RedNovelEven so, Xander still beckoned him over.
Zachary hurried forward and offered his hand. Xander’s wrinkled fingers rested on Zachary’s wrist; after a
moment, his expression grew grave.
“You've made it this far, young man-your family must've spent a small fortune on you. You've got a precious
life.”
“We did spend quite a bit in the early years,” Zachary answered politely, the stiffness in his posture betraying his
nerves.
Xander released his hand and called out, “Six.”
A boy of about fourteen or fifteen crunning from the back room.
“What is it now, Master? If you're looking for more snacks, I'm warning you-if Alessia finds out | bought them for
you again, she’ll have my head...”
Six was still rambling when he suddenly cface-to-face with Alessia’s unimpressed, half-smiling gaze. He
swallowed hard and turned awkwardly away.
A hand clamped down on his shoulder. With his back to Alessia, Six looked ready to burst into tears, but when he
turned around, he'd already plastered on a sycophantic grin.
“Oh, look who's here-the one and only, breathtakingly gorgeous Miss Alessia Tate! The fairest of them all, the
radiant beauty who shames the moon and outshines the
stars.”
The sudden shift in tone made Zachary press his lips together to hide a laugh, while Alessia just rolled her eyes
and reached out to pinch his ear.
“Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry, Lessie, I'm sorry, | swear!” Six yelped so loudly that a stranger might've thought she was
torturing him.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIn reality, Alessia wasn’t even pinching that hard.
“That's enough-keep yelling and you'll go deaf,” Alessia said, giving his head a light swat. “I'll let the snack thing
slide for now.”
At her words, Six immediately dropped his act and grinned from ear to ear.
Xander ignored their antics, clearly used to the chaos. He gestured again, and Six straightened up, put on a
respectful air, and hurried to his side with a slight bow.
“Six, get everything ready.”
1/3
F357
Chapter 23
“Yes, sir.” Gone was the jokester-Six responded crisply and set off to do his task without delay.
As Xander made to stand, Alessia immediately stepped in to help him. Joking around was one thing, but respect
and proper manners were never optional.
Zachary took it all in, then lowered his eyes, a fleeting look of disappointment crossing his face as smemory
stirred.
“Zachary.” Alessia, steadying Xander as they entered the next room, glanced back to see Zachary still standing
where she’d left him.
Shaken from his reverie, Zachary quickly masked his expression with a smile and followed them.
They crossed the house to the courtyard, where Six was already waiting by a door. When he saw Xander, he
stepped forward and took over for Alessia, helping the old man inside.
The room was filled with a faint herbal aroma-not bitter, but soothing, almost refreshing. Zachary breathed it in,
liking the scent, lost in thought.
Alessia glanced at him but said nothing.
“Sit. Giveyour hand.”
Xander’s tone was all business now, a far cry from earlier. Alessia and Six stood quietly on either side, their
playfulness gone, replaced by a respectful silence.
The room was calm, the air thick with
the gentle scent of herbs. Xander
asked a series of quesipns, 4nd"
/ 3)
ZacharPafidwere each one.
Occasionally, Xander would direct a
question at Six; if Six was stumped,
Alessia would chin with the The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
answer.
The atmosphere grew unexpectedly
serious. Six's nervousness became
more obvious, Whist®sa om
remaindd £0 87d collected. Every
now and then, she'd arch an eyebrow
at Six, her expression openly
challenging. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Zachary noticed their silent exchange but only smiled faintly, saying nothing.
“Six.”
“Yes?” Six answered, tense, expecting another question.
“Look at you—so easily rattled. You
should learn from Alessia. She could
answer just as w Iasypu adndw
[ el p
when she was half your age.
Xander's words made Alessia shoot
Six a smug grin. Six glared back,
sulking but unable to argue. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
2/3
F357
Chapter 23
“Write out all the questions you couldn’t answer today. Bring them totomorrow. “Yes, sir.” Six wilted like a
scolded puppy, his tone subdued, but he didn’t dare
protest.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
