Talulah had only intended to rest beside Steven for a short nap, but by the time she opened her eyes again, it was already early the next morning.
Glancing at the wool blanket draped over her, she instinctively turned her head to look at Steven, who was resting beside her with his eyes still closed.
His already handsome side profile looked even more pleasant in the soft morning light, giving her an oddly comforting feeling as she gazed at him.
'When he's not talking, this guy is actually really good-looking…'
'So why is his mouth so damn annoying the rest of the time?'
That stray thought flashed through her mind, and just as she noticed Steven's eyelids twitching, a sign that he was waking up, she quickly closed her eyes again and leaned back onto his shoulder.
She wasn't sure why, but suddenly, she didn't have the courage to meet his gaze.
They had been fine before, so why was she hesitating now?
"Alright, stop pretending to be asleep. You've been pressing down on me all night—my shoulder's completely sore."
Steven shifted his shoulder, gently nudging Talulah awake.
He had actually considered pulling out an extra bed to sleep on last night, but not only had she leaned against him, she even wrapped her arms around him in her sleep.
In the end, he had no choice but to let her cling to his shoulder the entire night.
Not that he minded—after all, being hugged by a beautiful girl wasn't exactly a bad thing.
Still, if he wasn't enjoying it, he definitely wouldn't have let her get away with it.
Ignoring Talulah's attempt to act innocent, pretending to have just woken up by rubbing her eyes, Steven simply stretched his shoulder before standing up and going about his morning routine.
Talulah, meanwhile, obediently followed behind him, also freshening up with a simple wash.
After they finished, Steven reached into his inventory and pulled out some bread and dried meat, then handed them to Talulah.
"Here, take this to that mother and daughter. I know you care about them and have a lot of questions for them."
"A bit of food should help them regain their strength, so they'll probably be able to talk to you properly."
Those two Infected—if he remembered correctly—had fled from the city.
But under normal circumstances, they shouldn't have ended up near this village at all.
Something wasn't right.
Talulah would be the best person to ask them directly.
Steven was a little curious, but not enough to go out of his way to investigate.
What really interested him was seeing how the Guerrilla Fighter would respond to all of this.
Now that was entertainment.
Talulah nodded, then picked up the food Steven had given her and walked toward the still-sleeping mother and daughter.
Steven, on the other hand, simply crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as he prepared to watch from the sidelines.
As soon as the scent of food reached the two starving Infected, their eyes shot open and they immediately sat up in bed.
Talulah had barely even approached them before they reacted.
But what truly shocked her was the realization of what Steven had meant when he said he had "treated" them.
From a purely visual perspective, it was nearly impossible to tell that these two were Infected at all.
Yesterday, they had been on the verge of self-destruction.
Today, they looked completely normal.
How… how did he do that?
Suppressing her inner surprise, Talulah looked at the equally stunned mother and daughter, then gave them a gentle, reassuring smile before placing the food beside them.
"Miss Talulah?"
The two Infected women, still processing her presence, hesitated.
Despite their hunger, they didn't immediately reach for the food.
Instead, they endured their cravings and chose to greet her properly first.
Why was Miss Talulah in that Sir's house? And how was their terminal Oripathy cured?
The mother and daughter were naturally curious about these two questions.
However, after thinking for a moment, they could make an educated guess—Talulah must have been involved somehow.
As for the Sir, who had appeared so generous and kind, he was most likely someone with a close relationship with Talulah.
Otherwise, why would someone like him go out of his way to help two Infected like them?
"Eat something first. I actually have some questions for you."
Since Talulah had spoken, the mother and daughter, who were already starving, didn't bother pretending to be polite anymore.
Without hesitation, they grabbed the food beside them and began to devour it hungrily.
Seeing them like this, Talulah felt a growing sense of guilt in her heart.
She silently waited until they had finished every last crumb before finally lowering her head slightly and asking a question.
"Why did you end up at that village? I remember telling you all to stay put and wait… Besides, shouldn't you have had enough supplies?"
She clearly remembered that when she led the group out of the moving city's sewer system, they had very little in terms of resources.
But at the very least, they had enough to last a few days.
There was no reason for people in their condition to go out searching for food and supplies.
A moment of silence fell over the room.
Finally, the woman sighed and spoke with a slightly bitter expression.
"Miss Talulah, you saw our condition. If we had stayed in camp, we would have only been a burden to the others."
"That's why… that's why Captain Brull pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to try looking for another way out. He said there might be another possibility…"
She paused, her expression tightening.
She understood the reasoning behind Captain Brull's decision.
In their state, she and her daughter would have only dragged the others down.
She didn't blame him, but… it still hurt to think about.
Talulah, on the other hand, clenched her fists tightly but didn't say anything more.
"…But, as you can see, things turned out for the best. Because of that decision, we met that kind-hearted Sir, and he saved us."
The woman's tone softened, filled with relief.
Then, as if realizing something, she looked up at Talulah with curious eyes.
"By the way, Miss Talulah, is he your friend? I haven't had the chance to properly thank him yet."
Him?
Talulah glanced over at Steven, who was standing behind her.
The truth was, she and Steven were just friends.
But thinking about how much he had helped her, she couldn't help but feel that just calling him a friend wasn't quite right either.
Before she could decide on an answer, the little girl suddenly peeked out from behind her mother, her eyes sparkling.
"I know! Sister Talulah and that kind big brother are boyfriend and girlfriend, right? That's what Auntie said! Sister Talulah, are you two going to have a baby in the future?"
The girl blinked innocently, hiding in her mother's arms.
She had only met Steven once, but she still remembered how gentle he had been toward her.
To her young mind, Steven and Talulah were just meant to be together.
Just like the stories the adults always told.
"Don't say nonsense."
Before Talulah could react, the mother quickly covered her daughter's mouth and gave Talulah an apologetic smile.
"Kids say the darndest things. Please don't take it seriously."
After all, randomly pairing people together like this could easily lead to trouble.
Talulah's face flushed red, and she let out two small coughs to ease her embarrassment. Then, she quickly stood up.
"You two should rest for now. Leave everything else to me."
After leaving these words, she walked over to Steven's side.
The moment she saw the suppressed laughter on his face, she immediately knew—this bastard had heard everything.
Rolling her eyes at him, she still felt unsatisfied, so she reached out and poked the soft flesh at his waist.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, really. I was just thinking… how are you planning to deal with them? And, well, those other Infected who made that decision?"
Steven made no effort to dodge her half-hearted attack, letting her poke him as much as she wanted.
His tone carried a hint of curiosity as he looked at her.
Originally, he had expected her to take another emotional hit, but surprisingly, it seemed like she had already grown stronger at handling things.
"What do you mean 'deal with them'? Their choice wasn't wrong."
"Given the situation at the time, it was the only option they had. Didn't you tell me before? Don't dwell on 'why' people do things—think about how to handle the outcome instead."
"Besides, didn't I just establish contact with the Guerrilla Fighters? They're the experts in these kinds of situations."
"If I remember correctly, whenever they come across Infected, they offer them two choices: join the fight alongside them, or be sent to the nearest Infected settlement."
"When the time comes, it'll be up to them to choose. That's how I plan to resolve this issue. Satisfied now, Mr. Steven?"
Talulah locked eyes with Steven as she laid out her plan.
Asking for help from the Guerrilla Fighters wasn't something she felt ashamed about.
It was simply the best choice given the current circumstances.
Of course, there was also a simpler option—asking for Steven's help directly.
But doing that would mean she had completely given up trying to solve things herself.
"Hmm… at least you're actually thinking about how to resolve the situation now. Not bad."
Steven rubbed his chin and nodded approvingly.
He had nothing to say against her decision—if he weren't around, reaching out to the Guerrilla Fighters would indeed be the best course of action.
Regardless of their ideologies, at the very least, this would ensure these people had a chance to survive.
"I don't mind your plan. But you should probably talk to the Guerrilla leader yourself. I can help introduce you."
Then, his tone shifted, and a teasing grin appeared on his face.
"That said, I've helped you so much already. Shouldn't you show some appreciation?"
Steven had, once again, started messing with her.
He much preferred seeing Talulah looking annoyed but holding back her temper, rather than the emotionally drained version of her from before.
"Appreciation? Sure, how about I give myself to you?"
Talulah smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh? I wouldn't mind."
Steven shrugged, playing along without hesitation.
"But with that stingy personality of yours, you'd only ever qualify as a 'secondary wife.' No way you'd ever make it to first place."
<+>
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