Chapter 57
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 57
In that fleeting moment, his breath escaping from his lips intertwined sweetly with hers, mingling between them.
It felt as though a tiny giant danced within my heart.
Thump, thud, thump, thud.
As my frantically racing pulse finally reached its crescendo, my breath caught entirely.
In that instant, Lucas slowly withdrew.
"Though I am making the effort."
He rose with a bitter smile, his ears flushed crimson as he cleared his throat awkwardly.
Similarly, Grace's face had burned a deep red.
Though I had done nothing, my lips burned as though I had done so much.
Simultaneously, an inexplicable emptiness and deflation flooded through me like a tidal wave.
My lips had grown parched, and I could not count how many times I had to moisten them with my tongue.
Having risen, Lucas turned away and stood by the window.
His broad shoulders expanded and contracted repeatedly, as though drawing deep breaths.
Watching him brush back his hair, dampened by heat, several times over, I found myself thinking without realizing it.
'Why did he stop....'
My face burned at the shame of harboring such a thought, yet I remained honest with myself—I was disappointed.
'Restraint... was unnecessary.'
Should I say it? That he need not hold back? Should I simply tell him?
Could Lucas have heard the hesitation in my thoughts?
Adjusting his collar, Lucas spoke in a voice grown slightly deeper.
"I wish we could marry sooner."
"...Ah."
"Even a day sooner."
I understood the meaning behind those words.
That becoming husband and wife would mean we need no longer restrain ourselves with one another.
Pressing down my wildly racing heart, I could not help but ask.
"Do you... care for me?"
Lucas turned and gazed at me. Then, smiling slightly, he nodded.
"I do care for you, Grace. Quite a great deal, in fact."
"Why?"
This was truly what I wished to ask.
That Lucas held affection for me was something I could not fail to notice.
But I was curious—why, how had he come to care for me?
"According to Julie, you are the type who refuses to marry without love."
"That is correct."
"Then, does that mean you now love me...?"
We had not spent so much time together, and had there been any incident that would cause him to... care for me?
Or was it, quite literally, love at first sight?
Love.
It was a word that made my heart race.
Yet I never believed it was something to speak of lightly.
I didn't want to stake my life on a feeling that had seeped in so gradually.
Why? How had he come to care for me?
Whenever I saw him, I trembled, I avoided him, and I judged him through the lens of my own prejudices....
How had he come to care for someone like me?
Was he truly a man who spoke of love so easily?
"To be honest."
He approached slowly, then spoke with a hint of difficulty, or perhaps awkwardness.
"It hasn't reached the point of love yet."
Strangely, those words put me at ease.
Whether he heard the shallow sigh of relief that escaped unbidden, Lucas's expression shifted subtly.
He scratched his forehead, then stepped closer and spoke with earnest sincerity.
"I apologize if I've disappointed you."
"...?"
'No, not at all. If anything, it's reassuring.'
I shook my head firmly, even extending my hand to emphasize that everything was fine.
Lucas, who had been watching me quietly, reached out and pulled me toward him.
Before I could even gasp, I was drawn snugly into his embrace.
And before another breath could escape, his hand at my waist lifted me effortlessly, settling me on the windowsill.
"But I truly do care for you."
Our eyes were now level.
The two of us faced each other once more, impossibly close.
Lucas held me between his arms, looking at me directly from that proximity, and whispered in a low voice.
"It's embarrassing to bring up that time again, but when I was Lucky, standing by your side... I felt how utterly lovely you were."
"...Your Grace."
My face flushed hot as I lowered my gaze, uncertain what to do.
He lifted my chin with his fingertips, bringing our eyes level once more.
"Sometimes, without any particular reason, simply by existing in that moment, you appear dazzlingly beautiful to me."
How could he speak such words so effortlessly?
My lips grew dry from the tension that kept building within me.
Each time I ran my tongue across my lips, Lucas's gaze fell upon them.
"I simply find myself anticipating you, curious about you. And sometimes I'm rather flustered...."
"Flustered?"
He laughed, baring his teeth—a soft, subtle smile right before my eyes that made my breath catch repeatedly.
"Because I think you'd look cute no matter what you were doing, and I'm flustered by the fact that I'm thinking such things."
"...What?"
"For instance, if you were picking your nose when you thought I wasn't looking...."
"Your Grace!"
Good heavens, how could you say such a thing!
Grace's eyes widened in shock, and without thinking, she struck his shoulder with her palm.
He hunched his uninjured right shoulder and feigned pain, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
"Then, if you were to drool while sleeping...."
"I don't!"
"Well, one never knows. Grace, if you're exhausted enough, it could happen, couldn't it?"
"No! I don't! I absolutely don't!"
Grace spoke with utmost seriousness, then realized Lucas Black was teasing her and struck his shoulder once more.
Harder this time, with greater force.
But Lucas Black merely laughed, as though even a feather's touch would hurt less than this.
"What I'm trying to say is...."
"I don't pick my nose, and I don't drool!"
"It doesn't matter to me, Grace. Whether you pick your nose or drool."
'No! I don't do those things!'
Grace glared at him, her face flushed crimson.
'How can he even speak of such things—picking noses and drooling?'
As she glared at him with her lips pressed firmly together in exasperation, Lucas Black suddenly pressed his lips to her cheek.
"...!"
'...Now? So suddenly?'
Her expression dissolved into bewilderment.
In that moment, his lips touched her cheek once more before withdrawing.
"What I mean is, no matter what you look like. Even if you despise someone or stubbornly insist on something I don't quite understand...."
His voice resonated directly beside her ear.
Her waist tensed involuntarily, her shoulders trembling at the slow, measured cadence of his mature voice.
"Grace, if it's you... I think I would naturally assume there must be a reason for it."
Lucas Black's lips brushed against her flushed ear.
The sensation was so dizzying that she found herself gripping his shoulder tightly—the very shoulder she had struck so roughly moments before.
"Your determined gaze when you're being stubborn is endearing, and your unguarded lips seem so lovely...."
Their foreheads touched with a soft sound.
"...Even if I were to curse at you, Your Excellency?"
He smiled and nodded.
"Even then."
With lips that had been so provocative mere moments before, Lucas Black made her the most beloved woman in the world without the slightest hesitation.
"Though I haven't experienced everything yet, I have a strong feeling—no, a premonition."
"...."
"That I will undoubtedly fall in love with you."
...So then, what was the question I had asked?
Right... I had asked why he liked me.
And in response, he had revealed such an immense heart.
"Is this answer sufficient?"
"Quite flustered, actually."
"Your flustered expression is endearing."
...This man must be truly mad.
I pushed away his face as he drew closer, desperate to hide my burning cheeks.
"Are you always this affectionate?"
"Hardly."
"...Everyone from the Black Family seems affectionate."
"The Black in Black Family means we commit ourselves fully to everything. When we can, we must give our absolute best."
"I see."
"But Grace, may I ask you the same question?"
"What do you mean?"
"What aspect of me captured your heart?"
"...Pardon?"
"It seems you fell for me at first sight.... When did you first see me? Is there perhaps a first meeting between us that I'm unaware of?"
What on earth is he talking about?
First sight? Why would he think that?
As I stared at him in bewilderment, he tilted his chin slightly upward with a smile and spoke to me in a coaxing tone.
"I'm truly curious, Grace. What charm of mine has captivated you so completely?"
"Yes, um? What... charm?"
Of course, Lucas Black was undeniably attractive.
His devastatingly handsome features, his solid build, his immeasurable wealth, and a temperament far more tender than his outward appearance suggested.
All of it felt like his charm.
But none of it was enough to make me fall at first sight....
As I stood there unable to answer, my eyes wavering as I looked at him, he spoke playfully.
"Don't be shy, tell me, Grace. Hmm... Is it your face after all, as Haem said?"
'No, wait, the one who should be embarrassed isn't me, but rather His Excellency....'
I swallowed down the words that tickled my throat with difficulty.
I liked the expression on his face as he gazed at me.
Those blue eyes, holding a hint of anticipation, were beautiful to behold.
'...Ha, haha.'
Yes. For now, for a while at least, I should say nothing.
I smiled and simply kept my mouth closed.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org