Theo burst into laughter at Ellinorâs response, âAre you really that tough? Then Iâve got a bodyguard from now on!â
Ellinor stared at him angrily, âWhatâs so funny? Iâm serious! Youâre my man, only I can bully you!â
Theo paused for a moment, looking at Ellinorâs protective expression. He was touched, and he couldnât help but lean in and give her a gentle kiss. Then he whispered, âItâs okay, donât worry. That was all a long time ago. Iâll take care of myself and wonât leave you alone.
Ellinor blushed when she was kissed suddenly and shyly buried her head in his chest, Iâm serious, donât just kiss people like that. Itâs not fair!â
Theo chuckled and ruffled her hair, âSorry, Iâll try to control myselfâ
Ellinor leaned against him, her mood gradually calming as she started to recall the small village of West Water Ridge that Theo had mentioned.
She had been there before.
When she was a kid, she went with Karan from the monastery to find a rare herb, and they stayed in one of the villagersâ houses.
At that time, sheâd get up early every day to pick herbs with Karan. Sometimes sheâd lose track of him because she got distracted, and then sheâd have to make her way back to the village on her own.
One day, she got separated from Karan and ran into an injured man on her way down the mountain.
The man was wounded and had been bitten by a snake, which had blinded him with its venom.
That day, she found the exact herb that could neutralize the venom. So she sucked the venomous blood out of his wound and applied the crushed herb to 1. it.
At first, the man thought she was a bad person and was rather unfriendly. But when he realized that she was trying to save him, he softened up.
However, he was a man of few words and didnât really talk to her.
After that, whenever she passed by, she would bring him some food. He didnât say much, but he always said thank you.
And then one day, he was just⦠gone.
When she remembered this memory that was deeply buried in her heart, Ellinorâs heart skipped a beat.
Could it beâ¦
She snapped back to reality, grabbed Theoâs arm, and pointed at a spot on his forearm, âIs this where you were bitten by the snake?â
A hint of surprise flashed in Theoâs eyes, âHow did you know?â
Ellinor continued, âYou were blind at the time and never saw the person who saved you, right?â
-Theo nodded, âYeah, what about it?â
Ellinor asked again, âAnd the day you left, you wanted to say goodbye to the person who saved you, but you were in a hurry. So you left a bracelet with one of your men to give to that person as a token of gratitude?â
Theo confirmed, âExactly, thatâs what happened.â
As it happened, Patricia was vacationing at a country lodge nearby that day and happened to pass by.
Seeing that Patricia was about the same age as Ellinor, Theoâs man mistook Patricia for the savior.
Thus, Patricia conveniently started to pretend to be the lifeâsaving hero.
Ah, so thatâs what happened!
She had always thought that Patricia, being as selfish as she was, would never risk her own life to help a stranger.
As she was deep in thought, a rough finger gently scraped her nose, âEllinor, whatâs going on? What are you thinking about?â