn’t even tell what Lilith was planning to do next.
But so be it. She would deal with things as they ca rather than worrying about them beforehand.
Before she could even sit, the sound of footsteps approached again.
Did Lilith co back again to play mind gas with her?
Her eyes narrowed with mild annoyance, her tone edged with impatience, "I would appreciate it if you leave now."
But surprisingly, there was no response after a second.
Instead, the footsteps drew closer, steady and unhurried. Then ca the soft click of the door shutting.
Ella turned around, only to be greeted by the sight of Adrian standing at the door.
He seed all fresh, dressed in a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants.
His tall fra leaned against the door for a brief mont, his dark eyes fixed on her.
"You want to leave?" His voice was low, but it carried a weight that made her breath hitch.
They hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to each other after their ’together ti’ in the woods. So there seed to be so unresolved tension lingering between them.
She took a step toward him, her lips curving faintly, "Of course not." Her gaze traveled instinctively over his arm, "Did Ronan check your wound? Is there so infection or—"
Her words never reached the end.
In one swift motion, Adrian crossed the room and swept her off the ground.
A soft gasp escaped her as her legs coiled instinctively around his waist, her hands gripping onto his shoulders.
He carried her with effortless strength and lowered her onto the bed, his weight pressing over her in the next heartbeat. Adrian hovered on top of her, right between her legs.
Before she could process, his lips grazed her skin, then his teeth caught the curve of her neck.
Ella hissed, fingers tightening on his shirt, "Baby... are you dissatisfied with the way I dealt with the situation earlier?"
He didn’t answer.
His face remained buried in her neck, his breath hot and ragged against her skin.
The silence pressed heavily between them until, finally, he lifted his head.
His eyes locked with hers.
"You just had to say the word," he murmured, voice solemn as if he was reminding her of so unsaid rules, "and anybody you want would be dismissed."
Ella froze.
For a beat, her heart faltered. Was that why he was angry? Because she hadn’t taken his help?
The thought made her chest tighten, and strangely... her heart softened. Adorable. That was what he was, even in his cold, overbearing way.
So adorable....
Her arms slid around his neck, pulling him closer to herself, "I know you’ll back up," she whispered.
"But if you did that, it would upset your grandparents even more than they already were... after finding out about our secret marriage," Her gaze grew serious when she spoke of this, "At this point, we should be trying to soften them instead of provoking them more, so they don’t remain angry at us. Especially at you."
Adrian stilled.
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