MLHBMH 24

Chapter 24

 A Sufficient Reward

The first view she’d seen when she got out of the carriage had been lovely, but this one was far better. Who would have thought such a beautiful place existed near the capital? The thought of all the time she hadn’t known about it felt almost tragic. She liked it so much that she spent a long time strolling along the lakeshore.

Then she felt a prickling gaze and turned her head. It was Harold.

He was still standing there like a man nailed to the ground. Only then did Lily realize she had completely left him alone, and she approached him with an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry. The lake was so beautiful I got lost in it without realizing.”

“It’s fine. I’m just glad it pleases you, my lady.”

“I really like it. It’s exactly the kind of place I imagined.”

“A place where you can shake off all your worries, rest freely, and breathe without feeling suffocated by other people’s eyes.”

Though she had said it herself before, hearing those words repeated by Harold somehow embarrassed her. A faint blush spread across Lily’s cheeks.

Harold tilted his chin toward a large tree behind him.

“The view of the lake from up there is quite beautiful, too. A pity you can’t see it.”

“Why can’t I?”

“Because you can’t climb a tree in that dress.”

“Ah.”

Lily gave a small exclamation and looked down at her clothes. Indeed, it would be impossible to climb a tree in such a long, flowing dress. More importantly, she didn’t even know how to climb one.

She knew it was best to give up, yet she couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Her gaze lingered on the tree Harold had mentioned. Its trunk was so thick that several grown men could barely encircle it with their arms, and its branches were just as sturdy—strong enough, she thought, to hold both her and Harold without trouble.

Maybe she could climb that high somehow? Even as she knew it was impossible, she couldn’t stop looking up at it. Harold noticed.

“Do you want to climb it?”

“Ah… no, it’s fine.”

If she said yes, Harold would surely try to find a way to make it happen. She was already grateful enough that he’d brought her here; she didn’t want to trouble him any further.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

He had seen right through her again. After glancing around the tree, Harold pointed at one of the lower branches.

“If you step on my shoulder, you should be able to reach that branch.”

His shoulder? Lily’s eyes went wide, and she frantically waved her hands.

“Really, it’s fine! You don’t need to do that.”

“But since we came all this way, shouldn’t you at least take a look?”

“It’s fine. I can come again next time.”

At her words, Harold’s lips curved faintly.

“Then that means you’ll come here with me again, next time.”

Oh no—was that how it sounded?

Unintentionally promising another meeting, Lily turned her head toward the lake, her face a little stiff with embarrassment. But the sight of the dazzling water glittering under the warm sunlight soon softened her expression, and a smile crept naturally onto her lips.

“Thank you.”

Still smiling, Lily looked back at Harold and spoke earnestly.

“For before, and for today too… thank you for helping me.”

Harold said nothing in reply. He only gazed down at her with those unfathomable eyes that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Feeling slightly uneasy under that stare, Lily licked her dry lips and dropped her gaze—only to notice a small scar beneath his chin, no larger than a fingernail.

A scar on a noble’s face was rare. The higher one’s status, the less acceptable even a small blemish became.

Then… was Harold not of high birth?

No, that couldn’t be. He had stayed in a suite at the Pracis Hotel—something only counts and above could afford.

Then what was that scar? Was it too deep for any physician to heal?

Yet it was so small… from the shape, it looked like a cut from a blade. For a knight who wielded a sword, a scar like that would make sense.

“Are you only going to thank me with words?”

Her wandering curiosity snapped back to the present. Lily lifted her gaze to meet his. His golden eyes gleamed with a boyish brightness.

“There are other ways to show gratitude.”

He was asking for a reward. Considering all the kindness he had shown her, it wasn’t an unreasonable request, so Lily didn’t think much of it.

“If there’s something you want in return, tell me.”

Harold tilted his head slightly.

“And what will you do if I ask for something strange?”

“Are you going to?”

“Who knows? Depending on how you take it, it could be strange—or not.”

“That sounds mysterious.”

Harold’s thin red lips curved upward in a smooth, teasing smile.

“Are you curious?”

Danger. A red warning flashed in her head. Her mind screamed no, tell him no, but her lips betrayed her.

“Yes… I’m curious.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Harold closed the distance between them. He came so close that Lily startled and took a step back, but it was useless.

Harold caught her shoulders, faster than she could retreat, and spoke in a low, heavy voice.

“Are you really curious?”

It was her last chance to refuse—whatever he meant to do, this was her only out. If he had wanted her to run, he wouldn’t have bothered to ask. He wanted her not to refuse.

And Lily understood what he wanted. She knew she should push him away, but once again, her body ignored her mind’s protests.

“I’m curio—”

Before she could finish, her lips were completely swallowed. She’d expected it, but the kiss was so fierce that she gasped in shock and bit his lip.

Even when she tasted the faint trace of blood, Harold didn’t pull away. Instead, he soothed her surprise, licking her lips gently, as if to comfort her.

The tenderness calmed her racing heart, and Lily’s hands slowly came to rest on his shoulders. Taking that as permission, Harold deepened the kiss, parting her lips and sliding in. Their breaths tangled, wet sounds filled the air.

It was their second kiss—but the first time had been when she was drunk, so this was, in truth, the first she would remember. She had never kissed a man before; it was strange and overwhelming, like a small boat swept up in a violent storm.

The longer it went on, the more her tongue tingled and her breath caught. Her mind went white, bursting with sparks like fireworks. Her legs trembled so much she could barely stand.

When strength finally left her knees, she would have fallen if Harold hadn’t held her tightly. Instead, her face pressed against his hard chest, and she could feel the pounding of his heart.

Is that mine?

No—it was his.

Of course his heart was beating because he was alive, but this was too fast. Like someone who had just run a long race… or like someone standing before the person they loved.

“…”

At that thought, Lily slowly raised her head. His face was relaxed, almost languid, like a predator satisfied with its catch—but the golden eyes still burned with desire.

“It’s smudged.”

His large, firm fingers brushed her lips, now reddened and sensitive. Lily’s green eyes quivered. Harold smiled, satisfied.

“That’s quite enough payment, my lady.”

The carriage they’d come in was waiting at the edge of the forest. Harold had told the driver to wait there. The driver had looked uneasy at first, but once Harold slipped him a gold coin, his attitude changed instantly—it was more than a week’s earnings.

The driver’s grin stretched to his ears when Harold handed him another coin as they returned. Of course, it wasn’t a gift for nothing.

“You know what to do, don’t you?”

Naturally, he did. It meant: Don’t speak of what you saw here, or whom you met.

Having worked over twenty years as a coachman, the man immediately understood and bowed deeply in assent.

The shared carriage carrying Lily and Harold rolled away into the setting sun. The ride was still as rough as before, but Lily didn’t care anymore—all her attention was fixed on the man sitting opposite her.

She found herself wondering who he really was. They had spent a night together, gone on something like a date, even kissed—and yet she knew nothing about him.

He probably doesn’t know anything about me either, she thought.

He hadn’t introduced himself, and though she might have said something while drunk, the fact that he still called her “my lady” meant he probably didn’t know.

Then… did he not even know she was married?

If that was the case, he might think this was just an ordinary romance—not an affair. A pang of guilt twisted in Lily’s chest, and she lowered her eyes.

“You don’t look well. Are you unwell?”

“No, it’s just that…”

Yes, she needed to introduce herself properly.

Resolving herself, Lily looked him straight in the eye and continued.