Natalie said, "You two as well. I'll slip out quietly when no one's paying attention, so just act like I've been home the whole time." If the neighbors caught wind that she was gone for too long, who knew what ideas they might get? Harold nodded. "Don't worry, no one will suspect a thing. With all these supplies, it's normal if we don't leave the house for half a year." Olivia chimed in, "Exactly. Plus, we've got guns now, so the house will be safe. Please, be careful going out by yourself!" Natalie grunted a reply. They chatted a little longer before parting ways. Olivia hurried back to deal with Owen, Harold took the rifle and rushed home to help his mom, while Natalie stayed behind to move her haul inside and stash it away in her storage space. Good thing she had that space. Otherwise, her place would have been so packed with supplies that she wouldn't have had room to sleep. Once everything was sorted, Natalie showered, then curled up on the couch with Lucky in her arms. Nearby, Cash was pacing in circles, his face oddly ... flattering? She blinked, surprised, and called him over. "Cash, come here." The little rooster darted over at once, tail feathers bouncing. Natalie scooped him up, studying his beady, darting eyes. Could it be that he developed some kind of respect after watching her mow down enemies earlier?Can chickens feel that? She tested him. "Cash, go grab my shoes from the doorway." Then, she set him down. Sure enough, Cash scurried straight to the entrance, clamped his beak on the shoelaces, and dragged a pair of shoes all the way back. Natalie raised a brow. This chicken was acting like a dog! It was actually following commands. She patted his head, then added, "Okay, now put them back." Cash clumsily dragged the shoes back to the doorway. Watching his wobbly little body, Natalie could not help but sigh. "This spring water really works. Cash's grown so fast, and now he's acting like a dog too." Lucky gave a low, disgruntled whine.Natalie glanced at her thoughtfully. No wonder she had gone from only half-understanding Natalie before to now catching everything she said. It must have been the spring water's doing. From watching both Cash and Lucky, she could tell that the spring water could boost growth and even sharpen animals' intelligence. The storage space was truly a treasure; nothing inside it was useless. Even the herbs she planted grew far better than they did outside. Her gaze drifted to the echinacea she had replanted. Without heavy fertilizing this time, it was thriving. With luck, she would be able to harvest just in time before the plague hit. Natalie looked around at her herbs, her dog, her chicken, a rare sense of pride swelling in her chest.Thanks to the space, she—who could not even keep a cactus alive before—was now raising all sorts of little lives. In high spirits, she hummed a tune, carried Lucky into the bedroom, and finally let herself crash. She had not even fully rested earlier—first woken by the racket from those thugs demanding tribute, then dragged into a fight. Now, exhaustion hit hard. She needed to grab some sleep before heading out after dark. Halfway up the mountain, Roderick hurried into Cassian's villa. His first instinct was to check the gym—empty. Then the lounge, the study, the bedroom—still no sign of Cassian. As he prowled through the massive house, he could not help but think: a big place really had its perks. If an assassin broke in, it would take them forever just to find the target.Then it hit him. He tried the home theater. "Your Majesty, the Queen has committed adultery, defiling the palace with her shameless conduct. Her crimes are unforgivable!" Roderick was speechless. Yep. His boss's taste was still one of a kind among domineering CEOs. After all this time, he was still watching that period drama? What was this, a second rewatch? Third? Suppressing a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Roderick pushed open the door. "Mr. Holland, I'm here. There's something ... " Cassian lounged on the couch in a thin robe, eyes locked on the giant screen, brows furrowed, a long finger pressed against his lips."Shh. Hold on." The plot had just hit its peak. Left with no choice, Roderick turned his gaze to the screen. After a few minutes, even he got pulled into the tense storyline. Then, just when things got good, Cassian paused the film. "Okay, what is it?" Roderick felt like screaming. Seriously? He had not let him talk before, and now—when he only wanted to know what happened to the Queen—he expected him to report? However, of course, he kept those thoughts to himself and answered honestly. "It's about the submachine gun. We got word." Cassian's expression sharpened. "Go on." "Someone from the development zone passed along a message. Over at Maplecourt, gunfire was heard. And not just ordinary firepower—it was a submachine gun. But ... "