Landon’s voice sharpened. "Yes. That." His patience clearly wasn’t endless. His expression was cold. "Raine."
She glanced back at him. "What?"
"Who did it?" His eyes narrowed.
Not answering his question, she held his gaze calmly and studied his expression for quite a long moment instead.
"What is it?" Landon’s gaze hardened and Raine murmured under her breath. "That wasn’t an answer to my question."
Raine fiddled with her fingers.
"Tell me now." He had especially thin patience. Raine had a good hunch about where he inherited this trait from.
"Does it matter?" She tilted her head slightly.
"Yes."
She considered that. Then she didn’t hold back anymore.
Raine told Landon everything Ariana had done to her. She told him every cruel word, every humiliation, and every punishment she had endured. She didn’t exaggerate anything, nor did she hide the truth. She simply told him what had happened.
Her voice wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t filled with tears.
In fact, she spoke calmly, almost too calmly, as if she were recounting something that had happened to someone else, not her. There was a hint of anger in her voice, imagining the humiliation she had endured from being whipped on Ariana’s order as if she were nothing more than a petty criminal.
Landon stood silently beside the bed, his tall figure unmoving while she spoke. He listened carefully. Not once did he interrupt her. He didn’t question her, either. He listened.
The dim candlelight in the room flickered against his sharp features. His face remained calm, almost cold. His dark eyes remained fixed on her the entire time, but they revealed nothing.
Raine disliked that. She disliked how impossible it was for her to understand what he was thinking.
When she finally finished speaking, the room fell into a heavy silence. Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke.
For a moment, Landon remained where he stood. He remained silent, and his thoughts remained unreadable. Then he turned, and began walking toward the door. Just like that. There was no response or reaction.
As if everything she had just said meant nothing.
Something inside Raine snapped. "Wait."
Her voice stopped him. Landon paused. Slowly, he turned his head slightly, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"How can you look better already?" she asked, frowning. "You were barely conscious before."
Landon didn’t answer immediately. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he spoke. "The new healer." He said at last.
"The one who came earlier?" Raine blinked.
Landon nodded and Raine stared at him.
Something wasn’t right. Ignoring the pain in her body, she slowly pushed the blanket aside and got out of bed.
However, the moment her feet touched the cold floor, a sharp pain shot across her back. She sucked in a sharp breath.
The lashes Ariana had ordered were still fresh. They still burned with every movement she made. Every movement felt as if the wounds were tearing open again.
She shouldn’t be standing and yet, she still forced herself to walk toward him.
Landon noticed. His brows furrowed slightly. "You shouldn’t be standing." It was as if he could hear her thought.
Ignoring him, Raine stopped right in front of Landon.
He was taller than her by almost a head, so she had to tilt her face slightly upward to look at him. Then, before he could react, she raised her hand and pressed it against his forehead.
Landon stiffened. Her palm was cool against his burning skin. He tried to pull away, but she didn’t move her hand.
Her brows immediately knitted together. "You’re still burning." He didn’t respond. "You still have a fever," she said bluntly.
Landon pushed her hand away. He didn’t like to be touched.
The healer instinct kicked in and Raine crossed her arms. "You know, and yet you are walking around like nothing is wrong."
"That is none of your concern."
"None of my concern? Landon, I’m your healer." Raine stared at him in disbelief.
He didn’t respond. His indifference irritated her even more.
"You are indeed a devil," she muttered. His eyes flickered slightly at the words. She ignored it and continued. "You are indeed a devil. How could you walk around and not get rest when your condition is like this?"
She grimaced as she shifted her weight. The movement pulled at the wounds across her back, sending another sharp sting through her body.
Raine held her breath, her face twisting slightly as the wounds from the lashes throbbed beneath her clothes. She clenched her teeth, trying not to show it.
Unfortunately, she should have learned that things rarely went the way she wanted. He noticed. His gaze dropped briefly to her back. "You should return to bed."
"And you are telling me that?" Raine scoffed. She gestured toward him. "You are the one wandering around with a fever."
Landon’s patience was beginning to thin. "Raine."
"What?"
"Return to bed."
"No." The answer came instantly.
Landon stared at her. Raine stared right back. The air between them grew tense.