Seeing Zinnia’s emotions gradually stabilize, Nathan closed his eyes briefly and let out a relieved sigh.

Zinnia buried her face in Nathan’s chest, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably, unable to stop for what felt like an eternity.

“Zinnia,” Nathan said softly, “no matter what happened, let’s steady your emotions for now, okay?” Knowing she felt wronged, he rhythmically patted her back, coaxing her gently in a soft, comforting voice.

Zinnia didn’t say a word. She merely nodded weakly, letting him know she’d heard. ‘Master’s already in trouble,’ Zinnia thought. ‘I can’t afford to fall apart now.’

Zinnia rested her head against Nathan’s chest, listening to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart as her tears quickly soaked through his shirt.

Nathan felt the dampness of her tears soaking into his skin, and a searing pain shot through his heart, aching and unbearable.

Nathan gently patted Zinnia’s back, his voice growing softer with every word. “Zinnia, I know you’ve been wronged. Tell me, who hurt you? Let me make them pay for you, alright?”

He kept soothing her, each pat more tender than the last. But out of Zinnia’s sight, a dangerous glint hardened in Nathan’s green eyes. Beneath all that gentleness, he was already plotting revenge on her behalf.

Nathan still had no idea what had upset Zinnia so much. ‘Who did this to her?’ he wondered, the thought trailing off.

Zinnia leaned against him, her eyelids swollen and red, sweat beading on her forehead from crying. After what felt like an eternity, she finally managed to steady her turbulent emotions.

“Tell Master what’s wrong, okay?” Only when Nathan was sure she had calmed down did he finally release her. He lowered his head to meet her swollen, red-rimmed eyes, his gaze impossibly tender.

The moment he spoke, Zinnia’s lips trembled, and she felt the tears welling up again. Her eyes burned with a stinging ache. Between sobs, Zinnia choked out, “I… Are you sick?”

In an instant, Nathan’s body went rigid. His pupils locked in place.

“You can’t lie to me anymore,” Zinnia stammered between sobs. “I… I found the herb residues you hid. Do you have a lung condition?” With tears blurring her vision, Zinnia looked up at him, her eyes brimming with worry and pain.

‘If his lung condition worsens, he’ll start coughing up blood, and only then would he need something to stop it,’ Zinnia thought anxiously.

‘Master has been sick all this time, and I never even knew,’ Zinnia thought, tears welling up uncontrollably in her eyes once again.

‘Even though he was clearly unwell himself,’ Zinnia thought, ‘he still pretended nothing was wrong, taking care of me and staying by my side.’

He wasn’t actually asleep just now. He was completely drained, utterly exhausted, and he had nearly passed out.

Nathan gazed at her swollen, tear-stained eyes, lowered his gaze, and let out a sigh so faint it was barely there. Nathan thought, ‘To think it was me who made her cry like this.’

“How is my Zinnia so perceptive?” Nathan said, a faint, tender smile curving his lips. He reached up and gently ruffled the back of her head.

“Y–you… Tell me honestly,” Zinnia choked out, her voice trembling. “Don’t you dare lie to me.” With red-rimmed eyes, she pulled away from his hand, forcing herself to meet his gaze with a stern expression. ‘I won’t let him lie to me again,’ she thought.

“I… I want to check your pulse,” Zinnia stammered, reaching out her hand.

Nathan gently took her hand and said softly, “I just took some medicine, so you won’t get an accurate pulse reading now. Let’s wait a while, okay?”

Chapter 295

“Are you still keeping something from me? Just how bad is your condition, really?” Zinnia’s eyes hardened. Before Nathan could react, she grabbed his wrist.

Nathan lowered his gaze to her hand on his wrist, silent.

Zinnia’s expression turned grave as she carefully checked his pulse. “Why can’t I get a clear reading?” she murmured, her brows furrowed in confusion.

Zinnia truly couldn’t make sense of his pulse. At times, it was weak and floating, sometimes, it felt strong; and occasionally, she couldn’t detect it at all. This pulse just made no sense.

“I took some medicine not long ago. The effects are still working, so the pulse isn’t quite accurate right now,” Nathan said gently, trying to reassure her.

Zinnia checked his pulse again, more carefully this time. Though she still couldn’t get a clear reading, she thought with relief, ‘Master’s condition is better than I’d feared.’

‘It’s just a lung condition,’ she reassured herself. ‘With proper care, it shouldn’t turn into anything serious!’

Zinnia said, her voice still thick with tears, “From now on, you absolutely have to take good care of yourself. Take your medicine properly, eat well, worry less, don’t overwork, and stop overthinking, okay?” Her eyes were still red and puffy.

“Alright, I know what I’m doing. Everything is under control, so don’t worry,” Nathan smiled gently.

“Stop smiling. Do you know how you scared me? I almost thought you were seriously ill. Why did you keep it from me? If I hadn’t found out, would you have just kept hiding it from me forever?” Zinnia exclaimed, her voice trembling with frustration.

Seeing him still grinning, Zinnia, exasperated, reached out and pressed her thumb against the corner of his mouth to wipe away that smile. ‘If I hadn’t discovered it, would he really have kept hiding it from me forever?’ she wondered.

“No. I was going to tell you after your exams, but you found out first.” As Nathan spoke, he gently smoothed her disheveled hair.

“Y–you…you’re not lying to me?” Zinnia hiccupped between sobs, her voice trembling as she sniffled.

She thought to herself, ‘Now that I know Master’s been hiding something from me, I should feel relieved. But this nagging unease just won’t go away. Something still feels terribly wrong.’

“You know I’d never lie to you, Zinnia,” Nathan said softly, making no move to stop her.

“Alright, no more tears. Come sit here and let me massage around your eyes,” Nathan said softly. Nathan gently took Zinnia’s hand and led her to the small sofa in the room.

“N–no. Really, it’s nothing. You’re not feeling well, so you should rest,” Zinnia said, tugging gently at Nathan’s sleeve. She didn’t want him to worry about her, so she gave his sleeve a little tug.

Zinnia said, “It’s nothing. My eyelids are just a bit swollen. They’ll be fine after some rest.”

“Sit down. Those puffy eyes aren’t doing your beauty any favors,” Nathan murmured, gently easing her onto the sofa.

Zinnia pouted in protest, “Master, how could you find fault with me? I thought you loved Zinnia the most!”

“I could never dislike you, Zinnia. I love you the most. But you’re such a pretty girl. We can’t let even the tiniest flaw mar that lovely face of yours.” Nathan gently closed her eyes with his fingers, coaxing her with practiced ease.

Zinnia huffed. “If I’m not pretty, that’s on you. You raised me this way. So, if you’re finding fault with me, you’re really just finding fault with yourself.” Nathan chuckled softly, his slender, fair fingers tenderly massaging the area around her eyes.

Zinnia leaned back against the sofa, catching the crisp, bittersweet scent of bitter orange wafting from Nathan behind her. Just like the man himself, outwardly refined and gentle, yet beneath that composed exterior lay a hidden bitterness.

Chapter 295

Zinnia wrinkled her nose. “Master, did you change your scent? It smells bitter.” She caught the faint yet distinctly bitter aroma on him. ‘It’s a bit like diluted bitter herbal medicine,’ she thought, feeling a growing discomfort.

Zinnia frowned. She didn’t really like this smell; it was as if remedies had seeped into Nathan’s very being.

Before, he always carried the warm, pleasant aroma of precious agarwood, a rare fragrant wood. But since his return, even that familiar scent had given way to this medicinal bitterness.

Nathan said, “Don’t like this one? I will switch to a different fragrance next time.”

“I’ll make you a new one, a sweet-smelling one. This one’s just too bitter,” Zinnia insisted, refusing to let him do it himself. She was determined to blend him with the perfect fragrance herself.

“Alright, I’ll wait for your special blend, Zinnia.”