Chapter 1951

The summer night breeze felt crisp.

I walked ahead, and Robert trailed behind.

The village was asleep, and the path was empty except for us. He stayed a meter back like a bodyguard.

I racked my brain for ways to ditch him, but he stuck to me like glue.

Finally, I stopped and turned to face him. He halted too, stepping back as if he'd gotten too close.

He was two heads taller than me and rail-thin. He probably hadn't eaten in days. "Hungry?" I asked.

He nodded.

"I'll grab you something tasty," I said.

He looked puzzled.

The fields were full of ripe watermelons and corn. I snuck into a neighbor's plot, picked a watermelon, and grabbed two ears of corn, handing them to him.

Robert ate fast but with surprising grace, not like the rough villagers who didn't care about manners.

Propping my chin on my hand, I asked, "Where are you from?"

He paused, unsure how to answer.

"Far away?" I tried again.

He nodded.

"Your family?"

He didn't answer.

"No family?"

He remained silent.

"Nowhere to go, huh?"

He nodded again.

"Got plans for what's next?"

I was fishing for clues about his past, but he set down the corn and murmured, "I'll follow you."

I blinked. "Follow me?"

"You saved me. You're my boss now. I'll stick with you," he said, bowing to me. "I'l do whatever you say."

"Alright, take it easy." I helped him up, realizing he was hard to get rid of.

But he looked dead serious. "This is me showing loyalty."

"Bowing shows loyalty?"

"I can cut off a finger," he said, raising his hand.

I noticed his pinky was already missing. I grabbed his hand, figuring he meant it. The source of thɪs content is f͟i͟n͟d͟n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟.net

"I didn't say I'm your boss or want your finger," I clarified.

"From now on, I'll only listen to you," he said, his eyes clear and earnest.

I wanted to order him to leave and never come back. Another person meant

another mouth to feed, and I could barely support myself.

But then I thought fast. "Well, you can stick around, but I'm not paying you. That's the first thing you need to know."

"Okay."

"I'll cover food, but you gotta work for me."

"Sure."

"Space is tight, so you'll sleep on the floor." "Okay."

"You gotta behave at home. No trouble."

"No problem."

"That's it. I'll handle the rest."

"Okay."

He agreed to everything, but I was stuck.

Janna wasn't easy to deal with. Taking in Robert clearly meant trouble.