Chapter 14

Leaning against the railing, Serenia looked around the private beach as the cool sea breeze slowly dried her sweat. As her damp shirt fluttered at her chest, cooling her down, it seemed as if the heat she lost was transferred to Lucien, whose face grew redder and redder. Through the fluttering shirt hem, glimpses of her skin appeared and disappeared tantalizingly.

“…You, you know how to swim, right?”

When their eyes met, Lucien blurted out the first thing that came to mind, almost shouting in surprise. Serenia couldn’t hide her baffled expression, but she nodded slowly at his question. Lucien cleared his throat and turned away.

It wasn’t as if she was wearing anything revealing, just a silhouette—but now that he could picture her body so clearly, his throat felt dry. Why did the sun feel so hot today? Lucien glared up at the innocent blue sky before leading her down to the beach. On the untouched sand, their footprints lined up side by side.

“You’re in the navy, so swimming is basic, right? It was even part of our exam.”

“Well, it’s just your first time swimming in the sea, so I had to ask.”

Following Lucien, Serenia stepped into the water where the waves lapped at her knees, marveling at how clear it was—she could see her feet perfectly. She bent to scoop water into her hands and played, making ripples with her feet.

“Swimming in the sea is more dangerous than regular swimming. Falling off a boat is risky, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

Rolling up his shirt sleeves, Lucien remembered his subordinates stripping earlier and, as if competing, unbuttoned his shirt entirely. Even without warming up, Lucien’s nearly perfect physique shone like a statue in the sunlight.

“Wh-why are you taking your shirt off all of a sudden?”

“You said it was okay to take your shirt off.”

“You’re the one who said people should dress properly!”

Serenia snatched Lucien’s discarded shirt and threw it at his chest, telling him to put it back on. Lucien, enjoying her flustered reaction, leaned toward her even more.

Serenia turned her head sharply, refusing to look at his chest, her cheeks red. As soon as Lucien realized her reaction was embarrassment, not discomfort, a sly smile crept up his lips.

“In winter, the sea here gets cold enough that swimming is dangerous. But it’s summer now, so it’s just refreshing. Want to come in?”

Turning away from the display of bare skin, Serenia squeezed her eyes shut. Lucien’s playful whisper faded into the distance, followed by the splash of water. When droplets from his splash landed on her burning cheeks, Serenia looked up to see Lucien already far out in the deep water.

Lucien’s arms sliced the water, sending up sprays, and as he surfaced, sunlight sparkled off his wet hair. Each time his muscles moved powerfully, waves rippled out toward Serenia.

It was a lively, energetic scene, but Serenia kept remembering that night, biting her lip. Sweat-soaked skin, a body moving intensely, slightly furrowed eyes—a picturesque scene instantly gave way to embarrassing thoughts.

Maybe if she plunged into the cold sea, those thoughts would disappear. Worried that Lucien might somehow notice her dirty imagination, Serenia hurriedly dove into the deeper water after him.

Cold, heavy water wrapped around her. Just as the heat from that night was about to be washed away by the pressure that squeezed her breath, Lucien swam up and naturally caught her waist.

“Phew…!”

“How is it? Refreshing? I’ll stay close, so try to keep going.”

“I can do fine on my own.”

“You always have to be humble with the sea. It might look calm now, but you never know when it’ll change.”

But wasn’t this spot barely away from the beach? Still, Lucien was the expert, and Serenia was new to swimming in the sea, so she didn’t resist and let him guide her, floating like someone learning to swim for the first time.

“…Are you teasing me right now?”

“Heh. You’re acting just like when you first learned to swim. You were so scared, you clung to me and wouldn’t let go…”

“Ah! Forget about that!”

Relaxing and drifting in Lucien’s arms, Serenia flailed at the mention of her embarrassing past. Lucien pulled her close and laughed mischievously. Even that bratty grin, on his handsome face, became nothing but another work of art.

Serenia, pressed against Lucien’s bare chest, carefully pushed him away with her fingertips.

“Could you let go a little?”

“Why be embarrassed between us? If you’re upset, you could take your shirt off too.”

“…You really don’t see me as a woman, do you?”

Busy playing around, Lucien’s careless words made Serenia mutter as if pouting, not even realizing it. She regretted it immediately, clamping her mouth shut as the air turned awkward.

It was a clear mistake, but the thought had crossed her mind. If it were Princes Erisa, or any other noble lady, Lucien wouldn’t joke like this. She’d developed a bad habit of comparing herself to the noble ladies who orbited Lucien’s world.

Even knowing that as someone who couldn’t live in the same world as him, being treated as a close friend was the most precious place she could have, she still felt that way.

“No, I didn’t mean anything by it. I don’t care, but you should be careful what you say to others, um, so…”

As Lucien didn’t respond, Serenia tried to fill the silence with awkward words, desperate to fix the situation. She couldn’t remember ever hating her lack of eloquence as much as she did now. She worried that Lucien might realize her feelings or notice her out-of-place desire, and her fingertips grew cold.

Driven by the urge to escape, she tried to step back.

“If you’re not a woman, then who is?”

Lucien caught Serenia’s frozen fingertips and asked in a steady voice. His tone was neither gentle nor mocking, carrying an emotion she couldn’t describe.

Unable to meet his gaze, Serenia kept her head down until the intensity of his stare made her look up. Their eyes met, and the playful boy from moments before was gone. His firmly closed lips looked as if he was holding something back.

“And why is it okay with you? If someone else tried this kind of joke, don’t just stand by—beat them half to death.”

“Then what about you…?”

“I’m different. Do you think I’m like everyone else?”

He was truly as unpredictable as the sea. His lowered eyes were so dark, Serenia couldn’t read them at all. The only thing she could be sure of was that, within that deep darkness, a powerful whirlpool of emotion was swirling, too big to hide.