"Alright, let's get married," Vera said softly. 'He wants to protect me, so I'll give him that chance. I'll also try to get along with him, open my heart, and try to accept him... to love him.'
Nathaniel was completely taken aback. His eyes widened in surprise and his brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Vera used the wall to pull herself to her feet. She wanted to look him straight in the eye, but she quickly discovered he was much taller than her. So, she stepped onto a nearby stool and declared with the utmost seriousness, "Nathaniel Nathan, I accept your proposal. I am willing to marry you!"
Nathaniel stared at her and asked, "Vera, what kind of game are you playing now?"
'She's so in love with Wesley Kane. Why would she ever agree to marry me?'
Seeing his astonished face, Vera suddenly felt he wasn't so cold and terrifying after all. She sighed and spread her hands. "I'm your captive now. What games could I possibly play?"
Nathaniel's gaze deepened. Vera met his eyes and asked, "What? Are you scared to marry me? Or were you just messing around when you said you wanted to? You didn't actually mean it?"
"Of course not!" Nathaniel said, looking at her. "Vera, you're the one who brought this up. I'm not forcing you."
The corners of Vera's mouth turned up. "Right, right, you didn't force me. This is all of my own free will!"
'This man... In my past life and in this one, he's always been so proud and difficult. He loves so deeply, but he'd never actually say the word 'love' out loud.'
Nathaniel's gaze deepened with a hint of probing curiosity. Vera hopped down from the stool, but her body swayed, and she pitched toward the ground. He shot out a hand to steady her, the air around him chilling instantly. "What? Still trying to kill yourself?"
"Of course not!" Vera said, looking at him earnestly. "Anyone who's had a taste of death would never want to experience it a second time. I just lost my footing, that's all..."
Vera's eyes traveled over his face. "Nathaniel, has anyone ever told you you're handsome?"
Nathaniel froze for a moment, his expression a bit stiff.
Vera said earnestly, "You're the stoic, handsome type. The way you frown creates this sense of distance. It's scary!"
"If you're scared, then be good and don't provoke me," Nathaniel said coolly.
He said that, but his brow smoothed out.
The corners of Vera's mouth lifted. "Nathaniel, I promise I won't make you angry again. So, you can't be so harsh with me either, okay?"
Nathaniel ignored her, instead having a servant bring over a basin of water so she could wash her face. The wound on her forehead had already been treated and was covered with white gauze. The blood on her hands was from a scrape.
Vera went to wash her hands directly in the water, but Nathaniel grabbed her wrist. "You're just going to wash them like that?"
"It's just a small cut, it's nothing," Vera said, glancing at the little wound on her hand. It really was tiny, less than a centimeter long.
She tried to put her hand in the water, but he pulled her back again. "Don't move unless you want to die!"
Vera stared, baffled, as he picked up tweezers and cotton balls. He carefully cleaned the blood from her hand, disinfected it with iodine, and then wrapped her hand with gauze.
His movements weren't practiced, and his technique was terrible. It was just a tiny cut, yet he somehow managed to wrap her hand up like a sausage.