Chapter 42

“Uh… is that so?”

Catherine and Hugo’s marriage was extremely short for her to know Hugo’s trivial habits.

Both Catherine and Hugo knew that.

‘I acted like I knew too much!’

But Catherine was quite familiar with Hugo’s habits.

Because in her past life, their marriage lasted quite a while.

Whenever Hugo was at home, Catherine’s gaze was always on him.

So, she couldn’t help but know well.

But in this life, their marriage lasted only three days.

Knowing him in detail could seem odd.

‘It could, of course, seem odd! He might misunderstand me as a stalker.’

There was a need to change the subject. So Catherine hurriedly opened her mouth.

“Hugo! It might be good for you to at least wipe your body. I’ll help you.”

Ugh.

Catherine wanted to hit her mouth.

Panic leads to mistakes.

Catherine usually keeps silent when flustered to reduce mistakes.

But for some reason, she couldn’t do that in front of Hugo and ended up making a mistake.

“Are you saying you’ll personally wipe me?”

Hugo’s eyes widened.

‘A major accident.’

Catherine inwardly shed tears of embarrassment.

“Oh, did I say I’d wipe you?”

“Yes, you said you’d wipe me.”

Hugo nodded with certainty. Then, without giving her a chance to stop him, he ordered John.

“John, bring warm water and towels. We’ll need a clean apron so Catherine’s clothes don’t get wet. And a tray to hold the bandages and new bandages…”

“Yes, I’ll prepare them.”

Are all the men from the Edward family quick in their actions?

While John swiftly went out to prepare, Catherine and Hugo were left alone in the bedroom.

“Did you ask to open the window earlier, Hugo? Is the room a bit hot?”

Feeling awkward, Catherine got up and approached the window. She opened it wide.

“You probably couldn’t clean the room because of your leg. I’ll tidy up a bit.”

Even after opening the window, Catherine couldn’t bring herself to sit next to Hugo, so she moved around his room, keeping her hands busy.

Hugo’s room had so few things that there was nothing to tidy up.

Moreover, whether Hugo’s leg was injured or not, tidying wasn’t Hugo’s responsibility.

Therefore, to Hugo, Catherine’s awkward actions just seemed cute.

‘She’s flustered. She’s embarrassed.’

Hugo leisurely watched her actions, enjoying the moment.

Catherine found a single strand of hair to throw in the trash and organized an open book.

After finishing that, there was nothing left for her to do in Hugo’s room.

“Catherine, come and sit down. Isn’t this a visit to see the patient? If someone saw, they’d think I’ve hired you as my caregiver.”

She replaced the words she wanted to say with a laugh and sat in the chair Hugo pointed to.

As she sat quietly, a memory from her past life came to mind.

Hugo, who roamed the battlefields, didn’t suffer major injuries but often returned with minor ones.

Each time, Catherine dropped everything and ran to Hugo.

What did Hugo say when he saw Catherine rushing over breathlessly?

• I don’t need nursing. Do what you want, Catherine.

To Catherine, those words sounded like telling her not to disturb his rest.

So, the former Catherine couldn’t even sit by his side when he was hurt, like now.

It was so sad.

Seeing Hugo refuse Catherine’s touch and take medicine from John instead, Catherine’s heart felt like it was being torn apart.

Memories of the past kept coming back.

Catherine lowered her eyes. The dark shadows cast by her eyelashes were full of gloom.

Meanwhile, Hugo’s mind was so heated that he couldn’t think.

Catherine said she’d wipe his body. With those white, delicate hands.

The thought alone drove him crazy.

All the blood in his body boiled, his mouth dried up, and he was so tense and excited that his fine hairs stood on end.

He couldn’t say a word.

If he opened his mouth now, he would undoubtedly say something foolish because of the brain melted by the boiling heat.

The room was silent for a while.

“Um, Hugo.”

Catherine spoke first.

“Speak… Catherine.”

He spoke without trembling. Hugo was very satisfied with that and looked at Catherine. Meanwhile, he discreetly pulled down the blanket.

The room was too hot. Thanks to Catherine leaving the door open, otherwise, he would have been sweating profusely.

Just a single word from Catherine about wiping his body actually made Hugo’s body heat up.

Well, if a sturdy man was about to receive the touch of the woman he loved and didn’t heat up, it wouldn’t make sense.

Hugo swallowed hard, hoping Catherine would say something.

“Why did you go back to Lavender Lake?”

Hugo, who was wondering what to do if Catherine told him to take off his clothes, or if he should be happy or tell her not to pull down the blanket, regained some rationality at Catherine’s question.

This daring act began with Hugo’s sudden night walk.

He recalled why he had to go to Lavender Lake late at night.

Catherine had dug pits on the Lavender Lake path to create fate, and Baron Dictron and Riena got hurt.

Seeing that, Catherine stiffened and muttered.

• I have to fill the holes. Before more people get hurt.

Catherine’s hands and arms were a mess as she said that.

Seeing her scratched by branches and her hands covered in dirt, Hugo’s nose tingled.

Her white, delicate hands, made dirty by touching dirt, leaves, and branches, were pitiful.

He wanted to do it himself, but Catherine wouldn’t let him touch the shovel when digging the pits.

• You have to be very careful when intervening in someone else’s life, Hugo.

Why was it okay for you to jump in recklessly, but not for me? 

Hugo grumbled inwardly but couldn’t take the shovel from her hands.

However, he didn’t want to leave Catherine to fill nearly ten pits alone.

So, Hugo lied to Catherine.

• I’m hungry, Catherine.

At those words, Catherine bit her lower lip and pondered.

Should I fill the holes now or come back early in the morning?

Since it was a path where people didn’t walk, there would be no problem coming back early in the morning to fill them.

So Catherine chose Hugo, and after a simple meal together, they parted ways, and Hugo returned to Lavender Lake immediately.

And that night, Hugo was the one who filled the pits.

‘It wasn’t a lie started by John.’

Hugo recalled with a gentle smile.

Hugo intended to keep this fact a secret from Catherine. He didn’t want to see her feeling sorry.

If his kindness became her guilt, Catherine would reject all his kindness in the future.

Above all, Hugo didn’t regret his actions from the previous night.

Because what if Catherine had gone and gotten hurt?

Hugo might have blown up Lavender Lake, which Baron Dictron frequented.

Thanks to his unusual actions, Catherine was safe, and she visited his house twice to see him.

The benefits outweighed the losses.

So having started the lie, he intended to bury everything, but was Catherine an ordinary woman?

“When I sent someone to check, all the pits were filled, Hugo. You went back because of the pits, right? You got hurt while filling them.”

He hadn’t filled the last pit, but maybe the coachman had.

Thinking he should reward the coachman appropriately for that as well, Hugo quickly replied.

“No.”

Hugo lied. But he had to retract his words soon.

“Since you got hurt because of me, I’ll help you until you recover.”

What’s wrong with stimulating Catherine’s guilt? A pumpkin rolled in on a vine!

( A saying that when unexpected luck comes, ‘pumpkins come rolling in on vines’, which means to be blessed with a great prize or catch. )

Hugo wasn’t the type to buy a lottery ticket promising the future when a shining golden lump was right in front of him.

“It took exactly 30 minutes to fill ten pits, Catherine. It wasn’t a difficult task. Though my leg did become uncomfortable.”

Catherine smiled faintly as she watched Hugo, who was making a cute fuss, point at his leg.

“So why go? I said I’d go and do it.”

“I wanted to take a walk. Let’s say it was incidental.”

Not long after the two started having a conversation that resembled a real one, John appeared, his hands full of items.

Hugo jumped up as if he had been waiting and took off his thin shirt.

“Hugh, Hugo!”

Catherine covered her eyes with both hands.