"It’s fine," Rained said, replacing the cover.
Ariana smiled again, softer this time. "I’m glad," she said. "He hasn’t been eating well lately."
"You noticed that." Raine looked at her.
"I notice many things," Ariana replied. That landed heavier than it should have.
Everything was ready; Raine lifted the tray. Ariana didn’t immediately move out of the way. She wasn’t blocking Raine’s way, just standing there.
"You’ll be bringing it yourself now?" Ariana asked.
Nodding her head, Raine said. "Looks like I’ve been promoted."
A faint amusement touched Ariana’s expression. "That may be good for him."
Raine was trying to read the meaning behind Ariana’s words.
However, before she could walk away, Ariana’s gaze dropped briefly to the tray—quick, almost instinctive—before returning to Raine’s face. Just a tiny gesture, but Raine saw it.
"Well, I suppose I have to let you bring the food to Landon now; I can see that you have a certain opinion about me. You don’t conceal your suspicion toward me well enough."
Before Raine could respond to it, Brianna stepped closer. "I c-can carry it—"
Without taking her eyes off Ariana, Raine shook her head. "It’s fine."
Gracefully, Ariana then moved aside as Raine passed, and she spoke quietly. "Raine, if you ever notice something unusual, you should tell me."
"Why you?"
Without hesitation, Ariana responded. "Because I’ve been protecting him longer than you have."
That was reasonable. And yet...
Raine nodded once and walked toward the door, with Brianna hurrying after her. Behind them, the kitchen’s noise slowly returned. But Raine could feel Ariana’s gaze on her back.
***
Raine carried the tray carefully, walking toward Landon’s room, but her thoughts stayed behind in the kitchen. With Ariana.
She adjusted her grip on the tray, her eyes flicking once more to the covered plate, as if something might reveal itself during her walk. But nothing happened.
Brianna walked beside her, hands hovering nervously near the tray as if she were ready to catch it even though Raine held it firmly.
In the hallway, Brianna whispered, "She’s ... she’s actually n-nice."
Raine didn’t answer right away because ’nice’ didn’t mean ’harmless.’ "Maybe," Raine said at last.
"I— I am s-sorry, I am s-stuttering more when I—I am nervous," Brianna said, smiling sheepishly.
"You harm no one, there is no need to apologize." Raine smiled and didn’t say more as they walked in silence for a few steps before letting out a sigh. "I had one job," Raine muttered. "Heal the difficult patient. That was it."
Brianna glanced up. "And now?"
Rolling her eyes dramatically, Raine lifted the tray slightly. "Now I’m his healer, food inspector, and apparently, professional babysitter."
Brianna almost smiled, and Raine noticed. After a short hesitation, Brianna spoke carefully. "M-Master Landon is... not easy."
"That’s a polite way to say unbearable."
Brianna covered a small laugh with her hand.
"See? You agree." Raine glanced sideways, her eyebrows raised.
Panicked, Brianna quickly shook her head. "I d-didn’t s-say that."
"You didn’t need to."
And they finally reached Landon’s door.
Holding her breath, Raine paused... not because she was nervous, but because of her realization that this would become her new routine.
After taking a long, deep breath, she knocked on the door.
Silence.
She knocked again.
Finally, from inside the room, Landon’s voice came, hoarse and rough. "...What?"
She opened the door.
Sitting against the headboard, Landon looked slightly better than before, which meant he only looked mildly terrible instead of actively dying. At least, that was the first impression Raine got when she looked at him.
His eyes moved to the tray, then to Raine. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before it disappeared. "You again."
Walking in with Brianna trailing her, Raine scoffed. "Don’t sound so thrilled."
With the expression that clearly showed her wish to be somewhere else than here, Brianna stood by the door. Nervously, she bowed and greeted Landon respectfully. "M-Master L-Landon."
Raine set the tray down. "I’ve been promoted," Raine announced flatly.
Landon looked at the tray before looking back at her. "That explains the expression," he said, with a faint, mocking smile on his lips.
"Your father wants me to monitor everything you eat."
"So, you’re my guard now."
"I’m your insurance policy," Raine corrected. "Try not to die. It creates paperwork."
Landon’s smirk stayed. He gestured toward Brianna. "You can go. But you," he pointed at Raine, "stay. I’m hungry."
Hearing the order, Brianna hastily left, closing the door quietly behind her, leaving silence behind.
Landon watched Raine uncover the tray. "You inspected it. Did you find anything?"
"I checked it twice." She hesitated. "But nothing obvious."
Fixing his position on the bed, Landon glanced toward Raine, assessing her expression. Then he nodded toward the chair. "Sit."
"Why?" Her hands stopped preparing the food tray.
"You’re not leaving."
While straightening her body, Raine returned his gaze. "I absolutely am," she said curtly.
Landon’s gaze dropped to the tray. "You’re supposed to monitor my food."
Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Raine groaned softly. "This is annoying for both of us. Truth be told, we don’t like each other, so save both of us a headache. We don’t need to see each other often. I know you’re annoyed with my presence, aren’t you?"
"I am." Landon didn’t deny it; however, he almost looked amused. "And I surely know that you don’t like being here as much as I don’t like you being here," he said calmly.
Raine lifted a brow, waiting.
He picked up the spoon. "But seeing your annoyance cures my headache," he added. "At least I’m not the only one miserable here."
With her arms hanging at the side of her body, Raine stared at him. Speechless.