However, I dreamed of the thorns crushing and choking Rufus. It was absolutely terrifying.
I had a hunch that it was definitely not a coincidence.
“Is it possible you had such a dream because you had been thinking about it all day, ever since you saw it in Noreen’s lab?” Yana thought my dream was a result of excessive thinking. But I knew there was more to it.
“No.” As I examined the pattern, I was more convinced my judgment was right.
The blackthorns in my dream were the same as the ones I saw in Noreen’s lab.
An inexplicable emotion arose in my heart. It seemed like an invisible force was drawing me to it.
“If that’s the case, why did Rufus appear in your dream too? How is he associated with the ominous thorns?” Yana grew serious and began helping me figure out the meaning of the pattern.
“This is exactly why I feel uneasy.” I sighed wearily.
Just then, I recalled the words written beside the pattern on the book and recited them twice.
Not just me. Yana, too, grew uneasy.
“Merely hearing that terrifies me. Souls and lives shall be sacrificed? What is that supposed to mean? And only the most sincere love can grow the complete black thorns? That’s bullshit. I think those witches had deliberately made up strange things on purpose.”
“Maybe it has something to do with Noreen. Perhaps it’s Noreen’s curse,” I said.
“But Noreen has not appeared, right? How could she have possibly gotten the chance to curse Rufus again?” Yana was confused. She asked me to look on the Internet about the thorn pattern.
I turned on the computer and searched the verse. Hundreds of similar verses popped up on the screen. But none of them was the exact same as the one I saw, let alone the source and explanation.
Then, I searched the patterns of thorns. All the patterns that appeared on the browser looked normal. None of them grew in the reverse direction.
My head whirled with confusion. I sighed and turned off the computer in frustration. I decided to find an excuse and go back to the lab to research it tomorrow.
“That’s the vampires’ territory. Don’t go there,” Yana advised. “It was too challenging for us to escape the place last time.”
“But if I don’t go, I will never have the chance to find out about the truth. Things at the border are about to come to an end and we’ll soon be leaving. I won’t be able to figure out the meaning of the pattern after returning to the imperial capital city. I think this whole thing is just too ominous.”
I didn’t care about how dangerous it was. I had to go back there and find out the truth, for the dream continued to haunt me and wreck my peace.
“All right.”
Yana couldn’t persuade me, so she finally agreed to accompany me.
Rufus’ POV
When I stirred in the morning, I automatically wanted to wrap my arms around the one beside me, but they met empty air.
I opened my eyes groggily and saw that Sylvia wasn’t next to me.
“Sylvia?” I called out to her several times, but got no response.
Had Flora taken her away for some work?
I ran a hand through my messy hair and hauled myself out of bed. Then I casually picked up the pajamas lying on the sofa and put them on.
When I walked out of the room, the clinking sound of plates and bowls reached my ears.
Sylvia was actually cooking breakfast.
I was surprised that she was up so early. Every time she had stayed the night before this, I was the one who woke up first.
I walked to her and snaked my arms around her waist from behind. As the fragrance of her hair tickled my nose, I couldn’t stop myself from turning her around and giving her a morning kiss.
Holding a spatula in her hand, Sylvia giggled while kissing me. “If you keep this up, the food is going to be burnt.”
I reluctantly released her, taking a moment to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “Go ahead. I’m waiting for your food, chef.”
Sylvia looked at me with laughing eyes and pouted. “Sit down. Breakfast will be ready soon.”
I took a seat at the dining table with a grin and watched her intently. My heart swelled with happiness and satisfaction. The desire to marry her as soon as possible was so strong in me that it made my heart race.
As the thoughts of my future with her crowded my mind, everything around me looked rosy.
Sylvia placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me and kissed the corner of my mouth. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” I caressed her hair. “Why did you get up so early today?”
“I woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn’t fall asleep again, so I decided to get out of bed early.” She took out the coffee beans to brew coffee, and then turned to look at me. “Do you have any plans today?”
“I have a meeting later. I have to inspect the city in the afternoon. Too many murders have been happening recently.”
After giving a brief rundown of my schedule to her, my attention was instantly snagged by the crispy bacon on the plate. I ate a few bites in quick succession before putting down my fork.
“What about you? What’s your plan for the day? Would you like to grab lunch together?”
Sylvia propped her chin on her hand and shook her head. She didn’t touch the food in front of her. She just watched me eating, a hint of sadness lurking behind her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I touched her cheek to check her temperature, thinking she wasn’t feeling well.
She smiled and said, “Nothing. I can’t have lunch with you. Harry is in charge of the stray animals’ rescue. He needs some help. I volunteered to assist him.”
“Okay.” I nodded in understanding. After the wall had been torn down, a large number of stray cats and dogs had infiltrated the city. To solve this problem, several temporary animal relief stations had been set up.
After breakfast, Sylvia and I spent some time making out before we went about our day.
On my way to the city hall, I still couldn’t get her off my mind. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was bothering her, as if she was hiding something. She didn’t eat anything in the morning, and I had caught her looking distracted several times.
I decided to go to the animal relief station after the meeting to check in on Sylvia, but I bumped into Harry and John on my way to the city hall building.
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