Theo stomped his feet. "I'm not pinching!"

"Mom, can you retake a look at Theo? He touched your wrist just now. He might have found something," Will worried. Maeve's heart skipped a beat at their serious expressions. She sat back down and offered her hand to Theo.

Theo held her arm with one chubby hand and took her pulse with the other.

After two minutes, Theo's little face turned green and angry. "Mommy, you've been poisoned. Although it's a small amount, this poison will damage your vocal cords over time!" The toxin was so faint he hadn't discovered it until now.

Will stood up abruptly. His long, curly eyelashes trembled angrily, barely concealing the anger in his eyes.

Maeve was shocked. When had she been poisoned? She hadn't felt a thing.

She turned and saw Will, who rarely showed emotion, seemed about to explode. Theo's eyes were also red.

Maeve, ignoring her own anger, hugged the children and coaxed them. "Mommy is fine. It's just a small amount of poison. It's not serious now."

"Mommy, quickly take the antidote," Theo said, his voice lower than usual, holding out a pill. "You have to take another pill tomorrow just in case. The person who poisoned you might harm you again." "Don't worry, I'll remember. I'll be careful from tomorrow onwards," Maeve comforted them.

Will pursed her lips and buried her head in Maeve's neck without a word.

Maeve considered this. Ever since coming to Erancia, she'd faced dangerous situations more than once. First, a kidnapping; now, poisoning. Each time, it wasn't fatal, as if deliberately leaving some leeway. The person behind it didn't want to kill her, only to cause irreversible damage to her body or mind. It was always so difficult to guard against; there were endless methods.

Will couldn't help but suspect this was a third attempt after two failures. The person likely wanted her to stay home to avoid further danger. But Maeve couldn't agree.

Late that night, the two children sat cross-legged on the bed, each holding a thin, small computer—gifts from Byron. The top-notch configuration ran smoothly; they were far thinner and lighter than ordinary computers. Will had even modified the original versions, making them smaller than tablets without affecting performance. They were watching security footage from Trazir's headquarters.

Maeve couldn't have been poisoned at home; she'd been at headquarters during the day and was most likely poisoned there. The two children checked the surveillance footage while Maeve and Byron were on a video call. It wasn't easy for any of them.

The situation in Creynia was too complicated to resolve quickly. Byron would be in Creynia for another two days. Maeve didn't want to interfere with his work, so she pretended to be asleep, only to be woken by him. She even rubbed her eyes red and messed up her hair to sell the act.

"You can sleep by yourself now?" Byron raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I thought you wouldn't be able to sleep without me."

Maeve couldn't sleep. Pretending to be sleepy, she said softly, "I can sleep even faster without you," trying to maintain her pride, though her complaint was obvious.

Byron chuckled. "Alright, time's up. You can sleep."

"My phone's almost out of battery," Maeve said, feigning a glance at the phone's battery indicator. "Why don't you call me tomorrow morning? Go to bed early after you're done today." "Okay, hang up then."

Maeve looked at Byron, still sitting at his desk, handling documents late at night. The floor-to-ceiling window behind him reflected the night and the city lights, making him seem a little lonely working late in a foreign country. Even though it was just her opinion, a workaholic like Byron never forgot his work; even hospitalized, he might enjoy that busyness. But her heart softened.

She switched the video call to a voice call and placed the phone on her pillow. "The power consumption should be slower this way. I'll hang up the voice call."

Byron's light chuckle came from the other end. "You can't bear to part with me?"

Maeve's ears heated up. She denied it instantly. "It's pitiful to see you alone! Just do your thing. I'm going to sleep!"

"Good night. Don't dream about me," Byron replied.

"What?" Maeve turned over, hugged the blanket, and stared at the ceiling, preparing to sleep. How narcissistic!

A long, melodious piano piece suddenly played from the phone.

"Are you playing the piano now?" Maeve asked curiously.

"No," Byron said. "I met Herrera this afternoon and asked him to compose a lullaby. Listen to it and see if it's useful." His plane left in the morning; he'd be in Creynia by afternoon at the latest. Instead of working, he'd found a musician to compose a lullaby for her.

Maeve's heart beat uncontrollably; the feeling seemed to spread to her hands, face, and ears. She moved closer to the phone and finally asked softly, "Byron, why are you so good to me?"

Byron seemed to be treating Maeve exceptionally well recently; she even felt like they were on a honeymoon. But she worried it was just wishful thinking, fueled by her affection for him.

Byron paused, seemingly puzzled by her question. "Isn't it good to be good to you?"

"That's good. But why?" Maeve waited for an answer.

"There's no reason," Byron's voice was low as he explained. "It's like a habit. Hard to explain."

Was he only nice because I'm used to being around him? After his answer, Maeve's mood sank. She wanted to ask more, but knew she wouldn't get the answer she wanted.

At that moment, Maeve suddenly recalled a long-neglected question. Byron had never admitted to liking her. Her contentment of the past few days felt like a self-woven dream, a self-deception.

Without hearing Maeve's voice, Byron assumed she'd fallen asleep. He raised the phone's volume and placed it near his ear, listening to her soft breathing as he worked. Then he remembered her question. His hand stopped, pausing his writing. Why did I treat her so well? He pressed his hand to his forehead, his gaze falling on a photo frame in the corner of his desk. He was lost in thought. Was she a…