They fell into silence. Honestly, Hannah had no idea what Melvin was getting at. It seemed he got something to tell her but just bit it back, which was confusing. It was quiet in the room.
"Never mind. I'll tell you later when it's over." Said Melvin.
Hannah frowned.
"Leave me alone if you've finished eating." Said Melvin.
Hannah glimpsed at him and stood up to leave. She was always calm and restrained, so she didn't feel anything for Melvin's sudden sentiment.
Melvin watched her leaving, and went absent-minded. Suddenly, he smiled. He had nearly told her his feelings. He had never been so impulsive in his life, though he had managed to control himself in the end.
Hannah returned to her room. She had a habit of taking a nap after lunch, but she wasn't in the mood of dozing on this day.
Oscar would absolutely take action after Melvin left. She didn't know how many guards Melvin would leave on the island. There was no doubt that the Wells Army would land and save Cian after Melvin left. So, there must be a bloody war. She pondered how she could keep herself safe.
In fact, Cian was right that everyone would take his safety as the top priority. Cian would be well protected, but she wouldn't. So Hannah had to figure out how to save herself during the war. She turned to Jimmy, who had followed her all time and remained silent.
"Jimmy, who would you save if Cian and I were both in danger?" asked Hannah.
Jimmy was stunned. Probably, he hadn't expected such a question, and he didn't give his answer immediately. Hannah smiled lightly. Actually, she didn't expect it from Jimmy.
"It's OK. I understand." Hannah said in a light tone. To the Wells family, no one else was more important than Cian, including Oscar. She was sure that Oscar could die for Cian, let alone give up on her.
"I'll protect you." Said Jimmy word by word. Jimmy suddenly broke the silence when Hannah had stopped expecting any answer.
Hearing it, Hannah was shocked.
"Master Oscar told me to protect you with my life. And it isn't my job to protect others."
Hannah wasn't sure whether or not she should be happy to hear that, or should be thankful to Oscar for having sent Jimmy to keep her safe. However, Oscar had caused the whole thing and given her all these tough times.
Suddenly, the baby kicked her. Hannah stroked her belly to comfort it. Whenever she got emotional, the baby would kick her. What a sensitive little thing. Hannah calmed herself gradually.
Manuel sat tight and waited for Melvin to shove off. At the time, only some of the guards from the Balderston family were leaving, and the majority of them were still on the island, which meant Melvin was still there. Finally, he saw Melvin coming out. He was surrounded and protected by thousands of guards, which made him hard to be noticed. Out of a blue, he paused his steps and looked back towards the second floor.
Manuel turned the telescope immediately and saw Hannah sitting on the rocking chair on the second floor. She was staring into the sea and watching the guards leave orderly. Manuel pursed his lips, pondering if Melvin had fallen for Hannah as Theodore said. The answer was quite clear although Melvin had tried to hide his feelings.
Manuel was wondering if he should remind Oscar that Hannah would be taken away by Melvin once he died. He gave it a second thought and finally gave up the idea. Oscar would be freaked out if he heard it, he thought.
Manuel stayed focused and watched Melvin's movement closely. Finally, he saw Melvin on board and in the meantime, he texted Oscar, "Left the island."
Oscar understood Melvin was taking action when he got the text message. He deleted it quickly and concentrated on the funeral again.
Melvin's funeral had begun. Lots of guests were present, most of whom were high officials and noble lords, including Mrs Balderston, who was controlled by the Collins family and couldn't say anything. So, she could just act as she was told.
The Collinses looked sad at the scene. Rowan was telling the official media with guilt and regret, "I've always treated Melvin as my own son. I'd never imagined that he'd be killed in the accident. I just tried to figure things out and didn't believe Melvin would have planned to kill me. All I wanted to do was tell people in this way that a country has its laws and a family has its rules. Whoever has committed a crime should be equally punished by law. Meanwhile, I also want to warn my children and all those in high positions in Northfield not to abuse their power!"
Thus, Rowan Collins used the most lovely phrases to build the public's loyalty towards him out there.
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