Maggie wouldn't believe a word Harlan said. She said it was all thanks to her, but in reality, she was just using Harlan as a guide. She probably didn't even think Harlan would leave the cemetery alive.
"I will try to find out Bella's purpose. You find the location of the Abyss Soul Stone as soon as possible."
Maggie looked away, not wanting to look into Harlan's deep blue eyes, which seemed to gaze at dogs with such affection. Looking at them for too long gave her the illusion of being bewitched.
"Of course we must obey Her Highness's orders."
A smile flickered in Harlan's eyes as he nodded slightly in response, his chivalrous manners almost perfect.
Maggie appeared calm on the surface but secretly grimaced inwardly, about to make a sarcastic remark about the paladin commander who didn't even spare demons, when Harun suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Harlan's hands, viewed individually, are fairly normal; her fingers have distinct knuckles and are long, slender, and fair.
But compared to Maggie, the huge size difference between the two became extremely obvious. His arms were almost twice as thick as hers, and his large hands could easily wrap around her hands and easily encircle her wrists.
Maggie was stunned for a moment, and then her pupils dilated in shock.
[Dude! Aren't you a germaphobe?!]
Maggie instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but the power difference between the knight and the mage was too great, so it was futile. She just missed the knowing look that flashed in Harlan's eyes.
What are you going to do?
Maggie failed to break free, and her face immediately turned cold, her tone almost icy.
She's not like Harlan. Once exposed, she's too lazy to keep pretending, unlike Harlan, whose pretense is practically ingrained in her bones.
Let go! Don't go looking for trouble!
Harlan raised an eyebrow, as if he had discovered something interesting. His tone was so relaxed that it sounded like casual conversation, but he showed no intention of letting go of Maggie.
"Your Highness's wrists are so slender, you should eat more."
Maggie's head was instantly filled with a million question marks. She began to doubt whether the guy in front of her was Harlen. Had she mistaken him for someone else again? Or was Harlen possessed by something strange?
Before she could even speak, she felt Harlan gently rub her wrist twice, instantly sending shivers down Maggie's spine.
Harun has practiced swordsmanship for many years. His fingers are long and slender and his palms are calloused. When he rubs them together, it feels like sandpaper rubbing against his skin, sending shivers down his spine.
[Wait, who are you? You're not Harlen! Where did you hide Harlen?! You must be a ghost! Harlen would never do something so frivolous!!!]
Maggie was screaming internally, but on the surface she took a deep breath and put on a forced smile.
“Sir Knight, it is impolite to hold a young lady’s hand like this, let alone me, the Holy Maiden of Light. You are being far too presumptuous.”
Harlan seemed to sense that Maggie was about to explode, so he slowly withdrew his hand, his expression a half-smile, with the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, giving Maggie the illusion of seeing a fox.
“I was just concerned about your health, Your Highness.”
Maggie was really getting angry at this person's inexplicable behavior, and she had an urge to throw him out.
She glanced at the door, then thought about Bella waiting outside, and finally had to give up the idea.
"Knight Commander, you should mind your own business."
Maggie said this and turned to lie down on the bed. She decided to go to sleep first, out of sight, out of mind. Since Bella didn't plan to kill them anytime soon, the remaining undead were no threat to Harlan.
With this free bodyguard by my side, I can finally get a good night's sleep.
Maggie tried to comfort herself.
She simply closed her eyes and started counting sheep, wanting only to fall asleep as soon as possible.
After a long while, Harlan's slightly hesitant voice finally rang out in the room.
"Your Highness...?"
If Maggie were to open her eyes right now, she would see Harlan's frozen expression, as if he hadn't expected Maggie to choose to sleep without hesitation in front of a man.
It was remarkably similar to the day Maggie first entered the temple.
Because Harlan was also turned away by Maggie that day.
"..."
Maggie wasn't asleep, of course; she just didn't want to pay attention to him, so she kept her eyes tightly shut and pretended not to hear him.
As she continued pretending, and with no other sounds coming from the room, Maggie unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
In the last few seconds before losing consciousness, Maggie was still vaguely thinking, "Harlan doesn't seem to have anywhere to sleep."
Forget it, he deserves it.
What Maggie didn't know was that Harlan, being a man, couldn't lie in the same bed as Maggie, nor could he leave the room. As a result, he stayed in the room all night without sleeping.
Incidentally, she also dealt with several undead that came to bother her in the middle of the night, preventing them from disturbing Maggie's sweet dreams.
...
The night passed quickly, and the next morning, the moment Maggie regained consciousness, she felt refreshed.
She threw back the covers and stretched as usual, opening her eyes to meet a pair of bright blue eyes.
"?"
Maggie's stretching motion froze instantly, and the air became eerily quiet.
Harlan's handsome face loomed larger and larger before her eyes. He bent down and leaned closer to her, revealing an enigmatic smile, and whispered in her ear, "What do you mean?"
"Did Your Highness sleep well last night?"
Maggie had just woken up in the morning and was still a bit groggy. When she heard the question, she actually nodded her chin honestly.
It took her a while to realize that Harlan's complexion looked... a bit bad, with an undeniable bluish-black tinge.
Maggie wasn't stupid; she immediately realized that Harlan must have stayed up all night. A slight embarrassment appeared on her face as she cleared her throat before speaking.
"Um... Commander Knight, you had a hard night's work?"
As soon as she said it, she felt something was off, and sure enough, Harlan also showed a subtle expression.
"!"
Maggie knew that this person had the same idea as her.
"Um... I mean, Commander Knight, you were great last night."
The air grew even quieter after these words. Harlan remained silent, a faint crack appearing on his smile, as if he could barely maintain it.
"...."
Maggie felt like she was going crazy; she shouldn't have spoken.
To be fair, she's quite formidable; the ability to break Harlen's defenses is a special kind of skill.
As the two remained silent, a knock finally came from outside the door, accompanied by Nesser's youthful and crisp voice.
"Sister! Sister!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Maggie immediately got up to open the door. Finally, someone broke the awkward atmosphere. She didn't want to keep digging her toes into the ground; they were practically digging a three-bedroom apartment out of there.
"yesterday....."
The moment Nesser saw Maggie, his eyes lit up, and his face was filled with excitement.
"Nesser slept well last night, didn't he?"
Maggie interrupted Nesser's attempt to share, blinking her eyes with a clear implication.
"oh!"
Nesser immediately understood Maggie's idea and nodded vigorously, his obedient manner melting hearts.
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