Chapter 4

When Freya woke in the hospital, she tried to move her hand and discovered her arm was broken.

Outside the window, the sky blazed with the red glow of sunset.

Freya pushed back the covers. She had to see her master today.

She had just gotten out of bed when Francis pushed open the door and walked in.

"Freya, why are you out of bed?"

He moved to help her, but she stepped aside to avoid him.

Francis froze for a second or two.

Anyone else in the world could dodge him—anyone except Freya.

Irritation flared in his chest. He set down the bowl of congee he was carrying.

"The situation was urgent. Miss Swanson has been pampered her whole life—if she'd fallen, it would have been serious—"

Freya cut him off sharply. "And what about me?"

"Francis, I only know a little martial arts. I'm not made of iron. I feel pain too. I get hurt too."

Her heart ached as if it had been soaked in lemon juice.

Francis's pupils trembled. He opened his mouth but found he had nothing to say.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave the hospital? Where are you going?"

Freya thought of how often her master mentioned Francis, so she didn't hide it.

"To the countryside to see my master."

Perhaps remembering childhood memories, the corner of Francis's lips curved slightly.

"I'll go with you."

By the time Francis pulled the car out of the underground garage, there was someone else in the passenger seat.

Chloe Swanson's crimson lips looked especially striking against the evening glow.

"Miss Gilbert, I've never been to the countryside before, so I begged Francis to take me along. You don't mind, do you?"

Freya just wanted to leave as soon as possible tomorrow.

She had no desire to get tangled up in whatever was going on between Chloe and Francis.

"Let's go."

The country roads were rough and uneven. Chloe complained the entire way.

When the car finally stopped in front of an iron gate, Chloe shoved open the door and bent over, dry heaving.

Seeing this, Francis went straight inside to get water from the master.

As Freya moved to follow, Chloe called out to her.

"I held it in the whole ride, but now I finally have a chance to say it. Freya Gilbert, you and your master really are cut from the same cloth—one of you has a lowly status, and the other lives in a lowly place."

"Such a nice car, wasted on roads like these."

"You understand what I mean, don't you, Freya?"

Freya stopped dead in her tracks. She would not allow anyone to insult her master.

But a martial artist must have a broad heart. Besides, they were right outside her master's home—if she hit someone here, he would be disappointed in her.

The instant Freya clenched her fists and turned around, she heard Chloe let out a sudden shriek and collapse to the ground.

A second later, Francis appeared from behind. His face went pale with alarm as he rushed toward Chloe, slamming hard into Freya's broken right arm.

The searing pain made Freya's brow furrow deeply.

"Francis, I only wanted to ask Miss Gilbert where the bathroom was, and she made a face at me and pushed me..."

Francis's expression turned dark instantly.

He carefully helped Chloe up from the ground.

"Freya. Apologize."

If Francis had just looked closely, he would have seen there wasn't a single mark on Chloe. The whole thing was an act she'd staged herself.

Freya laughed in disbelief. Just how much did he care about this woman to defend her unconditionally?

Freya rolled her ankle. "I'll apologize for something I've actually done."

She kicked swiftly toward Chloe's lower back—but the blow landed on Francis's back instead.

"It's okay, Chloe. I'm here. She won't hurt you."

Freya's heart felt like someone had ripped a chunk of flesh right out of it.

Francis had been sickly and weak since childhood, bullied openly and in secret by the other wealthy sons of Capital City.

It was her—every single time—who charged out to stand up for him.

And now the person she had protected with everything she had was willingly taking a hit for another woman.

Eighteen years of devotion, thrown to the dogs.

Freya's eyes reddened. Only when she heard her master calling her name did she manage to regain some composure.