Chapter 66 Shifting Allegiances
In the previous life, negotiating with Zephyr felt like bargaining with a devil. He never once called me his sister he kept me forever outside the Gates family. So why does he welcome Sadie now? He even grants her a nickname–Sades. How is she even worthy?
The three Francis brothers stood equally slack–jawed.
They had always assumed the Gates family’s affection for Sadic was merely a show. She was clumsy, taciturn, and disgraced–a sister they themselves avoided. Surely, the nobility could not truly favor her.
Yet, Zephyr’s stance told a different story, unless he was an even subtler actor than they had guessed.
Desperate, they searched Sadie’s face for any hint of humiliation.
Her lashes stayed lowered, hiding whatever storm might brew behind them.
Zephyr, tall and rigid in leather baldric and polished boots, cast a protective shadow that swallowed her whole.
He held her father at bay, making certain no second blow would fall.
Perhaps he merely plays the devoted brother because he needs me tied to the Gates family. The thought left her strangely calm.
In that instant, she discovered how badly she craved the shelter of his kindness.
“Clifton, ride to Cranesong Academy and inform the headmaster that, from this moment forward, Adonis and Daisy are expelled,” Zephyr said, releasing Quincy’s wrist and wiping his fingers with a handkerchief.
“Lord Zephyr, what is the meaning of this?” Adonis cried.
“Did you truly think angering Sades would carry no price? The Gates Estate settles every account, whether born of gratitude or of hatred,” Zephyr replied.
Zephyr turned on his heel. “We are leaving.”
Sadie hurried after him, and in that moment, she understood why Alexander and the others would follow
this man without reservation.
“Father, in two years, I must sit the imperial exam. This is the most critical season. Cranesong Academy is the finest school in the southwestern region, its tutors unmatched. I cannot be expelled!” Adonis pleaded.
Quincy ground his teeth, then spoke.
“That wretched girl is to blame. I heard Lady Talulla is praying at Mercycloud Monastery. We will beg her. Your mother is her daughter–in–law, you her half–grandson. She may help us and put that girl in her place.”
Verdant Pavilion.
Zephyr stood with his arms folded, watching Sadie tap layer after layer of powder over her cheek.
The skin he had known so smooth now bloomed with the crimson imprint of Quincy’s slap. No makeup could hide it. Each dab only made the bruise more garish.
She turned, hesitant, offering the wounded side of her face. “Is it obvious?” she whispered.
08:34 Wed, 20 Aug
Chapter 66 Shifting Allegiances
“Anyone with eyes can see it.” Zephyr said.
Her shoulders fell. “I do not want Grandmother to notice.”
* Finished)
She had grown up alone in the Francis Estate, stumbling so often that she trained herself never to invite concern. Worry felt like a debt she could never repay.
A mountain breeze tugged the green ribbon threaded through her hair. She seemed delicate, a doe–eyed girl clutching a mirror, yet the resilience lay beneath that quiet composure.
Suddenly, Zephyr closed the distance, pinched her chin, and tilted her face toward the light. In her startled eyes, he said, “Handkerchief.”
Instinctively, she pressed her own cloth into his palm–a pale–pink square with its corner bearing the tiny embroidered name “Sades.” Zephyr’s gaze lingered on the stitches, a hint of amusement tracing his mouth.
With deliberate care, he wiped away the muddled powder, then produced a small white vial. Cool ointment. glistened on his fingertip as he worked it into her cheek, his warmth chasing the sting.
The bitter scent of the salve mingled with sandalwood from his coat, weaving a quiet, costly fragrance that slipped into her breath. Sadie held still, head tipped back beneath his steady hand.
The young man’s eyes were darkened, half veiled by unhurried lids. Silken lashes cast faint shadows across a face almost painfully handsome. The austere planes of his cheekbones relaxed into something close to tenderness.
She had no idea how long she had been staring until the rough callus on his fingertip scraped her skin and snapped her back to her senses.
A sudden, uneven thud of her own heartbeat startled her, and she pushed his hand away on pure instinct. “Let me do it,” she murmured, keeping her eyes down.
Zephyr released a soft, dismissive laugh. “Tsk.”
His ointment proved uncannily effective. After Sadie worked it over the bruise for a few moments, the mirror showed no trace of the slap at all.
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