Seeing Rowena cry, Julian burst out laughing. He thought she was too gullible. He patted the girl on the shoulder and said, "I told you I was just joking. You are so naive. It's easy to fool you."

Rowena didn't like being called a naive girl who was easily fooled because she knew she was very smart. Well, at least she was already book-smart. She could learn to be street smart as she started seeing the world.

Julian smiled in amusement and then walked over to the teapot and poured tea for himself again which he quickly finished. It was obvious that he intentionally showed Rowena that the tea was safe and didn't contain poison.

"See? No poison," he said with a shrug. "You can go ahead and drink yours. It's good to keep you warm."

He tilted his head at Rowena's cup which was still on the table. "Better drink now. It's getting cold."

Rowena finally nodded and drank her tea. On a cold night like this, a cup of warm tea would make the night bearable, or even pleasant. It would also help her to stay awake.

Rowena realized she couldn't find her way home alone in the middle of the night like this. She didn't know the area, and there were many wild beasts out there. She'd better wait until morning and let Julian take her back to the town square.

Rowena took a long sip of the warm tea and didn't say anything more. She stared at the burning wood in the fireplace and listened to the crackling sounds. Julian was sitting beside her, to share the warmth from the fire.

Julian grabbed another piece of wood and threw it to the fireplace as he watched the flame start to become smaller and smaller. He sat beside Rowena without moving and saying anything.

There was silence in the hut for a long time. They were both busy with their own thoughts. When Rowena started yawning and her body swayed to the right, the princess suddenly jolted awake.

"Gosh.. did I sleep just now?" Rowena massaged her temple. It must be around 2 AM now. No wonder she felt so tired and sleepy. She put down her cup to the floor and stretched her limbs.

She didn't want to close her eyes and sleep until morning. So, she must find ways to refresh herself and pass the time while waiting for the morning. Maybe she could talk to Julian and asked who he was and why he chose to make a living by being a thief.

The reason was simple. In the hut, there was only one small wooden bed and two rickety old chairs. As the guest, Rowena thought it would be rude to sleep on the bed, taking the only space for sleeping in here.

Also, she realized she shouldn't let her guard down.  What if Julian did something unsavory?

It was useless for Rowena to hold a knife to protect herself if she slept first and allowed herself to be in a vulnerable position. She didn't really know Julian and wasn't sure if he didn't have any bad intentions.

Therefore, Rowena was determined to keep her eyes open until morning. To fight the drowsiness, she would talk to Julian and ask him anything.

"Julian."

"Hm?"

"How old are you?"

Julian looked at Rowena and shrugged. "I am not sure, but I think I am around seventeen."

"You are not sure? How?"

"Because... I don't know exactly when I was born?" Julian asked back. "My biological parents abandoned me and I never know them nor did I ever see them."

"Oh..."

"You? How old are you?" Julian looked at Rowena from head to toe and made his guess. "thirteen?"

"No. I just turned fifteen last week," Rowena said. She pursed her lips. "Why did you think I am so young?"

"Well.. for one, you look so gullible like a young child," Julian replied. "And two, you are so small, and frail."

"Small? I am not small," Rowena said. "I have a smaller stature, but I am not small."

"Okay," Julian shrugged. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Rowena again. "Maybe it's because you are so skinny. Don't they feed you in at home?"

Rowena bit her lip. She ate good food but her governesses were strict with how much she could eat and what was allowed and not allowed. Was she really that skinny? She looked down at her body and thought she seemed okay.

She had seen skinny girls. They were so weak and frail. Rowena was not as skinny as them, but she did wish she could gain a little bit more weight.

"You should eat more," Julian commented. 

Rowena decided to change the subject. She didn't want the conversation to focus on herself. There was nothing good about her life to discuss.

"I see that you're still young and healthy. So,  I am wondering, why steal?" Rowena asked, turning to the young man. "Can't you do any other jobs? I am sure there are plenty of honest jobs out there."

Julian looked back and shrugged. "Why? Well.. why not? I only steal money from rich people who wouldn't even notice if a little money is missing. And let's be real, some of the money is not even theirs. Besides, why do you want to know?"

Rowena looked at the young man very seriously. "I'm really curious because a young man like you looks so healthy and capable of doing any kind of work. So it would be a shame if you actually steal for a living."

Julian chuckled. He could guess what kind of person Rowena was. This girl looked like a girl who had never experienced the harsh world, so her views were still very idealist.

Ah, usually that's how the children of the rich were. They could only judge others who were not as fortunate as them and blame those who were poor by saying that those people were lazy.

"Ah, you're so naive," said Julian instead of answering Rowena's question.

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