Chapter 325: There was a reason, of course.

"Mama, here."

Little Eira carefully lifted the ladle before pouring a small amount of porridge into Adelyn’s bowl.

"... Have more porridge."

Since she was still young, lifting the entire ladleful was somewhat difficult for her. So, rather than risk spilling it, she had scooped only as much as she could comfortably carry.

Adelyn had wanted to help her.

But when she saw how seriously the little girl was taking her responsibility, she decided to let her do it herself.

When the girl saw Adelyn staring at her, she persuaded her the same way an older person would persuade someone, almost in the same serious tone.

"Mabel said earlier that this porridge will help you recover better. So, Mama, have a little even if you don’t like the taste. Okay?"

Adelyn held her smile and nodded. Then, she picked up her spoon and took her first bite.

The warm porridge slid down smoothly, and Adelyn savored the flavor for a moment before humming in appreciation.

"Mhm ... this isn’t that bad. It’s instead delicious."

Eira immediately smiled.

She had stood beside Mabel the entire time, watching her make the porridge. And now, hearing her mama praise it, the little girl looked absolutely delighted.

How could Adelyn possibly miss the satisfaction shining brightly in those little eyes?

Smiling, she reached out and gently caressed Eira’s soft hair.

"Now, sweetie, don’t just sit there looking at me. You eat it too."

The little girl gave an obedient nod. She then returned to her own seat and resumed eating.

Meanwhile, sitting beside Adelyn on her other side, Dylan quietly reached for her glass and refilled it with juice.

Adelyn noticed the smooth, natural movement.

She turned toward him.

"Thank you, Mr. Warren," she said softly with a smile.

Dylan lifted his gaze toward her.

He gave her a short hum and a slight nod before picking up his spoon again and resuming his breakfast.

Adelyn did the same.

But unlike him, her movements were noticeably slower.

She kept eating, yet her mind was clearly somewhere else.

She had something she wanted to ask.

The problem was ...

She didn’t quite know how to phrase it.

She had already gone over the question in her head several times, mentally arranging her words and then rearranging them again.

But no matter how much she articulated what she wanted to say, it still didn’t sound quite right.

And if it didn’t sound quite right to her, how could she possibly make it sound right to someone else?

Adelyn struggled with it for several more minutes. Eventually, the endless hesitation became unbearable.

She put her spoon down.

Then she turned directly toward Dylan.

One hand rested against the table while her eyes remained fixed on him.

She didn’t say anything.

Not immediately.

She simply stared at him, hesitating.

Dylan was still eating when he felt her gaze. He lifted his eyes toward her. His one brow arched slightly at her.

"You want to ask me something?"

Adelyn blinked.

"Is it that obvious on my face?"

It couldn’t be.

Adelyn narrowed her eyes slightly.

Not many people had ever been able to read her expressions that easily.

Yet every time she was around Dylan, he seemed to see through her as though it had never been difficult for him at all.

It was almost as though he knew her too well.

... So well that he could somehow see every nook and cranny of her thoughts without her needing to say a word.

Dylan didn’t answer her question. Instead, he simply asked,

"What is it?"

Adelyn shifted slightly in her chair, leaning a little closer toward the table.

She looked at him.

Her lips parted once.

But then she closed them again.

A second later, she tried once more.

"Mr. Warren, I already thanked you for everything you did for me last night, didn’t I?"

Dylan paused for a second before giving her a short nod.

"Yes."

"Then ..."

Adelyn hesitated again. She finally took a small breath before continuing, "Can you tell me what exactly happened last night?"

Her brows knitted together.

"Like ... how did I become so sick out of nowhere? And what did the doctor say when they checked on me?"

She didn’t even know whether a doctor had actually come to examine her.

But given what she had heard from Eira ...

If she really had been running such a high temperature that she had almost been unconscious and had even cried in her sleep, then surely Dylan must have called a doctor.

He seemed meticulous about everything.

There was no way he would simply rely on home remedies and leave her condition to chance, right?

At least, that was what Adelyn assumed.

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Dylan stared back at her.

But he didn’t rush to respond.

Instead, he asked,

"You don’t remember anything from last night?"

Adelyn immediately shook her head.

"I don’t remember even feeling terrible."

Her expression turned slightly confused.

"I just remember going to sleep last night and then waking up early this morning."

Everything that had happened in between ...

She had absolutely no clue.

It was as though someone had cut out an entire portion of her memory and left nothing behind.

Dylan remained cautious.

But he wasn’t surprised.

He had already expected her to forget everything.

And hearing her confirm it only caused a subtle sense of relief to settle inside him.

"Nothing happened last night," he told her calmly. "It was just a fever. The damp towel was enough to help bring your temperature down."

Adelyn’s brows immediately furrowed.

"But why did I even get the fever?" Her confusion deepened. "Wasn’t I doing just fine last evening when you wrapped my wound?"

The question came out almost accusatorily.

And only after the words had left her mouth did Adelyn realize how they might have sounded.

Dylan raised his gaze toward her.

He didn’t say anything.

He didn’t need to.

That quiet look alone was enough to make Adelyn realize she had probably sounded as though she were questioning him.

She bit her lower lip gently before hurriedly explaining,

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that."

She shook her head.

"Nor did I mean to blame you in any way. I’m just a little confused about why I suddenly developed a fever. I rarely get sick."

Having a fever occasionally was perfectly natural.

But she wasn’t lying when she said she rarely fell ill.

What troubled her wasn’t merely the sudden fever. It was everything surrounding it.

Her forgetting things completely.

No matter how she saw it, she didn’t feel it was normal.

And that abnormality was making her question if everything about her was actually fine.

There were too many strange gaps.

Too many moments she couldn’t explain.

And last night was perhaps the strangest of them all.

She couldn’t remember being sick.

Couldn’t remember the fever.

Couldn’t remember crying.

She couldn’t even remember why she had fallen ill in the first place.

The more she thought about it, the more unsettling it became.

Adelyn looked at Dylan again. This time, her expression was earnest.

"Can you please tell me what the doctor actually said?"

Her voice softened.

"I want to understand why I suddenly fell sick without any reason."

"It wasn’t without a reason."

Dylan’s voice immediately made her pause.

Adelyn blinked. "Huh?"

Dylan remained completely composed. He didn’t look away. He simply repeated,

"There was a reason, of course."