Due to the rain, the firewood was damp and took some time to ignite.
"Come and sit over here. Dry your clothes, or you might catch a cold," Xavier said to the group.
The group walked over and settled on rocks, firewood, or logs, all falling into silence.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Liam took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Zac.
Veronica gazed down at the crackling firewood, her mind burdened with thoughts.
Upon entering the mountains, they were assigned seven or eight different entrances to avoid taking the same path.
She had left markers for Matthew along the way, but she didn't anticipate the rain washing away all the traces.
Would Matthew be able to find her successfully?
"Ha…"
Liam yawned. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. We still have a long journey tomorrow."
Zac exchanged a meaningful look with Veronica and got up to go to his tent.
"You two go to sleep. I'll take the first half of the night shift. Nelson, you can take the second half."
Xavier volunteered to take the first half of the night shift.
After all, Zac and Liam were both princes, and Veronica was a woman. They couldn't let her stay up all night.
"Alright." Nelson got up and limped back to his tent.
Once the three of them entered their tents and zipped them up, Xavier looked up and met Veronica's gaze. "You should rest too. With me on guard duty, you can all sleep peacefully."
Implied meaning, "With me protecting you, nothing will happen to you."
Veronica pursed her lips, nodded slightly, and went to sleep.
With only hardtack in their backpacks for dinner and limited visibility at night, they couldn't hunt for food or have an "extra meal."
Hardtack was their last resort since there was no other food to fill their stomachs.
Lying in her sleeping bag, Veronica closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.
At least she felt at ease that she had Xavier guarding her.
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