Nobody knew that Jefferson Flinders harbored another thought in his heart.
That was, Zeezee’s identity was a secret.
A secret that must not be revealed in this world.
After all, despite his belief that Zeezee did come from another planet and was not a monster, nobody else would believe it.
No matter what objectives other people had, once Zeezee’s secret was unveiled, the only thing that would welcome her was death.
He must not let this happen to her.
Thus, aside from him, anyone else in this world who was aware of this secret had to die.
This included the empress’ younger sister, whom Zeezee regarded as a friend.
However, he knew that Zeezee would not understand it, so he never brought it up.
Yet, come to think of it, if he brought it up earlier, would he have slightly altered the outcome?
Still, there were not many “ifs” in this world.
For instance, back then, he decided to use Zeezee to become an impostor and take over the monarchy.
He did not tell anyone about this plan, including Zeezee who was supposed to infiltrate the palace for him.
That time, he did not overthink it. His subconscious merely informed him that Zeezee would still be on his side once he overtook the monarchy.
He would not harm her. Like in the days of yore, she would live in his courtyard. Every day, she would wait for his return and he would accompany her as she admired the flowers and prepared meals. They would spend their days having heartfelt conversations with each other.
She would be the only woman by his side. From that day onward, there would be no one and nothing else holding them back or going against them. When everything in the outside world had quietened down, the two of them could live together in serenity.
Unfortunately, things did not always work out as planned and people did not always share the same thoughts.
Hence, when the truth was revealed in the end, Zeezee regarded him with disappointment and sadness.
She once said that he was the only love of her life in this world.
She trusted him and did not want him to get hurt, which was why she was willing to put down her pride and become an impostor.
Yet, what did she get in return?
She was tricked.
Despite numerous reasons, the fact that he had destroyed neighboring countries and slaughtered the royal family, she could not forgive him and neither could she face the outcome.
Therefore, when he was seriously wounded and collapsed, she did not kill him but inserted her chip into his body.
She said, “I don’t want you to die. I want you to live forever to atone for your sins.”
However, who knew that, to him, being alive was worse than being dead.
Every night, as he laid down alone and reminisced about the past, he felt that a knife had cut a deep hole in his heart. A cold gust of wind passed through it and formed goosebumps on his skin.
‘Zeezee, are you alright?
‘Look, I’ve been alive for so many years and I’ve already atoned for all of my sins. Are you willing to see me again?
‘If you’re willing to see me, I’ll do anything. Heck, I’ll turn this world upside down if that’s what it takes!’
He reached out his arm and sensed the chill wind on his fingertips. It felt like a woman’s kiss and her pleasant laughter echoed by his ear.
“My Lord, winter has come. Look, it’s snowing.”
Jeff’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
When Nell awoke the next day, she was still under the covers and sneezed.
She rubbed her nose, tightened her grip on her blanket and asked, “Gideon, why is it so cold today? Is it raining?”
Gideon brought along a coat and a scarf to wrap Nell up snugly. Had they planned to travel, he would have made her wear a hat.
Nell was so amused by Gideon’s actions that she just stood there and laughed.
After dressing her up, Gideon led her down the stairs.
Lizzy and Little Viemond had already woken up.
The children got hungry early in the morning, especially Little Viemond. The boy was playful and became hungry easily, so he was already whining for food.
At the same time, Cathy was feeding him a bowl of sago in coconut milk.
Noticing Nell and Gideon’s appearance, Little Viemond waved at them happily and pointed at the dessert before him as if he was showing off an artifact.
“Mommy, it’s tasty.”
Nell caressed his little head. “Have some more if you like it.”
Cathy smiled. “Surprisingly, it’s snowing today. I’ve lived here for ten years and it’s the first time it has happened. You can go outside to have a look.”
Sean Miller, who was beside her, did not go to the laboratory today. He chimed in. “Not just you. I’ve lived here for more than thirty years and it’s my first time seeing snow here as well.”
As he spoke, he frowned and sighed while looking at the snowflakes in the sky.
“Something strange with the weather. It doesn’t seem to be a good thing.”
Cathy heard his comment and glared at him.
Nell refused to participate in their squabble and led Gideon out of the house.
A thin layer of ice had formed on the ground outside. She could tell that it had begun snowing last night.
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