-21-
As I felt the cold water soaking my hair, I met his gaze. Seeing my reflection in his shimmering golden eyes gave me an odd sense of déjà vu.
Had this… happened before? I blankly stared into his eyes as hazy remnants of a memory began to surface.
A memory overlaid with a day just like today, under a clear blue sky.
“Tiana, watch out!”
Tiana had tripped while walking in the garden, and Lucious had tried to catch her—only to fall along with her.
“Sorry, Lucious. I’ll move—”
“Ah…”
As she awkwardly fell on top of him and hurriedly tried to move away, water had poured over them at the perfect moment.
It wasn’t exactly the same situation, but the similarities gave me a strange feeling I couldn’t shake. Was the headache from earlier because these memories were resurfacing?
Just like the memory of our first meeting that had come back before, it seemed that similar situations triggered my memories… but this only happened with Lucious, which left me feeling conflicted.
Nothing like this had ever occurred with Edwin or anyone else from the Duke’s household… Was it because Lucious was special?
Either way, I needed to act quickly. His clothes were getting more and more drenched, and I didn’t know where to look.
My eyes kept lingering on the outline of his skin, visible through the wet fabric of his thin shirt. Even though I tried not to stare, my desire-filled gaze was already committing every inch of my favorite person’s wet appearance to memory. Ugh, even now, I couldn’t stop fangirling…
As much as I wanted to freeze time and stare forever, if we stayed like this, we’d both catch a cold.
“Are you okay? Let me get up—ah…”
Just as I was about to rise, reluctantly leaving behind the mesmerizing sight, he gently raised his hand above my head, shielding me.
“If we keep getting wet like this… we’ll catch a cold.”
Rising slowly, he cupped his hands above my head, forming a small umbrella. With a slight blush and a shy smile, he looked at me with sparkling eyes full of warmth and joy.
Staring at his angelic smile, I dazedly watched him as he continued to shield me, clearly happy about something. I sighed inwardly.
He made no effort to avoid getting wet himself, entirely focused on protecting me from the falling water.
I was thankful and touched by his concern, but seeing him soaked through made me feel conflicted. He looked like a sexy angel tempting me, and I wanted to pounce on him right then and there… but he really would catch a cold like this.
I reached out under the wall to turn off the sprinkler and gently took Lucious’s hands down from over my head. Stroking his hand as he silently gazed at me, I spoke softly.
“You’re much wetter than I am. You’ll really catch a cold like this. Let’s go inside and get changed—into dry clothes.”
“You’re quite wet too, Tiana.”
“My hair and top are just a little damp. You shielded me, remember? You’re the one who’s drenched. Come on, let’s go.”
“Very well. Then let’s go together.”
Lucious stood up and firmly held my hand. With a faint smile, he gripped it tightly, as if he had no intention of letting go, and led me toward the mansion.
I followed him, my eyes drawn to our naturally intertwined hands. …He’s surprisingly bold sometimes.
When we returned to the mansion, the maids gasped at the sight of us and rushed over with towels. As I watched them wipe our soaked bodies, the head butler hurriedly descended the stairs with a panicked expression.
“Goodness, what happened?”
I laughed awkwardly as he looked over Lucious and me in concern.
“I accidentally triggered the garden sprinkler… I didn’t get that wet, but His Highness was caught in the worst of it. He might catch a cold. Could you please prepare some warm water?”
“Yes, I’ll ready a bath immediately. My lady, please come inside. I’ll also have fresh clothes prepared.”
“I’m fine. It was mostly my hair that got wet. My clothes are barely damp. They’ll dry quickly, so—”
“Warren.”
Lucious suddenly cut me off and called the butler in a low voice. After briefly glancing at me, he spoke firmly.
“Prepare the bath for the young lady first.”
“…Understood.”
The butler nodded after exchanging a look with Lucious. Watching him give orders to the maids, I called out, flustered.
“Lucious…?”
“Yes, Tiana.”
“What are you saying? You should go in first. I’m not that wet. I’ll dry soon. You should—”
“Tiana.”
He said my name quietly and stepped closer. The short distance between our clasped hands tensed my entire body.
His intense gaze locked on mine as he spoke slowly.
“Even just a little cold water isn’t good for you. It could harm your body.”
“But you got soaked way more than I did—”
“I’m fine. A bit of cold water won’t affect me. But you’re different. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. You nearly collapsed earlier.”
“That was just a moment of dizziness from the aftereffects…”
“All the more reason to stay warm and rest. You never know what could happen.”
“That’s true, but… I’m worried about you. You took the brunt of it because of me…”
Even if it wasn’t intentional, the fact remained that Lucious had gotten soaked because of my mistake. Though… thanks to that, I got a very nice view.
Still, it was only mid-March.
The sprinkler water, intended for outdoor use, was especially cold—far colder than regular water. Even with the warmer weather, catching a cold was possible.
Even if Lucious trained regularly, suddenly getting drenched in cold water wasn’t good for anyone. I appreciated his concern for me, but I wished he’d care more about his own health too…
His unexpected stubbornness was refreshing, but being too kind was also a problem. Seeing him soaked through made my heart even more conflicted, and I lowered my head.
“…Tiana.”
“….”
“Alright. I’ll go in too. So please, lift your head.”
“….”
“Tiana…”
His gentle voice urged me to slowly lift my gaze and meet his eyes. The moment our eyes met, his expression softened in relief, as if tears might have spilled just moments ago. I found myself smiling with him.
“Ahem, um… The baths are ready for both of you.”
The butler, who had been quietly watching us, cleared his throat and spoke.
“There are many bathrooms, so warm water for both of you has been prepared quickly. Please go on in.”
“…Ah.”
Right. This mansion wouldn’t have only one bathroom, would it? There must be at least ten. There was no need to argue over who went first.
We were obviously going to use separate baths… It wasn’t like we were bathing together…
And with so many servants, filling a bath wouldn’t take long.
I’d been so focused on Lucious that I hadn’t even considered that. It seemed Lucious hadn’t realized it either.
Watching the butler, his face slowly turned red. He turned his head in embarrassment, and I could clearly see his flushed earlobes peeking through his hair.
I also covered my burning face and avoided everyone’s eyes. For some reason, I couldn’t bear to meet the butler’s gaze, who was smiling ever so gently at the two of us.
What if he thinks we’re fools? We must’ve looked like a pair in some romantic comedy. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my embarrassment.
“Please, this way.”
We followed the butler up to the second floor. As we walked down the long, wide corridor, I gently let go of Lucious’s hand to cool my blushing face. But he caught my other hand again and held it tightly.
Something felt strange about how he kept holding my hand. Was it because of what Alexandra had said? I liked it, but the servants were watching, and I felt a bit shy.
It was important to show them that Lucious and I had a good relationship, but… having him take the lead so boldly caught me off guard.
I knew he was action-oriented, but seeing it in real life was on another level from what I’d read in the novel.
I was starting to understand the nuances of his vague characterization. He wasn’t just pure-hearted.
“My lady, please use this room.”
We stopped in front of a door, and the butler addressed me. I nodded, releasing Lucious’s hand, and spoke to him.
“I’ll see you later. Soak in hot water for at least 30 minutes, okay? Got it?”
“That’s too long.”
“I’ll take my time too, so if you finish first, wait for me. Don’t come out before I do, alright?”
“…Alright.”
He nodded, his voice sounding a bit disappointed. He looked down at the hand we had been holding, then reluctantly followed the butler.
As I watched his back move away, I met the eyes of the nearby servants and smiled awkwardly. One of the senior maids met my gaze and led me inside.
The bathroom was enormous and extravagant. A large tub sat in the center, surrounded by gold and jewel-encrusted decorations so bright they nearly blinded me.
With the maids’ help, I undressed and slowly immersed myself in the warm, steaming bath. The perfect temperature made my body relax, the tension slowly melting away.
As the maids gently massaged and washed my body, and others kept the bath water warm, the senior maid standing nearby asked cautiously,
“Is there anywhere uncomfortable, my lady?”
“No, the temperature is perfect. I feel very relaxed.”
“…Please, speak more casually.”
“Ah, I’ll try. I still haven’t gotten used to being addressed like this since I lost my memory.”
“…Understood. Please take your time.”
She nodded as she observed me, and yet something about her felt a little distant. I watched her closely, and her dark brown eyes trembled ever so slightly.
