Phoebe’s POV
I stayed silent when Timothy and I t this morning for breakfast. I didn’t ntion his visit to see Jude yesterday, though I knew he’d also spoken with Harlow.
Timothy kept stealing glances at , clearly expecting to bring it up. Instead, I focused on my conversation with Perry, unbothered by Timothy’s obvious discomfort.
My mate listened attentively as I spoke, occasionally lifting a spoonful of soup to my lips or offering a piece of at. He seed completely at ease.
The dining hall buzzed with activity - warriors filled the lower platform while ogas hurried between tables, serving food. The won still showed wariness around the warriors, but their tension had noticeably decreased.
Timothy was about to push back from the table, having barely touched his food, when sothing caught his eye. Jude had entered the hall with the other ogas, carrying a food tray and chatting with her sister Patricia. Even dressed in simple clothing, she looked stunning.
I watched understanding dawn on Timothy’s face - he finally grasped why Perry had been so captivated by . The feeling was written all over him, and I could see his regret for underestimating the bond between mates.
Timothy’s gaze locked on Jude completely. When she noticed him staring, their eyes t. For a mont, the noise around us seed to fade into nothing.
Everything else beca irrelevant...
"What’s got your attention?" Perry’s voice cut through the mont as he elbowed his royal gamma, shattering the spell.
"Damn it," Timothy muttered in frustration, though he kept his voice low as he shot Perry an irritated look.
"Sothing wrong?" Perry fixed Timothy with a stern glare until the gamma looked away.
Timothy searched for Jude, but she’d already disappeared from the dining hall. Perfect. She was gone, and now he had to face the king’s questions.
"Nothing," Timothy mumbled, his mood clearly sour.
"He spotted his mate," I said with a laugh. "You completely ruined their mont."
"Oops," Perry replied casually, though his tone held zero remorse. If anything, he sounded pleased with himself for disrupting his gamma.
Timothy groaned and scratched his head, then forced himself to finish eating. The food tasted bland until he rembered his mate had helped prepare it - suddenly, every bite seed better.
——
True to his word, Timothy made his way to the kitchen afterward, returning to the sa spot where he’d t Harlow yesterday. He brought a generous portion of warm at and settled in to wait for the little girl.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered, squatting against the wall and staring at the blue sky above. "What am I even doing here?"
Just as Timothy considered leaving, he felt a gentle nudge on his arm. Looking up, he found Harlow gazing at him with wide eyes, grinning mischievously.
"Does your head hurt?" she asked in her sweet child’s voice.
"No."
"You look like it does." Harlow stepped closer and began massaging his scalp. "When mama hurt, she liked this." What she actually did was more hair-pulling than massaging.
"Alright, that’s better now," Timothy said with a wince, though he couldn’t help smiling.
"See? You feel good now, right?"
"Yeah." Timothy handed her the at. "Here’s what I promised, plus this." He pulled a small container of candy from his pocket.
Harlow bounced excitedly, her little face flushing red with pure joy.
"Thank you!" She threw her arms around Timothy and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You’re amazing!"
Timothy had earned countless accolades as one of the kingdom’s finest warriors. He’d led troops to victory against Valerium forces alongside the king and built an impressive record of achievents that brought him widespread praise.
But this little girl’s appreciation felt completely different. The happiness and pride swelling in his chest was unlike anything he’d experienced before.
Call him foolish, but Harlow’s beaming smile made Timothy act on impulse.
"Co back tomorrow and I’ll bring more at!" he declared proudly. "And more candy and small gifts - do you like pretty things?"
He noticed the only jewelry Harlow wore was a bracelet woven from plant roots, the sa kind many oga children had.
"Really?" Harlow jumped up and down.
"Absolutely." Sohow, Timothy felt genuinely excited. Shopping had never appealed to him, but he’d gladly do it for her.
"Thank you!" Harlow hugged him again. "I knew you had to be the Myrthella."
"Myrthella? What’s that?" Timothy frowned. Was that good? It sounded like so kind of plant.
"You don’t know about Myrthella?" Harlow released him and tilted her head, studying him with amusent.
"No. What is it? Food?" Timothy shrugged, genuinely puzzled.
Harlow settled on the ground beside Timothy and unwrapped the at he’d brought while telling her story.
"Myrthella is a kind fairy who travels around helping people, especially well-behaved children." She bit into the at, her eyes lighting up with delight at the taste. "I’m a good girl because I take my dicine on ti and don’t cry."
Timothy wasn’t entirely pleased with this comparison. "But I’m not a girl."
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