“A knock…?” Zinnia was still regaining her composure.
Zinnia’s ears twitched slightly before her eyes widened, and she hurried toward the door.
Without hesitation, Zinnia opened the manor door, and there stood Cassian, staggering toward her, breathing heavily and in short gasps.
Zinnia immediately recognized Cassian by the scent emanating from him, and she detected something else as well.
“Oh, my God! What happened to you?!” Zinnia began to panic as she gently shook Cassian’s body.
Her hand, which was shaking Cassian’s body, felt wet; Zinnia pulled her hand away and saw that it was covered in blood.
Zinnia’s face turned pale; her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with fear.
“…Hurry… come inside…” With all the strength he had left, Cassian moved his lips.
“Damn it! I told you to be careful,” Zinnia said with a trembling voice; she bit her lower lip to hold back her fear.
Because of the commotion out front, Anna seemed to have woken up and immediately followed Zinnia to the front door.
“Oh my God, Miss! What’s going on?” Anna jumped in surprise when she saw the blood-soaked body in Zinnia’s arms.
“Help me, quick!” Zinnia shouted loudly.
“Y-yes, Miss!” Anna hurried over to Zinnia.
With Anna’s help, Zinnia was able to move more easily while supporting Cassian’s large body.
Before closing the door, Zinnia glanced at the Manor’s front yard, which looked dark and empty.
Just then, a bolt of lightning struck, and its light briefly illuminated the area in front of the Manor’s gate.
For a moment, Zinnia could make out a shadow outside the Manor’s gate; her skin prickled with goosebumps the instant her eyes caught the sight.
“Anna, close all the doors and curtains; don’t leave even the slightest opening!” Zinnia hurriedly gave Anna another order.
“Can you carry him yourself?” Anna asked, glancing at Cassian’s increasingly weak body.
“Yes.” Zinnia nodded briefly.
Zinnia tightened her grip around Cassian’s waist and pulled him closer to her, then hurried to carry him to the bedroom.
Even though her adrenaline was pumping, Zinnia could feel the weight of Cassian’s body pressing down on her; she even had to drag Cassian’s body in her arms to make it to the bedroom.
After laying him on the bed, Zinnia immediately tore off the clothes Cassian was wearing in one swift motion.
Zinnia covered her mouth in disbelief when she saw the numerous slash wounds on Cassian’s body; even his old wounds, which had almost healed, were now overlaid with fresh ones.
“It can’t be… How could he have been attacked this badly…” Zinnia’s eyes trembled as she looked at Cassian’s condition. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Cassian’s face grew paler, his body shivering from the cold, not to mention that his wounds were still bleeding.
Zinnia gently patted her cheek, trying to snap herself out of it; she had to stay calm right now.
“It’s just Anna and me here; I have to stay calm.” Zinnia clasped her hands, which were trembling from panic.
After taking a deep breath, Zinnia immediately ran out of the room to the kitchen to find the first-aid supplies she needed.
Zinnia hurried back to the room after getting what she needed.
“Anna, once you’re done, bring a basin of warm water to the room!” Zinnia shouted her orders.
“Yes, Miss!”
Once back in the room, Zinnia immediately cleaned the wounds on Cassian’s body and bandaged them to stop the bleeding.
However, Cassian’s condition wouldn’t improve with just this, and Zinnia realized she had a Healing Potion she’d received from the System.
It’s just that Zinnia couldn’t use it carelessly; if she wasn’t careful, she might actually arouse suspicion.
“System! What do I need to do to reduce the effectiveness of the healing potion I received from you?” Zinnia hurriedly summoned her System, taking advantage of the fact that she was alone in the room.
[Why would the Host need to do that? The Host can heal immediately after using the potion.]
“Damn it! Are you stupid, System? We’ll get caught if he suddenly recovers after being injured this badly!” Zinnia roared angrily; if the System were right in front of her, she’d punch it.
“Not to mention, we still don’t know who Cassian really is. I’m sure he’ll start suspecting me right away if he finds himself fully healed tomorrow,” Zinnia continued, biting her fingernails.
[I see. The System now understands the Host’s concerns.]
[A potion’s effectiveness can be reduced by mixing it with a neutral liquid.]
[The more diluent used, the weaker the potion’s effect.]
“In that case, regular water should work, right? But Anna will get suspicious if I just give Cassian plain water to drink,” Zinnia muttered, thinking hard.
[Mixing the potion with herbal concoctions is also fine, as long as their effects don’t conflict with the potion’s.]
“Thank goodness. In that case, I’ll make a regular body-warming concoction,” Zinnia finally said.
Just then, Anna entered the room carrying a basin of water.
“Can you clean him up for me? I’m going to make a potion for him,” Zinnia said when she saw Anna arrive.
“The ingredients are in the kitchen; use whatever you need, Miss.”
Zinnia nodded slowly before finally heading toward the kitchen. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Zinnia knew her potions weren’t that effective; she had even needed a recipe from someone else to help Cassian recover before.
Even so, Zinnia had to do it to save Cassian’s life; otherwise, she herself would be in danger as well.
If even a man with magical powers like Cassian was this badly injured, Zinnia was certain she’d die if that person attacked the Manor.
“Calm down, Zinnia! I can’t think straight if you keep panicking like this,” Zinnia said, gritting her teeth.
Her hands, which were preparing the ingredients, were still trembling.
Zinnia hurriedly boiled the herbs she had prepared and waited for them to come to a boil; while glancing around, she took a healing potion from her inventory.
A medium-sized vial containing a blue liquid glowed; slowly, Zinnia poured half of its contents into a bowl.
Then, Zinnia poured the finished herbal concoction into the same bowl.
“I hope this works,” Zinnia murmured softly, then hurried back to Cassian’s room.
Anna looked panicked when Zinnia entered the room, and Zinnia’s own feelings grew even worse after that.
“Miss, Cassian’s body is getting colder, and his breathing is getting shallower as time goes on!” Anna said frantically.
“Help him sit up!” Zinnia said quickly.
Anna moved swiftly, and Zinnia immediately poured the potion in her hand into Cassian’s mouth.
It was quite difficult for Cassian to swallow the potion, so Zinnia used her other hand to pry open Cassian’s mouth and pour the rest of the potion down his throat.
Slowly, they laid Cassian back down.
“Get the thick blanket from my room, hurry up!” Without looking at Anna, Zinnia gave her order.
After Anna left, Zinnia remained by Cassian’s side; she used a small towel that was there to apply a warm compress to his forehead.
At that moment, Cassian’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes slowly opened a little.
“Cassian?” Zinnia called his name immediately, making sure he heard her.
“…they…” Cassian’s voice was soft and hoarse.
“Calm down, you’re home now; everything’s safe. Go back to sleep,” Zinnia said softly as she gently stroked the side of Cassian’s face, trying to soothe him.
After hearing that, Cassian slowly closed his eyes again.
But now, his breathing sounded calmer and more regular.
Zinnia couldn’t have been more relieved; she stayed there throughout that cold, thunderous night.