Free Web NovelChapter 181: Ch 181: Teressa’s worries
’I need to get away. I want to be alone.’
Teressa ran as far as she could until she was sure she was alone. But even that was not enough. She wanted to curl into a ball and disappear somewhere no one would ever be able to find her again.
Being alone helped calm her nerves, and after spending some time by herself, she decided to head back.
She was not in the mood to deal with other humans, but unfortunately, they noticed her presence and called out to her.
"Teressa, where were you? Do you want to come with us and check out this new stuff we made?"
A familiar-looking team asked her with bright smiles on their faces, and Teressa found it hard to refuse them. So she smiled back and replied with just as much enthusiasm.
"Sure. Just give me a minute and I will be there with you."
She promised, faking a smile as she followed the group afterward.
Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed Shelly in the same area as her, and she wondered if Shelly would attack her again. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
But Shelly did not do anything, which somehow made Teressa feel even worse about the whole situation.
...
Rin tried his hardest to concentrate on the paperwork in front of him, but it was difficult. Teressa’s pale face kept flashing through his mind every time he closed his eyes to rest.
He was worried about her and wanted to check up on her. But the system’s warning was the only thing holding him back.
’Should I...really wait around and let Teressa come to terms with what is happening? But what if it is already too late?’
Rin questioned himself, but he did not get an answer. The system watched him agonize over what he should do for about an hour before it finally activated and spoke up.
[If you are so worried, then you should go check on your familiar. It should be fine as long as you do not get overly involved with her.]
The system advised, and Rin did not even hesitate before standing up and letting his feet lead him toward Teressa. freewebnøvel.com
Since she was his familiar, he had a vague sense of where he could find her. He was surprised when he ended up outside in the empty side of the settlement. The area had been marked for future development, so there was not much there yet.
But apparently, it was enough for Teressa to kneel down and bury her face in her knees. She was taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.
Rin had never seen Teressa this shaken before, and he hesitated to approach her. But something about the situation made his instincts scream at him to help her.
After all, she was his familiar, and that made her ’his.’ Because of their bond, he had a responsibility toward her.
He took a step forward, certain he had not made any noise. But Teressa somehow noticed his presence and tensed up.
She did not lift her face from her knees, but she gestured for him to stop and not approach her. Rin decided to respect her wishes, but he still called out to let her know she was not alone.
"Is everything alright, Teressa?"
Rin asked, and Teressa’s tense body somehow stiffened even further as she took a sharp breath.
Silence stretched between them for two minutes before Teressa finally raised her head from her arms.
An insincere smile rested on her face, but it did not fool Rin for even a second.
"Ah, is there anything I can help you with?"
Despite how terrible she looked, Teressa offered him help first. It was likely her way of hiding her discomfort, but Rin could not help marveling at how far she had come.
When he had first met her, she had been selfish and self-serving. The only reason they had worked together was because they both benefited from the arrangement.
But now, the situation had completely changed, and Teressa was asking how she could help him of her own accord.
Rin approached her, noticing the way she tensed as she watched him. But she did not say anything as he sat beside her and silently looked up at the sky.
"I am not here to ask for your help. In fact, I am here to offer you mine. Is there anything bothering you? Or anything else you want to tell me? As your master, I am willing to listen."
Rin did not like using the word ’master’ with anyone. But he deliberately emphasized his authority with Teressa because he knew that was what she wanted from him.
Teressa took a sharp breath at his words and immediately tried to deny his help.
"I...there is no need for you to help me. As you can see, I am not in any trouble. I just...felt a little overwhelmed by everything that has been happening."
Teressa lied, not even mentioning the mark she had shown him during their last meeting.
Rin noticed that it had grown slightly larger compared to before, which meant her condition had worsened since the last time he saw her.
But she was deliberately avoiding the topic because she did not want to worry him.
Rin did not want that. He wanted Teressa to be honest with him. He wanted her to yell, cry, and let her emotions out whenever she was with him.
So he grabbed her hand, startling her enough to make her instinctively pull back.
"What are you doing?"
She asked in a tense voice, and Rin leaned closer to her. His face was so close that Teressa could feel his breath against her lips. It made her want to close her eyes and accept whatever Rin was about to do.
But Rin pulled back just enough to give Teressa space before tugging at her arm and exposing the pulsing mark.
"Somehow, I don’t think this is a sign that you are alright. Don’t forget that I can see your stats. Now, would you like to tell me what is going on with you? Or do you want me to investigate this situation on my own?"
Rin gave Teressa two choices, and in the end, she had no option but to pick one.
Otherwise, she feared that Rin would start digging into her business and uncover everything she had been hiding.
