What Talia did shocked the entire class.Everyone watched as Talia calmly walked back to her seat and sat down as if nothing had happened.Confusion was written on all their faces.Was this really the same Talia who never fought back, no matter how much she was hit or yelled at?Why did she suddenly become someone else?Daliah climbed to her feet, face red with anger, and pointed at Talia, ready to curse her out. But the moment her eyes met Talia's fierce gaze, she instantly backed down.She didn’t dare say another word and quietly returned to her seat.Jessica observed for a moment before walking over to Talia and asking, "What happened to you?"Talia's demeanor softened when she spoke to Jessica. She turned to her with a smile and said, "Maybe I’ve always been like this, and you just never noticed."With that, she looked back down at her book and continued reading.Jessica eyed her suspiciously for a few moments but said nothing more.Eden and Quin went to Class 3-18 and s
Normally, the students would always gather around Eden, but now they were turning to Quin instead.Quin glanced in Eden's direction, raising her chin in triumph.So what if Eden was Alain's fiancée?Quin was still the center of everyone's attention. As long as she was around, all eyes were on her.While Quin was basking in her triumph, Eden didn’t even spare her a glance.After class, Eden rested her head on her desk.But she had just settled in when she felt Joy nudge her elbow. "Eden, are you asleep? I have something for you."Eden usually couldn’t sleep deeply in the morning, and with how noisy the classroom was, she wasn’t really asleep at all. She sat up as soon as Joy nudged her.She tilted her head slightly, looking somewhat annoyed but doing her best to suppress it. "What is it?"Joy handed Eden a small box and said, "I noticed the dark circles under your eyes, and you seem to be in a bad mood. Maybe you haven't been sleeping well lately? I heard this herb is good for
Noon, after school.Alain's car was already waiting at the gate of Riverside High.When Eden reached the first floor, she passed by Class 3-1 and ran into Talia.Eden rarely spoke to Talia at school. She glanced at her and was about to walk past her.But just as she took her first step, Talia called out, "Eden!"Eden stopped and turned to look at her.Talia bit her lip and whispered, "Can I stay at your place for a while? I don’t want to stay at Mr. Peter's house anymore.""What happened?" Eden asked with a frown, her expression darkening.Peter had promised her he would take good care of the White siblings."It's nothing," Talia quickly explained, worried Eden might misunderstand. "It's just that Jessica keeps asking my brother to tutor her, so it's getting noisy. With the National Assessment coming up, I want to find a quieter place to study."Eden glanced at her. Talia’s expression was sincere, so she didn’t think much of it and nodded. "Sure, let's go."When they reached
Eden went back upstairs, and Alain switched off the lights in the living room. When he reached the staircase, he suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring at him. He quickly turned around, but there was nothing behind him.He shivered slightly, his cold expression momentarily shifting.In the days that followed, the number of people at Skygarden increased, leaving Alain and Eden with even less time to be alone together.Eden usually continued working on the cure after her classes, so she didn’t have much time to chat with Alain.Horace and Caelus also rarely came to Skygarden, opting to report to Alain directly by phone. They were mainly avoiding Noah, who had a bad temper and made them a bit uneasy.On Saturday, Eden was planning to visit Joy’s home.Alain was going with her, of course. It was a rare opportunity for him to spend some time alone with Eden.It was also a rare chance for Horace and Caelus to see Alain in person, so they decided to join, hoping to discuss something face
After dinner, Eden asked if she could see Ashford’s farms, and Ashford agreed without hesitation.Alain and Horace had assumed Eden came to Joy’s home just for fun. They had no idea the Coleman family was growing a lot of expensive herbs.They were all surprised when they saw the fields full of herbs.Alain turned to Eden, then pointed at one of the plants and asked, "Isn’t this the Bloodgod Herb?"Eden nodded.Alain was speechless.Horace was at a loss for words as well.The Bloodgod Herb, which all the families in Rielton were fighting over, covered half the Coleman family’s farmland.Alain looked at Ashford, questions in his eyes."I planted these myself and usually sell them to shops in the cities. If you like some, I can give them to you for free," Ashford said with a smile.Eden glanced at everyone, then looked at Ashford and asked, "You didn’t sell the Bloodgod Herbs and Celestial Herbs to the shops, did you?"All the herbs he planted were quite expensive. They were s
Ashford realized what he was doing and smiled awkwardly. "I’m so sorry for getting overly excited. Ms. Griffith, you didn’t just come to our home for fun this time, did you? You must have identified the Bloodgod Herb that Joy gave you and came to find me, right?""That’s right," Eden answered sincerely. "I can sign a contract with you so that you can provide the materials to me long-term. I’ll pay you the market price."Eden knew how to cultivate herbs but wasn’t an expert, especially with something as rare as the Celestial Herb.After what happened to her grandmother, she knew there was still much to learn. If she had someone to supply the materials, she could focus on making the medicine and eventually handle all kinds of diseases."No." Ashford shook his head."You can tell me your conditions," Eden said."It’s not that I don’t want to sign a contract with you. Raphael’s Seminary already signed a contract with the Bishops in the past. Since you’re Mr. Noah’s student, we will n
The next day, Joy became a guide and took Eden and the others around town for half a day. After lunch at the Coleman's, they headed back to Audair.By the time they dropped Joy off at Riverside Senior High and returned to Skygarden, it was already around midnight.Quin and Talia's rooms were dark. Only Noah was sitting alone on the living room balcony, looking as if he was in a bad mood.Alain and Eden exchanged a glance. Eden didn't say anything but walked over to Noah's side. "You're upset?""Not really," Noah said, looking at her before sighing. "I need to go, Eden."Eden was slightly taken aback. "Where to?""To where I should be," Noah replied, gazing at the sky. "I've been running for decades. It’s probably time I fulfill my duties. There are responsibilities I can’t escape."Eden bit her lip but remained silent.Noah didn’t explain further, but she understood.Noah tapped his cigarette and stood up, then lightly tapped Eden’s shoulder."You won’t see me for a long time
"No," Eden said. She didn’t experience any of the sensations Alain described.When she first took the Scarlet Jade of Thousand Mountains out of the box, she only noticed it felt different from other jades—extremely cold, almost bone-chillingly so. But since her own physique was cold-aligned, she didn’t find it uncomfortable.She had been wearing the jade for a long time without any issues.But…Eden glanced at Alain. His body seemed to react the moment he held the jade."No?" Alain frowned even more deeply.After a moment of silence, Alain went to get a pair of gloves and put them on. "Give it to me again."Eden handed the jade over without a word.This time, Alain didn’t feel as bad thanks to the gloves, but he still sensed the draining effect.He returned the jade to Eden and whispered, "Keep it well hidden. Don’t let anyone see it, and don’t tell anyone about it.""What is it?" Eden asked, frowning.It was her first time seeing Alain so serious about something."I can’t