Chapter 14 (Part 1)

Leonardo called out in a flustered voice, and Grace, who had been about to brazenly walk away, turned her head.  

For some reason, her face felt hot, and she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye.  

“Well, I thought you might… like this kind of thing.”  

As soon as she said it, Grace regretted her actions. She cursed herself for preparing something like this even though they weren’t officially in a relationship.  

If she had known he would react this way, she wouldn’t have started at all.  

‘How much trouble I went through to prepare something so unnecessary!’  

Grace recalled all the things she had secretly prepared in this shelter to grow closer to Leonardo, hiding it all from Becky. She felt wronged.  

But before she could pull her cloak tightly around herself, Leonardo grabbed her wrist firmly and spoke in a voice that sounded almost harsh.  

“Whose idea was this?”  

“…I’m sorry.”  

When Grace apologized in a sullen voice, Leonardo pulled her toward him with strong force.  

With a thud, Grace fell onto the bed, and Leonardo pulled her to the center and laid her down.  

Hovering over her, he lowered his gaze and tugged at the scant fabric of her lingerie with his fingers.  

“Did you meet someone who likes this sort of thing?”

“—No!”  

Grace tried to argue, but Leonardo firmly gripped her half-exposed chest.  

The pressure was so strong that she let out a small whimper, and Leonardo leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.  

“Then, did you plan this yourself, thinking I might like such an outfit?”  

“Well, of course!”  

“And why is that ‘of course’?”  

What kind of relationship do you think we have?  

Grace bit her lip, fully understanding the unspoken words behind Leonardo’s question.  

I just… wanted to do it.  

Since coming to this place, she wanted to be kind and affectionate with the real Leonardo, not the one in her dreams.  

In her dreams, Leonardo would hold her close, gaze at her tenderly, and whisper like a lover.  

And when things heated up, they would cling to each other, moaning with desire.  

‘But I never thought I’d be interrogated like this!’  

She couldn’t bring herself to say that she had prepared this outfit while dreaming of such moments with him, fearing it might shatter their fragile relationship.  

But the excitement she had felt while preparing it was now completely dismissed, leaving her on the verge of tears.  

“Why… why are you crying?”  

Seeing tears well up in Grace’s eyes, Leonardo sighed and gently wiped them away with his hand.  

Just moments ago, he had thought it was impossible to clearly define their relationship. But now, he wondered if it would be better to—  

‘No, that’s not it.’  

It wasn’t about forcing his feelings. What mattered was Grace’s thoughts.  

He wanted to hear directly from her why she had planned something like this. He needed to know.  

So he waited patiently for her answer.  

After a long silence, Grace finally spoke in a small voice.  

“Because… you scared me.”  

Overwhelmed by her emotions, Grace’s face crumpled like a child’s, and she began to cry loudly.  

Leonardo continued to wipe her tears as he softly asked,  

“I was just curious about what you were thinking when you wore this for me. I didn’t mean to scare you.”  

At his words, Grace cried even harder.  

Covering her face with her hands, she sobbed and replied in a muffled voice,  

“I just… Heung! I just wanted to—! Heuee. Be close to you! Waaaaah!”  

Leonardo responded in a calm tone.  

“Why?”  

Why, couldn’t you imagine a future with me? Why, were you content with a fleeting encounter like this?  

Grace shouted back,  

“Because you’re a Fernandez! And I’m a Lowell!”  

Hearing that, Leonardo closed his eyes tightly.  

Those few words contained everything—the struggles she must have faced while preparing that outfit, the problems between them.  

As Grace sobbed into her hands, Leonardo kissed the back of her hand and said,  

“Don’t cry, Grace. Your face will look even worse.”  

At his words, Grace, who had been crying, became indignant and shouted,  

“I’m a woman people call a goddess!”  

As if her tears had disappeared out of sheer frustration, Grace quickly stopped crying and glared at Leonardo with sharp, triangular eyes.  

Leonardo kissed her lips lightly and said,  

“I’m sorry for teasing you. And if I scared you, I’m sorry for that too.”  

“……”  

“But if you could forgive me, I’d like to receive the reward you promised earlier.”  

He kissed her eyelids gently and smiled brightly as he asked,  

“Is that not allowed?”  

Grace stared at Leonardo, who was smiling at her, for a long time before finally reaching out to pull him closer by the neck.  

Leonardo chuckled lightly and pressed his lips firmly against hers.  

Her lips, still salty from her tears, tasted like the sea.  

***

The next morning, after a night of clumsy exploration as if everything was new, Grace woke up early and tied her hair into a high ponytail.  

Her face in the mirror carried an air of determination.  

Her neck was covered in marks left by Leonardo from the previous night.  

She ran her hand over the spots and bit her lip.  

‘…Will this be okay?’  

Leonardo had been gentle and affectionate, as if to reassure her that everything would be fine. But he hadn’t been as passionate as the night before.  

That was understandable, as Grace had spent most of the night crying in his arms, leaving him busy comforting her.  

‘What exactly do I want?’  

Despite her feelings for him, Grace knew the reality of their situation.  

There were too many obstacles preventing them from being together.  

That’s why she had thought she could be satisfied with a fleeting relationship, even if it wasn’t everything she wanted.  

‘Is there a way?’  

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out a way for both of them to be happy without giving up what they had.  

‘And that’s not something easy to give up.’  

Sighing, Grace checked her outfit one last time and opened the door to their quarters.  

Leonardo, who had just woken up, sat on the bed with a dazed expression.  

“Did you sleep well?”  

One thing Grace had learned while living with Leonardo was that he wasn’t a morning person.  

It took him a surprisingly long time to fully wake up after getting out of bed.  

“Grace, where are you going?”  

Leonardo reached out to her, and Grace naturally walked over and embraced him.  

Wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck, Leonardo inhaled deeply and said,  

“Are you planning to leave me behind?”  

Grace chuckled at his words and gently patted the hands around her waist as she replied,  

“Where would I go? Our bodies would change the moment we leave here.”  

“……”  

“I just woke up early to stretch a bit.”  

At her explanation, Leonardo nodded.  

The memory of Grace clinging to him the previous night, her expression so fragile and desperate, was still vivid in his mind.  

He knew her feelings, which made it even harder for him.  

‘Is this what longing feels like?’  

Leonardo felt a sharp pain in his chest as he held Grace close, as if they were lovers about to part ways.  

“I thought I’d have to wake you when the sun was halfway up the mountain, but you woke up before then. That’s good.”  

At Grace’s lighthearted comment, Leonardo let out a small laugh.  

Rubbing his face against her shoulder like a child seeking affection, he playfully replied,  

“Are you hungry?”  

“What? Do you think I only care about food?”  

“Well, from what I’ve seen, it doesn’t seem far from the truth.”  

“Ugh, forget it! Hurry up and wash up. We’re going to take a look around before the sun gets too high.”  

Grace lightly patted the arms wrapped around her waist, urging him to get ready. Leonardo reluctantly nodded but continued holding her for a while longer before letting out an exaggerated sigh and pulling away.  

“How can you rush me like this without even saying good morning?”

Leonardo’s voice, filled with a sense of discontent, made Grace ponder deeply about what he meant.  

He seemed to reluctantly get up at her urging, but instead of going to wash up, he stood beside her, pouting dramatically.  

“Grace.”  

When she couldn’t figure out what he meant, Leonardo tapped his lips with his finger, prompting Grace to burst into laughter.  

Smiling softly, Grace gestured for him to come closer, and he bent down.  

Wearing a standard-issue robe that exposed his firm body, Grace kissed him and whispered.  

“If we finish quickly, we might be able to bathe together when we return, don’t you think?”  

Leonardo, watching her wink, laughed softly like the wind.  

After kissing her on the head, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Grace slid onto the bed as if melting.  

That look on Leonardo’s face as he watched her.  

“That look he gave me—like I’m some silly little sister. What’s with that? After tormenting me all night!”

Somehow, Grace felt terribly wronged.