Gwendolyn scowled at the abrupt manner she had been roused and turned to face the other side.

Jonah kept knocking, seemingly intent on hammering down her door if she did not answer it soon.

Irritated by the racket, Gwendolyn flung aside her quilt. She slipped on her slippers and donned a thick sleeping gown before answering the door.

“What does he want this time?” she demanded, glaring at Jonah with a look of irritated disgust.

“Mr. Lund isn’t messing around this time, Ms. Harris. He visited a bar this afternoon and spent the day drinking. He even sent us away. When I went back for him earlier tonight, I found him drunk as a skunk with your name on his lips. So, the only thing I could do was to bring him here to you.”

Gwendolyn was impassive. Cold, even. “Give him something to sober up, then, or get him a doctor who would give him a jab. What good will it do sending him to me? I’m not a doctor.”

She was about to shut the door after her speech, but Jonah threw himself against the frame. “Please see him. He would feel much better in your presence.”

Gwendolyn’s frostiness did not dissipate. “I’m under house arrest because of him. He wouldn’t let me out of this house. What if he sobers up tomorrow and accuses me of misbehaving? Wouldn’t that be unfair to me?”

“Uh…”

Jonah was conflicted. He gave the matter a moment of serious thought before suggesting, “Why don’t I bring him to your room?”

“No way! I can’t stand the stench of alcohol on him. You’d better get back to Alzer Palace.”

Jonah fell silent.

“Gwen. Gwen…”

Charles’ voice, slurred by booze and laced with melancholy, traveled up the stairs from the living room below.

Jonah was near tears. “Go down and have a look at him, Ms. Harris. I’ll explain everything to him for you tomorrow. You wouldn’t want him to be keeping you awake, I’m sure. I’m begging you!”

sighed, doing her best to conceal her irritation. “Wake the maid,” she instructed. “Have her put together something to sober him

“At once.”

sprinted down the

thick, furry sleeping gown tighter around her and

on the couch. His cheeks were flushed with alcohol, and

some organic freshener to mask the stench of

him in the knee several times with the sole of her slipper, trying to

up, Charles! This isn’t a place for you to spend the night. Get lost back to your Alzer

eyelashes twitched. The haze of intoxication receded

out toward the sound of Gwendolyn’s voice

in her eyes, she snatched her

“Let go!”

on firmly. He

breath, feeling the fury coursing through her head at the thought of seeing Nico covered in blood

to wake the maid, Jonah

two merciless slaps across

two smacks, dealt in quick succession, rang out sharp and

did he loosen his grip

stroked his flaming cheeks, tender with pain, while gazing

“Gwen?”

regarded him with a bold glare. “Are you aware that you’re disrupting my sleep by turning up here in the middle of the night with a drunken tantrum? Now that you’re

hung his head, pretending not to hear

Coupled with the handprints on his cheeks, he looked

remained unmoved. “You can drop your act. Get out. You stink so badly that not even air freshener can mask this

disgusted gaze, she turned toward the stairs, but Charles grabbed

into the pond and brought you lotuses. In the fall, I taught you to shoot an arrow, brandish a whip, and aim a gun. In the winter, we made snowmen and held snowball fights.

she did

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