After the snake bit Nathan, Giselle opened the bottle, letting the small snake slither down her wrist and slip back inside.
Giselle looked at Nathan and said, “Make sure you come see me once a week, alright?”
“Here, let me wipe that for you,” Zinnia said softly as she carefully dabbed the cold sweat from Nathan’s forehead with a tissue.
“Alright,” Nathan replied gently. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” When his gaze met Zinnia’s, his eyes were impossibly tender.
Giselle looked at Zinnia and Nathan, sighed, and said, “Go back and get some proper rest.”
Giselle took a red pendant from her small bag and gently hung it around Zinnia’s neck. “Zinnia, keep this with you at all times. Think of it as a Christmas blessing from me. Promise me you’ll never, ever lose it.”
“Thank you, Giselle,” Zinnia said.
Zinnia didn’t understand why Giselle had given her the pendant, but she glanced down at the pendant hanging around her neck.
When Nathan saw the pendant that Giselle took out, his fist clenched tightly.
He thought, ‘Back when I left, Giselle also gave me a red pendant because I was facing a great trial. But now Zinnia has received one, too.”
“Giselle…” Nathan looked up at her urgently, his voice tight with concern.
“Nathan.” Giselle lowered her eyes, suddenly looking weary. “Everyone has their own trials. Each soul must walk its own path.”
Simon dashed out of the kitchen, carrying a bag filled with fried cheese and steaming mussels. “Zinnia. Here, take these. They’re fresh out of the pot and absolutely delicious.”
Giselle watched as Zinnia and Nathan walked away slowly, leaning on each other for support, with their backs to her. She let out a heavy sigh, her gaze lingering on their departing figures.
“Nathan, keep a close eye on those around you,” Giselle said, her voice heavy with meaning.
At that, Nathan’s chest tightened.
As Zinnia and Nathan walked away, Giselle closed her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek. ‘Why must their paths be so fraught with hardship?’ she thought to herself.
Zinnia steadied Nathan as they left Giselle’s courtyard. Noticing his unbroken silence, she asked with concern, “Nathan, what’s wrong?”
Hearing her voice, Nathan was pulled back from his thoughts. His grip tightened unconsciously on Zinnia’s shoulders. “Zin, you must keep the pendant Giselle gave you with you at all times. Promise me that you must never, ever lose it,” he said urgently.
Zinnia winced at his uncomfortably tight grip, but seeing the unusual intensity in Nathan’s eyes, she obediently agreed, “Okay.”
“Zinnia, promise me you’ll never take this off, no matter what,” Nathan said, gazing at her with deep seriousness. After a brief pause, he added sternly, “And never, under any circumstances, tell anyone who gave this to you.”
Meeting his deeply concerned gaze, Zinnia touched the pendant around her neck and nodded earnestly. “Okay, I promise I’ll never take it off-”
To be honest, Zinnia couldn’t shake off this nagging sense of unease lately.
Chapter 333
Zinnia and Nathan returned to the courtyard, only to find that Quincey and Fiona still weren’t back.
Noticing his ashen lips, Zinnia gently supported Nathan as they made their way upstairs. “Nathan, why don’t you get some rest?”
“Alright, I’ll rest for a while,” Nathan said weakly. Inside him, the two poisons were locked in a relentless battle. Though this had temporarily halted his physical decline, the struggle was draining him to the core.
Nathan was really tired. His bedroom was right next to Zinnia’s. Unlike Zinnia’s carefully decorated room, his was much more basic.
The furniture and decor were simple, and while the room was usually filled with a faint, pleasant scent of agarwood, it was now tinged with the bitter note of herbal medicine from Nathan’s frequent doses.
The bed was now covered with a warm yellow duvet that Zinnia had put on herself.
Nathan had always preferred simple, light colors, but Zinnia declared his white quilt “too boring.” With a flourish, she rolled it up and tossed it aside, replacing it with the warm–colored one she’d chosen.
She said the warm color palette looked cozy and inviting, and Nathan just let her do as she pleased. A plush doll sat on the little sofa, and Zinnia’s beading supplies were scattered across the coffee table.
The clear glass window was covered with smiley faces and sunflowers that Zinnia had drawn in colorful markers. All of them were adorably goofy. The bookshelf was still dotted with the stickers she’d put up, which Nathan had never bothered to peel off.
The bedroom was supposed to be Nathan’s, but there were barely any traces of his presence. Instead, every corner bore Zinnia’s mark.
“What are you looking at?” Nathan asked softly, following her gaze around the room.
“Nathan, this room doesn’t feel like yours anymore. It’s practically mine now,” Zinnia remarked with a laugh.
Actually, it had been quite a while since she last came into Nathan’s room.
Ever since they returned from Jinston, Zinnia hadn’t set foot in Nathan’s room again. She used to come and go as she pleased, but after Nathan’s health began to decline, he restricted her access, afraid she might notice something was wrong.
Nathan heard her words and smiled. When Zinnia was little, she would follow him everywhere like a shadow, always clinging to him. Before she turned seven, they practically shared the same room, and there was even a princess bed specially set up just for her.
Before Zinnia turned seven, she was always in poor health. The slightest breeze or a hint of a chill would leave her feverish and dizzy.
Juggling both his studies and taking care of her, young Nathan truly had it tough.
Zinnia gently supported Nathan toward the bed and murmured, “Nathan, you should rest for a while.”
Still weakened from the snake bite, Nathan could barely muster the strength to walk.
Zinnia pulled back the duvet, helping Nathan settle onto the bed.
Zinnia bent down again to tuck Nathan in, making sure even his hands were under the covers. With a gentle, playful tone, she reminded him, “Now, don’t go kicking the covers off while you sleep, okay?”
Nathan lowered his eyes, watching her movements, and a mix of emotions flickered in his gaze. ‘I used to be the one taking care of her. Now, it’s her turn to look after me,’ he thought.
“Get some rest. I’ll leave now,” Zinnia said softly as she tucked Nathan in. Seeing his pale, exhausted face, she decided not to stay and disturb him any longer.
She turned to leave when suddenly a pale, slender hand grasped her wrist. It was a cool, fragile touch. Looking down, she saw it was Nathan’s hand encircling her wrist.
Chapter 333
Nathan gave her a tender smile. “Zinnia, stay with me for a while, will you?”
It was rare for Nathan to ask her for…
Zinnia turned and pulled the armchair, returning to Nathan on the bed.
Zinnia readily agreed. “Sure,” she replied.
Kneeling down, “Nathan, go ahead and get some sleep. I’m not going anywhere,” she said softly, her gaze…
Nathan gazed at Zinnia, who was keeping watch by his bedside. A gentle smile curved his lips. “Alright,” he murmured, and then he closed his eyes.
Zinnia gazed at his face. He looked handsome, yet deathly pale and frail.
His lips were almost colorless, and his breathing was so faint that it was barely perceptible.
Perhaps comforted by Zinnia keeping watch at his side, Nathan soon fell into a deep sleep.
Zinnia reached for Nathan’s wrist again, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably. Every time she checked his pulse, it was like putting herself through torture all over again.
She pondered, ‘What does Giselle mean by someone destined to come from the southwest?’