The evaluator's words were straight, but they appeared complicated to Adrian.
He desired to know more. He wanted to find more solutions, but the evaluator remained firm on his stand.
For a moment, Adrian wanted to find a different evaluator, but in front of him was the greatest, wisest, and oldest of all evaluators. If he said there was no other way, then who else could say otherwise?
Adrian remained lost in his thoughts as he prepared dinner.
"Why are you cooking?" A soft melodious voice shook him from his thoughts.
He looked back and found Arella.
"Why are you standing? Sit down first. I wanted to prepare dinner for us." He kept his eyes on the ingredients.
"Can I help?" Arella, too, wanted to help.
"Hmm. You can talk to me." He spoke lightly. Honestly, he missed her a lot. Decades of living alone had made him used to the silence. But after a few days with her, he started craving her voice. He enjoyed listening to her. He wanted her to keep talking to him.
At last, he had someone he could share his daily life with. He wanted to talk and share his thoughts. He desired to listen to her thoughts, just like a normal family.
"Okay." Arella came inside the kitchen and stood next to him. She intended to talk to him about the things that had happened in his absence.
The cat clan, the Hound, Devon, and Anne, frankly speaking, she had a lot she wanted to share with him!
As she framed her thoughts, she felt a hand holding her waist. And all of a sudden, she felt being lifted!
"Ah!" A small scream left her mouth. She instinctively held his neck. But before panic could overwhelm her senses, she found herself seated on the kitchen slab!
"Sit and talk. Don't tire yourself out!" He gave her a plate of snacks to eat and busied himself in sorting out the ingredients for the meal.
As things registered in her flustered head, she felt warmth pooling and bubbling inside her. Satisfied and comfortable, she started telling him about the Hound first.
He had received a report on everything in advance. But listening to Arella's voice had the power to calm his emotions down.
She spoke of the way the Hound attacked her and how wittily she used fire to scare it away. The excitement and happiness dripped from her sentences. She was proud of defeating the Hound and saving her friends.
He, too, got immersed in her storytelling skills. And skillfully, fueled her sense of pleasure by responding every now and then.
Then came the story of Devon and Anne. This was new to him. He knew that both were her friends, but he didn't know what went on between them behind closed doors. At first, he felt a little uncomfortable to have been told of a man lingering near her.
But now, listening to her, he knew that he was together with another girl. Good God! He felt relieved inside.
"Adrian, something doesn't smell right!" Suddenly, she stopped the tale of Devon and Anne.
He recovered his thoughts and hurriedly checked the vegetables. Damn! It was about to get charred! He quickly saved the vegetables from getting burnt.
"Sorry, I got carried away." He spoke while trying his best to save the meal.
Ha ha ha! A tinkering sound of laughter came as a response.
Arella couldn't hold back her laughter! Ha! Ha! Ha!
She had thought that Adrian was too perfect. He looked well, treated her well, and knew what to say. But tonight, she saw a different side of him. Flustered, and embarrassed. And of course, cute. Such qualities made him more familiar.
Listening to her laugh and seeing her so happy put a smile on his face. He wished they could remain like this. Happy, peaceful, and free. No inhibitions, no lies, and no distance.
Both of them were enjoying themselves, and the dinner was thus prepared in harmony and laughter.
This time, she helped set the table, and both started to enjoy the meal. Thankfully, the vegetables were successfully saved. They talked and ate to their fill.
When they were done, he once again called for the gardener to check on her.
"Madam, you have recovered well. There is no need for any caution now. But the spiritual energy was lost. So, it is better to regain that." The gardener kept his eyes lowered and politely shared his findings.
"Recovered?" Arella was perplexed. But she could feel it too. In the morning she needed a wheelchair to commute, and now she felt no weakness at all! Her strength was back to normal. There was no discomfort anywhere.
"Okay. You can leave now." Adrian responded and asked the gardener to leave.
Once they were alone, Adrian shifted towards Arella and said lightly.
"Tomorrow, let's get a thorough checkup at the military healing center."
"Okay." Arella was of the same mind. It was better to get a thorough checkup, and the military healing center could maintain privacy and had the best resources.
The night was deepening. So, both of them went to bed.
Arella wanted to take a bath, but Adrian resolutely refused. He considered that it was risky. What if she fell in the bathroom because of weakness? What if she passed out? It was simply too dangerous. After a little to and fro, she finally got permission to wipe herself.
She wanted to bathe, but his concerns were valid too. So, both of them compromised, and she could wipe herself.
Sleeping together was no longer an issue. In fact, both of them secretly looked forward to it.
Getting ready, Arella was about to remove the necklace. This evening, when she woke up, she found it on her. Adrian must have done it. She was pleased. The ruby was in a good condition. He did fulfill his promise of keeping it safe.
As she tried to remove it, her hand was stopped by Adrian.
"It looks good on you. Why don't you keep it on?" Adrian spoke lightly.
"Huh?" Arella couldn't make head or heels of it. At first, he wanted to take it away, and now, he wanted to let her keep wearing it? Confusion made its way into her head. Looking at the lost girl, Adrian spoke calmly.
"Hmm, I got it evaluated. He said that the owner must always wear it." He didn't want to hide anything from her. But he wasn't sure how much could he tell her.
"Okay." She didn't question him. He must have his own reasons. At this point, she knew she could trust him.
As soon as they hit the bed, a numbing exhaustion took root in them. Both had gone through a lot today. And now, finally, in the arms of their beloved, they could relax and unwind.