Aurelia Shaw glanced at him in surprise, noticing his side profile tightly tensed with hard lines. The flickering lights played over his face, making his expression hard to read and elusive. She wondered: Why is he angry again?

——

At night.

Aurelia Shaw had no choice but to share a room with Mason Nightshade. Before sleeping, she warned him, "Don't do anything strange, don't cross any boundaries, otherwise..."

She waved the knife in her hand.

Mason Nightshade raised an eyebrow, lifted the quilt, and lay down.

As Aurelia was about to lie down too, she suddenly heard a dog barking outside the door. Her hair stood on end instantly, her movements froze, her pupils slightly contracted, showing a hint of fear that was hard to notice.

Grandfather actually...

"Soldier!"

Mason Nightshade's lips curled into a smile as he issued the order, calming the barking outside. He looked up at her, "Soldier doesn't bite."

Aurelia ignored him, climbed into bed, and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, her heart beating anxiously.

Indeed, she feared dogs.

——

The next day.

She woke up to see the man's face right in front of her, even able to see the tiny stubble on his chin. A strong arm was draped over her waist. She frowned deeply, moved his hand away, and got out of bed.

"Ah!" As Aurelia just opened the door, a black shadow pounced on her, pressing her to the floor, licking her face with its tongue.

"Mason Nightshade! Ah... Mason Nightshade, get it off me!"

Mason Nightshade's eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly. Seeing her pinned to the floor by Soldier, who enthusiastically tried to get closer, he exhaled a breath of relief, smirked, and said, "Soldier."

Soldier backed off to the side, sitting on the floor with a straight posture, tongue hanging out, its black eyes glancing at Mason, then at Aurelia, full of grievance.

Aurelia: "..." Don't look at me. I can't help with my fear of dogs, no matter how sympathetic those disappointed eyes appear.

——

"Oh, the young couple is up?" Kai Nightshade, sitting in the dining room having breakfast, brightened upon seeing the two come down. Then he looked at the dejected Soldier trailing behind them, all black, and deliberately asked, "Soldier didn't give you any trouble, did it?"

Butler Li thought to himself: Who nearly fell off the chair excitedly when they heard Young Madam scream just now?

Aurelia looked at the sparkle in his eyes, "Grandfather, you know I'm afraid of dogs, yet you had Soldier guarding outside my door at night. Was it on purpose to keep me from going out?"

Kai Nightshade, his thoughts exposed, coughed, but who was he? After weathering many storms, he calmed down quickly, frowning, "I was worried someone might enter your room at night. Soldier is well-behaved. It sleeps by my bed every night, and I specifically let it guard you, yet you are ungrateful, girl."

Sophie Nye, who had just stepped into the dining room, froze when she heard this.

Guard against whom? Aside from the servants, only the four of them lived in this household. No need to say who he was guarding against.

"Awooo~~" Soldier seemed to understand Kai Nightshade's words, howling in grievance and reaching with its paws to touch the foot it wanted to approach.

The latter quickly retreated, glaring warningly, "Don't come over!"

Kai Nightshade had never seen Soldier so let down before, "Soldier really likes you."

"...I'd rather it didn't like me." This way, I wouldn't have to worry about it jumping on me whenever it comes.

Understanding Aurelia's thoughts, Mason Nightshade teased, "If it didn't like you, it wouldn't jump on you. It would bite you directly after jumping over."

Aurelia glared at Mason Nightshade.

This man was intentionally scaring her!