Pearl took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Her heart wasn't pounding as quickly anymore, but her eyes were still red. She parted her lips to say something when she saw a broken banister behind Darius. She subconsciously pointed at it before looking at Darius in confusion. Darius sighed and frowned.

"It looks like the quality of the furnishings in this place isn't that great." As he spoke, he looked down at the part of the banister he held. Pearl's gaze followed his, and her jaw dropped when she saw what he held.

Only then did she realize how quickly Darius had moved earlier. She said in disbelief, "I can barely believe this, but you honestly did move that quickly when you appeared before me earlier.

My eyes weren't playing tricks on me because I was sad—you didn't take the stairs at all! You jumped over the banister, taking it down with you!" Her voice grew increasingly high-pitched as she spoke.

Darius shrugged. "I heard you crying, and my first thought was that you were