Chapter 80

“Oh, My Lord. Were you out somewhere?”

“Where’s Louise?”

The unsettled expression from moments ago was gone, replaced by Alec’s usual calm demeanor.

“Oh, the Madam is probably in her room. I was just on my way to help her with a hot compress.”

“I see.”

Looking down, Alec noticed Jane was holding a bowl of hot water and some towels.

It seemed she had been heading to her room when he saw her earlier.

Not wanting to witness Louise’s struggle again for such an embarrassing reason, Alec hadn’t checked through Gideon’s eyes since.

Approaching Jane, Alec spoke.

“I think I can take that from you.”

“Sorry?”

“Is it just a matter of warming up the towels and applying them?”

“…Yes. Are you going to do it yourself, My Lord?”

Alec paused, looking at Jane for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

Jane, surprised but quickly understanding, handed the compress tools over to him.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, My Lord. The Madam seems to be in quite a bit of pain, probably because it’s her first time living in such a big castle.”

“…That makes sense.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Alec accepted the items from Jane.

With a soft smile, Jane added, “She’s such a delicate person. She seems to struggle quite a bit going up and down the stairs, so perhaps it might be a good idea to move her room if she wishes.”

“I’ll ask her.”

“Alright. If you need anything, just call for me.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, My Lord.”

With that, Jane bowed slightly and left.

Watching her walk away, Alec let out a long, frustrated sigh and began ascending the stairs.

Taking advantage of the empty space, he used his skill to move quickly to Louise’s door.

His clothes fluttered from the speed, but soon settled calmly.

The hot water still steamed, gently rippling.

*Knock, knock.*

As soon as he knocked on the door, Louise’s voice came from inside.

“Is that Jane? Come in.”

“…”

Facing Louise again with a clear mind made him feel a bit ashamed, and he bit his lip as he opened the door.

Entering the room, he forced his voice to remain calm.

“It’s not Jane.”

“…Huh? Alec?”

“…”

Alec closed the door behind him and walked toward Louise.

She looked at him and the items he carried, confused.

“Where did you go this morning?”

“I was at the nearby mountain.”

“…A mountain?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… And you had the energy to go after last night?”

“…”

If he had been drinking water at that moment, he would’ve surely spit it out.

Barely managing to keep his composure, he approached her.

Louise sat on the bed, still looking at him with curiosity.

Alec placed the steaming bowl and towels on the console table.

He pulled a chair closer to her and sat down.

“I ran into Jane on my way here. She was coming to see you, so I took this in her place.”

“Oh… I see. So you’re going to massage my legs instead?”

“I think my hands might be a bit more effective than Jane’s. May I?”

“…”

He still couldn’t meet her eyes.

But Louise was staring intently at his face before lifting her slender leg and resting it on his knee.

With a playful smile in her voice, she replied,

“Of course. I’ll leave it to you.”

Louise placed her hands on the bed behind her, leaning back to get comfortable.

He planned to use a healing skill on her.

To do so, he had to touch her.

However, if he healed her all at once, it would seem strange, so he decided to heal her a little bit each day.

Lowering his gaze, he carefully grasped her ankle and pulled up the dress that had slipped below her knees.

Her pale, smooth leg was now exposed, and despite himself, his eyes wavered.

Seeing the faint marks on her white skin, his chest tightened, and he looked away, taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry I caused you so much pain.”

He felt a heavy weight in his heart.

He never meant to push her to the point where she couldn’t even walk properly.

“It’s fine. Actually, I’m quite satisfied. After three years of marriage, I finally got to experience this kind of soreness.”

“…”

Alec’s eyes froze for a moment.

With a graceful gaze and calm voice, Louise gently hit his heart with her words.

“I had almost resigned myself to a life of abstinence.”

“…”

Trying to appear unfazed, Alec wrung out the towel.

There was a tender longing in Louise’s voice.

It was clear that Louise had been satisfied with last night, but that only made Alec feel more guilty.

This wasn’t something that could be justified just because they both enjoyed it.

And yet, it was too late to reveal his true identity now, as the situation had become even more complicated.

He soaked the towel in water, but it seemed to have cooled down a bit, feeling lukewarm.

‘Ah, come to think of it…’

He remembered that a few new skills had unlocked as his level increased.

—

[Hot Touch of a Novice Husband: Fiery Heat]

You can generate heat or fire. Strong enough to burn recognized enemies to ashes instantly. The user must control the intensity and type of fire.

Mana will be consumed.

—

“…”

The name of the skill, ‘Hot Touch of a Novice Husband’, made him feel something rise within him, as if asking why these things kept happening to him.

Still, the skill proved useful as he used it to warm up the towel again.

At least it served a purpose.

He folded the towel at the perfect warmth and wrapped it around Louise’s leg.

“Ah—!”

Louise let out a soft gasp, startled by the sudden touch.

Only then did Alec look at her face.

“Is it too hot for you?”

“No, I was just surprised. It’s warmer than I expected, but it feels nice. I’ll bear it.”

“Let me know if it’s painful or too hot.”

“I will.”

Finally, Alec lowered his gaze back to her leg.

He gently massaged her calf muscles with his hands wrapped around the towel.

Louise’s body tensed, and he felt her take a deep breath.

“Ha…”

Her breath caused Alec’s own gaze to tremble.

The heated breath and the skin that had intertwined with his last night flashed before his eyes again like a vivid memory.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to focus and continued massaging her soft leg.

“It’s strange to have you do this for me now.”

“…”

“It seems touching me doesn’t bother you at all anymore.”

Her voice trembled slightly, and Alec’s heart seemed to tremble with it.

Louise’s leg, cradled in his hands, felt as delicate as her chest.

Struggling to keep his focus, Alec finally activated his healing skill and asked,

“Does it feel alright?”

“Yes, it’s warm and soothing.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

He continued the gentle massage, moving on to her right leg and repeating the compress.

He made sure to keep using the healing skill, little by little.

This leg had a large bruise, likely from when she tripped on the stairs earlier.

His guilt deepened—he had clearly hurt her too much.

“I’m sorry. I should have taken it easier, but I… overdid it.”

“No need to apologize. It was probably your first time doing something like that, right?”

“…”

Louise’s voice remained gentle and kind.

“But it was good, wasn’t it? Didn’t you enjoy it?”

“…”

His hands, which had been re-wetting the towel, froze.

He could feel her jewel-like eyes constantly on him.

Enjoy it?

He had enjoyed it so much his heart had felt like it might burst, but hearing such an obvious question brought a deep sigh from him.

With a conflicted expression, he rubbed his lips and responded,

“I can’t even begin to describe it.”

“…”

Louise let out a soft laugh.

It seemed she was quite pleased with his answer.

“Does that mean we can do it every day now, like other couples?”

“Excuse me?”

Alec stared at Louise in shock, her words hitting him like a bolt from the blue.

Her face remained as calm as ever.

But Alec’s heart wasn’t calm at all.

His eyes were constantly drawn to her lips, and he couldn’t stop recalling the scene of their bodies entwined, breathing in unison.

Forcing himself to tear his gaze away from her face, he bit his lip before responding,

“Not all couples do it every day.”

“…So, you don’t want to?”

There was a slight hint of reproach in her voice, and her gaze felt like a playful glare.

Alec, deciding to be honest, confessed,

“That’s not it.”

“Alright.”

Louise smiled, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

After finishing the compress on her other leg, Alec gently set her leg down.

He only released her foot after it had fully settled on the floor.

But then Louise hiked her dress up even further, revealing her pale thighs.

“…!”

Alec’s eyes widened in surprise, but Louise spoke as if nothing was wrong.

“It’s a good thing you came instead of Jane. She would have been so shocked to see me like this.”

“…”

“Oh, but maybe she would have been just as happy. She would have been thrilled that her masters finally succeeded.”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories