After saying that, Mr Hales turned away, his face heavy with grief.
Frances… she might not make it through the night.
I need to arrange her funeral. She can't pass away in the Yates Estate.
It's considered bad luck to the Yates family.
Behind him, Clara stood frozen, clutching her arm in disbelief.
She was in so much pain—and no one believed her.
When she finally snapped out of it, she shot Riley a vicious glare.
Riley only smiled faintly before turning and jogging off toward Adrian's room.
But before going to him, she made a detour to the living room and grabbed several plates of desserts.
She needed to stay by his side.
If his condition flared up, she had to be ready.
Just thinking about Adrian losing control made her shiver.
That kind of episode… was exhausting.
Better bring more food.
She picked out her favorites—strawberry cake, pastries—and piled them onto trays. Just as she turned around, she bumped straight into someone.
Mr Hales looked at her, clearly displeased. "Madam Riley, if you're hungry, go to the kitchen. Don't wander around here."
Riley blinked and immediately shifted the blame. "I'm not hungry. These are for Hubby. He's in a bad mood. Sweet things will make him feel better!"
Before he could respond, she dashed off with the desserts.
Mr Hales paused, then sighed.
At least… she was thinking of him.
Maybe this "fool" wasn't entirely useless. Having someone there to keep Master Adrian company wasn't a bad thing.
It hurts me watching him suffer like this.
***
The door to the room wasn't locked. Riley pushed it open easily.
Adrian sat in his wheelchair, facing away from the door.
Filtered light from the leaves outside scattered across him, outlining his figure in shadow.
The quiet room felt cold.
For a moment, Riley almost walked over to comfort him.
But she stopped herself.
No.
I'm supposed to be a fool.
Fools didn't know how to comfort people.
I'm not here for that anyway.
I'm here here to make sure he didn't spiral and trigger another episode.
With that thought, she casually tossed her stuffed bunny onto the bed, climbed up herself, and made herself comfortable.
She grabbed an apple from the tray and bit into it loudly.
Crunch.
Crisp.
Juicy.
The sound echoed in the quiet room.
Adrian, who had been sinking into his grief, suddenly heard the noise. He turned—
And saw her sprawled on the bed, happily eating.
A flicker of anger crossed his face.
He could tolerate a lot from her.
But right now—
The woman who had practically raised him was on the brink of death.
And his wife… was lounging on the bed, eating apples like nothing mattered.
His fist slammed down on the table.
BANG!
Riley jumped, startled, her mouth still open mid-bite.
Oh no…
Was I too loud?
She quickly felt guilty.
Switching from big bites to tiny nibbles, she chewed as quietly as possible.
This should be better, right?
After all, I was being considerate.
Riley nodded to herself, satisfied.
But Adrian's expression darkened even more.
The faint, repetitive rustling of her chewing—
Like a mouse gnawing in the corner—
Was even more irritating.
He turned sharply, veins standing out on his forehead.
"Can you stop eating?" he snapped. "Do you not understand what's happening right now? And you can still eat?"
Riley blinked at him, innocent.
I'm just eating an apple.
What bad intentions can I possibly have?
She took another tiny bite.
Adrian's face grew darker, irritation surging to the surface.
Before he could explode—
Riley suddenly hopped off the bed.
She stood in front of him, looking unusually serious.