Hearing Catalina’s praise only made Estella even more eager to see Roxanne’s expression when she received the flowers. Her smile widened.
Catalina had not seen Estella smile since Aubree moved in, let alone smile so brightly.
Her heart could not help but melt when she saw how happy Estella looked. “It’s getting late. Let’s get you cleaned up and tucked into bed. You can pick up where you left off tomorrow, okay?”
Estella nodded obediently, and Cataline led her into the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, Catalina sensed something amiss as she helped Estella undress.
I could be imagining it, but it seems as though something in this bathroom has been moved. The only people who come into this bathroom are Mr. Farwell and me. Oh, and Estella, too. Maybe one of them moved something.
Catalina put it out of her mind and gave Estella her bath as usual. Then, she waited until Estella fell asleep before getting up and leaving.
Late that night, Lucian came out of the study after finishing his work. All the lights on the first floor had been turned off, and only the lights along the second-floor corridor were still on.
While walking past the door to Estella’s room, he vaguely heard some movement inside the room, and his heart sank.
Recalling the aversion Estella had shown toward Aubree, he was worried Estella was secretly crying in her room because she was upset he did not tell Aubree to leave.
Thinking of that, Lucian quietly opened the door to Estella’s room, padded over to her bedside, and peeped at her.
Under the glow of the lights in the corridor, he saw that she seemed asleep. However, it did not look like she was getting a good night’s rest as she kept tossing and turning. She was also scratching at her body to the point that her pajamas had ridden up.
Lucian’s brows drew together sharply as he took in the scene before him.
I thought at first that she must be having a bad dream, but why is it that she seems to be behaving strangely? Also, she can’t seem to stop scratching herself.
Frowning, he grabbed Estella’s wrists to try and stop her from scratching.
To his surprise, she struggled to break free in her sleep and let out a cry of frustration. She even started thrashing around on the bed.
It looks like she’s itching like crazy!
After slowly letting go of her wrists, he saw that she could not refrain from scraping her nails over her skin again, and she even started using more force.
“Essie? Essie?” Lucian called her name twice in a low voice, but she did not wake up.
He waited for a while, his expression turning solemn. Then, he strode to the door and raised his hand to turn on the lights in Estella’s room, bathing the room in a bright glow.
As soon as Lucian turned back around, the red spots on Estella’s exposed skin caught his eye immediately.
The small, red spots formed patches, spreading across Estella’s arms to her neck. Since she had been scratching them, they looked especially red and inflamed.
“Essie!” Lucian could tell with just one glance that it was an allergic reaction. Fearful that her scratching would break her skin, he quickly grabbed her small hands despite her trying to squirm out of his grasp.
The itching persisted while she was still in a slumber, yet try as she might, she could not do anything to alleviate the discomfort. It was too much to bear, and she finally opened her eyes.
Estella was stunned for a few seconds when she saw Lucian standing by her bed. The next moment, she felt her entire body itching intensely. She reached out to scratch her skin, but Lucian held her hands firmly.
“No more scratching,” he said, giving her a stern look.
Estella turned to him miserably. “But it’s so itchy. It’s as though there are mosquitoes biting me.”
After saying that, she lowered her head with an innocent expression to see if there were actually any mosquitoes on her.
Realizing her intention, Lucian quickly covered a hand over her eyes. “It’s probably just allergies. Don’t look. I’ll take you to see Ms. Jarvis and have her check on you.”
It’s her first time going through something like this. All those red spots on her skin look terrifying, and I don’t want to scare her. Even if we go to the hospital, there may not be a reliable doctor at this hour. The only person I can think of is Roxanne. Now that I think about it, it’ll also probably make Essie feel more comfortable if Roxanne is the one to treat her.
Estella’s eyes reddened. She was upset that she could not see anything and felt as though she were in absolute agony. She uttered in a tearful voice, “Daddy, I’m so uncomfortable!”
Lucian gathered Estella into his arms, then used one hand to hold her wrists and the other to take out his phone and dial Roxanne’s number.
Roxanne had just fallen into a deep sleep when she was suddenly awakened by her phone ringing. Groggily, she felt for her phone on the bedside table and answered the call. “Who’s this?”
Lucian furrowed his brows slightly, then said in a deep voice, “It’s me.” Hearing his voice gave her a jolt, and her mind suddenly felt much more awake. “What’s the matter?”
He looked down at the girl in his arms. Estella was sobbing while attempting to lower her head and look at herself.
Lucian tightened his arms around her, then explained everything to Roxanne. “There are suddenly a lot of red spots on Essie’s body, and they itch a lot. I just woke her up. If it’s convenient for you, I’ll bring her over for you to check on her.”
As soon as Roxanne learned that Estella was unwell, the last vestiges of sleepiness vanished. Getting dressed while climbing out of bed, she said, “Sure. I’ll wait here for you.”
After murmuring a reply, he hung up and patted Estella’s head. “There’s a good girl. We’ll go and let Ms. Jarvis take a look at you, and everything will be fine,” he said in a reassuring tone.
Despite her condition, Estella nodded obediently upon hearing that she would be able to see Roxanne soon. She leaned against Lucian’s shoulder weakly and said pleadingly, “Daddy, it itches so bad.”
It worried Lucian terribly to see her so unwell. Alas, the only thing he could do was free a hand and lightly scratch at her skin through her clothes with the tips of his fingers to relieve her discomfort.
He carried her all the way downstairs. Just then, Catalina happened to come out of her room to get some water.
When the woman saw Lucian and Estella, she asked in confusion, “Mr. Farwell, where are you taking Ms. Estella in the middle of the night?”
He paused his footsteps, then turned and enquired, “Were there red spots on Essie’s body when you were helping her wash up?”
Catalina’s heart sank a little as she glanced at Estella in concern.
Her face was etched with worry when she noticed the red spots dotting Estella’s body. “She was fine during her bath. How did this happen?”
“I’m taking her to get it checked,” he responded without asking further questions. He was about to leave when Catalina quickly called out to him.
She reached for a throw from the couch and wrapped it around Estella. “Since it’s chilly outside and Ms. Estella isn’t feeling well, it’ll be better to wrap up.”
Lucian nodded, watching as the woman tucked the throw around Estella. After that, he proceeded to carry Estella out of the house.
Catalina sighed worriedly as she watched the pair leave, then went to pour herself some water.
I’m not sure whether it’s an illusion from seeing the red spots on Estella’s skin, but I’m starting to feel some itchiness on my body too.
Lucian carried Estella to the car and had just placed her down when she started clawing at her irritated skin again.
His expression darkened, and he said sternly, “Don’t do that, Essie.”
Estella pouted at those words, tears brimming in her eyes.
I don’t want to do so, either. It hurts and itches when I scratch at it. It’s absolutely unbearable. But if I don’t, it’s torturous!
Her aggrieved expression made his heart ache, and he gently stroked her head.
After all, she had been pampered since she was little and had never suffered like that.
Recalling how Roxanne usually spoke to Estella, Lucian tried his best to soften his tone and say a few words of comfort. “Everything will be fine when you see Ms. Jarvis. She’ll make you feel better. If you keep doing that, it’ll leave scars. That’d be an ugly sight.”
Estella finally nodded obediently at the mention of Roxanne.
Meanwhile, although the light in Aubree’s room had been turned off, she had yet to go to sleep.
Aubree waited until she saw Lucian carry Estella to the car and slowly drive out of the Farwell residence before tiptoeing around her room to gather some things. Then, she opened the door and crept to Estella’s room.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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