Chapter 1953


    The servants stood frozen in ce, struck dumb by the exchange, their minds wiped clean of their


    chores. Seth''s reaction was as if Cicely''s words held him at bay, his body refusing to move.


    Cicely arched an eyebrow, retracting her hand to leisurely unscrew the lid of the ointment jar with


    her slender, pale fingers.


    "Honestly, now''s the time I''d prefer you not to be obedient," she muttered under her breath. "When


    you''re supposed to listen, you''re stubborn as a mule, and when you''re not, you freeze up like a


    damn statue."


    She squeezed a dollop of the pale yellow ointment onto her fingertip, reaching out to dab it on the


    cut at the corner of Seth''s mouth. The sting made him tilt his head slightly away.


    Cicely looked down at him with an icy gaze, "What got into you earlier? Now you know how to


    dodge?"


    Her mood was far from calm, her anger hardly subsided from the p she''d delivered earlier. Even


    so, when she''d raised her hand to hit him, she''d consciously switched to her left, ensuring the blow


    landed on his unblemished right cheek, sparing the injury on his left.d2


    "Cicely, I said I don''t need that stuff. Are you deaf, or just looking to defy me at every turn?" Seth


    turned his face away, rejecting her care.


    Cicely''s grip tightened, the pain sharper, but she persisted in applying the ointment.


    Pinned down on the couch by her, Seth could only tilt his head up, his eyes narrow slits of cold


    steel. "This is yourst warning," he growled. "Stop it and get off me, or forget ever setting foot in


    the Diaz mansion again."


    Cicely paused, her gaze dropping to meet his, contemtive.


    "What are you plotting now?" Seth narrowed his eyes further. Her thought process was miles from


    ordinary; every time her eyes flickered, something off-kilter was bound to follow.


    Cicely lifted her hand, twirling the ointment between her fingers, tilting her head with a half-smile,


    "I''m wondering, how did you threaten Danielle?"


    Seth mulled it over for a second, reflecting on Danielle''s behavior that day, "Anyone''s smarter than


    you when ites to knowing what''s worth it."


    "That just makes me more curious." Cicely freed one hand, casually pulling open Seth''s pajama


    shirt.


    His expression changed suddenly, his hand snapping out to catch hers. "Cicely!"


    Her gaze swept over his torso, pausing briefly, "I know my name''s music to your ears, but could you


    not chant it like a mantra every time you see me? And if you must, could you at least try to sound a


    bit more tender?"


    There were no serious injuries, just some faint bruises across his chest. But then she frowned,


    looking down at Seth, "Could you let go? You''re hurting me."


    With the fine beads of sweat on her delicate nose, and her furrowed brow, it was clear she wasn''t


    lying. His grip on her wrist ckened, and he nced down to see the red marks his fingers had


    left. He scowled.


    The Ellis family had raised a porcin doll that couldn''t take a touch. Taking advantage of the


    moment, Cicely smeared a bit more ointment across his chest.


    The warm, soft touch made Seth''s body tense imperceptibly. For years, no one had been allowed


    such intimacy with him. Yet, as always, Cicely had imed all the exceptions for herself.


    No matter what he did, she remained unaffected.


    Once she finished, Cicely leaned in to blow on the spot she''d treated, intending to let the medicine


    dry so she could pull his shirt back down. God only knew her ears were burning like they were


    about to catch fire.


    As she exhaled, Seth''s body jerked, and before she could register anything else, she was yanked


    forward and toppled into the plush couch.


    Seth stood up, his handsome face contorted with undisguised rage. "Cicely, you''re sixteen, not six.


    Have you no shame?"


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Though the couch was soft, Cicely was still dazed from the fall. Regaining her senses, she leaned


    back, rubbing her wrist, and looked up with azy, sultry voice, "So, you''ve finally figured out I''m not


    a little kid?" She paused, shiftingfortably, "Makes sense. Half my ssmates have had a string


    of boyfriends by now. How old-fashioned are you to wait until eighteen to start dating?"


    Seth was all impatience and irritation. "Get out."


    Cicely rose, countering, "I haven''t finished with the ointment."


    His eyes became menacing slits as he moved closer, stopping at a safe distance. "Is this your idea


    of affection, always opposing me? There''s a limit to self-indulgence, Cicely. Not everything you want


    can be yours just because you''re the Ellis family''s daughter. No man likes a woman who never


    listens."


    "So Danielle''s the obedient type?" Cicely shot back.


    "At least she knows what decisions to make when faced with a threat."


    Cicely snorted, "So what scared her into watching you suffer and not treating you?"


    Seth clenched his fists, but said nothing. Cicely continued, a mocking smile on her lips, "Let me


    guess—was it tutoring? If she didn''tply, was it all over? No more help with her studies?"


    His face darkened. She had read him correctly.


    "Looks like I hit the nail on the head," she said, herughter low, "So that''s the kind of woman you


    men prefer? Someone who lets you walk around wounded just to stay by your side?"


    "Frankly, I''m d Danielle felt threatened enough not to touch you. But I must say, I''m not


    impressed with your taste in women."


    Cicely knew that with Seth in this state, he wasn''t going to sit still and let her treat his wounds


    without a fuss, and frankly, she wasn''t in the mood to drag it out. Squeezing the entire tube of


    ointment into her palm, she walked over to him, bent down, and haphazardly thered it onto his


    injured shins. Standing up, she looked him straight in the eye with a frosty expression.


    "I skipped a ss of warm milk and my bedtime just toe here and patch you up. And don''t think


    I''ve forgotten about you promising to tutor Danielle, or how you''re gritting your teeth through the


    pain just to keep that promise. That''s still hanging in the air between us.


    "Most young guys wouldn''t want to be tied down by a girl so soon, and I get that. I''ll give you a pass


    to mess up, but only to the extent of your current distance with Danielle. If either of you steps over


    the line. Seth, no matter how much I fancy you, I won''t have you.


    "As for men, I reckon I could snap my fingers and have my pick of the lot around here if I wanted.


    But I''m choosy, you see. Not that I''ve ever been truly smitten or had a whirlwind romance. If a


    decent man took a shine to me and put in the effort, who knows? I might fall head over heels. After


    all, I''m only sixteen, everything''s a mystery, and I''m full of curiosity. Don''t underestimate a woman''s


    desire to explore."


    "Really?" Seth''s brow furrowed, a cold glint in his eyes. "Don''t you think this threat sounds a bit


    childish? Do you think you can intimidate me?"


    Cicely''s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Do you think this is a threat?"


    Seth''s face tightened.


    Feeling a rare shift to a better mood, Cicely nced at the coffee table and the bag of medical


    supplies. "Make sure you use the ointment. It''s all purchased by me. Don''t go using someone else''s.


    I''m tired and heading home to sleep. You should get some rest too."


    With that, she touched her sore wrist and headed for the door.


    She didn''t expect Seth to follow her. Her car was parked right outside, a beacon in the night.


    The driver, seeing her emerge, promptly opened the door for her. Before getting into the car, Cicely


    paused and turned to look at the two servants who hade to see her off, the open door casting a


    warm light into the night.


    Her mood had lifted since her arrival, but now her face carried a hint of confusion. Unconsciously,


    she touched her leg where, just a moment before, she could have sworn she felt something warm


    and solid brush against her. The sensation lingered, oddly persistent and distracting.


    "Miss?"


    The driver, unaware of her thoughts, prompted softly. Cicely snapped out of her reverie, climbed into


    the car without a word, and they drove off.


    Once again, Seth felt outmaneuvered by Cicely. It seemed like he never held the upper hand when


    it came to her.


    Looking down at the sticky mess of ointment on his legs, he reyed her words, her insistence on


    applying the ointment, every sentence, every frame looping in his mind - even the p she gave


    him upon entering.


    He was the one who got hit.


    He was the one who got scolded.


    He was the one left speechless in the face of her rebuttals.


    It was always him at a disadvantage.


    And it was always her, from start to finish, exercising the unique, willful, and arrogant traits of ady


    of the Ellis family.


    In the end, it seemed he was the one who benefited the most, the one who came out on top. But


    that wasn''t entirely true, was it? Her final threat was an attempt to w back some control.