Evidence Beside Patty

Patty was very happy about Uncle Gawain's arrival.

She had not seen Uncle Gawain for a long time, nor had she heard him tell stories about the pioneering era, the Gondor period, and all sorts of other fanciful ideas.

Even though she was nearly fifteen this year, and children her age among ordinary noble families had already begun formally appearing at social gatherings and learning to handle family affairs, outsiders still regarded her as a child. She even looked younger than her peers, and in terms of knowledge, she lagged far, far behind noble children of the same age.

Years of severe illness and injury had caused her to miss nearly her entire childhood. Patty had only resumed her studies this year, and many of the questions she raised seemed rather inappropriate for her age to Gawain.

On the other hand, her unusual experiences had made Patty mentally more mature than her peers. Perhaps because she had lost the ability to move about freely and depended entirely on others for survival, she was always keenly aware of changes in the emotions of those around her.

"Uncle Gawain, are you a little unhappy?" She noticed a subtle shift in Gawain's mood as he spoke, immediately stopped her stream of questions, and asked cautiously.

Gawain froze for a moment, his gaze falling on the little girl before him.

She could already sit steadily in her wheelchair, and her neck could now support itself. Those large eyes stared unblinkingly in his direction, full of curiosity and a trace of concern.

"No, I'm not unhappy." After a moment, Gawain smiled and shook his head. "I just suddenly thought of something else and got distracted."

"Getting distracted is bad," Patty said seriously. "But you're an adult. Adults usually have a lot of things to worry