“Stop!”

Helena slapped her cheeks lightly and forced herself back to her senses.

Her face—and even her body—had flushed bright red.

Just thinking about what had happened made her heart feel as though it might burst from her chest.

“Stop thinking about it. Just stop.”

Helena took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside her.

Every kiss she had shared with Alexander had been intoxicating.

In the rain-soaked forest.

In the studio.

In the library.

Each moment was unique, yet every kiss carried the same overwhelming intensity.

They were the kind of kisses that burned away reason, leaving only raw instinct and desire.

They were reckless. Improper.

Perhaps that was exactly why she loved them so much.

‘But that’s as far as it can go.’

Helena wanted to get closer to Alexander.

She wanted to touch him.

She cherished the expressions and gestures that he showed only to her. Sometimes, she found herself longing to discover more intimate aspects of his character — sides that he revealed to no one else.

But all of that was only possible within the confines of the Hitchens Estate, a place largely isolated from the outside world.

Here, the name Plimont carried no weight.

Nor did the names Evans or Brandt.

Yet it took only a moment’s reflection for Helena to recognize how unequal their situation truly was.

Alexander had told her to leave the practical concerns to him.

He was determined to persuade her to be with him.

Not long ago, she would have dismissed the idea as impossible.

Now, however, she knew better.

Alexander’s feelings for her were genuine.

He was also the kind of man whose determination was unwavering once he had made a decision.

‘But would the Emperor ever approve of such a marriage?’

Helena wanted to get closer to Alexander.

She wanted to touch him.

She cherished the expressions and gestures that he showed only to her. Sometimes, she found herself longing to discover more intimate aspects of his character — sides that he revealed to no one else.

But all of that was only possible within the confines of the Hitchens Estate, a place largely isolated from the outside world.

Here, the name Plimont carried no weight.

Nor did the names Evans or Brandt.

Yet it took only a moment’s reflection for Helena to recognize how unequal their situation truly was.

Alexander had told her to leave the practical concerns to him.

He was determined to persuade her to be with him.

Not long ago, she would have dismissed the idea as impossible.

Now, however, she knew better.

Alexander’s feelings for her were genuine.

He was also the kind of man whose determination was unwavering once he had made a decision.

‘I would become Alexander’s disgrace.’

Helena’s expression twisted.

The thought of Alexander being made a laughing stock because of her was unbearable.

She would be his weakness.

He would become the subject of endless jokes and ridicule.

People would tear him apart with their words.

‘And I…’

Helena pressed her hand against her flat lower abdomen.

The warmth instantly drained from her face.

In the five years since her marriage to Nigel, she had never become pregnant.

She had tried everything. She had even taken expensive remedies rumored to improve fertility, clinging to every shred of hope, but none of them had made a difference.

Now that Scarlet was pregnant with Nigel’s child, it seemed increasingly likely that she had been infertile all along.

An infertile Duchess of Plimont.

The very thought was unbearable.

For Alexander’s sake as well as her own, she had to end the relationship.

It should never have gone this far.

Whatever had passed between them had to remain within the walls of the Hitchens estate.

It could never be allowed to follow them into the outside world.

‘No. It absolutely can’t.’

Would she have to push Alexander away again?

Would she have to hurt him with her words and force him to give up on her?

Helena bit down hard on her lower lip.

The mere thought made her chest tighten with pain.

She didn’t want to push him away.

She wanted to be with him.

Above all, she wanted to stay by his side.

But she couldn’t bear the thought of becoming the Duchess of Plimont.

Nor could she imagine spending the rest of her life carrying the guilt of being the reason why Alexander had had to make so many sacrifices.

Tears gathered in her eyes.

Her indecision was suffocating her.

No matter which way she turned, there seemed to be no answer.

She could neither move forward nor turn back.

‘Would it be so wrong to be selfish just a little longer?’

‘Just while Alexander is still here…’

‘Just until the day he has to leave again…’

***

It was a bright and stiflingly hot day; the kind of day that leaves a sheen of sweat on your skin.

It felt as though summer, long thought to be over, had returned for one final farewell.

At Leon’s insistence that he wanted some time to himself, Alexander and Helena left the estate together for the first time in a while.

They followed a familiar path winding through the woods towards the lake.

Splash!

Without hesitating for a moment, Alexander shed his shirt and trousers and dived into the water.

When he resurfaced, he ran a hand through his jet-black hair, pushing the wet strands back from his face.

Sunlight glimmered across the droplets clinging to his tanned skin as he floated effortlessly in the water, looking completely at ease.

“Now that’s better.”

A satisfied smile crossed his face.

“Isn’t it hot?”

Helena had been staring at him so absentmindedly that she answered a moment too late.

“…Of course it’s hot.”

Quickly turning away, she hurried toward a shaded spot.

“But if you stay in the shade, you’ll cool off soon enough.”

“Come over here instead.”

At Alexander’s suggestion, Helena’s eyes widened.

“You can’t seriously be telling me to jump into the lake.”

Alexander shrugged.

“Why not?”

Resting his arms on the shore, Alexander looked up at Helena.

“Have you ever touched the water? Even dipped your feet in it?”

Helena shook her head.

Alexander blinked in surprise.

“You haven’t?”

A disbelieving laugh escaped him.

“At least put your feet in. Then you’ll understand why I love swimming here so much.”

At his words, Helena hesitated.

She had come to this lake dozens of times over the years, yet she had never once dipped so much as a hand into the water.

Realizing that herself, she found it surprisingly strange.

“Well?”

Alexander called out to her again, urging her closer.

Sunlight danced across his bronze skin, the water reflecting off the strong lines of his upper body and making them gleam.

After hesitating briefly, Helena finally stepped towards the lake.

Turning her back to him, she slowly took off her shoes.

She placed them on the rock where Alexander had tossed his clothes, then carefully removed her knee-high stockings.

Alexander watched her every movement from the water, unable to look away.

His gaze lingered on the delicate curve of her pale ankle.

Now barefoot, Helena cautiously approached the water’s edge.

Passing Alexander, she sat down a short distance away and lowered herself onto the bank.

Splash.

The moment she dipped her feet into the lake, ripples spread outwards in gentle circles.

A refreshing coolness flowed up from her toes, washing through her entire body.

Soft waves lapped against her calves, tickling her skin.

This unfamiliar sensation caused her to draw in a quiet breath, her lips parting slightly in surprise.

“It really is cool.”

“How does it feel?”

“A little strange…”

A smile touched her lips.

“But I like it.”

She glanced down at the water.

“If I’d known sooner, I could’ve spent the summer much more comfortably.”

Alexander slowly swam closer.

As he approached, the water surged around him.

A wave splashed against Helena, soaking her skirt all the way up to her thighs.

“Oh!”

Startled, Helena’s eyes widened as she looked at him.

Alexander wore an equally awkward expression.

It seemed he hadn’t expected that to happen either.

“My apologies.”

“…It’s fine.”

Helena shook her head.

“It wasn’t intentional.”

The fabric, weighed down by water, clung heavily to her skin.

Despite her hurried attempts to wring out some of the moisture, the damp skirt remained clinging to her legs.

The outline of her thighs was impossible to hide beneath the wet fabric.

By any standard, Helena was slender, yet her thighs still had a soft, feminine fullness to them.

Perhaps because of that, the silhouette revealed through the wet material seemed all the more noticeable.

The instant she became aware of this, she felt heat rush to her face.

Embarrassed, she quickly pressed her knees together, as though this would somehow conceal her from view.

“……”

Alexander’s gaze briefly fell to Helena’s thighs before immediately darting away.

His face had turned noticeably red.