From Ashes of Scandals to His Embrace novel Chapter 85

Laurinda knew she couldn’t pretend to be asleep anymore. She opened her eyes and shifted a little, feeling a dull ache all over her body. At least the weird pain in her bones was gone, and she could handle the soreness.

She slid her hand out from under the blanket, planning to tuck it under her head. The moment she caught sight of it, though, she froze. Both hands were wrapped in layers of gauze, looking fat and awkward.

“Wait… why do my hands look like giant buns?” she blurted out.

She stared at her bandaged hands, which looked exactly like cartoon mitts. Laurinda honestly couldn’t believe it. Sure, she was hurt, but did they really have to wrap her hands up like this? It was so inconvenient.

Adolphus couldn’t help but smile at the way she was pouting. He looked at her with that gentle, teasing look he always saved just for her.

“You hurt your hands pretty badly when you were holding the reins. When we cleaned the wounds, we had to remove some damaged tissue and dirt. The injuries were serious, so you’re stuck with these cartoon hands for a while.”

Laurinda’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? It’s that bad? How am I supposed to go to school like this?”

She looked honestly conflicted. She really liked school, but showing up with her hands wrapped like this? There was no way her classmates wouldn’t make fun of her.

Adolphus grinned, unable to hold back a laugh. “You like school that much? Then how come your total score for all six subjects doesn’t even hit a hundred?”

He’d checked on her grades before. For three years of high school, not once had her exam scores ever added up to more than a hundred.

Laurinda gave him an exaggerated eye roll, dropping her bandaged hands onto the bed. “Who says you have to have good grades to like school? My grades might not be great, but I’m good at other stuff. I respect my teachers, I get along with everyone, I join all the activities, and I even helped the school build a new library and cafeteria. I designed the cafeteria myself, you know. The food is amazing. I’ll take you there sometime.”

Just talking about the cafeteria made Laurinda’s stomach rumble. Suddenly, all she could think about was the school’s spicy chicken. She hadn’t eaten in ages.

“I’m starving. I want spicy chicken!”

Adolphus shook his head. “No spicy food for you. Not until your hands have healed. Nothing that might irritate your wounds.”

Laurinda sat up a little straighter, her eyes bright with hope. “But the medicine tastes pretty irritating too. Does that mean I don’t have to drink it?”

She looked at him with those big, pleading eyes. She really hated taking medicine. Every time she drank it, she felt sick for ages afterward.

Meeting her gaze, Adolphus felt his resolve slipping. He started to rack his brain for a way to help her recover without having to force down that awful medicine.

Laurinda caught the hesitation on his face and grinned, sensing her chance. “Hey! Why aren’t you saying anything?”

She leaned in, determined to win him over. Laurinda was sure that if she kept pestering him, he’d eventually cave.