Chapter 344

For a long time afterward, the three of them were completely immersed in poring over books and repeating experimental procedures. Half a month flew by. Yannis and Jackson had been staying there all this time.

Nathan put his foot down today and ordered Zinnia and the others to take a proper break and not bury themselves in books. For days, they’d been locking themselves in their rooms, reading nonstop.

With Nathan feeling unwell, the others spared him the effort. Zinnia, Jackson, and Yannis took charge of researching remedies and experimental approaches, even assembling a team of plant specialists to assist.

From the kitchen, Jackson called out, “Zinnia! Nathan’s cooking again. Stop him.”

“Jackson, aren’t you being a bit childish? Still tattling at your age?” Nathan had just stepped out of the kitchen, plate in hand. Hearing Jackson complain, he nearly stumbled, grabbed the doorframe to steady himself, then turned and shot Jackson a fierce glare.

Jackson didn’t even look up as he chopped vegetables. “Glaring won’t help. If you don’t listen to Yannis and me, then at least listen to Zinnia,” he said.

Yannis watched from the side, cleaning vegetables, a smile playing on his lips.

Hearing Jackson’s voice, Zinnia called out, “Nathan!”

Nathan stepped out of the kitchen and was met with Zinnia’s pouty, disgruntled face, which made him instantly feel guilty. “Zinnia, I made you some cookies. Here, have a bite to tide you over,” he said with a sheepish smile, holding a plate of freshly baked cookies in his hands.

“Nathan, you’re being disobedient again,” Zinnia called out as she sat swinging in the courtyard pavilion. Sunny was behind her, giving the swing a push, while she read a book Raymond had sent.

Seeing Nathan approach, Zinnia stopped the swing with her feet and hurried over. “Nathan, come on. Sit down. Why did you go into the kitchen again? Didn’t I tell you not to worry about these things in your condition?”

Zinnia took the plate of honey cakes with one hand and gently pushed Nathan onto the bench beside the swing with the other.

Over the past two weeks, Nathan had grown even weaker. He even had to walk very slowly.

Giselle’s remedy could temporarily suppress the toxins in Nathan’s body, but the constant battle between the two opposing poisons drained his life force. The toxins had only been temporarily suppressed, but that didn’t mean Nathan was cured. His body was still on a countdown, deteriorating with each passing moment.

Right now, Nathan was just growing weaker, but he could still get around. In that final month, though, even walking would become nearly impossible for him.

They only had about two months left, but as if that weren’t enough, Nathan still wouldn’t give anyone a moment’s peace. Despite being so weak, he kept fussing over this and that and even insisted on cooking in the kitchen. Jackson and the others couldn’t get through to Nathan. Only Zinnia could make him listen.

“I’m fine, Zinnia. No need to fuss.” Meeting Zinnia’s pouty glare, Nathan’s gaze dropped with a resigned sigh.

“You’re still saying you’re fine? You can’t even hold the plate steady,” Zinnia said worriedly, watching his hands tremble under the weight of the heavy white porcelain plate.

Nathan was already alarmingly weak, his strength fading fast. At Zinnia’s words, his eyes dropped, knuckles whitening as he gripped the plate, as if afraid to let it slip. “No more next time,” he rasped, his voice low and hoarse.

“Nathan,” Zinnia said gently, “what I mean is, you should rest properly now. When you’re fully recovered, then you can cook all those delicacies for me.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Zinnia realized she’d said the wrong thing. Nathan hated more than anything being treated like an invalid because of his health, especially in front of Zinnia. He didn’t mind making a fool of himself in front of anyone else, but never in front of her.

Nathan was a proud man. The last thing he wanted was to end up as someone useless in Zinnia’s eyes and someone who could do nothing for her.

Zinnia set the plate aside and crouched down in front of Nathan. She said, “Nathan, please don’t be mad at me. That’s not what I meant. I just don’t want you to exhaust yourself. I know you want to do as much as you can for me while you’re still able.”

She understood that Nathan was trying to do everything he could for her now, afraid he might not have the chance in the future. His health was deteriorating day by day. Soon, he might be bedridden, and then even doing the smallest thing for her would become a distant hope.

“Yeah, I know, Zinnia.” Nathan managed a faint smile.

Seeing his smile, Zinnia felt a dull ache in her chest. “Nathan,” she whispered, her voice thick with guilt. She thought she shouldn’t have blurted out those words in her panic. She’d just acted too hastily.

Watching Nathan’s health deteriorate day by day, Zinnia felt just as miserable as he did. If anything, she was suffering even more.

Nathan looked down, meeting the guilt in Zinnia’s eyes. He gently rested his large hand on her head, a tender smile softening his lips.

“Zinnia, I’m not angry,” Nathan said gently. “I know I might not be able to do much for you later on, so I want to make the most of the time I have now and do all I can for you while I still can.”

Even the simple act of ruffling her hair, which had once come so naturally to Nathan, now required visible effort.

Nathan knew his own condition better than anyone. In just two more weeks, even getting out of bed would be a struggle. When that time came, no matter what he wanted to do for her, he simply wouldn’t be able to.

Zinnia said, “Nathan, trust me. I’ll figure out a way to save you. When you’re better, you have to make all sorts of yummy treats, okay? There’s so much I want to eat. If you try to cook everything I crave in just a couple of days, you’ll never finish. So you need to get healthy first, because I want a royal feast. Look, my face has gotten all thin from worrying about you. You have to fatten me back up and restore my plump cheeks.”

She tilted her head up to look at Nathan, caught his hand resting on her head and guided it in a gentle rub. Then she pointed to her own cheeks and pouted.

“Look, all my baby fat’s gone. You have to fatten me back up,” she cooed.

“Didn’t you say it was just a growth spurt? Now you’re blaming it all on your master?” Nathan looked down at Zinnia in front of him and gave her cheek a gentle pinch.

Nathan gently cupped her face, marveling at how soft and smooth her cheeks felt. Her skin was delicate, almost like silk. But he couldn’t help but notice, with a twinge of sadness, that the baby fat had faded. Her face wasn’t as plump as before.

Compared to last year, when she was still adorably plump thanks to Nathan’s care, this year her chin had grown slender and her features had become more refined and striking.

Zinnia let out a soft little huff, her voice sweet and playful. “Who said it was a growth spurt? It’s all your fault. I’ve been worrying about you so much I lost all the chubby cheeks on my face.”

Okay, fine, maybe it was just a growth spurt that made me skinny, but I’m still blaming it all on you, Nathan. You need some motivation to get better, she thought.

“Alright,” Nathan chuckled softly, seeing right through her little white lie but playing along.

“Nathan, you promised me. You said you’d always, always be here for me. You can’t break your promise,” Zinnia said, speaking each word slowly and deliberately.

Nathan lowered his gaze to Zinnia. “Zinnia,” he said softly, “come with me somewhere this afternoon, will you?”