After waking up the next day, Thalia stared blankly at the ceiling.
Where am I? A castle? Narrowing her eyes, she wondered, Wasn't I out drinking? How did I end up here? Could it be that everything that happened was just a dream?
Just as she was deep in thought, her eyes turning, she heard someone speaking beside her. “Awake yet?”
Upon hearing that, Thalia was momentarily stunned. She immediately turned toward the source of the sound, only to see Nelly sitting in a wheelchair, looking at her with a smile.
“Why are you here?” Thalia propped herself up, half-sitting as she looked at Nelly .
“I came to see if you're awake, of course. How are you feeling? Is your head hurting?” Nelly asked.
Thalia was still somewhat confused. However, upon hearing Nelly 's question, she obediently shook her head.
Nelly nodded. “You're not feeling a headache, but you must be hungry, right?” As she spoke, her gaze fell on the western-style breakfast placed on Thalia's bedside table. “Eat. It's been sitting there for a while now.”
Watching Nelly confined to a wheelchair, yet still caring for her meticulously, Thalia really didn't know what to say.
She picked up the bread from the table unwittingly, nibbling on it, while her thoughts were still adrift, “I... I...”
Nelly raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Thalia looked at Nelly , who was as serene as ever. At that moment, the words Spencer had said echoed again in Thalia's mind. She averted her gaze, subconsciously looking elsewhere with a hint of guilt.
“It's nothing...” she said.
“Is there really nothing?” Nelly asked.
Thalia remained silent.
Nelly chuckled lightly. “You seem fine now. Do you know how worried everyone was about you?”
“Who?” Thalia looked up, her gaze meeting Nelly 's as she asked softly.
Nelly 's gaze subtly shifted, examining Thalia before she leisurely spoke. “For instance, me, Tony , and Spencer.” She deliberately elongated the last syllable of Spencer's name, her eyebrow slightly raised as she looked at Thalia.
In response, a cold smirk appeared on Thalia's face. “Oh, he's worried about me? You must be joking.”
Nelly looked at Thalia seriously. “Thalia, Spencer may not be good at expressing himself, but you can't deny his concern for you. You don't know this, but when he heard you were in trouble at the bar yesterday, he was so worried that he immediately took Tony and went there. If you didn't beat those people badly, Spencer would have done it for you!” Nelly was a bit out of breath after saying all that. She leaned back slightly, changing to a more comfortable position to speak.
However, upon hearing Nelly 's words, Thalia was slightly taken aback.
After a brief pause, Nelly continued, “Thalia, sometimes it's not about what a person says, but what they do. The form may vary, but the fact is undeniable!”
Thalia's eyes were slightly red. “I don't want anything else, though!”
Nelly nodded. “I understand, but that's a different matter. If you want my advice, it'll come at a different price!”
Thalia was slightly taken aback, lifting her gaze to look at Nelly in surprise.
Nelly was looking at her, smiling.
Thalia couldn't help but laugh. However, she quickly composed herself, looking at Nelly . She seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat.
It was because she knew all too well that even ten thousand apologies wouldn't change anything.
Nelly looked at Thalia as if she knew what the latter was thinking. Then, she leaned in and asked, “Are you still angry?”
Nelly spoke in a gentle and soft voice, which left Thalia momentarily at a loss for words. Even though she was the one who got hurt, she still came to ask about me.
Thalia spoke softly. “What right do I have to be angry?”
Even though Thalia's voice was soft, Nelly could hear every word clearly.
Nelly laughed lightly. “Thalia, you don't seem like the person I know right now. What happened to that carefree, passionate, lively woman? Why have you become so awkward?”
Thalia remained silent.
The reason Thalia was so carefree was that she had always been true to herself, especially when it came to the people she cared about.
Regardless of Spencer's initial intentions, in the end, it was all for her sake that he had put Nelly in that predicament.
As such, Thalia didn't believe she had the right to be angry, to be so carefree and unbothered.
Lowering her gaze, Thalia pursed her lips, unsure of what to say, but she knew she still had to say something.
After a long silence, Thalia finally spoke slowly. “ Nelly , you don't need to worry about my feelings. You're the one who's been hurt the most by this. Why are you trying to comfort me?”
In the end, Thalia still managed to steer the conversation in that direction.
Nelly looked at Thalia for a long while before she slowly said, “Thalia, things are not as you think. I made this decision not because of anyone else but because it's what I should do. It's also because I'm doing it for you!”
In response, Thalia lifted her gaze to look at Nelly .
“At first, Spencer did indeed have such thoughts, but he later apologized to me. He respects our choices, so this matter really has nothing to do with him,” Nelly said lightly. After finishing, she seemed to recall something. “If you must associate him with this, at most, he could be considered an informed party but nothing more.” Nelly shook her head.
Upon hearing that, Thalia was at a loss for words. “What he said was—”
“If I'm not mistaken, he said that just to prevent you from blaming yourself. He'd rather take responsibility for this matter. However, this is just my guess. As for what it really is, you'll have to ask him yourself.”
Upon hearing that, Thalia furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, and then said, “He's a fool. Does he think I won't be upset just because he takes the responsibility? Even if it's not because of this, it could be because of something else that I... What an idiot.”
Listening, Nelly smiled slightly. “Exactly. What on earth are these men thinking? It's truly baffling.”
Thalia's gaze fell on Nelly once again, her eyes still filled with regret. “But—”
“Thalia, let me emphasize this once more. No one can force me to do anything against my will. I'm doing this entirely out of my own volition. However, don't think of me as being too kind-hearted. I do have my conditions. You promised me that you would protect the triplets for life, and so you must keep your word. Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook,” said Nelly .
When Thalia heard that, her eyes welled up with tears.
She knew that Nelly 's words were merely meant to comfort her.
Additionally, she understood that no matter what they said, it couldn't change the past.
All she could do was to accept the matter and fulfill her promise.
“Rest assured. From today onwards, their lives are my responsibility. I will protect them just as you have,” Thalia uttered one word at a time.
Nelly smiled as Thalia spoke.
“Your promise is enough.” She nodded in agreement.
Despite that, Thalia was so moved that she felt a whirlwind of emotions within.
In the next second, she lunged forward and hugged Nelly tightly.
The gesture surprised Nelly .
Thalia held her. “I don't know what to say, Nelly . I know that words won't help much, but rest assured, I will do everything I can to make you feel better.”
Nelly stiffened slightly before gradually relaxing.
It does not feel that uncomfortable after all.
She smiled. “Mmm. Seeing all of you work so hard for my sake gives me a sense of pride I can't put into words.”
Aware that Nelly was teasing her on purpose, Thalia held on even tighter. “Even at a time like this, you can still make jokes.”
Nelly chuckled softly. “Haven't you hugged me enough yesterday?” she said with some effort. “I will be the one feeling embarrassed if you don't stop soon.”
Thalia was slightly taken aback before gradually letting go of her friend. “What do you mean?”
Seeing her bewildered expression, Nelly playfully raised an eyebrow. “Don't remember anything?”
“Remember what?” Thalia asked, a sense of foreboding creeping in as she observed Nelly 's expression.
“Just as I thought. You have zero recollection,” Nelly said.
“What do you mean? What am I supposed to remember?” asked Thalia.
“Do you remember getting drunk at the bar yesterday and beating someone up to a pulp?”
Thalia did have a hazy recollection of that incident. Somebody tried to strike up a conversation with her when she was in a bad mood the night before, which led to a conflict, and she ended up giving them a beating.
Thalia nodded. “I remember.”
“Do you remember what the person you beat up looked like?” Nelly asked.
“Well, I'm not too sure about that.” Thalia shook her head. “I just clobbered him without paying much attention to the details.”
Nelly raised an eyebrow. “So, at which point did your memory failed you?”
At the prompt, Thalia tried her best to recall the events of the night before, but all she drew was a blank.
“Do you know how you got back?”
Thalia shook her head.
“Very good,” Nelly said.
“What exactly are you trying to say?” Thalia asked. Nelly 's teasing smile was giving her an increasingly uneasy feeling.
“You drank so much yesterday and ended up hitting someone. Then, you continued drinking. The owner of the bar called the police, and you were taken to the hospital. After they examined you and found nothing wrong, you were taken to the precinct. Finally, Spencer and Tony had to come and get you.”
Thalia's eyes widened when she heard the tale. “The precinct?”
Nelly nodded. “Mm hmm.”
Thalia furrowed her brows. “Well...”
Noticing her friend getting nervous, Nelly said, “Don't worry. It was fortunate they found out in time. In the end, they sought Dave, paid him off, and he didn't pursue the matter. That was how they got you out.”
Thalia heaved a sigh of relief. “I think I can't drink casually anymore.”
“I'm glad you're aware of it.” Nelly nodded approvingly before adding, “With your antics yesterday, you now owe Dave another favor.”
At that mention, Thalia said, “I've lost track of the favors I owe. If that's the case, so be it.”
That's how Thalia always is.
Nelly raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.
“Is there anything else?” Thalia asked Nelly cautiously. She remained quite concerned.
After all, being a person of renown, Thalia could not afford to embarrass herself, especially not in front of her rivals.
Pretending as if nothing had happened, Nelly began to speak slowly as if narrating a story, “There's not much else to it. After Spencer brought you back, he gave you something for the hangover, and you fell asleep here.”
Thalia heaved a sigh of relief. Then, as if recalling something, she asked, “What did you mean when you said I held you yesterday?”
“Oh, about that. It's nothing, really. You just had too much to drink last night. You were sound asleep, but you suddenly got up, wanting to leave. Spencer tried to stop you, but you ended up getting into a scuffle with him.”
Thalia gaped in disbelief. “Then? What happened next?”
“Tony was there, too. You followed him back to their room, and apparently, you were weeping on his bed, refusing to leave.”
Thalia was dumbfounded.
“Aside from using up a whole pack of tissues, which wasn't even the worst part, you left his bed in a complete mess.”
The color drained from Thalia's face.
As she watched her friend's horror-struck expression, Nelly could not help bursting into laughter.
“I-Is there more?” she asked.
“There's more. After weeping in Tony 's room, you came to mine, still crying, and clung to me, refusing to let go. In the end, you even fell asleep in my room.” Nelly thought for a moment, then added, “That's about it, I think.”
Thalia was furious.
This is so godd*mn humiliating.
Despite feeling incredibly awkward, she plucked up the courage to ask, “Is what you're saying really true?”
“What do you think?” Nelly retorted.
Thalia, of course, did not remember anything, but she was aware that she had a tendency to behave this way after drinking; she had been ridiculed more than once or twice during her time on Darknetz. However, she later learned not to drink too much and to try her best to stay sober.
I couldn't help myself yesterday, I ended up forgetting everything.
Thalia blinked. “Well, who else knows about this?”
“Hmm...” Nelly 's pondering hum stretched on for so long that it tormented Thalia.
Nelly raised her brows. “Alpha Kilian , I think? Probably only him.”
Thalia massaged her forehead.
D*mn. Godd*mn it. I'll be a laughingstock after this.
Nelly gave a light smile at Thalia's regretful expression.
“Did he not throw me out?” Thalia asked after a moment, gazing up at Nelly .
“He actually wanted to, but I stopped him,” Nelly said calmly.
With one hand covering her face, Thalia rubbed her forehead. “I'd rather be thrown out...” she murmured. I wouldn't have embarrassed myself, at least.
Suddenly, Nelly seemed to recall something. “Oh, that's right,” she said, looking at her friend. “You even advised me to break up with him. You told me to come with you and that you would take care of me.”
Thalia was stunned. “Was I really that impulsive?”
Nelly raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”
Thalia was utterly humiliated. “It's all over,” she murmured to himself. “There goes my reputation. How am I supposed to look anyone in t eye now, especially at DX? I can't believe I embarrassed myself before my rivals.”
Nelly let out a soft laugh when she heard her friend's words.
Only Thalia can be like this. Even in her embarrassment, there is still an abundance of confidence.
“How could you be laughing? You should have stopped me?”
“I did,” Nelly said seriously, “but I couldn't hold you back.”
Thalia was not amused.
What else could I say? Sam will surely skin me alive if he finds out about this. Oh, how wonderful it would be if I could turn back time!
In the midst of Thalia's internal anguish, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a figure walked in.