Chapter 8: Chasing You

“Young Lady…Young lady!”

“Huh?... Where?” Quinlynn jolted up realizing that she almost hit her face into her cream soup.  

“Young lady, you almost downed your face into the soup,” Mary said with concern while taking away the soup from the table.

Quinlynn yawned, “Mary, don’t worry. I just didn’t sleep well yesterday.” The truth is that she was reading Mary’s trash book late at night and did not sleep. Quinlynn didn’t want to tell Mary that she learned some tactics to befriend Vincent from that book. Who knows Mary would puff up her chest and be proud if she told her that she read her trash book from her favourite author. 

Noticing that there was no movement or sound behind her. Quinlynn questioned, “Mary?” Turning back she saw Mary dozing off. “Mary! Wake up!”

‘How in the hell you’re sleeping while standing upright?’

“Yes! I am here!” Mary rubbed her eyes as she found out her young lady was calling her. “My apologies, young lady, it seems like I am a little bit tired.”

Quinlynn stared at Mary’s face. She found Mary does seem quite tired and dark circles around her eyes seem to be quite prominent against her pale skin. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, young lady. Anyway, what do you want to do next?”

Seeing both of them tired and without any proper sleep, Quinlynn thoughtfully answered, “ Forget it, today we can rest. Let’s go visit the garden for some fresh air.”

Mary moved Quinlynn’s wheelchair along the path towards the garden. She suddenly stopped. “Young lady, I will be right back with some snacks and drinks.”

Quinlynn looked at Mary’s retreating back with confusion in her eyes. Shrugging her shoulders, she planned to move forward herself. Her eyes widen after seeing the figure she has been finding for so long, smirking Quinlynn went towards the squatting figure.

Vincent was tired. He hasn’t slept for days since he arrived here and his nerves are getting tensed. ‘And Quinlynn didn’t come down to eat with us this morning.’ He pouted as he gloomily watched ants carrying tiny bits of biscuits he had thrown. Watching ants working together to carry their food, Vincent said with envy in his voice, “It’s nice that you all have friends.”

“What’s nice?” 

“Nothing.” Vincent absentmindedly answered. ‘Wait a minute, whose voice is it? It was coming from behind of me.’ Perceiving this, Vincent slowly turned back only to see Quinlynn waving at him with a smile. 

“Hello!” Quinlynn waved at Vincent with a smile. At first, Quinlynn wanted to scare this child but she found him muttering something. Seeing him replying to her, she was happy at first. Who knows the moment he turned to face her he would be so scared that he saw some ghost or monster.

“Ahhhh!” Vincent screamed in fear as he fell down. 

‘Why are you here?’ ‘ Doing this time, don’t you always go read some books at the library?’ Vincent gaped at Quinlynn in a daze.

“Are you going to stay there? Maybe swim in the dust for a while or are you going to stand up?” Quinlynn said with amusement written on her face.

Snapping out from his daze, Vincent felt his face hot as he hurriedly stood up from the ground. He flusteredly tried to explain stumbling in his words, “I-I was…I-I am…ugh…excuse me!” 

He fled away in embarrassment. ‘Ah…I am such a loser!’

“Wait!” Quinlynn yelled. 

“Ha…Kid, you have successfully attracted my attention.” Quinlynn said in a domineering way when she looked towards the boy’s fleeing figure. ‘Wait a minute, why am I saying such lines?’ Quinylnn felt a sudden chill when she said that line as if some domineering CEO’s spirit has taken possession of her. ‘It's that damn book Mary gave me.’

‘Anyway forget it…I need to catch him.’ Quinlynn manoeuvred her wheelchair towards the fleeing figure trying to catch up with him. 

Vincent glanced back at Quinlynn and yelled, “Why are you chasing me?!”

Noticing the boy’s slowing down a little, Quinlynn’s eyes burned in determination ‘Boy, today I will catch you!’ She quickly drove her wheelchair towards him, “Then why are you running away from me?”

Looking at her rapid approaching figure. Vincent observed their distance shortening so he doubled his speed, “Just leave me alone!”

Quinlynn hurried to catch this rascal who has been avoiding her for too long, huffing she rebuked, “Never! Tell me why are you running?” Adrenaline rushing in her veins, Quinlynn manoeuvred her wheelchair faster before the smooth path. Before she even noticed a small pebble, she fell.

After hearing a crash, Vincent was already worn out due to not having enough sleep and this chasing activity. He stopped for a moment for a breather and turned back only to fall in a daze. He blankly stared at the girl. Her silky dark hair scattered sticking on her forehead. She looked at him with a pained look on her face.

“Why are you looking in a daze? Help me up!”

After helping Quinlynn on her wheelchair, he noticed her elbows were injured, “You’re injured…” Vincent’s eyes dimmed as he looked down and said in guilt, “It’s my fault. If only I didn’t run away from you. You will-“

“It was my fault. I was the one who chased you first.” Seeing this child feeling guilty about her injury, Quinlynn quickly assured him. She should be the one feeling guilty, ‘After all, I could have prevented the fall if I didn’t chase him even if I do, I could have fallen safety, after all, I did learn safe wheelchair fall from Dr. Josh.’

“B-But, your injury” 

“Don’t worry about it! I am fine. It is just a small scratch.”

“I-I…it’s still my fault.” Vincent lowered his head as he felt water beginning to collect at the bottom of his eyelid. He sniffed ‘I should not cry. She might think I am a crybaby’

Quinlynn stared at the boy before her. Quinlynn doesn’t like children because they are loud, obnoxious, a spawn of the devil but the boy before her looks so fragile that she feels so distressed for him. The boy looks thin and pale, she could only see his fluffy brown hair. Hearing a couple of sniffles from him, Quinlynn realized that he was crying.

“Please don’t cry…it is not your fault. I am the one who jumped on you. I am sorry I shouldn’t have chased you. I-I…” Quinlynn tried to coax him to stop crying but how does one coax a child in the first place. She only had two cats in her previous life and her three naughty brothers that never cried after they turned 4 years old. 

“Sorry, I made you cry. I just want to be friends with you!” Quinlynn said in a panic. 

“Y-You wants to be friends with me?” Vincent quietly replied with an unsure voice. 

“Yes!”

“But why do you want to? I am a crybaby, I don’t have my parents, my status and wealth have been snatched from me…s-so why?” Vincent felt a little unbelievable at a moment. Why does Quinlynn, an heir to a Dukedom want to do anything with him, an orphaned without any power and wealth in his hand. He can only clean and cook but here there are many savants that can do better than him. He is just useless. She won’t get anything from him because he is a useless thing. His uncle and aunt were right he was just a useless thing.

“Y-You…” In beginning Quinlynn wanted to befriend Vincent because she promised Duke Autumus but now, looking at this child. She just wants to protect him. She wants to be friends with him so she can at least give this child the warmth he deserves. “You… I don’t care if you’re useless or not. I don’t care if you want to be my friend or not. Whether you like it or not, now you’re my friend!”

Hearing this declaration, Vincent properly looked at Quinlynn. Her eyes shined with determination and warmth that it looks like the finest polish rubies that his mother used to wear. 

“Okay.” Vincent smiled for the first time after his parent’s death. 

Quinlynn saw him smiling so pure ‘Oh my god, who made this child so cute?’ she thought inside. 

“Let’s go inside,” Quinlynn said with a smile. They somehow reach the west wing of the villa. ‘It is better to get inside instead of staying out here in sun.’ Quinlynn felt she has forgotten something, ‘Anyway it won't be something important’

Somewhere in the garden, Mary Lin was quietly waiting for her young miss with tea and cakes. If she knew that Quinlynn forgot about her, she will definitely cry.