Chapter 15.
An Apple Adorned with Flowers
Although it was early spring in the capital, Roundt, the southern region of Haven was swelteringly hot.
From early morning, the villa’s staff bustled about, decorating the private beach owned by Lucent Blackcarson.
The exceptionally clear weather felt like a gift from the gods.
The deep blue sea and the white sandy shore, sparkling as if jewels had been scattered across it, looked soft and pristine.
The staff carefully set up white canopies, arranged tables draped in pure white tablecloths, and prepared the tableware on top.
The one directing them was not the butler, but the secretary, Leon.
“Move the rattan chairs over here.”
“Place the fruit basket on the small table between the chairs.”
“Yes.”
He placed the finest champagne into an ice bucket and even gave meticulous instructions regarding the direction of the linen cushions.
There was much to attend to, as everything had to be perfectly arranged so that Lucent and Applin’s privacy would be preserved while they enjoyed themselves.
“Put several towels in the rattan basket.”
“And… what else was there?”
Just in case, he also prepared swim rings at the back.
Then, as if he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten, he shouted urgently.
“Where are the binoculars?”
Whenever Lucent came to Haven, he liked to observe the small island across the sea through binoculars.
He often said it was a nesting place for seagulls and that strange fruits grew there that no one ever harvested.
He was probably planning to show the sight to Applin as well.
Knowing that the master and mistress would arrive soon, Leon hastened through the final checks.
Meanwhile, Applin and Laurel had run into a dilemma.
Standing before a full-length mirror, Applin stared at her reflection in the swimsuit and asked with a troubled expression.
“Laurel, is this really right?”
“Isn’t it sinful?”
As expected, the swimsuit was extremely revealing.
Married couples might see even more than this, but it was a different matter altogether.
At least in the bedroom, the dim lighting made it possible to hide one’s expressions.
But going out in broad daylight wearing something no different from underwear was another story.
“Miss, why are you being so old-fashioned?”
“This is clearly a swimsuit.”
Laurel had already become quite the modern woman.
After flipping through magazines all night, she boasted that in other countries, swimsuits had gone beyond being a trend and were now commonplace among women.
“Miss, your figure is beautiful.”
“The master will be completely smitten.”
The swimsuit clung tightly to her curves, covering only her chest, abdomen, and hips, leaving the rest of her skin fully exposed.
Applin’s legs, in particular, were long and slender, pleasing to the eye.
And perhaps because she had never exposed her skin to sunlight in her life, her pale complexion seemed to emit a soft glow.
“The swimsuit is one thing, but this cap is truly bizarre.”
The swimming cap, worn tightly so that not a single strand of hair escaped, made her look like an apple with flowers attached.
The strings had to be tied under her chin to keep it from slipping off, but the way her face bulged out made her look somewhat ridiculous.
Laurel, seeing her mistress, pressed her lips inward, barely holding back her laughter.
“My freckles stand out too much.”
“If I put a pacifier in my mouth, I’d look completely…!”
“Should I take the cap off?”
“That would be ignoring the master’s consideration.”
In truth, Laurel found Applin in the swimming cap unbearably adorable.
Though it was hardly an appropriate thought for her mistress, the youthful face framed by the cap made her think of a poster from a general store.
It looked almost identical to those cold medicine posters with a red-cheeked child.
“Is that so?”
“They say it’s lined with rubber, so your hair won’t get too wet even if you go into the water.”
“Really?”
“Now then, let me help you put on the bathrobe.”
As Laurel efficiently wrapped the robe around her, she had to breathe carefully, suppressing the laughter threatening to spill out.
After staring at her reflection for a little longer, Applin finally steeled her resolve.
Lucent was a serious man in all matters, wasn’t he.
If he had sent her a swimsuit, it meant he was ahead of the trends.
‘He must think it’s only natural that I enjoy swimming.’
Since she was already wearing it, she shouldn’t act unsophisticated.
After all, they said that even rags looked dignified if worn with confidence.
Just then, Laurel said something unexpected, making Applin even more nervous.
“The master will be wearing a swimsuit too, right?”
In an instant, Applin’s mind went blank, as if a gust of wind had swept through it.
She worried that he might appear wearing one of those tight, striped outfits she had seen in magazines.
If Lucent was even more ahead of the trends than she was, it would become unbearably awkward.
Not knowing the latest fashions, she might end up blushing furiously or laughing outright and ruining the mood.
“Miss, it’s time.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go to the beach.”
* * *
Lucent appeared on the beach dressed in a white linen shirt and trousers.
He looked over the perfectly prepared beach with satisfaction.
Now, all that remained was to wait for Applin to arrive.
“If you need anything, just ring this bell.”
Leon said, pointing to the small bell placed on the table.
“It’s the perfect day for swimming.”
“Indeed it is.”
Lucent had loved swimming since childhood.
When riding a horse or gliding through water, he felt free from all burdens.
He had deliberately suggested swimming to Applin, wanting marriage to bring her freedom rather than restraint.
“I wonder if Madam will be able to swim.”
“It doesn’t matter if she can’t.”
In fact, he hoped she couldn’t.
If her first swim began with her husband, it would remain a lifelong memory.
Just then, he spotted figures walking along the white sandy shore in the distance.
At once, both Lucent and Leon stiffened and fell silent, as if by prior agreement.
“Is that… an apple floating over there?”
Leon broke the silence first.
He failed to recognize Applin because of the swimming cap, but Lucent realized immediately.
Still, the sight of her walking across the white sand in a thick bathrobe looked almost like—
‘A penguin.’
A woman trudging across the sand.
As she drew closer, Lucent’s eyes widened.
His wife in the swimming cap was unbearably tiny and adorable.
Leon covered his mouth with his hand, then turned away altogether.
“Leon, perhaps I should’ve told her the cap wasn’t necessary.”
Though Lucent spoke while watching Applin, Leon could barely respond, laughing with his back turned.
The swimsuit had only been purchased as a set.
That ridiculous cap was something usually worn in an indoor pool at the estate, whereas wide-brimmed hats were normally used at the beach.
It seemed Applin hadn’t known that.
Lucent stared at Applin as she walked over with an awkward smile, utterly mesmerized.
When she finally reached him, he spoke in a low voice.
“Leon, Laurel should return now.”
“Yes, understood.”
After the two of them left, Applin looked at Lucent with a confident expression and spoke.
“I’m so excited to go swimming again after so long.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Of course.”
Who would have thought such an awkward expression, blinking her doll-like large eyes, could be so cute?
Her cheeks flushed red, freckles across the bridge of her nose, and slightly puckered lips pushed up by the cap.
The cuteness struck Lucent like a fatal blow.
Meanwhile, Applin found Lucent standing on the beach strangely unfamiliar.
His naturally tousled hair, the firm chest visible through the open shirt fluttering in the breeze, and his relaxed trousers all made her heart race.
He looked wonderful in a perfect suit, but his simple attire made her chest flutter even more.
His blond hair and blue eyes glinting in the sunlight made him look like a god who had emerged from the sea.
“Lucent, why are you looking at me like that…?”
Seeing Lucent stare at her with a serious expression devoid of laughter, Applin sensed something was amiss.
“Applin, doesn’t that cap look a bit hot?”
With its rubber lining, her hair and scalp were probably drenched in sweat by now.
“It’s fine.”
“This is swimming etiquette, after all.”
Applin pretended to be skilled at swimming, following Laurel’s advice.
That must have been why Lucent had gifted her a swimsuit in the first place.
“That’s right.”
“Swimming has etiquette too.”
Lucent flashed a grin, revealing his white teeth, then moved his hand to his waist, as if he intended to remove his trousers rather than his shirt first.
