Chapter 7 – Part 7

“As you can see, I don’t have my hands free.”

Marcus gestured to his hands holding the paddle. Liese didn’t take his outstretched arm, but blinked.

“…….”

He’s asking her to feed him.

Her lips parted slightly, taken aback by the unexpected request. Marcus waited for the jelly, nudging Liese with an expression that didn’t show any change in emotion.

Undoubtedly, it was the calmest she’d ever seen him. It seemed she was the only one embarrassed by the request.

‘Don’t be embarrassed by this’, she told herself determinedly. She had hugged and kissed him in front of others several times, so there was no reason she couldn’t feed him a piece of jelly.

Liese clutched the bag of jelly tightly in her hand and crept toward him on her knees. The boat swayed slightly with her movements. She couldn’t tell when it was sitting still, but it wasn’t very sturdy.

Her heart pounded as she cautiously moved closer to him. Blaming it on the swaying boat, she closed the gap further.

“I’ll have apple flavor.”

Muttering something unsolicited, she held out the round, red jelly.

The problem was that it didn’t reach his mouth. Marcus neither extended his arm nor leaned forward; he just waited for her to come closer.

How can someone be so indifferent even at a time like this?

She mustered more strength in her knees and moved closer. At that moment, the boat rocked violently.

“Aah…!”

Startled, Liese threw out her arms to steady herself. The wind sent the jellies in the bag flying through the air and landing everywhere. As she flailed about in disbelief, Marcus pulled her with one hand.

The boat was still rocking from side to side. The colorful rounds of jelly on the floor rolled like marbles. Marcus was the only one centered on the moving boat.

Liese hugged him tightly around the neck. She gasped for air, afraid the boat would tip over at any moment, but then a strong arm wrapped around her small of the back.

“Hold still, Liese.”

Marcus spoke softly, as if soothing her, while holding her close. The rapid heartbeat from their tightly pressed chests was palpable. The arm around her waist drew her in deeper, holding her securely.

Liese rested her chin on Marcus’s shoulder for a while, letting her breath escape, until the tossing and turning of her stomach stopped completely, and for a long time afterward.

The sound of grasshoppers in the summer night drifted in and out. In the distance, the sky was a feast of twinkling lights. Other lovers cruising by on boats paid no attention to the man and woman embracing each other.

Perhaps because they were busy whispering their love to each other as they basked in the glow, or perhaps because they were no different from all the lovers on the Melir River.

Liese was afraid to meet Marcus’s eyes. She felt that she might discover the origin of the discomfort that had plagued her all day. So, even after the boat regained its balance, she used the excuse that he hadn’t let go of her to avoid pulling away.

Hesitantly, Liese leaned her cheek against his broad shoulder. His sandalwood-scented arms were wide and warm.

She let out a shaky breath and Marcus stroked her hair as he realized she’d been frightened on the rocking carving boat. Liese bit her lip hard, enjoying the gentle touch.

She couldn’t explain the strange feeling of wanting this time in his arms to last longer.

She wanted him to hold her just a little longer, just a few more seconds, just like this, without letting go. That was the only inner voice she could listen to.

It was always a shame to wake up from such a tantalizing dream.

***

That night, Marcus set foot in the orchard again. Liese didn’t stop him this time, allowing him to walk with her through the moonlit grass and smell the apple blossoms.

Thanks to her casual clothes, she didn’t have to change in the bushes. As they neared the green-roofed bungalow, Liese stopped walking and called out to him.

“Thank you again today.”

“…….”

“Thanks to you, I had a really wonderful time. It will remain an unforgettable memory for the rest of my life.”

She thanked him sincerely. Marcus looked down at her without saying a word. With his back to the full moon, his face was hidden in shadow.

She wondered what the Duke was thinking, what his day had been like.

The silence lengthened, and Liese fidgeted a little awkwardly with her hands, and Marcus offered her something. Her gaze was naturally drawn downward.

“…Ah.”

It was a white envelope. It was unmistakably filled with thick bills.

“I promised to pay you for the day’s work.”

He explained in a low voice.

Payment. Compensation for completing a day’s work. The monetary transaction she had agreed to with him. Her mind was filled with disorganized thoughts.

Summer had not yet ended. It was no surprise that today was also tied to a transaction. She knew this better than anyone.

“…Thank you.”

Liese accepted the day’s pay. There was no denying that her fingertips trembled slightly as she held the envelope.

“Take care. I’ll see you at the next evening party.”

There was no reply. Liese turned on her heel and walked away. Though Marcus, by his status, should have been the first to walk away, she didn’t care.

It was he who told her not to bow and scrape when they were alone. Even if Liese turned her back first, Marcus should not blame her. It was pride born from a trivial sense of self-respect.

The gaze that had been on her back was withdrawn, and she heard the sound of him walking away on the lawn. Taking a deep breath, Liese stopped at her door. The sound of the Duke’s footsteps was no longer audible.

Resisting the urge to look back, she quietly pushed the gate open, wondering if he had stopped, too, or if he had left the orchard.

***

“What was your favorite auction item, Lady Brennan?”

One of the ladies seated around the wide round table asked softly. Liese, who hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation, raised her eyes.

After the charity event at the auction house, they had come up to the tea room to drink tea. Liese, who had been thinking about Marcus kissing her cheek tenderly before heading to the smoking room with the gentlemen, responded a beat late.

“I’m….”

She sipped her black tea and considered the items on the auction block. There was dazzling jewelry, noblemen’s prized possessions of unknown value, and fine art.

The jaw-dropping bids were impressive, but what stuck with her was the presence of the man who had been holding her hand the entire time.

The pulse in his hand, the soft arc of his lips when their eyes met, the warmth in his eyes.

Liese struggled to shake off the illusions that tried to fill her head.

“Of course, the painting the Duke won was the most impressive.”

“You mean Master August’s last work, a beautifully colored painting.”

It was the only item Marcus had shown interest in at the auction. It was won by writing down an overwhelmingly large amount.

The Balthasar family had been collecting expensive art for generations. They had so many pieces that they could have organized an exhibition of unprecedented size.

His sense of money is extraordinary. This was evident in the amount of money he would readily hand over to Liese, which some people would never see in their lifetime.

As he put it, it was just for a little fun.

“Please excuse me.”

Feeling unwell, Liese excused herself from the ladies and stood up.

She planned to find Claudia, who had remained in the first-floor ballroom after the auction, to catch up with old acquaintances. By now, their conversation should be wrapping up, and sticking close to someone who knows a bit of her situation would make her feel more at ease.

After closing the door to the tea room, Liese walked toward the stairs. As she passed through the hallway that led to the other way, someone grabbed her arm from the shadows.

Liese’s eyes widened as she was yanked away. It was a familiar face, Trevor Miller, the man who’d been so rude to her in the past.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

She threw her hands up in anger, but it didn’t matter. Trevor dragged Liese to the end of the deserted hallway and raised his index finger to his mouth, gesturing in the distance.

“Shh! Listen to that sound.”

The sensation of being held in a hot grip was unpleasant, so she protested again, but with the same result. Trevor didn’t seem to care, his attention focused elsewhere.

“Don’t you hear a woman whining somewhere?”

“Let go of me, I don’t want to have a conversation with you.”

“Come on, pay attention and listen to me.”

“If you continue to be rude, I will….”

Liese’s mouth suddenly fell open. She could hear a woman’s voice in the distance, howling like an animal. But what did that have to do with her?

“I don’t want to hear any of this, so let go of me.”

“That’s Haley’s voice.”