Chapter 113
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
Chapter 113
That night.
Though I would normally have returned home by this hour, I remained at the Duke's Residence.
"Oh, these strawberries are enormous!"
I was preparing bread to bring to Curtis Rohan and the Knight Order tomorrow.
The reason I was baking here at the Duke's Residence was simple enough....
'What if Curtis Rohan comes home today?'
Then I'd spoil the surprise gift!
For that reason, I found myself diligently baking bread in the Duke's Residence Kitchen even at this late hour.
While the bread baked in the oven, I was busy slicing strawberries to crown the loaves.
"These strawberries should go on Curtis Rohan's bread."
Anticipating how pleased Curtis Rohan would be upon receiving the bread I'd made, I set aside the finest strawberries exclusively for his loaf.
But then Lahedis, who had been helping me prepare the bread, suddenly interjected.
"What about mine?"
"Huh...?"
Oh no.
I froze at his unexpected question.
'I was so focused on Curtis Rohan and the Knight Order that I completely forgot about Lahedis's bread....'
Since I'd made plenty, I could certainly set aside one loaf for him.
As if I'd originally intended to make one for him all along....
"Of, of course I was looking for big ones for you too!"
"Give me one first."
At Lahedis's request, I unconsciously reached for the smallest strawberry.
It was a habit born from my time at the Bakery—displaying the finest produce for sale while setting aside the smaller or less appealing ones for myself and Curtis Rohan.
"...You give Curtis Rohan large, fresh strawberries, and you give me small ones?"
Only after hearing Lahedis's words did I truly grasp what I'd done.
"Oh no."
Glancing at Lahedis, I could see he bore the expression of someone who'd taken a double blow—clearly wounded....
"I, I didn't mean to! It's just a habit from running the Bakery, I did it without thinking...."
I quickly set down the strawberry I'd picked and selected a fresh, plump one instead.
Then I swiftly changed the subject.
"If you coat strawberries like this in whipped cream, they're absolutely delicious."
I handed Lahedis a strawberry generously coated in whipped cream.
Hoping the sweetness of the berry and cream would soothe his disappointment.
I naturally expected Lahedis to take the strawberry and eat it himself....
"Feed it to me."
Instead of using his hands, which were occupied preparing ingredients, Lahedis leaned his face toward me.
'Hmm, feeding someone feels a bit embarrassing....'
But he's my lover—what's the harm in this?
I placed the cream-coated strawberry into Lahedis's mouth.
In that moment, my finger—having missed the chance to pull away—brushed against Lahedis's lips.
Oh.
The warm, soft sensation grazing my fingertip made my body stiffen involuntarily.
And my gaze was stolen away.
To those lips, crimson as strawberries, glistening with berry juice.
As I stared blankly at those lips, I belatedly noticed Lahedis's gaze and lifted my eyes to meet it.
His blue eyes, savoring the strawberry and whipped cream, regarded me with quiet intensity.
And in that same instant, my breath caught.
All sound vanished, and only the thunderous pounding of my own heartbeat seemed to fill the world.
It was when I came to my senses while gazing into those eyes, as if entranced, that....
Dong— dong—
The sound of the grandfather clock echoed from the Central Hall of the Estate.
"Oh! The bread! It must be done baking by now!"
I fled that delicate atmosphere, hastily retrieving the bread and beginning to prepare it.
Unaware that the light in Lahedis's eyes had dimmed.
* * *
I became certain that Lahedis's mood had soured around the time I'd nearly finished making the bread.
How did I become so certain....
He hasn't been teasing me since earlier.
Ordinarily, Lahedis would toy with me—whether through playful touches or witty remarks—but since then, he'd been nothing but quiet.
When I speak, he answers, and he continues making bread methodically, but that's all.
Did he feel hurt because I only looked after Curtis Rohan...?
As I recalled my own thoughtless actions, my conscience pricked sharply.
Having resolved myself while finishing the packaging of the remaining bread, I gently tugged at Lahedis's apron.
"Hey, Lahedis."
Lahedis, who had been packaging the last of the bread just as I was, turned to face me.
"You... were hurt because of me earlier, weren't you? Because I only looked after Curtis Rohan."
"Well, a little."
The fact that he didn't deny it suggested he'd been quite hurt.
A wave of apology washed over me for my own thoughtlessness.
I was pondering how to soothe his feelings when Lahedis continued.
"But now, I'm thinking about something."
"Hm? What are you thinking about?"
"Perhaps my own impatience was what rushed you."
"Rushed me...?"
"To you, I'm merely a friend, yet perhaps you accepted my feelings because you didn't want to lose me."
The usual composure had long since vanished from Lahedis's face as he spoke.
The moment I detected the barely concealed anxiety in his expression, my heart sank.
"That's not it. You know, don't you? That I'm not the type to say I like something when I actually dislike it."
"But you are soft-hearted toward Rachel."
I closed my mouth at Lahedis's self-deprecating remark.
Of course, it was true that I had been soft on Rachel.
Rachel was my precious friend, after all.
But...
That feeling hadn't changed even now that Rachel had become Lahedis.
It wasn't that I mistook friendship for love, nor did I reluctantly accept it because I didn't want to lose Rachel.
Lahedis gently pried my hands away from where they desperately clutched his apron and interlaced our fingers as he whispered.
"It seems like only I want you, like only I desire to be closer to you."
At Lahedis's words, tinged with a bittersweet undertone, a surge of indignant emotion welled up within me.
My feelings for him were genuine.
Whenever I see you, my heart races like this—how could I possibly mistake this for friendship?
How could this tingling, fluttering sensation possibly be anything other than love?
"No! I want to kiss you too—"
In my indignation, I inadvertently voiced aloud the wicked thoughts I'd been entertaining about his lips just moments before!
What on earth am I saying!
I clapped my hand over my mouth a beat too late, but the damage was already done... Oh no.
Lahedis's expression clearly showed his bewilderment as he looked at me.
How am I supposed to salvage this ruined atmosphere?
It was in the midst of this chaotic turmoil that I was floundering.
After observing me for a moment, Lahedis took another half-step closer to me.
"Vivian."
"Y-yes...?"
"Do you really want this too?"
In Lahedis's gaze, which met mine directly, there was not a trace of his usual playfulness.
A head taller than me, a frame large enough to envelop me entirely, a voice that descended in low tones, and...
Eyes darkened with a heaviness that seemed ready to consume me at any moment.
Anew, I realized with vivid clarity that he was no longer just a 'friend'.
At the same time, Lahedis began to feel slightly frightening to me.
Not because I disliked his touch, but because these acts still felt embarrassing and unfamiliar.
But if I pull away now, won't Lahedis be hurt?
I hate the thought of hurting someone I care about.
I steeled my resolve and slowly nodded my head.
As if he'd been waiting for this, Lahedis wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck and slowly lowered his head toward mine.
I froze completely, squeezing my eyes shut.
The warmth of his hand against my neck, the hot breath that tantalizingly brushed against my lips—it was dizzying.
Even in that fleeting moment, countless thoughts raced through my mind.
Absurd thoughts like, 'I just ate strawberries, so will it taste like strawberries?' and 'They say you hear bells ringing in your head during your first kiss—is that really true?'
But...
His lips didn't touch mine—instead, they gently brushed against my cheek before pulling away.
Huh...?
I opened my eyes hesitantly, and Lahedis, who had been watching me, gently bumped his forehead against mine.
"How can you give in so easily just because I pouted a little? You're such a fool."
"I... what?"
"Kissing is something you do when you want to. Don't force yourself to endure it, and don't settle for charity."
Lahedis's eyes, now facing mine, were neither unfamiliar nor frightening as they had been moments before.
"I'll keep tempting you,"
With the same tender gaze he always wore, he watched me blink helplessly, wiped away the whipped cream from the corner of my mouth—I couldn't remember when he'd noticed it—and continued speaking.
"When you feel like giving in, come to me then."
That single phrase, that look in his eyes, that touch of his hand.
From everything about him in this moment, I could feel his feelings for me so clearly...
For some reason, it was a night when I wanted to cry.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------