Chapter 2.5

With the intuition of a gambler, Lisael was undoubtedly in that park. Had visiting the hunting ground entrance every day been for this moment? The water droplets scattered in the air obscured his vision as he raced like the wind, but Miguel did not slow down in the slightest.

In this torrential rain, if it was a place that far from the village, there would surely be no carriage coming even if called. How could she withstand this relentless rain with her delicate and frail body? Miguel was incredibly resentful of himself for not finding the park a little sooner.

‘Just wait a little longer, Lisa!’

As he naturally envisioned Lisael shivering while taking shelter from the rain between the tall trees, his urging of the horse became more urgent. Miguel was frustrated because the horse couldn’t keep up with the speed of his anxious heart.

*   *   *

“Madam, we have to walk a bit to reach the road where the carriage can come.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for your help.”

Swoosh—.

As she stepped on the muddy ground, softened by the incessant rain, her shoes sank deeply. As a result, Lisael’s white shoes and even her feet were splashed with mud. But what did it matter? She was lucky.

Once they exited the wide park entrance, there was a paved road where the carriage could drive right up to them. Lisael and the park manager slowly exited the park, shielding themselves from the driving wind and rain with an umbrella.

Boom—.

Suddenly, there was a flash beyond the umbrella, and soon a thunderclap shook Lisael’s body. The loud noise made Lisael pause and hunch her shoulders for a moment.

“Are you alright?”

A faint voice of concern from the manager was heard through the sound of rain.

“Yes!”

Her short but loud answer probably got through the rain. Lisael resumed her steps silently, pushing through the downpour with her vision blocked by the umbrella.

After walking for a while, a flat paved road finally appeared beneath her feet instead of the muddy ground. Though all she did was walk, she was exhausted and took a moment to catch her breath and look around. The manager was following right behind, and as he had said, the waiting carriage was visible.

The manager shouted something and gestured toward the carriage, but it was drowned out by the rain. He was probably telling her to get in the carriage. As she moved towards the carriage, she suddenly sensed a presence coming from the opposite direction.

In this deluge, where even the words of the person right next to her were hard to hear, how did she sense that presence? Lisael unconsciously turned her head backward.

Ha! Yah!

Someone was rapidly approaching her from a distance. 

Could there be mirages in the rain?

She had never heard of such a thing. 

Then, could the voice piercing through the rain and the silhouette of the man on horseback be real?

The mysterious figure quickly closed the distance, revealing its complete form before she had time to ponder if it was an illusion.

“Lisa!”

“…Miguel? Why are you here?”

The figure, once like a mirage, was none other than Miguel. Lisael looked up at him, her mouth agape in disbelief at the absurd scene unfolding before her.

‘Why is Miguel here? And alone on horseback…?’

This was undoubtedly a real situation. 

Had something urgent happened in Cherlin for him to come looking for me so recklessly?

“Lisael! Do you know how worried I was, thinking something might have happened to you? I almost went mad!”

Miguel, dismounting, shouted immediately. Of course, having come through this rain, he wouldn’t be in a good mood, but she only caught the part about almost going mad. The beginning was probably him reproaching her.

Until Miguel, who rushed straight to her, grabbed her shoulders and looked her over, both Lisael and the manager beside her stood frozen like statues, staring blankly at the fiery man alone in the flood.

*   *   *

Riding relentlessly without a moment to breathe, he soon reached the park and was able to meet Lisael who happened to be outside.

‘Glad we didn’t miss each other….’

Wait. Reuniting with Lisael was certainly good news, but she was quite, no, significantly different from the precarious image in his imagination. Holding a beige umbrella and receiving an escort from a man as she was about to board a carriage, she didn’t look like a damsel in distress needing help at all.

Rather, it was Miguel himself, soaked from head to toe like a shipwrecked survivor, who appeared to need assistance.

What on earth was going on!

“Lisa!”

Who knows? Perhaps Lisael, who had been stranded in the woods until now, had finally found someone to help her. But no matter how he looked at her up close, she was as clean and dry as if she had just stepped outside. 

Seeing her so perfectly fine, he felt a sudden release of tension. Why had he rushed here as if his life depended on it?

“Do you want to ride the carriage together?”

Lisael, unaware of his tumultuous journey, looked up at him innocently and asked, making Miguel rest his forehead on his hand.

‘Suddenly feeling dizzy….’

Then, the torrent that had been pounding him so heavily began to slow and subside.

“…….”

“Let’s go.”

A pointed umbrella was raised above Miguel’s head, now damp and heavy. Lowering his gaze, he saw Lisael struggling to hold the umbrella high enough to match his height.

“…….”

After briefly meeting Lisael’s eyes, Miguel quietly took the umbrella handle from her.

*   *   *

“So… you waited to take the manager’s carriage that leaves at closing time?”

“Yes.”

The manager, now aware that they were the Young Earl couple of the Lord’s family ruling the southern territory, answered in place of Lisael in the awkward and silent atmosphere inside the carriage.

The manager, who had straightened his posture, wanted to jump out of the carriage despite having done a good deed because of the unbearably uncomfortable atmosphere.

Surely, he had come through the rain out of concern for his wife, but leaving aside the touching reunion, even the seating arrangement was incomprehensible.

If a couple and an outsider were riding in the carriage together, the answer was obvious. The couple should sit on the same side, and he should occupy a seat alone. Why, then, was the Young Earl sitting opposite his wife and the manager? The manager was deeply puzzled.

‘Ah….’

The manager soon realized the answer. The Young Earl, who managed to look attractive even while running a hand through his rain-soaked hair, was dripping an incredible amount of water as if he were still in the rain. 

Drip, drip—.

Drip, drip—.

The raindrops pouring off him were flooding the ruined shoes and the floor beneath the seat. The seat next to him had already formed a puddle too large to overcome with the power of love.

Surely, if one were to wring out the jacket he was wearing, it would fill a bucket.

“…How about taking off your clothes? Continuing to wear wet clothes might drop your body temperature.”

Breaking through the sound of raindrops hitting the floor, Lisael cautiously spoke. It was the first attempt at conversation since Miguel confirmed that she could return safely to the villa.

It wasn’t particularly out of concern for him. It was just that his nonchalant demeanor, crossing his legs and leaning his sharp chin, while shivering slightly, was bothering her.

“…Take them off, Miguel. You might catch a cold.”

After briefly removing his hand from his chin and gazing at her, Miguel silently took off his black jacket and tossed it aside.

Seeing him in a relatively dry shirt made Lisael more comfortable, which was satisfying. Until Miguel’s hands didn’t stop there and began unbuttoning the shirt from his neck.

Two, three, four….

“What are you doing…?”

“You told me to take them off.”

When Lisael expressed her shock as he unbuttoned about five buttons, Miguel replied nonchalantly. Eventually, Miguel, not stopping, undid the buttons to the end of the shirt and threw the last piece covering his upper body over the jacket.

Though it was indeed correct to undress completely to prevent hypothermia, no one in the carriage could remain indifferent upon seeing his bare torso.

Rather, it was the manager, not Lisael, who was more flustered about where to rest his eyes, who admired Miguel’s perfectly maintained, fierce body with a low exclamation.

“Why are you suddenly surprised, Lisael?”