Suddenly, a migraine hit. As I cupped my throbbing head, Lucian placed his arms around my shoulder.
âAre you very tired?â
It felt like even the migraine might go away with the friendly voice, which was completely different from when he was talking with the two of them.
âNo, Iâm fine.â
âRachel, you should get some rest too. Weâve been holding on to you for too long.â
I nodded my head at auntâs concern.
âThen, take a break for the two of you. Iâll just go. If you need anything, just let the butler know. Or call me.â
âThatâs not allowed.â
As Lucian hurriedly interrupted my words, he emphasized again towards aunt.
âI manage all of Rayâs schedules, so I hope you donât call Ray carelessly.â
ââŠUnderstood.â
The pink eyes that met mine for a moment were filled with wonder though I couldnât understand why she was making that face.
What Lucian said was not wrong.
Holding his hand tightly, I turned away from Samuelâs expression as if he had seen something strange.
I left the room with him and walked down the hallway, looking around. The butler following us was no different than usual, but the maids we encountered while passing by showed subtle expressions but then quickly hid them.
When I returned to the room with Lucian, Amber welcomed me.
âThen, Iâll take you to the dressing room.â
âYes.â
I stood there blankly until Amber took off the dress and put me in a nightgown. A lot of things happened today⊠the biggest thing among them was to confess my heart to him properly.
My tiredness set in. Amber asked as I gave a long yawn.
âBy the way, Miss.â
ââŠYes?â
I answered while wiping away my sleepy tears, and she said, fastening the front of the nightgown tightly.
âDo you have any jewelry you are looking for?â
ââŠNo? why?â
I didnât usually wear jewelry, so I put them in a separate drawer and didnât take them out. When I gazed at her, wondering why she suddenly asked, Amber tilted her head.
âItâs strange, isnât it? No, all the accessories were taken out, so I thought you were looking for them again.â
âThis is really strange. I never took it out?â
ââŠ.I guess I need to do some research. After all, no one can enter the Missâ room except me.â
âIs anything missing?â
If that were the case, it would become a rather big problem because it meant that someone tampered with my stuff.
âIt wasnât like that, so I asked Miss. Nothing was missing.â
âCould Oscar be playing a joke?â
Hearing my words, Amberâs eyes turned sharp, so I hurriedly added.
âIt wonât be. Heâs not the kind of kid who plays pranks like that.â
âStill, he had a very big accident today, didnât he?â
It seemed that she had already heard what had happened in the dining room. I put on my slippers and quickly left the dressing room. It was because Amber looked very frightened.
As I left the dressing room, my eyes met Lucian, who had taken off his jacket and had his shirt sleeves undone. He then smiled brightly. It was unthinkable that it was the eyes that harbored a murderous intent during the afternoon. They were eyes full of pure affection now.
It was still burdensome though I sat down on the sofa to go through the procedure that I had become accustomed to.
The next moment, Lucian wrapped a towel around my neck and put the water that Amber had prepared in front of him. As he washed my face meticulously and wiped it dry with a towel, he got down on one knee in front of me.
I bit my lip in embarrassment and put my foot forward. Then, the big hand that had been holding my hand a while ago wrapped around my foot at once.
After soaking in warm water, he washed my feet with a gentle massage.
Every time his fingers rubbed softly from the anklebone area, my toes spread out because of the tickling sensation. It wasnât just the feet that felt ticklish. My heart tickled every time Lucian carefully washed my feet as if he was stroking something precious.
The thick veins stood out on his arm, exposed under the rolled-up sleeves.
Even though he didnât seem to give much strength, the blue veins that had arisen felt strange. When he held my ankle with one big hand, it felt like my heart, too, was gripped. It was embarrassing though I felt his affection, and the corners of my mouth went up.
I bit my lower lip and rolled my eyes.
I didnât even hear laughter, but he raised his eyes and looked at me. He also loosened his mouth. It was a routine we had done before we confirmed each otherâs feelings, but today seemed exceptionally different.
Maybe, it was because we checked each otherâs feelings properly?
I thought it was a good idea to tell him. I really didnât expect to feel this relief. The more I received this trivial but sincere affection, the more I didnât want to miss it.
After he washed everything and applied the cream and Amber left, I lay down on the bed.
Lucian sat on my bed and looked at me intently as he put one hand on the side of my face and touched my face with the other. It was so itchy that when I grabbed his wrist, his golden eyes deepened.
He opened his mouth lightly with his fingertips on my lips.
âEven at lunchtime, I felt like I was going crazyâŠâ
Again, I hadnât misunderstood the hurt look on his face when he was with Oscar.
âBut now, it doesnât matter.â
ââŠIâm sorry.â
âItâs okay. you noticed.â
I had the illusion that stardust was pouring from the golden eyes looking down at me. Like a person looking at the most rare and precious thing in the world, his eyes were full of affection.
Still, I couldnât help but feel anxious. I checked with him again.
âReally, wait, I just need to change my last name, right?â
âYes. Itâs coming soon. All the documents are ready.â
Was he referring to the document he brought earlier?
âAm I staying at the Dukeâs residence?â
âOf course. Where will I send you? I canât do it because Iâm anxious anyway.â
âReally?â
âWell⊠I donât understand why youâre anxious, but thereâs nothing to worry about.â
Since he didnât know my circumstances, of course, he wouldnât understand.
People all lie. Was it the same as human instinct, or do humans lie because they have to live in society? If he found out that he had been deceived by the person he trusted the most, then obviously, like me, he would not be able to trust people.
Nonetheless, humans were stupid creatures. We were also oblivious animals⊠That was why I wanted to believe in someone again, so I was clinging to him.
I hoped he wouldnât deceive me.
âPlease, donât change your affection.â
Did he know that the reason why I was able to gather courage even in the face of the disillusionment that I was so afraid of was because of the way he looked at me? I wanted to tell him that I became courageous because I wanted to have that earnest look in his eyes to be only for me though I kept my mouth shut.
He might say it was gross.
Persistent, what if he curses at me? So, I shouldnât show him everything because he wouldnât get tired of me that way.
Lucian, who had been watching my expression, raised the edge of his lips crookedly.
âRay, you still donât know. But from the moment you chose me, itâs already too late. You canât even ask me to pass it on because youâll regret it someday.â
I couldnât answer and only pursed my lips. It was so sweet that it made my mouth ache, so I wanted to put it in my mouth and savor it.
His gaze landed on my lips⊠That alone made my mouth dry.
I wanted him to put something soft and hot in my mouth and moisten it. Because of that, I licked my lips with my tongue without realizing that I was just thinking about it. At that moment, the golden eyes looked at me with blatant lust.
With his eyes entangled, he slowly lowered his head. The tip of his nose brushed, and his breath touched my lips first.
I naturally opened my mouth. I wanted him to come in and stir my mouth so that I didnât think about anything, just stop feeling it.
At the same time as our soft lips touched, the long-awaited piece of flesh invaded. As expected, it was wet and hot and violently slithered into my mouth. As if he couldnât stand it, he rubbed my tongue, the inside of my cheeks, and the roof of my mouth.
In an instant, it felt like the air that settled down on my skin was getting wet.
I hung with my arms wrapped around his neck. Taking advantage of the gap between our lips for a moment, Lucian whispered.
âUse your tongue more.â
It felt like my ears would melt just to hear his low voice.
I reached out and tried to wrap his tongue as he instructed. But before I could even close it, his thick tongue grated. I gasped for breath as I accepted the tongue, trying to get deeper. I let it go until I couldnât hold my breath any longer, then I gently pushed his shoulder with my hand.
That little act made him push himself away from me easily. After that, he rained light kisses all over my face.
âGood night, Ray.â
As I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him as he always said goodbye, his greeting, âGood night,â seemed like a magic word.
I was sleepy from the moment I heard it.
I could feel him quietly leaving the room, even turning off all the small magic lights, but I immediately closed my eyes in the pouring sigh. The stagnant breath sounded and then stopped, and the closed eyelids slid up.
âHa, this is delicious.â
Rachelâs eyes, licking her lips, flashed red and then disappeared.