"Not yet, thank you for your kindness," Pearl Su replied calmly.
It was just her period, some bleeding, and it would be over in a few days. Besides, without her saying anything, Alaric Yun had already prepared everything. She had nothing more to add.
But… how did he know what women should eat during their period? Maybe he understood some medicine, that was normal.
Alaric Yun looked at her. Seeing she did not want to say more, he cleared the bowls gently and said, "Since that is so, Miss Su, please rest well."
Shortly after he left, Pearl Su's head started to feel dizzy and sleepy again. She fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, it was evening. She changed her menstrual cloth and rested on the bed. Not long after, someone knocked on the door. Pearl Su sat up.
Alaric Yun came in carrying dinner.
Dinner was pigeon soup, with slices of codonopsis root, some red dates, and a plate of vegetables.
Under Alaric Yun's gentle gaze, Pearl Su quickly finished the meal. He cleared the dishes and told her to rest well before leaving.
After dinner, Pearl Su did not immediately fall asleep. She sat on the bed for an hour before getting sleepy again.
Near midnight she woke up and her mind stayed clear without any sign of sleepiness.
Pearl Su felt helpless. She changed her menstrual cloth and sat until about three or four in the morning before feeling tired. She changed the cloth again and lay down, drifting off.
"Knock knock…" In her drowsiness, she heard knocking at the door. Pearl Su slowly opened her eyes.
"Miss Su, are you awake?" Alaric Yun's deep voice came from outside.
Pearl Su came back to full awareness and replied. The door opened, and footsteps came in. Pearl Su sat up, confused to see him empty-handed.
He came close and asked, "Miss Su, are you awake? Do you feel any discomfort?"
Pearl Su was more puzzled but answered calmly, "No."
"Good. I will go prepare lunch then. You should rest," Alaric Yun said calmly and left.
Actually, he had already checked on her many times that morning but did not disturb her while she was sleeping.
She had been asleep all morning. He felt his heart tightening, almost stopping, a feeling worse than being seriously hurt.
Now that she was awake, he finally relaxed.
Hearing lunch was coming, Pearl Su looked out the window. The sunlight was strong—it was already noon.
She realized she had slept through the morning. After resting a bit, she felt wet beneath her. She sat up and changed her menstrual cloth.
When throwing away the dirty cloth, she was surprised the basket was empty. Her dirty cloth and underwear were gone.
She stood there, confused, not knowing how they disappeared. Helpless, she went back to bed to rest.
After some time, there was knocking at the door. Before she could respond, the door opened.
Alaric Yun came in with a tray. She turned her eyes away and only looked at the food after he set it down.
There was a bowl of rice, chicken soup with codonopsis root slices and red dates, and a plate of vegetables.
Pearl Su picked up her chopsticks and ate. She was hungry now, so she finished the lunch quickly.
Alaric Yun reminded her to rest well, cleared the dishes, and left. Pearl Su rested on the bed and fell asleep again at some unknown time.
In the afternoon, Pearl Su woke up to find herself soaked.
She almost jumped up and quickly got out of bed to check.
Luckily, only her pants were slightly stained, not much. She changed her menstrual cloth again and checked the bed. There was nothing on the bed, so she finally relaxed.
Still worried, she took a piece of clothing and spread it on the bed before sitting down to rest.
The sky had darkened a bit. The door knocked again. Hearing the sound, Pearl Su sighed again, feeling that the situation had changed.
"Come in."
Alaric Yun carried a tray inside. Earlier, he heard her strong voice outside the door. He guessed she was feeling better and felt happy.
He walked closer and saw her face was still pale, not improved. He frowned.
He put the tray down and asked, "Miss Pearl Su, are you feeling better today?"
"Mm," Pearl Su replied softly. She had gotten used to the pain in her body. She felt numb but still had the strength to get out of bed, so it was better.
After all, once this was over, she would be lively again. There was no need to worry too much.
She did not want to have much to do with his concern, so she answered casually.
Alaric Yun was happy to hear this. His face showed gentle joy. "That is good. Miss Pearl Su, please eat your dinner." He then handed her the chopsticks.
Pearl Su's expression stiffened. She stared at the chopsticks he offered. After a moment, she quietly took them and started eating.
In her heart, she wondered... What was this man's real intention? Did he really care or was it just pretending?
Hadn't he always wanted to get rid of her? Was it necessary to act like this now?
She finished dinner without appetite. She glanced at him twice. The first time, his smile was gentle. The second time, his smile was even warmer.
Her mind was confused again... What did this man mean?
After eating, she put down the bowl and chopsticks, half lying down with her eyes closed, wanting to avoid seeing anything.
Alaric Yun quietly cleaned up the dishes and left.
Soon, the door knocked again. Pearl Su was puzzled but said, "Come in." Alaric Yun came in holding something.
Clothes? Whose clothes were those? The fabric color looked familiar.
"Miss Pearl Su, I have washed these for you. Is it okay if I put them in your wardrobe?"
Her own clothes? She looked carefully. Cream-colored fabric... pants. Dark orange fabric... menstrual cloth?
Boom. Pearl Su's face turned red. She suddenly remembered the clothes missing from the basket this morning.
It was those. She never expected he would wash them. She felt very embarrassed. Why did he take them to wash?
She felt so awkward she wanted to scratch her feet... speechless.
Trying to stay calm, she pointed to the foot of the bed and said softly, "Just put them there."
The room was dim. Moonlight came in. Alaric Yun clearly saw the red blush on her pale face. His lips curved slightly.
Hearing her words, he was a little disappointed. He wanted to take a look at her wardrobe to understand her better, every little thing.
Though regretful, her slightly red face was very cute.
Feeling happy, he walked to the foot of the bed and put down the clothes.
In a gentle voice he said, "Miss Pearl Su, I will put them here."
He looked into Pearl Su's eyes and added, "Please rest well."
Pearl Su answered calmly with a soft "Mm."
After Alaric Yun left, Pearl Su looked at the pants and menstrual cloth and sighed lightly.
She took them to check. The bloodstains on the pants were washed clean. There was a faint scent of soap.
She opened the menstrual cloth. Each piece was washed very clean, with a faint soap scent.