There were only Ste and Ronald left. She gazed at him; every blink from Ronald sent Ste''s heart into a skip, instinctively making her want to rise from his embrace. But Ronald had other ns, pinning her down the next moment, "What''s with your neck?"


    His maic voice was deep, carrying a tone that made her heart skip yet again.


    Ste stuttered, "Well, that...I got bitten by a bugst night."


    Only someone with no memory ofst night would ask such a question.


    Thinking back to how he had dominantly pinned her to the couchst night, it wasn''t a surprise her neck bore such a conspicuous mark.


    Ronald raised an eyebrow, "A bug, again?"


    Ste nodded frantically, "Yes, a bug again."


    What else could she say? She couldn''t outright admit it was his doing, could she?


    He had been gentle, and yet possessive, biting her lips so strong that she could still feel the burning pain in the morning.


    The man''s warm fingertips grazed her tender lips, "This bug seems quite fierce, causing this much damage."


    Ste''s cheeks heated uncontrobly. She nodded again, "Yeah, it was pretty fierce, couldn''t even fight it off."


    Ronald tightened his grip around her waist, "You fought it?"


    Ste replied with deadpan sincerity, "I did."


    But in reality, she wouldn''t dare. Her p would have surely woken him up, turning the scene into an inexplicable mess. So, she never mustered the courage to actually do it. Ronald chuckled, "Let''s have the butler fumigate your room properly."


    "Totally. And, can you please not drink anymore?"


    His stomach wasn''t in a well condition to begin with. Moreover, who in this world had the ability to make him adjust? Why drink someone else''s booze?


    Besides, drinking led to mishaps, and if something went wrong, she couldn''t even hold him ountable.


    How frustrating!


    As Ronald yed with her hair, he asked, "What does your bug bite have to do with me drinking?"


    Not knowing if it was her illusion or something, Ste felt there was an underlying message in his tone she couldn''t quite grasp.


    Trying to free her hair from his fingers, Ste huffed, attempting to get out of his embrace.


    But Ronald didn''t loosen his grip, making her escape impossible.


    Ste whimpered, "Ronald, let me go."


    "You haven''t told me how they''re rted."


    Ste retorted, "They''re not."


    The rtion was his drunken amnesia.


    She could imagine, even if he were to sleep with her and they ended up having a child ten monthster, he''d still question who the father was.


    With that thought, Ste red at Ronald indignantly, "Just stop drinking."


    Ronald, finding her indignation adorable, affectionately pinched her cheek. Before they could continue, Idris arrived.


    Seeing him, Ste instinctively struggled to free herself from Ronald''s embrace.


    This time, Ronald didn''t tease her further, letting her go with a gentle, "Eat well."


    His tone was as soothing as a luby to a child.


    Idris, expressionless, seemed ustomed to such scenes.


    As Ronald headed to the living room, Idris followed, "Sir, Thane Quarry requests a meeting."


    Thane, Yorick''s father, was getting anxious since Ronald had been elusive.


    With the Larkin family''s mines depleted and the Quarry family in need of a new source, Thane''s personal involvement was hardly surprising.