Chapter 69 Secret "Of course... Of course, this is not a small matter...

"Of course... of course, this is not a trivial matter." Mary nodded repeatedly. Jello's words were beyond her expectations, and she was very happy.

"Then after I leave with you." Jello's voice was small and gentle, like a smooth feather brushing across one's ears.

"Then..." Mary's mind raced, and she probably thought of Jello's concerns.

If he went to the United States with her, he wouldn't be able to speak the language, and would be completely blind. His iron ball skills had no mass audience in the United States, and it would be difficult to find customers in the short term. How would he survive in another country?

"You want to be with me..." "I'll give you fifty thousand dollars."

"What?!" Jello felt like he had misheard, but when he looked closely at Mary's expression, he realized she wasn't joking at all.

"Why are you giving me money?" Jero realized he was wrong, and the blush faded from his face. He sullenly poked the colorful plush ball in his hand with a needle, venting his anger.

"Because you are leaving your country and following me..."

"And then? You mean I leave my hometown with you, and then you dump me. Just give me some money and let me fend for myself somewhere?!" Jello's voice rose, and he accidentally touched his wound, and he couldn't help but gasp.

Mary quickly poured him a glass of water to calm him down. Jero pouted, but still chose to take it.

"Of course I won't leave you alone." Mary rubbed her eyebrows. She always felt that she and Jello seemed to be talking about the same thing, but also seemed not to be.

She couldn't understand why Jello was so emotional. His tone was resentful and a little aggrieved, as if she had bullied him.

Jero wasn't usually like this; today he was just too strange. Mary hesitated for a moment, thinking she was being too slow. She steeled herself and decided to tell him the whole story.

"You should know... who that guy in your hospital is, right?" After Mary said this, Jello's expression returned to seriousness. He looked at Mary, his voice tense, "Do you... know too?"

He sat up from his semi-reclining position, looking Mary in the eye. "Or in other words, did you come to Naples because of him?"

Mary rubbed her fingers uncomfortably, a little gesture she always made when she was upset: "There is no need for us to talk about these irrelevant topics now. The most important thing right now is..."

"No, this is the most important thing." Jello interrupted Mary for the second time. His eyes were not angry, but rather had the sharpness and aggression of a wild animal. At this moment, his eyes were very bright, making it difficult for people to look into them.

Mary lowered her head. She regretted chatting with Jello.

If she had known it would turn out like this, she might as well have knocked Jello unconscious and thrown him on the boat on the day of departure. When Jello woke up, they were already sailing in the vast ocean, and he couldn't go back even if he wanted to.

"Mary, look at me." Jello said so, but Mary chose not to do so. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to tell Jello the truth either.

Although Jello contributed a lot to Kaz's awakening, it was ultimately his own fault.

Facing the immortal Kaz, she only needed to endure for a few days before she could just leave Naples and escape to another continent. But Jero couldn't do that because he had relatives, friends, brothers and sisters here.

In other words, if it weren't for Mary, Gero could have stayed in Naples forever, inherited the family business left by his father, become an excellent doctor, and live a carefree life.

Mary heard Jero sigh, and her face was held up by Jero's warm, dry hands. He looked at her patiently, so gently that she let down her guard.

"Mary, I'm not asking these questions to blame you. I just... I just want the truth." Jello's golden eyelashes trembled slightly, and even his hands were shaking slightly. Seeing this, Mary put her hand on Jello's hand again.

It seemed that Mary gave Jello courage. He licked his lips that were not painted green and said softly, "I know it is very difficult to reveal some secrets. But since I want you to say something you don't want to say, I must first tell you my secret."

Mary always felt that Jero was a somewhat fragmented person.

Perhaps it's because his upbringing contradicts his nature, but Jero's personality is often quite volatile. He can be deadly indifferent, his expression silent, like an observer detached from the world. But when people assume he's a nobleman who's not to be messed with, he suddenly bursts into laughter and laughter without restraint, interacting with people without any sense of boundaries, like a wild animal that's never been tamed.

At this moment, Jello did not fit into either of the above two situations. The expression on his face was one that Mary had never seen before - bitterness.

This handsome man, who made people blush and their hearts beat faster, had a frown on his face. Even his emerald eyes were covered with a layer of gray clouds. His golden hair was like bitter wine in a glass, soaking Jello's face in it, making him look like a lighthouse standing in the cold frost and about to go out.

"I... I always thought I was from an ordinary family, no different from everyone else around me." Jello leaned close to Mary, like a child in desperate need of warmth. "Although my father was often cold as a machine, he never beat or scolded any of us, nor did he ever stop us from pursuing our unproductive hobbies."

Their foreheads touched as they whispered in the empty ward, and a huge, blending shadow appeared on the white wall.

"When I was thirteen, I suddenly followed my father to the palace. I was so excited at the time. Was I actually going to see the most noble person in this country? Did my father take me there because the king knew I was an outstanding child and wanted to reward me?" Jero asked himself, and answered, "In the end, that day, I didn't see the king at all. What I saw... was a father I had never met before."

Mary's hand released the back of Jello's hand and moved to his cheek. He had a very clever little square mustache on his chin, which was furry and looked like a newly hatched chick. Jello received Mary's encouragement and continued to speak.

"The palace was magnificent, but my father took me to the most remote and gloomy place. The further I walked, the colder I felt. But my father didn't stop, so I had no choice but to grit my teeth and keep up. As I walked, I suddenly heard shouting and cursing. The other party seemed to be calling me a running dog and a traitor..."

"I was wondering why there were such vulgar shouts and curses in the palace, and why no one stopped them. Then... I looked through the bars and saw that the man was tied up. Before I could ask my father what he was doing there, he took a strange mask and walked into the bars."

"I saw my father throw the iron ball from his waist at the man, and then... cut off his head."

Mary was shocked. She just thought that Jero was indeed not an ordinary doctor, but she never thought that his family was even more outrageous than she imagined.

"I still can't forget that scene. A head fell into the barrel. Even when I lowered my head, I could hear the sound of blood flowing... Just when I was panicking, my father came out and gave me the used sword, asking me to clean it."

Jello's lips were pale and bloodless. Even though his body didn't tremble and his tone was calm, Mary knew that this was the most hidden pain in Jello's heart.

"The knife was still steaming with blood, which flowed into my palm and quickly solidified into a maroon color. My father's men praised my courage for not peeing their pants out of fear, and said they believed I would become an even better executioner than my father." The man laughed, a laugh uglier than tears. "Ha, those guys have no idea. My head was so messed up at the time that I forgot how to cry."

"The smell of blood is really bad, and it's hard to clean. Even if I spend an hour washing my hands, when I get home to eat, I'll still find spots of congealed blood under my fingernails."

"Jero... stop talking..." Mary wanted to cover Jero's mouth. She could feel Jero's heart beating irregularly. Even though his words were simple and without unnecessary qualifiers, Mary could still empathize with him.

Jero turned his face to the side and buried half of it in Mary's palm, trying to absorb the coolness that didn't belong to him. "It's uncomfortable to keep it in your heart, but it feels better when you say it out. I'm already very happy that you didn't scream and run away from me."

Mary felt a little sad at the tip of her nose, not only because she was sad about Jello's experience, but also because she empathized with herself back then.

"After dinner, I rushed back to my room, ignored my brothers and sisters' questions, and started vomiting violently in the bathroom... For the next month, I had nightmares every day. I couldn't imagine how my father had managed to hold on until now without a mental breakdown..."

"Many people want to grow up because it means they can stand on their own two feet, smoke and drink, and choose the lifestyle they want. But I'm different...Mary. I have parents who love me, and my family has wealth that others don't have, but I'm not even as good as ordinary people...because I have to inherit an honor that I don't even want."

Jello withdrew his hands from Mary's cheeks, and his expression suddenly changed abruptly.

"Ah, now that I think of it, I feel better. This is all because of you, Mary." He chuckled, and the sadness on his face disappeared without a trace, making Mary look like a bitter melon.

"Don't be sad, little girl. It's been a long time since those things happened. I was truly tormented at the time, thinking about having blood on my hands for the rest of my life, and my children having to live the same way. But as time went by, I got used to it." He patted Mary's shoulder vigorously. "If you hadn't accidentally discovered Kaz underground, I would have taken over Dad's job next year. Now that the monster underground has escaped, our Zeppeli family has been convicted by the king and stripped of their administrative rights. In other words, I'm free!"

Seeing Jello laughing in front of her, Mary was not infected.

"He didn't escape."

"What?"

"I say, not only did that monster not flee, it might even take its wrath out on you!" Mary stood up anxiously, staring at the stunned Jero Zeppeli. "Your family's ancestor provoked Kaz, and he's likely to retaliate against you. That's why I told you to leave."

Jero pursed his lips nervously: "How do you know this?"

"Because..." Mary touched her abdomen, which had recovered as before, "He believed that I was one of his kind, so... during our fight, he told me something."

She pinched her brows in a headache. "Although he's a bit... uh... unscrupulous, he's not completely evil. As long as his plans aren't threatened, he probably won't kill innocent people or attack your family." Mary looked at the young Jello. "But you're still in your prime. I can't guarantee he won't attack you."

This incident made Jello unable to sit still any longer. He endured the pain and got out of bed: "I must tell my father about these things as soon as possible." He knew that he could not defeat the monster with his own strength. Even if Mary said that the other party still had a little conscience, Jello did not dare to gamble with his family.

He rushed out of the ward. Mary did not choose to stop him. She sat there and was glad that Jello could start a new life, just like she did back then.

She had been in the same pain and confusion as Jero, but fortunately, God gave her a miraculous opportunity to break free from the quagmire.

This incident was closely related to Johnny, causing her to fall into memories in the empty ward.