“She said she felt relieved and laughed.”

“……I see.”

She answered after a moment of silence. It was somewhat embarrassing.

In fact, she hadn’t countered Giana’s words with anything grand befitting the mistress of the Taylor family.

She simply hadn’t wanted to meekly submit to someone who showed hostility toward her.

Especially since she was also a woman who had addressed Lucas familiarly……

⟨I would appreciate it if you maintained proper etiquette from now on. While we may have interacted informally in childhood due to our fathers’ acquaintance, that is no longer the case.⟩

Suddenly, his voice echoed in her ears as he had coldly drawn a line with Giana. Giselle unconsciously brushed away the corners of her mouth that were about to turn up.

⟨I’m saying don’t make my wife a laughingstock, not even for a moment. I’ll let it slide this time because I don’t want to ruin my wife’s first tea party, but I won’t tolerate a situation like earlier again.⟩

Her memory seemed quite good too.

Considering how she could recall exactly what Lucas had said to Giana.

‘……What does it mean to like someone.’

Earlier she had expected something on her own and then disappointed herself, and now she was enjoying herself recalling something insignificant.

Giselle chuckled and shook her head.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Ah! The bath must be ready.”

The nanny, who had been excited to chat one-on-one after a long time, made a regretful expression at the knock before approaching the door.

Giselle also rose from her seat to take a bath. Her hair, removed from its ornaments and let down her back, swayed to her waist.

“My goodness, master!”

But the person behind the knock was not a maid, but Lucas. His hair was slightly wet, suggesting he had already bathed in another bathroom.

“You haven’t bathed yet, I see?”

“Yes, the maids should be preparing the bath water. By the way, did you come with your hair not fully dried?”

Giselle frowned and approached him. Then, without giving Lucas a chance to speak, she continued with a scolding tone.

“You did this last time too, and now again today! What if you catch a cold? Do you think you’re, what, invincible……”

‘One-sided love is so unfair.’

It felt somewhat unjust to be worrying alone when the person in question seemed to have no particular thoughts about it.

She was so focused on grumbling inwardly and scolding Lucas that she didn’t notice the nanny quietly smiling and leaving the room.

Click.

A pleased smile spread across the nanny’s lips as she turned around after closing the door.

“Our miss, now you finally understand how I feel.”

The nanny recalled little Giselle who would often come out with her hair not properly dried and read books.

‘Back then, I would catch the young miss and meticulously dry her hair……’

After briefly reminiscing about those times, the nanny smiled again and turned around.

“I suppose I should reheat the bath water.”

She added this to herself as she walked away.

* * *

“Come here and sit down.”

Giselle commanded firmly with her hands on her hips. Lucas held back a smile that was about to break out, then obediently sat in the chair as she ordered.

Then she scurried off somewhere like a squirrel and returned with a towel.

“Are you going to dry my hair?”

“Would you rather do it yourself?”

When Lucas asked, Giselle countered, and he chuckled and shook his head before straightening his posture. It was as good as a silent answer to her question.

Giselle wrapped Lucas’s hair with the towel and began meticulously drying it.

“Ah, wait. My hair is being pulled……”

“Stay still.”

“Um, Giselle. The towel is covering my eyes.”

“I said stay still. You have to dry your hair properly to avoid catching a cold.”

She blocked Lucas’s attempts to speak as he complained about the discomfort several times, and focused on drying his hair.

Of course, not being accustomed to drying someone else’s hair, she did make mistakes like poking his eye with her fingertip while drying his bangs.

“There, all do—… ahem, all done.”

Giselle removed the towel and proudly opened her mouth when she felt it was sufficiently dry.

But seeing his forehead with red marks from her hands and his hair sticking out like a bird’s nest, she unconsciously cleared her throat.

“……?”

Seeing this, Lucas narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Giselle felt a twinge in her chest and blurted out words that hadn’t been asked.

“Wow, whoever did this really dried your hair well. Very thoroughly, not a drop of moisture left, it’s all fluffy and dry.”

“Well, I think I need to look in a mirror. I should check with my own eyes.”

Despite her words, he looked at her with doubtful eyes and tried to get up from his seat.

Seeing his determination to go to the vanity and check his appearance, Giselle hurriedly grabbed Lucas.

“Why are you getting up? Just feeling it with your hands is enough.”

“You’re making such a suspicious expression.”

“I-I’m not!”

Giselle was startled and shook her head in denial, then tentatively reached out to smooth his disheveled hair.

Though the meaning of her gesture was all too clear, Lucas quietly entrusted his hair to her touch.

Tap. Tap.

At that moment, the sound of raindrops was heard, and soon rain began streaming down the window.

Giselle paused in arranging his hair, turned her head, and said, “Oh.”

“It seems to be raining.”

She quickly removed her hands from him and approached the window.

Lucas unconsciously frowned, feeling somehow disappointed when her touch disappeared from his hair.

Unaware of his expression, Giselle stood by the window and looked at the rainy scene outside.

The scenery created by the flowing rainwater evoked a feeling similar to looking at a watercolor painting with blurred paint.

“Even though the window is closed, it will be cool because of the rain.”

As Giselle was looking at the scenery outside, a comforting warmth settled on her shoulders. Lucas had brought a shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Thank you.”

She held the shawl closed and looked outside again. Lucas also stood behind Giselle and silently gazed out the window.

“……”

Giselle’s eyes, which had been looking at the rain-soaked garden, moved slowly. Of course, she didn’t turn her body away from the window. She only raised her gaze slightly upward.

To see the reflection of the man in the dark window.

One might think his black hair would be hard to see in the darkness, but somehow his figure was as clear as in daylight.

Well, he wasn’t the type of person with such a faint presence that he would be buried in mere darkness……

‘He really is handsome.’

Giselle secretly admired the man’s reflection in the window. Though she had tried to arrange his hair, it was still less neat than usual, though not as disheveled as before.

Yet rather than being a flaw, it created a strangely appealing atmosphere.

For example, on the bed……

⟨Embrace my neck, Giselle. If you don’t want to fall.⟩

The image of the man who had lifted her so effortlessly while giving that command overlapped with his current self, looking outside with disheveled hair.

And along with it, the bite marks and hot breath he had left all over her body were revived in her memory……

It was at that moment, as she was appreciating him with somewhat excited eyes while letting her thoughts wander freely.

That Lucas’s gaze in the window reflection turned toward her.

“Eep! I wasn’t thinking anything!”

Giselle, whose mind suddenly cleared when their eyes met, waved her hands and answered a question he hadn’t even asked.

Lucas slightly raised the corner of his mouth, then turned her body around.

“I didn’t ask anything?”

“……!”

Giselle’s face turned bright red as she realized her mistake. She tried to hide her embarrassment and move away.

But Lucas had extended both arms to grip the window frame, essentially trapping her inside, so she couldn’t move an inch.

“Were you perhaps having inappropriate thoughts while sneaking glances at me?”

“Th-that……”

In the end, all Giselle could do was bow her head deeply to avoid his gaze. Seeing her reaction, Lucas continued with a mischievous smile.

“Really? I was just throwing that out there?”

“N-no….. It’s not like that!”

She belatedly stammered a response and pushed him away with both hands. Thanks to Lucas stepping back more readily than expected, Giselle was able to escape from him.

“You said something strange first, so I was just at a loss for words.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Really!”

At his teasing tone, Giselle raised her reddened face to look at him. His expression suggested he didn’t believe her words at all.

She took a deep breath, then busily fanned herself with her hands to cool the heat in her cheeks as she inadvertently turned her gaze away.

Though she hadn’t intended to look at it specifically, her gaze stopped on the vase containing the orange roses.

Lucas also seemed to notice it as he turned his head in the same direction, pausing his teasing.

“……Can I ask you one thing?”

Orange roses were reflected in Giselle’s green eyes. Lucas turned his gaze to her and nodded.

“Those roses. Did you… did you know the flower meaning when you bought them?”

Her voice came out slightly trembling. But he didn’t notice that and asked back with a puzzled expression.