Chapter 185: Chapter: 184 Nathaniel’s Pridicament.[2]

Nathaniel’s face turned pale instantly.

He had not sensed her at all.

Just a moment ago, the room had been completely empty while he was talking to Kathlyin through the orb. Yet somehow, this little monster had appeared beside him without making a single sound.

In any normal situation, those questions would have shocked him.

How did she get inside? How did she hide from his senses? How long had she been standing there?

But right now, none of that mattered. His mind had already gone completely blank from panic.

"I heard everything, Grandpa," the little girl said proudly.

She rocked back and forth on her tiny heels while covering her mouth with one hand, trying very hard to look mature and secretive.

"You were talking with that other lady who looks like Grandma. Hehe~"

Her pink cheeks became even pinker from excitement.

"You are such a bad person, Grandpa. Thank goodness Papa isn’t like you."

She giggled again, completely enjoying herself. Then she delivered the final blow.

"I’m going to tell Grandma everything."

Nathaniel felt his soul leave his body.

"No!!"

He shot up from his chair so fast that the chair nearly flipped over behind him. Papers exploded into the air and scattered across the room like frightened birds.

Before the girl could react, Nathaniel lunged forward and instantly covered her mouth with one hand.

"Mmph?!"

With the other hand, he slammed the cabin door shut.

Bang!

The entire room shook slightly.

Nathaniel breathed heavily as sweat rolled down his forehead. His heart pounded so hard that it almost hurt.

This secret could never be revealed. Absolutely never.

Just a few days ago, Elizabeth had nearly beaten him to death over a single lipstick mark.

And the worst part was that he truly had no idea where it came from at first.

Later, he learned it was Miasma’s doing. That insane woman had kissed him before escaping just to make him suffer afterward.

Nathaniel had explained everything honestly, but Elizabeth naturally refused to believe him.

Instead, she became convinced he had secretly enjoyed it and helped Miasma escape on purpose.

The result? Three broken tables. One shattered wall.

And Nathaniel spending the entire night lying face-down on the floor while questioning every life choice he had ever made.

But honestly... the beating was not what scared him most.

What truly terrified him was what would happen between the sisters.

Elizabeth still did not know that Kathlyin had feelings for him.

For fourteen years, Nathaniel had desperately kept that secret buried. He never spoke about it. Never hinted at it. Never allowed the topic to come anywhere near Elizabeth.

Not because he was cheating. He truly did not have those kinds of feelings for Kathlyin.

What he feared was the crack this truth could create between the twins.

Elizabeth loved her sister deeply despite how chaotic they both were. And Kathlyin, no matter how crazy she acted, cared about Elizabeth just as much.

Nathaniel knew very well what would happen if this truth came out.

Things would never stay the same again. There would be anger. Fights. Accusations.

The easy closeness the sisters shared would slowly become awkward and painful.

Even if they tried to act normal afterward, a wall would still remain in their hearts.

And Nathaniel could never allow himself to become the reason for that division.

"Mmfff! Mmmph!!"

The little girl struggled in his arms as Nathaniel hurriedly dragged her toward the corner of the room.

Only after reaching it did he finally remove his hand from her mouth.

The girl immediately took a huge breath while fixing her messy ponytails.

"Umm... gra... grandpa..." she said weakly.

Nathaniel crouched in front of her with the face of a man standing before complete disaster.

"Rosel," he said in a heavy voice, "what I’m about to tell you must remain a secret forever. Do you understand?"

Nathaniel’s expression was so serious that Rosel instinctively became serious too.

The playful look on her face disappeared immediately. From his tone alone, she could tell this was something extremely important.

And as every child knew, there was no greater feeling in the world than being trusted with a secret.

Nathaniel knew that too. Which was exactly why he was using it.

He took a deep breath and lowered his voice even more.

"You see... the lady you saw..." He suddenly stopped.

His hesitation was obvious, as if he were struggling with whether he should reveal some ancient forbidden truth.

"Um... should I really tell you?"

Rosel’s curiosity instantly exploded. "What is it, Grandpa?"

She leaned closer without realizing it. Even her earlier amusement disappeared completely, replaced by pure focus.

Nathaniel looked away dramatically. "But if I tell you... you might tell everyone..."

He rubbed his forehead with a troubled look. "Ahh... what should I do..."

He started muttering to himself like a man carrying the burden of the entire world.

"If I don’t explain it, she’ll misunderstand... but Eli also told me to keep it secret... ahh, this is bad... very bad..."

Rosel slowly grabbed his hand.

Nathaniel paused and looked down.

The little girl stared directly into his eyes with unbelievable seriousness for someone her age.

"Papa says," she began carefully, "you only share your secrets with the people closest to you."

Nathaniel blinked slightly.

"Grandpa... I know I was impul... impool..."

"Impulsive?" Nathaniel helped automatically.

"Yes! That!"

She nodded proudly before continuing. "But now I understand. You have secrets you can’t tell anyone..."

Her little face became unusually firm.

Nathaniel could swear he even saw a strange sparkle appear in her eyes.

"I promise I won’t tell anybody!"

She suddenly stretched out her tiny finger toward him. "Pinky promise!"

Her eyes burned with seriousness and determination.

Nathaniel stared at the tiny finger in silence for two seconds.

Then inwardly...."Bingo"

His heart nearly celebrated.

Still, outwardly, he maintained the face of a tired man burdened by destiny itself.

Slowly, he hooked his own finger around hers. Together, the two spoke solemnly.

"May we never break this promise."

"May we never reveal the secrets shared between us."

Once the promise was finished, Rosel nodded firmly. "Now we are bound by the promise," she said seriously. "You can tell me now."

"Mmm." Nathaniel nodded with equal seriousness while staring at the tiny pink-haired balloon standing before him.

"What I’m about to reveal," he whispered, "must never leave this room."

"Understood!" Rosel instantly gave him a salute.

Nathaniel inhaled slowly. Then, with the face of a man revealing the truth of the universe itself, he finally spoke.

"The truth is..." He paused dramatically for more effect. "Your grandma..."

Rosel unconsciously held her breath.

"...is a superhero."