Sunlight had already streamed through the window and climbed onto Joey's large round bed, where he squinted and stretched lazily.
"Cool!"
"I haven't had such a good night's sleep in a long time. It would have been perfect if I hadn't woken up with someone next to me!"
Joey sniffed greedily; the lingering scent of Catherine's body in the room was almost gone.
"Was that monster really killed?"
"But I heard that everyone it captured is already dead!"
What are we going to do from now on?
"..."
The sound of villagers talking could be heard outside the inn. Although the voices were not loud, Joey, who was already awake, could still hear them clearly.
"Time to get up and settle the wages!"
Joey sprang out of bed with a somersault.
"Breakfast, my breakfast..."
Although Joey was thinking about settling his wages, his stomach was reminding him that he hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
He strolled leisurely toward the dining table.
At this moment, Catherine was still holding Vivian's child and chatting and laughing with Vivian. It seemed that with the child as a lubricant, the awkwardness between the two disappeared immediately, and they became very familiar with each other.
As expected, the main factors that drive the development of feelings between women and men are very different. Joey and Beard would never become so close as brothers over a child.
"You like children?"
Joey approached the two ladies with a full plate of breakfast. He leaned against a wall, one foot on the ground, looking very relaxed.
He looked at Catherine and saw that she was like a new mother, completely unlike the spoiled noblewoman he had met when they first met.
"Yes, I like it. Look how cute this child is, with such rosy skin and that little mouth that opens when he smiles. He can truly heal all the unhappiness in the world!"
Catherine could tell that she really liked Vivian's child, and her words were full of affection.
"No matter how cute it is, it belongs to someone else, not you!"
"If you really like it, have one yourself. Watching your own child grow up is the greatest happiness!"
"I'd be happy to help you with this, it's up to you!"
After Joey finished speaking, he stuffed a meat patty into his mouth and waited for Catherine's response.
"Vivian, come here, hold the baby tight!"
Upon hearing Joey's words, Catherine calmly got up, returned the child to Vivian, and then walked towards Joey with a smile.
"Has this silly girl really figured it out?"
As he watched Catherine walk toward him with a smile, Joey started daydreaming again.
He put down the plate in his hand and walked towards Catherine with a smile.
As Catherine drew closer, she casually picked up a broom that had been lying nearby and continued to approach Joey with a smile.
"Something's not right. Why is he carrying a broom?"
Joey saw the "weapon" that Catherine had suddenly acquired and sensed something was wrong, so he stopped in his tracks.
"My dear Lady Catherine, I think you need to calm down. I just have a kind heart and enjoy helping others. If you haven't thought it through yet, you can just ignore what I just said!"
Joey had already started backing away. At this moment, Catherine's face had lost all tenderness, replaced by a smile that concealed a knife.
"Joey Brown, go to hell!"
Catherine angrily charged at Joey, broom in hand.
This time she called Joey by the correct name, but Joey was not happy at all, because the hotel, which was originally quite spacious, suddenly seemed small to him, while Catherine and the broom in her hand seemed to have suddenly grown larger, leaving him nowhere to hide.
"Ouch, stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! It hurts!"
Joey begged for mercy as he ran.
But Catherine showed no sign of stopping; instead, she fought even harder.
Vivian chuckled to herself, while the child in her arms didn't have to hold back at all, laughing heartily at the cat-and-mouse game between the two.
Joey felt that things couldn't go on like this. A good man doesn't fight with a woman, and now that he knew that Catherine, who was pursuing him, was from the royal family, he was even less willing to "fight" with her, even though this pursuit was different from the previous one.
He seized the opportunity and rushed towards the hotel door, slamming it open before Catherine could catch up again.
The area outside the inn was crowded with people, old and young, including many children. When they saw the inn door suddenly open, the villagers who had been gossiping all fell silent. Occasionally, a few mischievous children tried to speak, but they were immediately covered by the adults next to them.
"Big brother!"
A blonde little girl with a pink hair clip broke free from her mother's embrace and ran straight towards the hotel's main entrance.
"Little Catherine!"
Joey scooped up little Catherine, who had run over, and hugged her tightly.
Seeing so many villagers standing at the door, Catherine immediately threw aside the broom she was holding and slowly walked to Joey's side.
"Hey, don't we look like a family of three?"
Having just escaped a broom attack, Joey started teasing Catherine again.
But Catherine's hand had already silently reached under Joey's armpit, grabbed a tiny bit of flesh, and twisted it sharply.
Joey, who was holding little Catherine, began to distort his features, but because so many eyes were watching him, he didn't cry out. However, a tear still slipped down his cheek.
"Big brother, are you crying?"
Little Catherine cupped Joey's face in her hands, looking at him with heartache.
"It's nothing, big brother is just so happy to see you that he cried tears of joy!"
Joey was fortunate to have little Catherine's comfort, otherwise he would have started feeling emotional again.
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