Chapter 21 A Warm Harbor
Evelyn's POV
Watching Arthur's enthusiasm, I noticed Kane's tense shoulders finally relaxed a bit.
The room carried a warm, rich scent of rosemary blended with roasted meat Arthur’s unmistakable signature.
“Evelyn, bring Kane over and sit. Don’t just hover there."
After speaking, Arthur turned and went into the kitchen. Before long, he brought out a huge sizzling roasting pan from the oven. "We can start eating early. Try my cooking—this is the best lamb chops from Amber District, tastes amazing."
As he spoke about his lamb chops, Arthur expertly carved out a generous slice of the most tender meat and set it directly onto Kane’s plate with practiced ease.
Kane stared at the mountain of meat piled on his plate, frozen for a moment.
I figured he probably rarely spent time with elders, and it was even rarer to meet an old man like my grandfather.
An elder like this was essentially handing him a key to an entirely different world. I could barely suppress a laugh. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kane clumsily pick up his knife and fork, cut a small piece and put it in his mouth, his eyes lighting up. "Thank you, Mr. Gray. It tastes very good."
Kane’s reaction made it clear he enjoyed it, so I followed suit, taking a bite myself and smiling. “These lamb chops are incredible,” I said, genuinely pleased. Grandpa's cooking is still perfect—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with all the juices locked in. As always, only Grandpa's lamb chops are my favorite."
At that, Arthur broke into a delighted smile, waving off the praise. “You’re far too kind just flattering me. As long as you like it, that’s all that matters.” There are two more legs in the pot. I made a lot of meat today, so you two eat as much as you want."
The lunch that followed was much more relaxed than I'd imagined.I kept the conversation flowing easily at the table, while Arthur joined in from time to time. Kane mostly listened in silence, speaking only when prompted.
Perhaps because of his age, Arthur really enjoyed telling embarrassing stories from my childhood. I was surprised to find that Kane loved listening to them. Every time he heard something about me, he paid special attention. He even set aside his knife and fork at times, fully absorbed in Arthur’s stories, his usually guarded expression softening noticeably.
In this moment, I felt grateful that I'd been raised by Arthur. This quirky yet soft-hearted Arthur had given me his unconditional love, and it was because of this that I could meet Kane and enter his life.
Halfway through the meal, Arthur got up to get drinks for Kane and me. As he passed by my side, probably wanting to brush some dust off my shoulder, his hand accidentally touched the collar of my hoodie and discovered the gauze on my collarbone.
Arthur froze mid-motion. The warmth in his expression vanished in an instant, replaced by a stern, almost chilling seriousness.
“Evelyn, you’re injured?”
My stomach sank. So much for hoping he wouldn’t notice he’d seen right through it.
Kane immediately put down his knife and fork too, his body tensing up, clearly ready to deal with Arthur's reaction alongside me at any moment.
I quickly turned back, forcing a casual tone. “It’s just a minor injury, Grandpa, nothing serious. I accidentally spilled some chemicals during class and ended up with a small burn.” It's not serious at all. But you know I care about my appearance, so I had the doctor bandage it up nicely and apply some ointment so it would heal faster."
"Accidentally?" Arthur frowned. He gently pulled open my collar to take a look.
Arthur looked a bit heartbroken and said seriously, "You call this not serious? If I hadn't discovered it, were you just not going to tell me?"
I started to explain, but Kane rose before I could finish. “Mr. Gray, this is on me I didn’t look after Evelyn properly.”
I immediately stepped forward, placing myself between them. "It's not Kane's fault. He wasn't in the same class as me at the time, and it really was an accident that it spilled on me. You know how I am—sometimes I'm just careless like this. I'll definitely be more careful next time, okay?"
"Grandpa, don't be so serious," I continued in a wheedling tone.
Behind me, Kane spoke in a low, steady tone. “I’ll take care of Evelyn. It won’t happen again.”
Arthur looked at me, then at Kane's guilt-filled eyes behind me, and sighed helplessly. "Alright, you two sit down and eat. From now on, tell me if anything happens. I may be old, but I can still protect you both."
Arthur's tone still carried some anger, but his eyes had already softened. “We understand, Grandpa,” I said with a smile, stepping in to hug Arthur. The tension finally eased, and I let out a quiet breath of relief, knowing the matter was settled.
After the meal, we stepped outside the sunlight spilling across everything in a warm, gentle glow.
While clearing the table, Arthur said, "The guest room has just been cleaned, and the bedding is all freshly aired. It has that sunny smell. Do you and Kane want to stay overnight? You can leave after breakfast tomorrow?"
Both Kane and I were stunned by Arthur's words. Kane clearly hadn’t anticipated the invitation to stay. He turned his gaze to me, a subtle question flickering in his eyes.
Honestly, I was reluctant to leave Arthur so soon too. The reason I hadn't initially thought about staying over was because I was afraid Arthur would discover my wound, but now that he'd already found out, there was nothing left to worry about.
I nodded. “Of course, Grandpa. We’d actually like to spend more time with you.”
“Then we’ll be troubling you.” Kane gave a slight nod as well, seeing my agreement.
"What trouble!" Arthur cheerfully wiped his hands. "Kane, come with me. I'll show you the room—it's right next to Evelyn's."
I watched Arthur escort Kane upstairs before carrying the remaining dishes into the kitchen. The guest room was located at the far end of the second floor. Opening the window, you could see the scenery outside. Arthur brought Kane into the room, helped him make the bed, and poured a glass of water to place on the nightstand.
"Kane, I raised this child Evelyn myself. She seems cheerful and optimistic, but she's actually very sensitive. She can sense other people's emotions and is afraid of being a burden to others. If she gets bullied or hurt at school in the future, I hope you can help me look after her more. “I can see the two of you have a good bond.” Kane turned to Arthur, his expression serious. “Mr. Gray, I’ll take good care of her.”
Arthur looked at the tall, silver-haired young man before him and showed a gratified smile. "Good. Then in a bit, let Evelyn show you around."
I stood at the room's doorway, having heard the conversation between Arthur and Kane. I had originally finished in the kitchen and come upstairs to check whether Kane was settling into the guest room, only to stumble upon that exchange.
Hearing Arthur walking toward the door, I quickly pretended I'd just come upstairs and entered the guest room. "Kane, do you like the guest room?"