No one knew who it was that hurriedly shoved a rope into Charles's hand. Charles grabbed it, looked up at the giant kite that was almost within reach, and, without hesitation, jumped down.

“Hold tight! Hurry, hurry, the giant kite is coming, people will be swept away!”

The dark river was churned up by the approaching giant kite, sending up waves taller than a person. Charles had just entered the water when he was struck in the chest, forcing the breath out of him. He choked on a mouthful of water and was nearly swept away, but quickly grabbed the hemp rope hanging from the shore and wiped his face with effort.

The roar of the water and the thunderous noise of the giant kite slowing down filled his ears. Charles's entire vision was consumed by white waves. He vaguely heard someone on the shore shouting, “Don’t let go of the rope! The giant kite is coming, pull that boy up, there’s no time!”

Charles: “Wait a little longer!”

But the noise in the water was so loud he couldn’t even hear his own shout.

He desperately waved at the people on the shore, signaling them not to pull the rope, while fighting his way toward the most turbulent part of the waves.

In the chaos, someone grabbed his searching hand. Charles didn’t have time to think, immediately gripped the person’s wrist tightly, and pulled them into his arms. Before he could see who it was, the giant kite was already rumbling overhead.

The people on the shore dared not delay any longer. The rough rope tightened hard around Charles’s waist, and with a powerful pull, several men on the shore yanked him out of the water.

As soon as he broke the surface, Charles realized something was off with the weight in his hand. He quickly blinked away the water from his lashes and suddenly saw that the person he had grabbed was not William Sullivan at all, but a child of about eleven or twelve—the fake girl Mary Carter.

At that moment, a long horn blast from the giant kite pierced his ears like a blade. Charles’s ears buzzed, but without time to think, he shouted and first pushed the half-conscious Mary Carter up.

The people on the shore shouted as they pulled the two youths up one after another, but it was still too late. Charles’s feet were still off the riverbank when the giant kite swept past at full speed. One flaming wing was about to brush his bare calf; before it even touched him, the scorching wind had already whipped over, stinging his skin.

“Don’t touch the flaming wing!”

“Careful!”

At that moment, a pair of pale hands suddenly reached out, cutting through all the screams, grabbed Charles’s arms, and swung him up into the air. The people around all gasped and bent down. Charles felt he almost flew out, then landed in someone’s arms.

He couldn’t help but take a deep breath, and a whiff of medicinal fragrance instantly filled his nose. Charles looked up sharply, his nose nearly brushing against William Sullivan’s chiseled chin.

William Sullivan’s face was dark as water: “I just took my eyes off you for a moment, and you’ve already caused such a scene!”

Charles was at a loss for words, having been cut off.

William Sullivan scolded angrily, “There are so many officers and soldiers on the shore, did it really have to be a kid like you to save someone?”

Charles: “……”

His heart, which had been in his throat, crashed back into place. The blood that had been stuck in his chest now surged through his numb limbs like a floodgate opening. Only then did he finally let out his first breath, so hard that his insides felt turned upside down, and his legs were so weak he could barely stand.

Mary Carter had already been carried aside, coughing and slowly coming to. Seeing that the child was all right, William Sullivan dragged Charles out of the crowd. His brows were tightly knit, and he pulled the unsteady Charles along, scolding as they walked: “The flaming wing’s heat hasn’t dropped yet. If it brushed you even once, it could take off half your leg. Planning to be a cripple for the rest of your life? You reckless brat…”

Charles shivered back to his senses, but before he could say anything, he heard Half-deaf Sullivan start blaming him first, and his anger instantly boiled over.

He stiffened his neck and shouted, “I thought it was you who fell in!”

William Sullivan raised an elegant eyebrow: “Don’t make excuses. I’m a grown man—how would I fall into the river for no reason?”

Charles: “……”

His anxious concern was completely taken for granted, and the heat rushed from his neck to his ears, turning them red. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if he was more embarrassed or angry, but either way, he was fuming, and ordinary water couldn’t put out the fire in his chest.

“All right, stop arguing here,” William Sullivan reached out and patted Charles’s soaked hair, then took off his own outer robe and wrapped it around Charles. “It’s too chaotic here. I won’t argue with you today. Hurry home and change your clothes, or you’ll catch a cold.”

He really was quite magnanimous!

Charles angrily shook off William’s hand. In his agitation, his palm hit something hard inside the sleeve, making his hand ache.

William Sullivan said, “Oh, that’s the rouge I just bought. Remember to take it home to your mother… Hey, Charles, where are you going?”

Before he could finish, Charles ran off without a word.

Charles actually knew he was being unreasonable. He had jumped to conclusions, only hearing a bit and not even seeing who had fallen in before he panicked and went into the water. No wonder his adoptive father scolded him.

But when he thought about how anxious he’d been, and that rascal was off to the side picking out rouge, his chest ached with anger, and no matter what, he just couldn’t swallow it.