Chapter 5 (Part 4)

The rain that had fallen throughout the night showed no sign of stopping, even in the bluish dawn twilight.

Reina, who had washed herself briefly before sunrise, left the annex first. She planned to wash the rest of herself in the main building’s bathtub.

Not wanting to be caught for what happened last night, she deliberately walked in the rain, thinking it was better to head to the mansion in this downpour.

As she entered, she saw the maids already at work from the early morning.

“Oh my goodness! Where have you been so early in the morning with this rain?”

The maids, shocked by her drenched appearance, rushed to her with towels. It seemed they were unaware that Reina had stayed in the annex.

“You’ll catch a cold like this.”

“A hot bath will make you feel better.”

Nina, her personal maid, hurriedly approached and whispered in her ear.

“I’m the only one who knows you didn’t come back to the mansion last night. I’ll keep it a secret, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

She winked as she finished speaking.

“Thank you.”

Reina declined the offered help and headed straight to the bathroom. The bathtub was always filled with water, and hot water was kept ready, so there was no problem with getting in immediately.

After her bath, Reina returned to her room but remained in a daze. The events of the previous night felt like a dream.

As the heated moments replayed in her mind, she felt embarrassed. Her hands and feet curled involuntarily. Her whole body felt as if it was suffering from muscle aches, but she had no time to dwell on it.

They said we weren’t compatible….

Feeling as if she had dipped her toes in heaven last night, she thought it couldn’t have been more ecstatic.

But that thought was fleeting, and since she had barely slept through the night, Reina fell asleep immediately upon lying down on her bed. 

When she woke up, she felt a heavy sensation on her body.

“Ugh….”

Reina tried to turn over, but the weight on her body prevented her from moving.

It wasn’t just that her body felt heavy; it felt like someone was pressing down on her.

Was my body always this heavy?

As she struggled to sit up, Reina’s eyes suddenly widened. Lilith was pressing down on her chest with both arms, staring at her with wide eyes.

As their eyes met briefly, Reina quickly rolled her eyes to check her surroundings.

She was lying alone on the bed, with Lilith pressing down on her.

“You’re… heavy.”

“Are you okay, sister?”

Seeing Reina’s strained expression, Lilith got off her and asked.

“Y-yes.”

Only then could Reina sit up. But even without Lilith pressing down on her, her body still felt as heavy as a rock.

“Why did you sleep in so late?”

Since Reina rarely slept in, Lilith looked at her with curious eyes.

“I-I couldn’t sleep well last night.”

“Doing what?”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Reina’s face turned crimson.

“Sister, are you sick?”

A worried Lilith placed her hand on Reina’s forehead.

“You don’t seem to have a fever.”

“I think I have body aches.”

Her body felt so heavy that she had no energy to get up. So, she made an excuse to Lilith and lay back down on the bed.

“Really? Oh no! Are you going to die, sister?”

But Lilith’s fussing beside her made Reina groan and get up.

“No. Why would I die? What’s the reason you keep bothering me?”

“Dad is looking for you.”

“Oh….”

Reina finally remembered that Duke Lennox had given her an errand last night. He might scold her, so she brought the thoroughly soaked training journal with her.

With the still-wet journal in hand, she left the room.

* * *

“I heard you got soaked in the rain. I’m sorry you had to suffer because of me.”

Instead of scolding her, Duke Lennox apologized as soon as he saw Reina. This was before she could even present the crumpled, barely legible training journal.

Moreover, it seemed he didn’t know that she hadn’t slept in her room last night, just as Nina had said. That was a relief.

“Oh, right. The training journal got soaked and crumpled. Look at this.”

Reina made a regretful face and handed the wet journal to the Duke. His brows furrowed deeply as he saw the drenched journal.

“I’m sorry your training journal got ruined because of me. As an apology, I’ll take care of the training journal myself from now on.”

He should have done that from the beginning.

Reina pouted and looked at Duke Lennox disapprovingly but soon diverted her gaze.

She realized that thanks to her father, she and Patrick had confirmed their feelings for each other.

Although it was annoying to think about the necklace that had caused her so much anguish, she couldn’t entirely hate him since he had created an opportunity for her and Patrick to grow closer.

“Alright.”

Without further complaints, Reina left the study and headed to her room. She was about to lie down on her bed but instead walked over to the dresser.

She took out the necklace she had tucked away in a corner. Since it hadn’t changed color while she was with Patrick, she had almost abandoned it there.

“This useless thing! What do you mean it’s not a match?”

As she took out the necklace, Reina pouted.

Thinking about the ecstatic time she had last night, she was convinced the necklace was faulty. The time she had spent in anguish and torment over it felt wasted.

It had been so painful to have my mind in turmoil…. Give me back the time I spent worrying!

Although it hadn’t been a long time, she felt wronged for even a moment of confusion.

Even if she wanted to go and complain to her father, she couldn’t. Complaining would mean confessing her relationship with Patrick.

So, she had to suppress her feelings, but the questions didn’t go away.

Why….

The more she thought about what Richelle had said, the less Reina understood her situation.

She wanted to believe the necklace was faulty, but since her father, mother, Louis, and Richelle all agreed, how could she explain the current situation?

“Could it be broken? Or does it react differently when the perfect match appears?”

Am I mistaking being in love for good compatibility? Or is there a more ecstatic world beyond this?

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

Since Patrick was her first man and she hadn’t experienced anyone else, she couldn’t be sure, which bothered her.

She was curious about the unknown world she hadn’t experienced, but Reina decided to conclude that the necklace was broken. After all, it had been worn by three people, so its lifespan must have ended.

Reina put the necklace back in the drawer. She decided never to take it out until she handed it back to her father.

What’s the point of using something that doesn’t even work? Besides, even if it wasn’t broken, she had already found a man she liked, so there was no need to look for another.

Soon, Patrick would break off his engagement with Lady Berkshire, and then he would formally propose. By then, she could give the necklace back to her father.

So, Reina decided to erase the necklace from her mind for a while.

That way, her complicated thoughts might clear up a bit. She wouldn’t have to feel as if the ecstatic time with the Commander last night was just a dream.

* * *

To appear as usual, she went to the training ground early the next morning, but she didn’t have the confidence to look Patrick in the face.

Seeing him brought back memories of his disheveled hair, his muscular body, the sultry expression only she could see, and the fresh scent emanating from him from last night.

Moreover, the sensations she felt throughout her body at that time seemed to awaken slowly, making it hard for her to breathe.

She had always thought of him as a calm man who restrained himself, but who could have known he was a man full of desire?

The contrast between his usual composed and disciplined demeanor and the passionate side he showed was unimaginable.

Although different from the Patrick she usually knew, she didn’t dislike it. The fact that he showed such a side only to her made her heart flutter even more.

Knowing that she alone had seen his true self, which he had never shown to any other woman, made her body heat up.

Because of this, even just listening to the explanation of the day’s training felt like hearing his moans from last night.

The memories of last night felt so vivid, as if they had just happened, that Reina unconsciously covered her ears.

“Lady, are you alright? You rested yesterday because you weren’t feeling well, but it seems you’re still not fully recovered.”

Toby, standing next to her, approached with worried eyes.

“N-no, I’m fine….”

Before she could finish her sentence, Patrick approached. Caught off guard and unprepared, Reina stumbled and fell on her butt.

Having just discovered love, Reina couldn’t control her emotions. Although she had said to keep it a secret, she wasn’t confident in hiding her feelings.

“I just remembered something urgent.”

Unable to stay in the training ground, she fled.

Instead, she hid behind the curtains in her room, peeking outside. Although she couldn’t see the faces of the knights clearly from her room, she could see the training ground well.

Reina could recognize who was who just by their movements. With a contented smile, she followed Patrick’s movements.

Now that they had confirmed their feelings for each other, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

His swordplay against Ford was still swift and elegant. Watching him like this had made her beg Duke Lennox to let her train with the knights when she was young.

Remembering those times, she felt proud of her bold self.

If Duke Lennox hadn’t permitted it, she wouldn’t have had the chance to get involved with Patrick like this. She would have just greeted him in passing like Richelle and Lilith.

If that were the case, she wouldn’t be feeling this happiness now.

It was fascinating how her feelings for a man she had considered family until recently had changed so quickly.

Reina didn’t dislike this change in her heart. Instead, she regretted not realizing it sooner.

However, she felt a bit uneasy that she started seeing Patrick as a man after seeing his manhood.