Chapter 44 A Time of Peaceful Years
Evelyn's POV
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, checking again to confirm it was really past nine o'clock.
"Oh my God! Did I leave Kane waiting outside again?"
I cried out and jumped up from the sofa. I vaguely remembered dreaming about someone knocking on the door and then leaving. Could that have been Kane?
"It must have been Kane."
I ran my hands through my messy hair, having no idea what I looked like right now. Not even bothering to put on slippers, I rushed out of my room barefoot and headed straight for Kane's dormitory next door.
I knocked on the door frantically. Soon, Kane opened it from inside, looking like he'd been waiting for me all along.
He was still holding a cup of warm milk that looked freshly prepared—maybe he'd just walked over when he heard my knocking. I couldn't be sure, but the way he stood there made me feel like he'd been waiting for me the whole time.
Kane glanced at me, his lips curving into a slightly indulgent smile. Those eyes of his showed not a trace of irritation from waiting so long—or maybe he was just hiding it really well, because I couldn't tell at all.
"You're up?"
"Kane, I'm sorry, I..."
I was about to explain when I noticed Kane's gaze suddenly drop down to my bare feet on the floor.
The hallway floor was marble—shiny and clean-looking, but cold to walk on.
Now I could feel the chill creeping up from my feet.
Before I could react, Kane suddenly bent down, holding the milk in one hand while scooping me up vertically with the other.
"Ah!"
I cried out as my whole body suddenly lifted into the air.
I really hadn't expected Kane to just pick me up like that. My heart was pounding.
"The floor's cold."
That's all he said, then he carried me in long strides into his room.
I frantically wrapped my arms around his neck, afraid I'd fall if I let go.
He put the milk on the table, then gently set me down on his large bed, his movements tender.
"Sit still, don't move."
He instructed, then turned and walked into the bathroom.
I sat on the bed, a bit at a loss, watching his busy figure.
After a moment, he came out with a warm towel.
I watched as Kane knelt down in front of me on one knee, then took one of my feet and carefully wiped it with the warm towel.
"Kane!"
I felt my face instantly burn up. In all my life, except for when Arthur took care of me as a child, no guy had ever done this for me.
His movements were very careful. The warm towel drove away the chill from my feet and also the panic in my heart.
After finishing one foot, he switched to the other.
Once both feet were clean, he touched them to check they weren't too cold anymore, then got up and walked to the magic shoe cabinet.
When he came back, he was carrying a pair of fluffy misty blue slippers.
"These are..."
My eyes widened in surprise.
"Why does your magic shoe cabinet have women's slippers?"
Kane walked over with the slippers, knelt down, and helped me slip my feet into them. "Maybe it sensed my girlfriend would be cold. When I opened it, I saw these new shoes."
The slippers were soft and fluffy, super comfortable to wear, and in my favorite color too.
"Thank you..."
I said quietly, still a bit too embarrassed to look at him.
I suddenly remembered what I hadn't finished saying earlier and quickly said, "Kane, I fell asleep. I was so tired last night that when I heard the knocking, I was half-asleep and thought I was dreaming, so I didn't wake up."
Kane stood there patiently listening to me. "It's okay."
He went to the bathroom. I heard water running—he must have been washing his hands. When he came out again, he brought the tray over and placed it on the nightstand. "Eat something first. Blueberry pancakes, still warm."
"You really got blueberry pancakes?"
I was a bit too happy, completely forgetting my earlier embarrassment. I picked up a fork and cut off a piece to pop in my mouth.
The pancakes were soft and sweet, the honey flavor melting on my tongue. Sweet food really can heal everything.
"And warm milk."
Kane put the milk right in my hand and sat in the chair beside me, watching me eat.
After eating my fill, I burped. "Kane, what should we do next?"
Before Kane could answer, I suddenly thought of something. "How about you watch a documentary with me? I saved one called Secrets of Anatomy. Even though it's a bit different from our coursework, we can still learn from it."
Kane turned on the magic projection wall across from the bed. A line of large text appeared on the wall: [Secrets of Anatomy.]
On screen, a human body was being peeled away layer by layer, revealing the muscles and bones inside.
Kane and I were watching when my gaze accidentally fell on my own calf.
Because my pants were loose, the leg had ridden up when I moved, and on that creamy skin, there was a purple-blue bruise.
It was from last night—I'd been so tired from dancing that I accidentally bumped into the corner of a table.
Looking at it bothered me. "I have a bruise on my leg."
I unconsciously reached out to touch it and winced a bit from the pain.
Kane leaned over to look. "Did you bump into something last night?"
"Yeah, it's pretty noticeable now."
I nodded, then suddenly thought that maybe I could practice. I took a deep breath, trying to channel my core energy down my arm to my palm, then wrapped it around the injured spot, willing it to heal faster.
I silently recited the spell in my mind.
The feeling wasn't strong, but it was clear.
After a few seconds, I nervously opened my eyes and moved my hand away.
"Kane, it worked! It really worked!"
I cried out in delight.
The purple-blue bruise had actually disappeared! My skin had returned to its original smoothness, as if it had never been injured at all.
"Kane! Look! I didn't let you and Professor Gonzalez down."
I was thrilled. Ever since the last practice session, I hadn't had much hope, afraid I wouldn't be able to successfully do it again.
I got so excited that I threw myself into Kane's arms, too happy to think straight.
"Aren't I amazing? Aren't I?"
His body clearly stiffened, his hands frozen awkwardly in mid-air—I didn't know what he was thinking, but the way he looked at that moment made me want to laugh a little, and also made my heart race in a way I couldn't quite explain.
He instinctively reached out and caught me steadily, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist. "Very amazing. Really."
He raised his hand and gently ruffled my hair, then leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my forehead.
"Evelyn is the most amazing." His voice was low and magnetic, with a hint of admiration.
I suddenly realized what I'd done and wanted to sit up straight, but Kane kept me circled in his arms so I couldn't move. All I could say was, "Let's keep watching the documentary then."
Kane shifted slightly to make me more comfortable leaning against him.
He'd occasionally explain some interesting facts, like which muscle is responsible for smiling, or which nerve connects to the heart.
In this warm room, after a delicious breakfast, watching a documentary with someone I like—this really was happiness.