Chapter 8: The Paralyzed Man

    Nnenna groaned. "A fair trade?! This is daylight robbery!"

    The system sniffed. "Well, maybe if you stopped using points on pity parties, oh, by the way, you might want to look up."

    "Look up?"

    She raised her head, her heart sinking as she realized the housekeeper was still standing in the doorway. His face was a mixture of concern and confusion, his hand hovering as if debating whether to call for the doctor.

    Nnenna "..."

    The princess''s shifting expressions and muttered words had not gone unnoticed.

    "That fall must have been terrible," he murmured to himself.

    "Grandpa Housekeeper! You''re still here?" Nnenna forced a bright smile, her voice trembling slightly. "Please, come in!"

    The old man hesitated, his worry deepening. Why did she suddenly sound so...normal? He stepped into the room cautiously, still unsure if he should call a psychiatrist.

    Nnenna silently prayed that he would ignore everything he just noticed.

    The last thing she wanted was to be admitted to the psychiatric ward.

    Planning her revenge from there would be much more difficult.

    "Come in, come in! Did you bring my favorite snack?" Nnenna called out eagerly, her voice carrying a rare spark of excitement.

    The housekeeper, who had been hesitating just outside the door, relaxed at her cheerful tone.

    A gentle smile appeared on his face as he stepped inside. "Yes, yes! I made sure to prepare it the moment I heard you were awake. I''ve been waiting for this day, and I am so glad to see you up again."

    He handed over the neatly wrapped snacks, watching her eyes light up as she took them.

    "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Nnenna gasped, letting go of her drip stand in her rush to help. She took a shaky step toward him but miscalculated her strength.

    Her legs buckled beneath her, and with a surprised yelp, she tumbled to the ground right next to the man. Pain radiated through her limbs as she realized, ''I haven''t even started physical therapy yet!''

    The room felt cold, like the air had turned to ice the moment Nnenna entered. She had not expected a warm welcome, but the silence from the man lying on the floor was unnerving.

    Even when she fell clumsily beside him, he did not flinch. He did not even turn his head to look at her, which struck her as both strange and rude.

    Instead, he seemed to roll his eyes in irritation.

    Nnenna "..."

    The small movement was the only sign of life from him, and his complete lack of reaction made her bristle with annoyance.

    Him looking down on her rescue spiked her temper. "Hey! A little appreciation wouldn''t kill you, you kn---"

    Ding!

    The sudden chime of the Love System interrupted her words, leaving her speechless. She froze, her annoyance quickly replaced with a familiar dread. ''What now?''

    The cheerful voice of the system echoed in her mind. "Help the stranger you just met recover full function of his legs and thaw at least 5 percent of his icy heart. You will receive 2,000 good points for helping him walk again and 5,000 points for warming his heart."

    Nnenna "..."

    Did i just find a good points tree?!

    Nnenna blinked in disbelief. ''But what kind of ridiculous task is this?''

    Her thoughts raced as she stared at the man, taking in his stillness and realizing that he was not just ignoring her, he couldn''t move. ''So he''s paralyzed? That explains why he didn''t turn to look at me.''

    Her gaze turned calculating.