A Lifetime of Nightmares

After Lola fainted, everything became completely quiet.

Sean Hayes gently laid Lola on the bed and let the doctor check her pulse, while he tended to Mrs. Penny's wound nearby, his heart aching with worry.

Seeing Sean's worried expression, Mrs. Penny chuckled, "Sigh, ever since I got pregnant, I can't move as nimbly as before. If it were the old days, dodging that attack would've been a piece of cake. But Lola's a tough one—she hasn't been in the Shadow Guard as long as Bella Bell, but her martial arts are already on par with her."

Sean shot her a look, "That's because you trained Lola to be so strong. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have gotten stabbed."

Mrs. Penny sighed and turned to look at the sleeping Lola, "That child keeps everything bottled up inside. Who knows what pain she's hiding? Just now, I saw her trapped in a nightmare, terrified and shaken. I wonder what she's been through."

Sean also turned to look at Lola. The way she looked just now reminded him so much of the first time he found her.

Back then, Lola was still a little girl, confused about what had happened. Sean had never brought it up again, and over time, Lola gradually forgot about that day.

But children always grow up. If one day Lola remembers what happened when she was found, with her current maturity, she'll finally understand what truly occurred.

A little girl, just a few years old, violated by a man like a fat pig—it's a nightmare that would haunt her for a lifetime.

Just thinking about it made Sean's heart ache.

The doctor checked Lola's pulse and said she simply couldn't hold her liquor, but drank far too much, so she was terribly drunk. Otherwise, she was fine. He prescribed some sobering herbal soup and left.

Sean Hayes had someone prepare the medicine and fed it to Lola. After a while, she finally woke up.

When Lola woke up, her head throbbed painfully and she felt groggy all over.

"Mrs. Penny, Sean Hayes..." Lola looked blankly at the two people by her bedside, then clutched her head. "My head hurts... I think I dreamt about something, but I can't remember... ah, it hurts..."

"Good girl, don't force yourself. It was just a dream," Mrs. Penny said softly, gently stroking Lola's cheek.

Lola noticed the bandage on Mrs. Penny's arm and cried out in alarm, "Mrs. Penny, what happened to your arm?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a little scrape," Mrs. Penny replied.

Seeing Mrs. Penny's attitude, Sean Hayes realized she didn't intend to pursue the matter of Lola hurting someone in her nightmare. So he didn't mention it either. Instead, he put on a stern face and said, "Lola, do you realize you were missing all night? The Prince of Qin's Manor turned upside down searching for you! As a member of the Hayes Family Shadow Guard and Princess Consort Lily's personal bodyguard, how could you act so recklessly?"

"What! I was missing all night? What time is it now?" Lola gasped, looking outside and seeing that it was already broad daylight.

"Hmph!" Sean Hayes scolded, "You can't hold your liquor, so why did you drink so much? And you went up to the highest tower and passed out drunk! Aren't you afraid something might happen to you? Mrs. Penny and I taught you better than this—did you forget everything we taught you?"

Lola lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know I was wrong. I won't do it again."

Sean Hayes stood with his hands behind his back, face still stern. "As long as you know. Hmph, you're Princess Consort Lily's personal bodyguard, but you left your post without permission. Go to the Shadow Guard's discipline office and accept your punishment."