Chapter 281
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Owen smiled gently . “ I know stone carving – need a hand ? ”
Aria froze for a second before replying , “ Sure .”
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Having only recently started learning stone carving , her pieces always turned out rough . With an expert like Owen offering to help , she had no reason to
refuse .
Owen got up , only to hear Aria’s voice from behind . “ Just carve it to match that seal . ”
Owen’s expression shifted as he recognized the seal . “ Wait . Is this Todd School’s National Doctor’s Seal ? ”
Aria said , “ Yeah , that’s exactly what Culver has been looking for . ”
Owen looked astonished . “ You’re really just telling me about something this important , just like that ? ”
Aria retorted , “ Do I need to keep it a secret ? ”
Owen chuckled . “ For others , you do . ”
As Aria ate , it suddenly hit her that she’d instinctively started treating Owen as one of her own .
Friends were practically like family , so she guessed it was fine after all .
After Aria finished eating , Owen said gently , “ Go get some rest . I’ll carve the stone a while longer before I head out . ”
Feeling genuinely tired , Aria nodded without a second thought . “ Yeah , you should head back early . ”
Having gone to bed early , Aria was up by six the next morning .
She opened the door and saw Owen still sitting in the chair . Her eyes flew wide open in surprise as she blurted out , “ Owen ? ”
Owen turned his head toward her , lips curving into a light smile as he picked up the two seals from the table . “ Done . ”
Owen rose to his feet and approached her , placing the two seals – indistinguishable to the naked eye – in front of her . With a hint of pride , he said , “ Take a look . What do you think ? ”
Aria’s eyes scanned the two seals . For a moment , she couldn’t spot a single difference .
Aria was visibly moved . She reached out to take the seal , then looked up – only to finally notice the dark circles under Owen’s eyes . Staring at him in surprise , she blurted out , “ You pulled an all – nighter ? ”
Owen looked relaxed , not the least bit tired from staying up all night . With a casual tone , he said , “ I just lost track of time . No worries . I can still catch up on sleep now . ”
He looked full of energy , his eyes sparkling with vitality .
It reminded her of that cute , eager little look Vanessa would get when fishing for compliments .
Aria arched an eyebrow , the thought making her blurt out , “ You did an amazing job with the carving . ”
Owen grinned . “ Thanks for the compliment . ”
Aria blinked . “ Huh ? ”
‘ Wait , shouldn’t be the one saying thank you ? ‘
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Before she could even voice her thanks , Owen was already heading for the door . Over his shoulder , he called , “ I’ll head out now . Don’t forget to get
breakfast at the cafeteria . ”
Since things got busy , many kind – hearted women in the village banded together to help out with cooking .
Just before closing the door , Owen’s gaze lingered for a moment on Aria’s slightly tousled hair .
It was the first time he’d seen her just waking up .
Owen thought , ‘ Her sleep – tousled hair looks unexpectedly cute . ‘
The door slammed shut .
Owen turned and descended the steps .
In the dim light of dawn , he spotted at first glance a figure sitting on a rock not far away .
All around was silent and dark . The sudden , jarring scene would have made a timid soul cry out in terror .
Even someone as unflappable as Owen felt his heart skip a beat .
Caleb sat up straight , his entire being radiating an intangible aura of authority .
At that moment , Caleb fixed him with a look that was both complex and questioning .
Despite having done nothing wrong , Owen gulped nervously .
Owen greeted , “ Morning . ”
Steeling himself , he walked over at a deliberately measured pace .
The air grew a bit awkward .
Caleb broke the silence first , his voice low and unreadable . “ Did you stay here all night ? ”
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