MWAMHR |CHAPTER 30

Chapter 30

Thud!

With a heavy slam, the gondola lurched violently.

“Ah!”

Certain the boat was about to capsize, Elisa let out a sharp cry. 

Her knuckles blanched as she clutched the railing in a death grip, eyes squeezed shut, her face draining of color in an instant.

As she’d once told Princess Camilla, Elisa hated water—more precisely, she hated the thought of falling into it.

Shallow places where her feet could touch were fine. 

But being somewhere she couldn’t stand, unable to move freely, sent a primal terror through her.

Even when Ethan had offered to teach her to swim, she hadn’t been able to learn.

She could follow him into the water so long as her feet still brushed the ground, but the moment she reached a depth where they didn’t, fear gripped her so completely that she couldn’t move a single finger.

Fortunately, the gondola only swayed without overturning. Once the rocking subsided, she let out a shaky breath of relief and cautiously opened her eyes.

Behind the gondolier—rowing with the same calm as if nothing had happened—the dock she’d stood on moments ago was already drifting away.

The gondola she was in floated along the river, accompanied by softly glowing lanterns that shimmered upon the water’s surface.

Mesmerized, Elisa found herself watching the glittering reflections ripple like spilled, liquid rainbow paint. Then she felt a presence behind her and turned.

A man was perched casually on the railing. His hood was drawn up, his face half-hidden behind a mask, so she didn’t recognize him at first. But the moment her gaze met those ash-gray eyes, she knew.

“…Ethan?”

Her voice—layered with relief, disbelief, and shock—slipped into the twilight air above the darkening river.

Ethan pulled down the mask and gave a faint smile.

“Knew you’d recognize me right away.”

“Why would you… do something like this?!”

Elisa tried to leap to her feet, but Ethan lifted a hand in quiet warning.

“It’s best you don’t stand up, Elisa. We wouldn’t want the boat to tip.”

His voice flowed as evenly as the water beneath them, calm yet edged with certainty.

Reluctantly, she froze mid-motion.

The dark water, lapping against the low railing, seemed ready to spill into the gondola at any moment.

Her mind conjured a vivid, nightmarish image of plunging into that deep, opaque river where the bottom couldn’t be seen, and she quickly sat back down.

“You still hate the water, don’t you?”

Amusement laced his voice, and he laughed softly before reaching up to pull the gondola’s canopy curtains closed, shielding them from outside view.

Then he sat beside her. 

The gondola’s seats were narrow, and with his broad frame, they had no choice but to sit close enough for their shoulders to touch.

“…Why are you here?”

She leaned as far toward the railing as she could, trying to put any distance between them.

“Because this is my seat.”

“What?”

“I’m the one who booked this gondola. And I’m the one who asked Giselle Briana to bring you here.”

Elisa stared, stunned.

No wonder Giselle had been unusually insistent, clinging to her arm and begging her to ride together—it all made sense now.

Wait.

Could it be… even Derek Grenville’s letter—?

“…That was you too, wasn’t it?”

“Which part?”

He tilted his head slightly, feigning innocence.

“The sudden meeting that kept Derek from coming to get me. Damaged his carriage so he couldn’t make it in time. And then sending me a fake letter saying he’d be late.”

The list was outrageous enough—but the fact he could listen to it all with such unruffled calm was more shocking still.

“H-how could you do something like that? That’s— That’s a crime!”

Her voice rose, but she broke off to glance around.

The riverbank, so crowded just moments ago, had vanished from sight.

They were now gliding through a secluded channel where trees crowded close on both sides, blocking the view. 

Not a single floating lantern followed them here.

“The gondolier can’t hear us, so you don’t need to worry.”

Ethan’s voice drew her gaze to the man at the oar.

She almost felt relieved—until it sank in that Ethan had thought of even that. 

Elisa clicked her tongue in exasperation.

“Still as thorough as ever.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled as if she’d just paid him a genuine compliment.

She arched her brow.

“And a lot more shameless, too.”

“So… you don’t like it?”

Elisa hesitated at the question, and a playful smile tugged at Ethan’s lips.

“So you do still like me.”

“I do not!”

She shot up, flushed with indignation—just as the gondola jolted, its oar catching on a hidden rock.

Water splashed over the railing, soaking her dress and even splattering her face. 

Elisa froze where she stood.

“It’s all right.”

Ethan took her hand and drew her stiff, trembling body into his arms. 

He brushed the droplets from her cheeks, his palm lingering just long enough to steady the shiver in her shoulders.

It wasn’t until the familiar scent of him seeped deep into her lungs that Elisa realized—she was in Ethan’s embrace.

Startled, she wanted to push him away, but fear of the gondola rocking again kept her still. 

Still, she couldn’t simply stay there in his arms. Cautiously, she reached out, easing herself back to put a breath of space between them.

“That’s enough, you can—”

“Elisa, were you the one who said you wanted to marry Derek Grenville first?”

Of all the absurd, out-of-the-blue questions, this was beyond belief. Her eyes narrowed at him.

 “Why are you asking me that now?”

“A question deserves an answer.”

The patronizing tone—like he was scolding a misbehaving child—made her lips curl in disbelief.

“Why should I? You’ve never given me a straight answer to my questions either.”

“So you didn’t say it first?”

“No, I did!”

Her voice rang out so sharply it echoed off the tree-lined canal. 

Anger flared hot at his stubborn refusal to listen, while demanding answers from her.

 “I was the one who told my parents first that I’d marry Lord Grenville!”

Ridiculous as it sounded, it was true. 

Derek Grenville might have brought it up first, but she had made the final decision and told her parents herself.

It had been the only way—albeit a belated one—to claim Noah not as a younger brother, but as her son. There had been no other choice.

For the first time, Ethan’s easy composure cracked. His jaw tightened, the muscles taut with barely contained force.

“You’re lying.”

You’ll never believe me, will you? she thought. 

And by now, she was no longer surprised.

“It’s the truth.”

That didn’t mean she wasn’t angry. 

Elisa narrowed her eyes, pulling out the only card she had that might rattle him.

“And for the record, all this—you—are making me very uncomfortable. What if Lord Grenville got the wrong idea?”

At that, the ash-gray eyes—like a twilight sky where day and night blurred together—flashed with a dangerous light.

“You said you’d marry the one you love.”

Ethan’s hands clamped down on both of Elisa’s shoulders, his voice low and ominous, almost like a mutter. 

He gripped her so hard that a pained gasp slipped from her lips.

“You said you’d rather live alone for the rest of your life than marry someone you don’t love.”

“L–Let go of me!”

Elisa twisted, struggling to wrench herself free, but Ethan only tightened his hold. 

The more she fought, the fiercer his grip became. 

Their scuffle set the gondola swaying dangerously, the tilted railing letting in a rush of river water that splashed into the boat.

“Both of you, stay still!”

The gondolier, unable to hear but able to see the chaos, shouted urgently—but his plea didn’t reach them.

“I told you to let go!”

Her neatly tied hair came undone, strands falling around her face as another wave sloshed over the side, drenching her clothes. 

Still trapped in his grasp, Elisa resorted to her last weapon—she sank her teeth hard into his arm.

“Ah—!”

The unexpected pain startled Ethan, forcing a grunt from him as he instinctively pulled back.

Finally freed, Elisa staggered to the railing, chest heaving, breath ragged.

“—!”

But the soaked floor betrayed her—her foot slipped, and in an instant she lost her balance. 

Her body pitched over the gondola’s side, plunging headfirst into the dark river below.

“Elisa!”

Ethan’s cry was almost a scream. 

Without a second’s hesitation, he dove straight into the water after her.