Looking at Kyle Kinston, still as immovable as a mountain, Mabel Quinn coughed softly and slowly moved her fingers towards the collar of Kyle’s shirt.
He glanced at her indifferently, and then... nothing happened, until her fingers removed his tie from his collar and unbuttoned one button. He did not show any resistance, instead, he was in a state as if he was allowing her to undress him. So Mabel confirmed, it seemed she didn’t misunderstand; he truly wanted her to "personally" check on his injury.
Mabel’s face turned red as she continued to unbutton Kyle’s shirt, one button after another. She could see the graceful lines of his neck, see his clavicle that sparked the imagination.
Don’t look randomly! She kept reminding herself in her heart, she was only doing this to check on the status of his injury recovery, nothing else!
When his left shoulder was completely exposed in front of her, Mabel felt something stuck in her heart. The bandage on his shoulder was already removed, and the wound where he had been stabbed by the dagger had formed a light red scab, yet it appeared so ghastly against his skin.
Mabel stared blankly at that scar, momentarily forgetting what to say or do.
He didn’t speak either, just quietly looked at her, as if waiting to see what she would say.
"I’m so useless." She dared not touch his wound, her fingers only lightly brushed the skin beside it. If she had been a bit more alert, she wouldn’t have been easily kidnapped by those people; if she had been a bit more clever, then when he came to rescue her and fought with others, she should have thought of a way to free her wrists from the restraints; if she had been stronger, then at the critical moment, he wouldn’t have had to be distracted to save her.
"It’s indeed quite useless." He seemed to admire her self-assessment.
She bit her lip, but his next words were, "Even if you’re useless, you’re not someone others can bully at will."
Her heart warmed. Although his tone was casual, as if he were just saying the most ordinary words, it made her feel very comfortable.
"Does the wound hurt a lot usually?" she asked.
"It’s okay, it’s just a small injury. If such a wound were very painful, then all through my life, wouldn’t I have been in constant pain?" he said lightly.
She suddenly remembered that he had been in that kind of special forces unit that executed high-risk missions, thinking that he must have suffered many injuries back then too.
"Why did you want to join the military back then?" she couldn’t help but ask. This was something that had always puzzled her a bit. The Kinston Family clearly had such favorable conditions, and he was the only heir of the Kinston Family. He could easily rely on his family’s wealth and live a prosperous and worry-free life, yet he chose to join the military.
According to what she found online, when he joined the army, he started from the lowest rank without using his family background, making his life in the army easier.
Does someone like him need to risk his life?
"Throughout generations, many from the Kinston Family have joined the military." Kyle said, "Is there anything strange about my joining the military?"
"But when you joined the army, it seems you carried out many dangerous missions. Aren’t you worried that if something happens to you, then the Kinston Family might also..." She was too embarrassed to say the last two words.