Chapter 119

“You’re not going to say this is dangerous too, are you?”

Evelyn asked playfully.

“It’s not completely without risk.”

“Dyffrin.”

“I’m joking.”

Dyffrin explained in a blunt tone.

“That wasn’t funny.”

“Then I failed.”

The words didn’t suit Dyffrin at all, and Evelyn couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Do you want to dip your feet in too?”

“I don’t like the idea of sand sticking to my wet feet.”

Such an unromantic person.

Come to think of it, Dyffrin was originally like this. He had been acting quite romantic lately, making her foolishly hopeful.

Evelyn gave up and dipped her feet in the seawater alone. The waves were quite high, so she had to lift her skirt slightly.

Not far away, young men from the island village were playing in the water. Splashes from their play landed on Evelyn’s head.

The young men looked at Evelyn and shouted.

“Oh, sorry!”

Just as she was about to say it was okay, Dyffrin came to her side with a stern expression and answered for her.

“Be careful.”

Even the burly young men flinched at his tone.

“Y-Yes!”

Evelyn sighed.

“There was no need to be so serious.”

“Those guys kept glancing at you.”

“Maybe they were curious because my clothes are different from the islanders.”

“Their looks were more lecherous than curious.”

Evelyn frowned slightly. To her, the young men seemed innocent enough.

But it seemed like a pointless argument, so she chose another topic.

“You ended up coming into the sea after all.”

Dyffrin slowly looked down. His unrolled pant legs were soaked in seawater.

Evelyn chuckled lightly and said,

“Not just your feet, but your pants will be covered in sand too.”

“…”

“Since you’re already wet, let’s stay a bit longer. The seawater is refreshing.”

Dyffrin didn’t refuse. Evelyn went under the cliff to look at the red starfish clinging to the rocks.

They were as pretty as stars embedded in the sky.

“Dyffrin, have you seen something like this before?”

“Don’t touch it. It’s a species with mild poison.”

Once again, Dyffrin was ruining her romantic moment.

“I wasn’t planning to touch it. How do you know so much about starfish?”

“When early summer comes, fishermen often collapse because of that starfish. That’s why I know.”

“I see…”

Indeed, anything unusually beautiful should be viewed with suspicion, whether it’s a person or a starfish.

That’s an unchanging rule…

Splash-!

At that moment, a big wave hit the cliff and seawater poured over their heads.

Evelyn was instantly soaked like a wet rat. It would have been better if it had been rain; the saltwater felt extremely unpleasant.

Turning her head, she saw Dyffrin in a similar state. He wrung out his wet shirt and muttered.

“We shouldn’t have come in after all.”

There was nothing to say. Evelyn first wrung out her wet hair. Droplets of water fell in rapid succession.

At that moment, she made eye contact with the young men who had splashed water earlier. They were staring intently at her.

Evelyn belatedly realized her clothes were clinging to her body, revealing her figure.

Once again, Dyffrin was quick to act. He glared fiercely as if he would growl at any moment.

“Get lost.”

Dyffrin said to the young men.

Seeing Dyffrin’s dark, ominous demeanor, the young men ran off.

Dyffrin eventually took off his shirt and draped it over Evelyn. His bare upper body was revealed.

“Dyffrin, what about you?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“But…”

“People around here often walk around shirtless, so it won’t look odd.”

“But you’re not from here…”

Dyffrin was a noble. Nobles never undress in public. It was not only uncouth but also diminished their dignity.

Seeing him break such a taboo, Evelyn was anxious. She hurried out to the beach and wrapped the picnic blanket around Dyffrin’s shirt.

She then returned Dyffrin’s shirt to him.

“Here, wear this.”

Only then did Dyffrin put his shirt back on. Though it was wet and clung to his body, it was better than nothing.

Looking around, she noticed the women’s gazes were fixed on them. They seemed to be admiring the handsome young man’s excellent physique.

Feeling down, Evelyn told Dyffrin,

“I think that’s enough of an outing for today. Let’s go back.”

* * *

Back at the villa, Evelyn took off the picnic blanket she had been covering herself with. Her wet hair had dried a bit, but her clothes were still soaked.

“I need to wash up quickly…”

As she slowly lifted her gaze, she met Dyffrin’s eyes, who was quietly watching her.

There it was again, that look. His blue eyes were turbulent like waves.

“…You should wash up first.”

Dyffrin said, turning around. His awkward demeanor made Evelyn tilt her head.

She felt the intense heat in his eyes again a moment ago.

But she couldn’t ask him directly about that look, so she silently went into the bathroom.

As she washed off the salt clinging to her body, Evelyn thought deeply.

About why Dyffrin was acting strangely distant and about that look in his eyes earlier.

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

‘He’s holding back.’

Since she had suffered a mild concussion, he seemed to be suppressing his desires to avoid straining her body.

Though not certain, the highly likely assumption put her mind at ease.

He wasn’t avoiding her; he was being cautious. The doctor had advised against strenuous activities, so it made sense to postpone intimacy for a while.

But this was their once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon.

Evelyn didn’t want to spend their honeymoon, which should be a lifelong memory, acting like strangers.

How could I persuade Dyffrin?

After some thought, Evelyn came up with one idea.

A somewhat risky and dangerous idea.

* * *

Evelyn deliberately stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. Fortunately, Dyffrin was waiting outside and hadn’t gone anywhere.

As expected, Dyffrin froze like a statue upon seeing her in just a towel.

“It’s your turn to wash up.”

Saying that, she lightly tugged on Dyffrin’s hand. Freshly bathed, Evelyn exuded a pleasant scent.

“I told you not to walk around like that. Put on some clothes before you catch a cold.”

His voice was stiff.

Now she was sure. Knowing the reason, Evelyn smiled lightly.

“No.”

Dyffrin frowned. It was rare to see a man look so handsome even when scowling.

“How long were you planning to avoid me?”

Understanding her words, Dyffrin exhaled deeply.

“Just as the doctor advised, for a while.”

“Until the honeymoon is over?”

“He said to avoid strenuous activities.”

“Then we just won’t be strenuous.”

“I can’t promise that.”

Evelyn giggled.

“For someone so honest, why did you hide your feelings? I almost misunderstood.”

“It wouldn’t make me a good husband if I admitted that’s all I could think about while you were hurt.”

“A good husband is someone who is honest with his wife and considers her feelings. Not someone who makes decisions unilaterally and hides his thoughts.”

“There you go again.”

Dyffrin looked away. Evelyn didn’t mind and traced her fingers along his neck.

“Stop it.”

“You won’t be able to hold out for long anyway.”

Her touch became increasingly blatant, and Dyffrin’s breathing grew more ragged.

Without stopping, Evelyn pushed Dyffrin onto the bed. He could have easily restrained her with a single gesture, but he didn’t.

“You wanted an heir, didn’t you?”

Dyffrin grabbed Evelyn’s hand, which was caressing his cheek, and pulled it away.

“The heir talk was just an excuse to keep you close.”

“…Is that so?”

“You still don’t know me well.”

Evelyn had to admit it.

Their arguments over an heir had been going on for quite some time.

‘When did this man start loving me?’

Feeling a bit dazed, Evelyn composed her expression.

“But I do know one thing. Dyffrin, you can’t resist me.”

The muscles under her fingertips twitched as if angry. He was holding out longer than she expected.

“Evelyn.”

Dyffrin warned in a low voice.

“I get it. If you still feel the same after three seconds, I’ll stop.”

Evelyn teased his arm with the hand Dyffrin hadn’t caught.

“One.”

Her hand moved up his arm, brushing his collarbone. As Dyffrin shuddered, Evelyn felt herself heat up as well.

“Two.”

Evelyn climbed on top of Dyffrin and looked down at him. Their eyes met, and it felt like sparks flew.

“Three.”

She lowered her head and kissed Dyffrin lightly on the lips. The seawater made them taste salty. Maybe that’s why her mouth felt dry.

But a promise was a promise. Dyffrin hadn’t reacted for three seconds, so she had to pull back.

It wasn’t about pride. She was simply impressed by Dyffrin’s consideration for her.

Evelyn lifted herself off Dyffrin.

“I understand your true feelings…”

“Do it.”

“What…?”

“You asked for this.”

Dyffrin kissed her as if to devour her. It was a kiss that felt like it would consume her whole body.

Though a bit scared now that it was happening, Evelyn decided to embrace the excited Dyffrin.