"Miss." Catherine smiled. "Let me handle it, alright?"She released Persephone's hand, gesturing for her to step aside, and began taking out the medicine packets from the cabinet.Persephone stood by to watch silently, her heart beating faster and faster.She felt like Catherine was counting something.After a while, Catherine murmured to herself, "Why are these medicine packets… missing some?""What?" Persephone was stunned. "What's missing?""The quantity is short," Catherine said. She placed her hands on her hips and exhaled. "Miss, look, I remember clearly. There were 25 packs yesterday, but there are only 17 today. How could Mr. Rutherford possibly consume eight doses in a day?"Moreover..." Catherine paused, lowering her voice. "Except for the first time I brought back and prepared a pack, Mr. Rutherford hasn't had any since then.""Huh?" Persephone was shocked. "H-How do you know? Don't you prepare medicine for him every day?""I do prepare it, but he doesn't take it."
When Seamus returned, he noticed someone had tampered with his room. His expression changed instantly, and he turned sharply toward the other two bodyguards and erupted in anger. The two were scolded so harshly that they stood still with their heads lowered, afraid to speak.As he calmed down, he suddenly spotted Persephone standing at the door. Seeing her cold demeanor and the smirk on her face—a smile that echoed the air of superiority ingrained in the Hamerton genes—his heart jolted.He restrained his temper and respectfully addressed her, "Miss.""That was quite a forceful call. Seems like your injury is almost healed, right?" Persephone's calm voice was cryptic. "Since you're recovered, let's go back to Centrolis. Give me your phone. I'll call my parents to send someone to pick us up.""Miss..." Seamus gestured, asking the other two to leave first. He sat beside Persephone but moved on the nearby carpet after some thought.Looking up at her, he said, "Miss, don't trouble th
Persephone knew Seamus would think she was throwing a tantrum, something that had happened countless times before. Whenever she got upset with him, she would turn and run, and he would come to appease her. Judging from the earlier situation, however, Seamus probably wouldn't chase after her this time. He thought he could control her in Flinge.Persephone dashed out of the community gate and waited nearby for a while to confirm that Seamus wasn't following her. Then, she retrieved a cap and a coat hidden in the bushes, changed into them, and quietly slipped away through another path.Following her memory, she arrived at the small, secluded convenience store.The store owner was still the old man sitting quietly at the shop's entrance. The only difference between George and a statue was his sharp-eyed gaze.When he saw Persephone, his eyes widened. As if a sealed spirit had been released, he slowly stood up. "It's you?"Persephone stood not far away, panting from her sprint, unabl
Seamus' roar jolted Fat Jim.He felt fortunate they were communicating over the phone. He firmly believed Seamus would have no qualms shooting him dead if they were face to face."Calm down, Mr. Seamus," he said, falling into a momentary silence before taking a deep breath. "After all, didn't you bring this upon yourself?""What did you say?" Seamus gnashed his teeth."I've never seen anyone failing to win a woman's heart so hard!" Fat Jim remarked."Shut up!" Seamus bellowed, smashing his phone against the wall.The other two bodyguards exchanged glances before retreating carefully, closing the door.Despite not being a smoker, Seamus lit a cigarette and took a long puff as he found himself alone in the house.Memories played in his head.In Centrolis, at the Hamertons, no matter where they were, Persephone had always been his most loyal knight.However, he understood the gap in their status. He was destined to look up to her and protect her from beneath, never standing shou
"Water…"Ryan managed to open his mouth with great difficulty. His eyes were swollen, and there was only a narrow line when he opened them. Evidently, he struggled to identify the person present, but his efforts were in vain.He had lost his mobility and lay in wait for death, surviving solely on his will.Persephone gazed helplessly at George.George's face was devoid of expression. He walked to the cabinet, poured a glass of water, sat next to the bed, and lifted Ryan's head to feed him with care.George's face showed no expression as he walked to the cabinet, poured a glass of water, sat next to the bed, and carefully lifted Ryan's head to feed him.Having felt his grip on her wrist earlier, Persephone was well aware of his strength.Despite this, he fed Ryan water with gentleness.Standing there, Persephone felt overwhelmed. It seemed like she had entered another maze, unsure if George was a friend or foe to Ryan. It appeared she might be stuck in this maze forever.She wr
Persephone felt a pang in her heart, and her throat seemed tangled. She moved her lips, but no words escaped.Blankly, she stared at Morpheus.As for how much he knew about her identity, she couldn't be certain. Despite his suspicious tone, it was unlikely he possessed extensive knowledge.Morpheus forced a smile. "After all this time, I still don't truly know who you are, Sephy."At the same time..." He gazed into her eyes. "You don't know me either."She lowered her head, letting the breeze caress her."It was your cousin who did all this," he said, his words light but hitting her like a hammer.She eagerly wanted to tell him that Seamus wasn't her cousin—she was the Hamertons' heiress, and he had been her loyal bodyguard since youth. How could he possibly harm her?Like a curse, the question lingered for a long time. From the two strangers on the boat to the received notes, she felt like she had entered a maze. However, signs along the way always seemed to point at someone—S
Should Persephone trust Morpheus, Seamus, or Ryan?Or should she trust those notes that came out of nowhere?"Wynn brought me medicine earlier," Morpheus said softly. "He said the prescription came from you, and it was Seamus who gave it to him."Persephone recalled the medicine that had gone missing from the kitchen cabinet.A squeeze in her heart made her ask, "Did you… take it?""No," Morpheus said. "People learn their lesson. I almost died in the boxing ring, so I became more careful with what I put in my mouth."Persephone felt relief at his words, tears welling up.Despite knowing something was wrong with the medicine, Seamus gave it to Wynn anyway. Not only that, but he also did it in her name. Perhaps he thought Morpheus would consume the medicine without a doubt since it came from her.'So… None of those were accidents, and Seamus is the one who orchestrated everything? Is he the one involved in all the horrible things that have happened?' she wondered.Her chest tigh
How Morpheus wished he could answer Persephone's question, but he just couldn't.He had never even seen what Bailey looked like, nor did he know if she were a friend or a foe.The only thing he was sure of was that he would do his best to protect Persephone.Morpheus took out his phone. "Here, take it."In this time and age when everyone had a smartphone, this one seemed unusually ancient. She had never seen anything like that."What's this…""It's a phone. You can only make calls and text with it," he explained. "It has very few functions, but it has advantages whereby people can't easily bug it."He had used this on the battlefield before."There's only one number saved in there—mine." He looked at her before adding, "Call me if anything happens when you get back."-As soon as Persephone returned, she saw Seamus sitting on the couch in the living room.The lights were dimmed, and she could not see him clearly. However, his grimness spread like alcohol in the air, lingerin