‘Why is he acting like that?’

That’s when it happened. Petals carried on the breeze scattered across the quietly flowing lake. 

I lifted my head at the sudden shower of flowers, and in the distance I saw Frea trees in full bloom lining the lake.

“Frea trees…?”

I never expected to see them here. The pink petals fluttering in the wind were truly beautiful. Being here felt like standing in a rain of flowers. Plus, the Frea petals that fell on the lake looked like flowers blooming luxuriantly on the water.

“…Beautiful.”

“Indeed.”

How unusual that nothing bad came out of his mouth. I looked at Thadeus in puzzlement, but his gaze was fixed on me, not the petals. His expression wasn’t full of mischief but somehow vulnerable, which felt unfamiliar.

I turned my head away, feeling like I’d seen something I shouldn’t have. Because it seemed like he’d called me beautiful. 

Even though I knew better than anyone that the Thadeus I knew wouldn’t think such things. 

The strangely resonating sound of my heartbeat bothered me, and as I coughed to clear my throat, he suddenly asked me.

“What do you even like about that scrawny guy?”

“Scrawny guy? You don’t mean… Schwein?”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t like him describing Schwein as scrawny, but for the first time, a topic came up that I actually wanted to continue discussing. Thinking about my prince Schwein would be good for erasing these absurd thoughts from my head.

“First of all, he’s handsome.”

“That dough-faced guy?”

“And unlike someone, he speaks kindly and every single action shows consideration for others.”

There were countless other reasons I liked Schwein. I’d told Luina these things so many times that she’d begged me to stop, saying her ears would get calluses.

“That’s all an act.”

I glared at Thadeus with sharp eyes at his predictable jab. I continued speaking to refute him.

“If it were really an act, he wouldn’t be courteous to me. I’ve made unimaginable mistakes in front of him.”

“It’s not like you stabbed someone with a knife or committed fraud that destroyed a family.”

“Those aren’t even in the category of mistakes anymore.”

Plus, he was the one who asked out of curiosity first, yet he’d been picking fights the whole time. He looked so pathetic.

“And don’t insult Schwein in front of me.”

“That just makes me want to do it more.”

He never just agreed to anything. Then a question I’d been curious about for a while came to mind. Since we were just having this pointless argument anyway, it’d be better to satisfy my curiosity.

“But how did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That I have a one-sided crush on Schwein.”

“Because you were always looking at him.”

It was an unexpected answer. Even my close friend Luina hadn’t thought I liked Schwein. She’d been too busy teasing me about whether I was planning to attempt poisoning next.

“Everyone else thought I hated Schwein.”

“Why?”

“Because… I did so many strange things.”

Just standing in front of Schwein made my whole body freeze up, my head spin, and my hands and feet move on their own. Like I’d malfunctioned or something.

So when he picked up a handkerchief I’d dropped, instead of accepting it gracefully, I committed the atrocity of tearing the handkerchief right in front of him. And when I was startled by Schwein approaching, I splashed the tea I was drinking on my own face.

And that wasn’t all. I’d committed countless other ridiculous mistakes. Even when I beat the ground in regret wondering why I’d done that, I’d repeat the same behavior the moment I stood in front of him again.

“Everyone’s like that when they like someone.”

“Huh?”

“That’s how people’s hearts work. Being honest with your own feelings is incredibly difficult.”

Thadeus, who I’d naturally expected to mock me, showed an uncharacteristically serious reaction. I was surprised by his bitter expression, like he too had experienced unrequited love.

‘Could he be talking about that fiancée?’

I couldn’t imagine how terrible Thadeus would become if he acted opposite to his feelings in front of someone he liked, just like me. Just briefly imagining it gave me goosebumps all over.

When I shuddered, he sent me a puzzled look. Since I couldn’t exactly say I’d been imagining him with a crush, I blamed the perfectly fine weather.

“It suddenly got a bit chilly.”

“It’s not that cold.”

Thadeus casually draped the outer coat he’d been wearing over me. Thadeus’s refreshing scent spread sharply to my nose. Somehow it was an addictive smell that made me want to bury my nose in it and sniff.

‘But I can’t show such disgraceful behavior.’

I resisted the temptation and looked at the leisurely flowing lakeside scenery when I saw a Frea tree petal falling right in front of me. It sparkled more than ordinary petals somehow, making me want to take it home.

“Got it! Whoa…?”

The relief of catching the petal lasted only a moment. My body slowly began tilting downward. I lost my balance and fell straight into the cold lake with a splash.

“Clea!”

Thadeus’s shout mixed with the sound of loud splashing. The cool water temperature constricted my entire body. My feet didn’t touch the ground. Water rushed into my nose every time I breathed.

‘I don’t know how to swim or anything!’

Fear of this unfamiliar situation consumed my mind. As I flailed helplessly with nothing to grab onto, my body tried to sink downward.

Someone approached me. But my head was already beyond rational judgment. My mind went completely blank from the water continuously entering my nose and mouth.

I even pushed away the person trying to grab me, and my meaningless struggling continued. 

The other person hugged me tightly so I couldn’t move anymore. Just as I was about to cling to them more, I emerged from the water.

“Gack, cough cough!”

Thadeus first lifted me, breathing roughly, onto the small boat. My dress hung heavy, soaked with water, and my heart pounded violently. Once I climbed onto the small boat, Thadeus also came up.

“You really can’t take my eyes off you.”

I thought he might be angry or pour out harsh words, but what showed on his face was worry for me. Thadeus also seemed shocked, breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?”

“…Fortunately.”

“We’re going straight back to the villa.”

“Looking like this?”

“Then what? Were you planning to go home like that?”

“Not that, but…”

Wouldn’t everyone be startled if I suddenly appeared looking like a drowned rat? But maybe because I’d suddenly fallen in the water, my body felt eerie and seemed to have a chill.

“Go warm up your body first. There are clothes to change into at the mansion, so at least wear those.”

“…Okay.”

By the time I got off the small boat, goosebumps had risen all over my skin. Even though he rowed quickly, we’d gone quite far out, so it took longer than expected to return.

Every time a gentle breeze blew, I felt cold, so it seemed like I might catch a cold if I wasn’t careful. 

My body trembled as I walked with my arms wrapped around myself, and my water-soaked dress kept drooping to the ground. Meanwhile, Thadeus, who’d brought the horse, extended his hand to me.

“Come here, Clea.”

When I grabbed his hand, he lifted my waist and placed me on the saddle. Thadeus also climbed onto the saddle and hugged me tightly from behind. Since we were both completely soaked, our bodies pressed closely together in a damp state. His firm chest and solid arms touched my body.

One strange thing was that his body temperature felt hotter than usual. And Thadeus’s distinctive scent stimulated my nose dizzyingly. Plus, the swaying body from riding the horse made me think of something intimate.

‘This feels exactly like when I’m having s*x with Thadeus. When did I become such an impure person?’

I was flustered by the feeling of my lower abdomen subtly heating up. To think I’d have lewd thoughts in this situation. Maybe when I fell in the lake, my head broke too. Then a low voice settled in my ear.

“We’ll arrive soon, so just hold on a little longer.”

The words tinged with tenderness made me feel even more embarrassed. I nodded with my head deeply bowed.

We arrived at the mansion shortly after. The servants who discovered us came running with startled faces, bringing things to dry off with. The middle-aged man who’d prepared the horse also ran over with an urgent expression.

“What happened, young master!”

“We fell in the lake. I’m going to bathe right away, so prepare some warm water.”

“I’ll have it prepared immediately.”

Thadeus told me to follow the maids. When I followed them, the maids guided me to the bathroom. Before I could express my gratitude, I hurriedly blocked them as they tried to enter with me.

“I’ll go in alone.”

“Will you be all right?”

Just yesterday I had a passionate moment with Thadeus. Red marks were blotched all over my body, embarrassing even to me. If I were married, maybe it’d be different. But I didn’t have the confidence to brazenly show such a state.

“I prefer bathing alone.”

“Okay. If you need anything, please let us know anytime, miss.”

Whether a maid who’d run ahead had prepared it in advance, warm water with rising steam was already drawn in the bathtub. I threw off the dress that had felt like shackles and entered the bathtub in one go.

My body, which had been trembling finely until just now, calmed down considerably once I entered the warm water. It felt like my body, frozen to the fingertips, was melting limply.

“Ahh… I finally feel alive.”

As I stayed submerged in the water with my eyes tightly closed, I heard a servant’s voice from outside the tub.

“The clothes for you to change into are prepared outside. Please let us know when you’re done washing, miss.”

What good would it do to wash well alone if they discovered the marks on my body when I put on clothes? I brought up the topic as naturally as possible to avoid looking strange.

“I’ll dress myself too, so leave them inside.”

As I stayed fully submerged in the tub so my body wouldn’t show, the blotchy marks were hidden. Fortunately, the servants didn’t express any particular doubts and left the clothes inside. 

Then they disappeared after greeting me, wishing me a good time.