Many years later, when my mother saw Nick again, she almost instantly recognized that fated coincidence. She even secretly invited someone to read his destiny.The conclusion shocked her: his fate was completely compatible with mine, as if he had been born solely to protect me.
When it came to my survival, rules, reputation, or "family dignity" no longer mattered to my mother. She didn't even care what Nick himself wanted. She insisted on keeping him in my residence as my guardian.Even if he was flawed, even if he had once been a street child with a past no one fully knew, as long as he could keep me alive and well, my parents accepted everything.
Mrs. Johnston always believed that as long as the two of us lived in the same residence, I would live safely for the rest of my life.But what she didn't expect was that fate always outruns human plans.
My body was as fragile as a paper lantern, one light breeze could extinguish it. So my parents arranged for Nick and me to live together in a separate family estate, monitored from above by cameras, guards, and supervisors. After a year of living together, my mother gradually came to understand that Nick truly cared for me, loved me in his own strange, fierce way and only then did she feel reassured.
My room was incredibly quiet, with nothing but the slow sound of me eating medicinal porridge. Nick held a fire in his chest that he could not vent at me, so he simply sat there, silently stewing in it.
Suddenly, I spoke, very calmly:"You worked hard, huh? Carrying a toad out of the pond without getting a rash."
My tone was light, as though I were discussing the weather. No anger, no reproach.
Nick froze instantly. He turned his head very slowly, blinking, his whole face painted with innocence."W–what are you talking about? I don't understand."
I took another sip of the medicinal porridge and lazily lifted my eyes to him.
Today Nick had brushed his hair neatly to one side simple, yet strangely immaculate. The black coat he wore made him seem even calmer, more unreadable. But those flirtatious eyes of his were avoiding mine, and his gaze was so flustered that anyone could tell he was clearly guilty.
Nick only calls me "sister" when he knows he's in the wrong.
I sighed helplessly and continued eating spoonful by spoonful.
Patience was never one of Nick's virtues. After only a few seconds, he walked straight toward me and crouched down in front of my chair. His hands rested gently on my knees as he gave them a small shake, his voice tiny like a kitten begging for attention:
"...Sister…"
"Yes?"
"You're not angry at me?" His voice trembled lightly.
He feared nothing and no one except the idea that I might not need him anymore.
"I'm not angry," I said, tilting my head to look at him. "I'm just curious. Why don't you like her?"
"Her" meaning Leah Johnston, Miss Leah from the family's branch house.
Nick never caused trouble for no reason. If he had frightened Leah, then he surely had a reason.
Looking at his obedient little face, I suddenly felt softhearted. I reached out and patted his head.Nick instantly broke into a bright smile, leaning into my palm like a little dog. If he actually had a tail, it would be wagging wildly right now.
"Because you didn't want to see her," he said honestly. "So I helped chase her away. At least for a few days, she won't dare come back."
The toad had been rather cooperative so it fell exactly where it needed to fall.
His eyes sparkled with delight.
I stiffened slightly.
"How did you know I didn't want to see her?"
"I saw it. When the servant came to tell you, your face wasn't happy."
I shivered a little.
My emotions… he always saw right through them.
Nick nuzzled his face against my thigh, his warm breath seeping through the fabric. From that angle, when he turned his head, his eyes darkened, cold, buried, sharp as a blade.
It wasn't a look meant for me.
It was the gaze of a predator.
Anyone who wanted to hurt me… must die.
He had always been this way. A loyalty absolute and a danger absolute.
I didn't want to see Leah not because I feared she would harm me, but because I knew she brought news I wasn't ready to face.
Seeing me drift off, Nick tugged at my sleeve, his voice as soft as a kitten's:"Judy… what are you thinking about?"
His cheek rested on my leg, his big eyes blinking up at me, looking exactly like Hihi, the little dog I used to own. Hihi used to cling to me the same way, but after Nick appeared… whenever he was near, that poor dog disappeared without a trace. Only when Nick left would it dare peek out again.
One human, one dog… both acted just as clingy.
Nick, waiting too long without an answer, tugged my sleeve again, impatient like a child pestering his mother.
I exhaled."I'm thinking… running away isn't a solution. If I want to protect this family, I have to face it."
Immediately, Nick's eyes darkened. He turned his head away; a storm churned in his gaze, killing intent crushed down beneath heavy breaths.
Knock, knock.
"Young miss, Madam invites you to the main house," Gazelle's voice rang from outside.
I stood up and patted Nick's head. He instantly straightened and supported my arm.
But the moment my fingers brushed his, I flinched Nick's hand was ice-cold, like frost straight from a mountaintop.
His hand trembled slightly.
Saying nothing, he took a cloak and draped it around my shoulders, then gently brushed my hair out from under the collar.
His fingertips grazed the back of my neck so lightly, yet it made me instinctively tilt my head back.
He had never done that before.
Nick acted as though nothing had happened and smiled, revealing two small sharp canines like a little wolf cub delighted about something.
I looked into his eyes, deep, black, impossibly clear.
But just for a moment, his gaze dimmed again.
"What is it?" he asked.
I laughed softly. "Nothing. Let's go."
He nodded, obediently following me.
We walked through the main corridor. Servants and staff bowed:
"Good morning, Miss.""Good morning, Master Bateman."
Because Nick had saved my life, and because my mother had raised his status to nearly half a master of the house, even though he came from an orphanage, everyone treated him as a true member of the Johnston family.
Besides, the whole family knew about Nick's medical skill. It was said even Europe's top neurologist praised him. The reason Nick and I shared a private estate was so he could respond instantly whenever my illness flared up.
Though my grandparents, the founders of the Zotopia Corporation were still alive, they never meddled in family matters. All power rested in my mother's hands, and as long as Mrs. Johnston stood there, no one dared gossip about Nick and me.
The two of us walked slowly along the long corridor. Nick stayed slightly to the outer side, blocking all the spring breeze drifting through the walkway.The magnolias in the central garden had already bloomed, pink petals falling gently, but Nick didn't spare them even a glance. His eyes quietly followed every subtle shift in my expression, terrified of missing something.
"Nick."
"Hmm?" He answered instantly.
"When Mother asks about Leah later, you're not allowed to interfere."
My heels clicked softly on the stone floor, my steps unhurried. Nick kept pace, but at my words, he suddenly stopped.
"Judy?" His voice was full of disbelief.
I kept walking, not looking back. As I turned the corner, I saw him still frozen in place, so I added:
"Or do you want to be punished?"
With that, I walked straight into the main residence.
Nick stood still for a long moment before reacting.
He knew this could fool outsiders but it could never fool my mother.Nick understood.
I was protecting him.
That realization made his blood surge hot. The silent creature inside him, the one that had been asleep for so long stirred, restless.
Looking toward the direction I had gone, he whispered:
"Well… I don't care about being punished. If it means protecting Judy, a little punishment is nothing."