Yannis shrugged it off casually, but Zinnia frowned in concern. “How could you be so careless? Is the cut on your hand big? Does it hurt?”

Yannis said, “It’s nothing serious, just a tiny cut and it doesn’t hurt at all. It’s probably healed already; your Master already took care of it.”

Yannis thought nothing of the minor cut on his hand. It had probably already healed at that moment.

Zinnia asked, “What brings you here? Weren’t you helping Master and the others prepare dinner?”

Zinnia also recognized the way Yannis’s hand was bandaged as Nathan’s technique but said nothing.

Yannis said, “Just came to remind you to get ready for dinner.” He glanced past her figure into the room.

The room was beautifully decorated in warm tones that perfectly matched her style. On the desk sat a vase of pink Cappuccino roses. According to Zinnia, Nathan would bring her fresh flowers every day, each time a different variety.

“Well, is it ready yet?” Zinnia peeked her head out eagerly. The living room was quiet. Clearly, it wasn’t ready yet.

“Just a bit longer,” Yannis replied.

“Want to come in and wait?” Zinnia asked, glancing at him as she stepped aside to let him in.

The layout here is quite similar to their previous house, and she’s kept some of her little habits too. “Sit here, right here,” Zinnia said, guiding Yannis to a small loveseat positioned away from the desk.

“What mischief are you up to?” Yannis teased as he sat down, eyeing her suspiciously. He quickly noticed that she seemed to be keeping him away from the desk.

Zinnia retorted indignantly, “You’re the one up to no good, not me.” She thought, ‘Why does he always assume I’m up to something bad? Can’t he ever think I might be doing a good deed for once?’

Yannis chuckled. “So, what ‘good deed’ were you up to, then?”

“Not telling you.” Zinnia tossed her head playfully. She wasn’t about to spill the beans.

“Alright then,” Yannis conceded, knowing she had her little secrets and choosing not to pry further.

“Shouldn’t you be back at the Perkins residence?” Zinnia asked, puzzled.

She reasoned that, since he and James had cleared up their misunderstanding and it was a holiday, James would surely want him back at the Moore residence.

“I went back at noon,” Yannis replied. He had returned to the Perkins residence at noon but came back that evening to join Nathan and Zinnia. This was their first New Year’s countdown together, and he didn’t want to miss it for the world.

“Yannis, can you help me figure something out?” As the thought crossed her mind, Zinnia moved to sit beside him, propping her chin on one hand, a troubled look on her face.

“What?” Yannis lowered his gaze.

“I feel like Master is hiding something from me,” Zinnia said, her voice tinged with unease. “And it’s something big.” Zinnia trusted Yannis completely.

At her words, Yannis’s gaze sharpened slightly. “What makes you think that?” he asked.

“Master’s been acting strange lately,” she said. “I just have this gut feeling he’s hiding something big from me.”

“Master’s been making all my favorite dishes, just like before, when he was about to leave, or when I was the one about to go. It’s like he wants me to try everything as if I’ll never get to eat them again.”

“And before, when Master was about to leave me, he did the same thing. He cooked all my favorite foods for me. Honestly, I’m really scared that I’ll wake up and he’ll be gone again.”

Zinnia trusted her gut feeling. She thought, ‘Master is acting really weird. No, seriously, something is extremely wrong.’

Even though she had checked Nathan’s pulse that afternoon and found nothing unusual, Zinnia thought, ‘But that’s exactly what worries me most. When everything seems perfectly normal, that’s the biggest red flag of all.’

“Yannis, what do you think he’s hiding from me?” Zinnia asked, trusting his clever mind could help her puzzle it out.

Yannis lowered his gaze thoughtfully. “Why do you think he’d want to keep this from you?” She was more perceptive than they had imagined.

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s hiding something really important from me,” she said, with her voice tinged with uncertainty. Zinnia absently twirled the tassel on her sleeve.

‘What exactly is Master hiding from me?’ she wondered. She wasn’t as clever as Nathan. As long as he wanted to keep something from her, Zinnia would never figure it out.

For instance, he kept his true identity and the truth about the Moore family hidden from her for over a decade. If he hadn’t deliberately let something slip, Zinnia would never have guessed it.

The Moore family’s wooden token, the Moore residence, the Flowing Technique, the Moon Scar Cream… Every single one pointed her toward the truth about who Nathan was.

Nathan had anticipated she would figure it out; in fact, he’d deliberately guided her to the discovery.

“Don’t overthink it. Your Master would never hurt you,” Yannis said gently. Honestly, Yannis couldn’t understand why Nathan still refused to tell her, even with his condition getting worse.

“My Master would never hurt me,” Zinnia said, knowing full well that Nathan was the last person who would ever harm her.

“Zinnia, Yannis, come out for dinner now,” Nathan called out. With Nathan and Jackson around, the younger two naturally became the ones being cared for and doted on.

“Coming, Master.” She turned to Yannis. “Come on, Yannis, let’s go.” Zinnia sprang to her feet and thought to herself, ‘After all, no matter what Master is hiding, he’d never do anything to hurt me.’

The two of them left the room. The air was filled with the aroma of crayfish and chili con carne.

“It smells amazing,” Zinnia exclaimed as she stepped into the living room and saw the round dining table loaded with dishes.

“Go wash your hands, Zinnia,” Nathan said with a warm smile as they emerged.

“Feed me one crayfish first,” Zinnia pleaded, edging closer to Nathan as he set the plates on the table. Her eyes were fixed eagerly on the plate of crayfish, full of longing and anticipation.

“Still such a child,” Nathan chuckled as he peeled a crayfish and fed it to her.

Zinnia pouted in mock annoyance, then flounced into the kitchen to wash her hands.

Yannis stood quietly behind them, watching the warm bond between Zinnia and Nathan. His eyes betrayed a hint of melancholy.

‘Their bond is so strong. If she ever learns the truth, will she be able to handle it?’ he wondered.

Sensing his gaze, Nathan softened his expression. They sat down, with Zinnia taking the seat between Nathan and Yannis.

“Here, have some more,” Nathan said, placing a slice of perfectly cooked beef in her bowl.

“Yeah,” Zinnia replied with her mouth full, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk as she chewed.

As Nathan spoke, he turned to Jackson and the others beside him with a smile. “Don’t you guys want to go home? It’s such a rare day. If you weren't heading home, why would you all came here to hang out with us?”

For families like theirs, the older and busier they become, the more time they spend apart. Usually, only major occasions can bring the whole family together.

Jackson said, “I went home at noon, but came back tonight to keep you two company. I figured you’d be all alone.” Jackson was adding ingredients to the chili con carne.

With such a rare day off, neither of them could just skip visiting home. However, Nathan’s identity had to be kept secret. He and Zinnia always spent the holidays alone, just the two of them in their quiet home.