Chapter 124
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 124
Chapter 8
The Witch of Beginnings
Grace and Lucas exchanged brief greetings with Selena and Gabriel before opening the gate.
While Lucas was away, Cain Black had agreed to look after Selena and the Mansion in his stead.
Under normal circumstances, Gabriel alone would have sufficed, but now there were three additional people who required protection.
"Will Cain be alright on his own?"
Cain Black was a prodigy widely regarded as a candidate for the next Prime Minister.
People said the Royal Palace administration would grind to a halt without him—he was that busy.
Grace felt a slight worry about whether Cain could truly spare attention for the Mansion.
Lucas chuckled softly and pulled Grace's waist closer to him.
"You needn't worry about Cain. He'll manage more than adequately."
Grace read infinite trust in Lucas's eyes.
Though the brothers seemed distant with each other, it appeared the person he trusted most was his younger brother.
"...Yes, if you say so, then I trust him too."
At Lucas's words, she smiled as though all her concerns had melted away.
Just as he trusted Cain, she trusted Lucas.
Because Lucas believed in Cain, she could believe in him as well.
The two drew closer, their eyes meeting.
His lips captured hers, savoring the taste deeply.
What she thought would be a light kiss became far more intense than expected.
He gently bit her lower lip before parting it with his tongue, slipping inside.
"Mm..."
Startled, Grace quickly grasped his shoulders.
'We're outside right now...!'
They had arrived at Yorheim Temple through the gate, but Contana was an island that required a boat to enter.
Just before boarding the vessel to Contana Castle, they had been sightseeing at the harbor.
In other words, quite a number of people were positioned around them.
"Lucas... mm, Lucas."
Had the large, firm hand not been supporting her waist, she surely would have stumbled.
Just as her lips began to feel numb and swollen, he slowly withdrew his lips.
"...It's because someone over there keeps glancing at my wife."
He murmured with an apologetic tone, though his eyes gleamed dangerously.
"Pardon?"
"She's mine—why do others keep looking...?"
He cupped her cheeks in both hands and lifted her face, as though reluctant to let her go.
Her lips, glistening with his saliva and looking all the more appetizing, seemed to make him reluctant to part from them.
A persistent longing caused his lips to meet and part from hers repeatedly.
With each kiss, Grace's face grew increasingly flushed.
The harbor was quite busy with passersby.
People waiting for ships, vendors hawking their wares, and those seated on benches gazing out at the sea.
Among them, a man masquerading as ordinary—yet anything but—showered the woman cradled in his arms with relentless kisses, a sight that was, in every sense, quite the spectacle.
So it was entirely Lucas's fault that those passing by kept stealing glances at the two of them.
"Please, stop... doing that. What will people think of us?"
"A couple with a particularly intimate relationship? Quite the lustful one?"
At his words, Grace's already flushed face turned an even deeper crimson, as though it might burst.
He gazed at her flustered state with evident delight and whispered softly.
"It's hardly an inaccurate assessment, is it, my dear?"
"...Are you going to keep teasing me in such improper ways?"
"They say it's a blessing when both husband and wife share such lustful inclinations...."
"I—I'm not like that!"
Though she denied it hastily, his eyes remained alight with amusement.
"Then was I the only one enjoying myself? Even this afternoon at that desk, when you...."
Eek!
Startled, Grace quickly clamped her hand over his mouth, her expression fearful of who might overhear.
"Please, please... We're outside, remember? Such things should only be said when we're alone together."
She hadn't said never to say them—only that he should save them for when they were alone.
Lucas found his wife so adorable and endearing that he couldn't help himself.
He wanted to kiss those plump cheeks—like ripe strawberries bursting with juice—a thousand times over.
Her pouty lips, always quick with a retort, were equally appetizing.
How could such a person exist in this world?
With each moment, he marveled at Grace, now his wife, and with each moment, his heart ached with affection.
Lucas pressed a deep kiss into the small palm covering his mouth.
Her scent enveloped him completely.
"Let's go. I can't even look around properly. People keep staring...."
She quickly slipped from Lucas's embrace and hurried away with quick, light steps.
Her retreating figure gleamed in the sunlight.
Her lustrous black hair scattered in the sea breeze, so radiant it was nearly blinding.
Lucas watched her receding form intently before slowly following after her.
* * *
"Wow...."
The ship cut through the sea and departed with vigor.
Grace's chest swelled with overwhelming emotion as she gazed mesmerized at the glittering ocean.
"Miss, it's cold. Please wear this."
"No, it's not cold at all, Julie. It's refreshing, isn't it? Come here and look at this too. I feel so wonderful."
"You're right. It's truly beautiful."
Julie also gazed transfixed at the sea, sparkling like jewels.
Julie knew the world was vast, but she had been to very few places.
From the moment she became capable of doing work, her life had revolved solely around being a maid.
Of course, her affection and love for Grace remained unchanged.
Still, just once....
She had always harbored a desire to venture into the world as Julie herself, not as someone's servant.
"Thanks to you, Miss, I've even ridden in a Gate and now a ship. I'm grateful."
"How could that be thanks to me? It's simply... fate that brought us both here together. Don't you think? We're bound by fate, Julie."
"Goodness! How could someone like me and you become bound together? I'm merely your servant, happy just watching you be beautiful, content, and comfortable."
Grace glanced back at Julie and spoke with a smile.
"Do you know how beautiful you look right now?"
"What?"
"Now that you've shed your maid's uniform and are wearing Julie's clothes, you look absolutely beautiful."
At Grace's words, Julie looked down at the simple one-piece dress she wore.
It was a deep crimson one-piece dress that matched the new shoes Grace had gifted her before the journey, saying it would be nice to wear good shoes.
"Not maid Julie, but just Julie. Julie herself is so beautiful like this... yet it seems neither the world nor you realize it."
"Miss...."
"So take time for yourself often, time just for you, Julie. You're allowed to. As much as you want. You're my precious Julie."
Julie suddenly felt a surge of emotion.
Why did her nose sting so, and her eyes burn with tears?
She could only bite her lip and grip the ship's railing, unable to speak.
'My precious Julie'....
Words she had never imagined hearing.
That I was Miss's precious Julie.
To be called someone precious....
Why did tears keep threatening to spill?
"I, I...."
No, I can't. Hold it together, Julie. Don't cry. Don't cry!
She held back with wide eyes, but tears seemed ready to fall at any moment.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Julie cried out in a fluster and bolted from the spot.
"I, poop, no, my stomach, my stomach hurts! H-just a moment, Miss!"
With her glistening eyes squeezed shut, Julie fled the stern.
She didn't open her tightly closed eyes until she collided with someone on her way toward the back of the ship.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
A scream echoed as Julie tumbled backward onto the ground.
The person who had collided with her also cried out, landing hard on their backside.
"Julie, why were you running so fas— Julie? Julie, are you... are you crying?"
"...Haem."
"Oh! Why are you crying? Is it because of me? Did you hurt yourself badly when you fell? What's wrong? Please don't cry."
Haem scrambled forward on his knees, utterly flustered as tears streamed down Julie's face, unsure what to do.
"Where did you hit? Hmm? Look at me, please. What is it? Why are you crying? Don't cry. I'm sorry. I should have been watching where I was going..."
"That's... that's not it..."
"Then what? What's wrong? Did something blow into your eye? Please don't cry. I'm begging you. Okay?"
Oh goodness.
Watching Haem panic over my tears only made them flow harder.
Why did he always become so flustered whenever he saw me like this?
I had been pretending not to know, but I already understood the reason.
"What should I do? What can I... what should I do for you? Hmm?"
Without thinking, I pouted my lips and spoke through my sobs, my voice trembling.
"When someone's crying, you're supposed to hold them! Have you never seen someone cry before?!"
"Oh...!"
Startled, Haem's eyes widened at my sharp tone, and he quickly opened his arms, pulling me into a tight embrace.
"I, I'm sorry. Excuse me."
I asked you to hold me—why are you apologizing?
At Haem's disarmingly kind words, I laughed even as I cried.
His embrace, which had always seemed so lean and sparse, was surprisingly broad and warm.
And the way his hand gently patted my head was so tender.
Thanks to that, my tears dried far more quickly than expected.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"...No. Not yet. Sniff sniff. Still not yet."
"Ah, okay!"
But reluctant to leave the comfort of his arms, I pretended to cry a little longer.
The sound of his heartbeat, steady and strong against my ear, was soothing.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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