431.Chapter 431
Dylan and Matthew were both battered, their faces and bodies covered in cuts and bruises
Compared to Matthew, Dylan’s injuries were noticeably lighter.
After resting briefly, Dylan pushed himself off the ground and stood up.
He glanced at Sophie and Matthew and asked curtly, “How long are you staying?”
Sophie and Matthew exchanged a quick look at his question.
Matthew spoke up first, “Sophie twisted her ankle, no she needs time to recover. Probably about a month.”
Since Dylan had finally relented and agreed to let them stay, Matthew figured it was safer to ask for a longer duration.
A month should be enough time to complete the task their father had assigned.
Matthew cautiously mentioned a month, but Dylan’s expression remained unreadable. He neither agreed nor disagreed.
Dylan’s gaze shifted to the sides of the thatched hut. After a moment, he said, “I’ll put up two more rooms.
A month wasn’t too long, but it wasn’t exactly short either.
With only one room in the hut, it was clear it wouldn’t be enough for the three of them.
Building two simple additional rooms seemed like the best solution. It wouldn’t take much time or effort.
Even after Matthew and Sophie left, Dylan could still make use of the extra rooms.
With that thought in mind, Dylan added, “There’s some dry grass piled up behind the house. Once you’ve rested, take it out to dry in the sun. I’ll go buy some wood,”
After speaking, he turned to head inside to grab some money for purchasing timber from a nearby village.
But as soon as Sophie heard this, something clicked in her mind. She quickly called out, “Wait, brother!”
“I’ve told you not to call me brother.”
Sophie’s face turned pale, but she forced a smile. “Then… what should I call you?”
“Don’t call me anything. Just say what you want to say.” Dylan’s tone was cold, his expression even colder.
Sophie gritted her teeth, swallowing her frustration. “… I just thought, since we’re staying here with you, it’s only fair we help cover the cost of the wood you’re buying. I happen to have some money with me, so why don’t you use it?”
She pulled out a handkerchief, its faint fragrance lingering in the air, and unwrapped a string of copper coins.
Matthew frowned, glancing at Sophie in confusion.
He thought, Wait, aren’t we both broke?
“Where did Sophie suddenly get these coins? And why copper coins?”
They usually used silver pieces or gold. Copper coins were too small in value and too cumbersome to carry around.
He wouldn’t bother with them, and Sophie certainly wouldn’t either.
Dylan’s gaze lingered on the coins. At first glance, they seemed oddly familiar.
He stared at the string in Sophie’s hand for a moment, then abruptly turned and walked into the house.
“Dylan?” Sophie froze, her heart racing as she watched him disappear inside.
She thought, “I was so careful. There’s no way he’d notice… right?
Dylan moved quickly once inside. He pulled a wooden box from under the bed and opened it.
The strings of coins were all there. He counted them just to be sure. Not a single one was missing. He let out a quiet sigh of relief. ‘Guess I was overthinking it.”
After closing the box and sliding it back under the bed, Dylan returned outside.
“What did you go inside for? Why didn’t you take my money?” Sophie asked, feigning innocence.
“Nothing. Just checking something.” Dylan reached out and took the string of coins from her hand. Noticing that even the string was different from his own, he felt reassured. I really did overthink it.
He said, “Alright, I take it. What do you want fr
Sophie studied his face closely, watching for a
Successfully unlocked!
“ries while I’m out”
When she saw that Dylan was completely convinced, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at her lips.
She thought, Perfect. Even if his coins disappear later, he won’t suspect me!
She had only taken a few coins from each string, just enough to go unnoticed. Taking an entire string would have been too
431 Chapter 431
obvious, but he’d never bother to count them so meticulously
And with her kind gesture of offering her own money, she felt that he could not possibly doubt her
Sophie couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smug smile, a strange sense of satisfaction bubbling up inside her
But the feeling didn’t last long. In the next moment, she snapped out of it, mentally scolding herself Wart, what am I doing?
I am Lady Sophie of the Duke’s estatel Gelling excited over a few measly copper coins is utterly embarrassing.
“These two brothers are going to drive me insane one day
Once Dylan stepped out, Sophie’s expression turned cold and indifferent as she withdrew her gaze
But as she turned her head, her eyes unexpectedly locked with Matthew’s.
Her chest tightened for a moment. “What’s wrong, Matthew? Why’re you staring at me like that all of a sudden?” she asked. feigning calmness.
Matthew didn’t hold back, voicing his doubts directly. “Where did that string of coins come from? You said you didn’t have any money when we left, didn’t you?”
Sophie quickly put on an innocent face. “I didn’t say I had no money, just not much. You saw it earlier, didn’t you? That string of coins is all I’ve got.”
“But how do you have so many copper coins?” Matthew pressed further, his confusion deepening.
Thinking fast, Sophie came up with an excuse. “Those are just leftovers from when I bought flower seeds. Look”
She seized the opportunity to pull out a few carefully wrapped seeds of Poisonous Flowers.
Matthew’s brows furrowed as he stared at the seeds. “Why would you buy flower seeds?” he asked, his curiosity unrelenting.
Annoyed by his endless questioning. Sophie deliberately let slip a half–truth. “Well… I was worried Father might get angry if we couldn’t find the antidote or Poisonous Flowers, so I figured I’d buy these to, well, fool him a bit.”
Matthew fell silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on her guilty expression.
After a brief pause, he sighed. “Lying is wrong, especially when it comes to matters of life and death. Promise me you won’t do this again, Sophie.”
Seeing that he had bought her story, Sophie immediately nodded obediently. “I understand, Matthew. I won’t do it again.”
Little did Matthew know, every word his seemingly innocent sister had just said was a complete fabrication.
After all that back–and–forth, the two siblings finally secured their place in the hut.
Back at the Duke’s estate, the atmosphere was anything but calm after their departure yesterday.
The Immortality Pill that Matthew had brought back had mysteriously vanished.
口
