The first thing Ella noticed when she stirred was the faint ache pressing behind her eyes.
Her lashes fluttered open to the sight of the familiar glass chandelier across the ceiling. The room was dimly lit.
It took her a moment to register her surroundings before she realized that she was back in her bedroom, in the Eve Mansion.
Ella shifted slightly on the bed, only to freeze in the next moment when her movements were obstructed.
Ella’s gaze wandered to her right. Her fingers were wrapped around a firm hand that enveloped hers.
Adrian was sitting beside her on the bed, his sleeves rolled up, one hand wrapped around hers while the other... stirred a bowl that was placed on the bedside table.
The scent of ginger and scallions filled the quiet space.
"Awake?" Adrian didn’t look at her immediately. His posture was composed, but there was a certain stillness to his presence.
One that she used to find unnerving before but weirdly enough, it felt comforting now.
Ella blinked, the memories of the night returned in fragments, like water seeping through cracks.
Her lips thinned, fingers twitching inside his hold.
Adrian looked up. Their eyes met.
She opened her mouth but no sound came out. After a moment, she swallowed, "What... time is it?"
"Half past midnight."
Ella tried to sit up but her body protested.
Adrian moved without a word. He slipped a cushion behind her back, adjusting the blanket over her legs, like he’d done it a thousand times.
He helped her up before holding the bowl of soup in front of her.
Ella stared at it. And then at him.
"...Did I say too much?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Something dark glinted in Adrian’s eyes, but he didn’t answer immediately.
Ella lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers. She remembered all the events of the night, but part of their conversation was hazy in her mind.
"I... had some wine. I don’t know if I said something..."
"You can tell me anything, Elle," Adrian cut her off, his voice resolute.
Ella looked up at him, "You didn’t look very happy just now. So, I thought I said something that displeased..."
Adrian frowned, his gaze darkening slightly, "I will never be... unhappy with you."
"You can speak your mind. Tell me anything, without being apologetic."
Ella opened her mouth to speak but before she could utter a word, a spoon was presented in front of her lips.
Ella was stunned momentarily, "Wait, I can feed myself..." Ella glanced at the slightly ’blackened’ soup in doubt.
’’Don’t bother," Adrian’s hand did not budge from the spot until Ella opened her mouth and took the spoonful of hangover soup in her mouth.
She winced after the second spoon. "No more,’’ she muttered, pushing his hand away gently.
Adrian frowned as he glanced at the bowl of soup and then her again.
But Ella simply scrunched her nose, expressing her disinterest when he raised the spoon again.
"Is it... not good?" He questioned.
"I don’t want it..." Looking at the helplessness in his eyes, Ella leaned back on the headboard of the bed.
There was a lot on her mind. But in that moment, she was just tired.
Suddenly, Ella’s face turned cold and her chest tightened.
Adrian’s shirt was still bloodstained, dried in dark patches along the collar and sleeves. It clung to him in places.
Adrian King, the man who couldn’t stand so much as a wrinkle in his sleeve, still sat beside her in those dirtied clothes, refusing to leave her side.
Suddenly, a flashback of the evening snapped in her mind.
Adrian’s voice snapped her back to the present. She inhaled a deep breath, "Did I cling to you in my sleep?"
Adrian looked at her wordlessly, searching for any signs of discomfort on her face.
"You should freshen up," she added, softer this time. "You hate it when you’re dirty."
His grip on her hand didn’t loosen. "I’m fine," he said.
"Adrian," she murmured, gently tugging at his fingers. "I am fine... Really."
Adrian did not budge from his spot immediately but after a while, he finally released her hand.
Ella hated how all the cold seemed to have left her skin the moment he let go.
But in the next moment, she felt a trace of warmth as Adrian bent to her level and kissed her forehead, his fingers gently tracing the back of her neck.
After Adrian left, Ella sat on the bed for a moment longer before she walked inside the bathroom.
Stripping the nightsuit off her body, Ella stood under the shower. As the cold water trickled down her body, she raised her hand and scrubbed her skin until a burning sensation spread throughout her body.
After the shower, Ella changed into a fresh pair of nightsuit and walked downstairs
"Miss Yu, do you need something? You should have called me over..." Bertha rushed towards her.
"I only wanted to take a walk in the garden... hmm...?" Ella’s nose picked up the faint aroma of delicacies lingering in the air.
Ella’s gaze shifted to the dining table that was full. Blinking, she stepped closer and removed one of the lids out of curiosity.
"Spicy fried buns?" Ella’s eyes widened and she moved to remove another cover, "Crayfish?"
"Miss Yu, Second Master got these street foods for you this evening. But later..." Bertha did not finish her words.
Ella paused, "He got them for me this evening?" After their cold war in the morning, he came back from work early and got street food for her...?
Something glinted in her eyes when she remembered the burnt hangover soup, "What about the soup?"
"Ah, the soup. Second Master made it himself," The way Bertha said it as if just speaking of it was blasphemy, let alone the act of their ’Second Master’ stepping inside the kitchen to make soup for her.
Ella inhaled a deep breath.
"Miss Yu, I will clean this all up right away..."