CHAPTER 50
I was walking toward the authorized entrance when the rain, which had thickened again, seeped through my clothes.
“Achoo!”
I sneezed loudly and felt a bit embarrassed, glancing around, when something heavy fell over my head. It was Giovanni’s cloak.
“Consider this a bribe.”
I laughed without thinking but quickly stopped. I was too drained to even laugh properly.
My stamina was gradually failing.
All around me, there was only rain, rain, rain.
‘At this rate, won’t the kingdom really be flooded?’
“The rain is coming down too hard.”
I couldn’t respond. My head was too cluttered.
After a few steps, I abruptly stopped.
“I need to go to the Count’s mansion.”
“In this rain? You’re exhausted. You’ll collapse if you try to walk through it.”
“I can take a horse. There was one at the inn we passed by.”
“That doesn’t sound like a wise choice. It’s better to rest for the day and travel tomorrow.”
“I can’t just wait for the rain to stop.”
“That’s up to the heavens. It’s not something your impatience can solve.”
I turned my head and exchanged a frustrated look with him.
“If my will reaches the heavens, who knows?”
“……”
“I have to return to the mansion. I need to stop this rain.”
Giovanni’s eyes briefly widened, then narrowed. His sharp gaze pierced mine, and I felt an extreme tension that made my heart seem like it might stop.
I took a slow breath and met his gaze.
“You’ll wear yourself out.”
“That won’t kill me.”
“Were you always this stubborn?”
I shrugged. There was no time for a debate.
The moment I moved a step, I was lifted upward.
I let out a scream instinctively and grabbed his firm shoulder.
I was sitting on Giovanni’s arm. Supporting me with one arm, he frowned at my scream.
“You won’t die, but you’ll collapse eventually.”
“At least, could you say ‘excuse me’ first?”
I spoke as calmly as I could.
“Before I fall from surprise.”
“……May I excuse myself?”
I almost laughed at the words after a brief silence, but I held it in.
“Very well. Next time, let me know before you act.”
He let out a small laugh.
“I’ll do that.”
His obedient response made me think, Huh, that’s unexpected. They say people stretch out after finding a place to lie down.
I didn’t miss the chance.
“And could you also refrain from glaring at me like that? I’m not cut out to be a warrior. When I feel fear, my body stiffens.”
I timidly voiced my complaint, quoting his earlier words.
Giovanni asked:
“Scared of my gaze?”
I blinked in confusion.
“Was it scary?”
I was speechless. Could he really not tell how intense his look was?
“You weren’t doing it on purpose?”
“I was just looking.”
“……”
My lips trembled.
“Just looking,” he said. Right. I was intimidated by an ordinary gaze. Even though I’ve played on top of the heads of hardened criminals.
Giovanni had long legs, and unlike me, didn’t tire, so before long we had reached the stables.
But only after the owner showed me the horses did I realize an unexpected problem.
“Why…?”
“I don’t know how to ride.”
“Ride a horse?”
I nodded sheepishly.
As a maid, I either walked or rode in a wagon. After joining the Lorenst family, I still took carriages. Not to mention in Amtein.
So I had never even perched on a living horse before.
“Can’t be helped.”
When I flinched, he nodded belatedly.
“Ah, excuse me.”
For some reason, I felt like laughing, but I spoke elegantly like a lady.
“Please.”
His lips curved. Just as I was distracted by his unexpected smile, Giovanni lifted me onto the horse and climbed behind me.
A horse’s back, untouched by rain, was naturally very different from a carriage. I could feel the muscles, firm and warm.
Giovanni’s body heat wrapped around me from behind. I felt slightly uneasy because of the closeness.
Excluding Hubert, I’d never been this close to another man.
“Relax.”
His voice brushed past my ear. I nearly shivered but held back. My body tensed automatically.
‘Too close.’
“If you stay this tense, your whole body will ache later.”
“……”
“The horse isn’t scary. If you feel like falling, I’ll hold you.”
Not that I needed it.
But his consideration was a thousand times better than the alternative, so I silently nodded. Relaxing wasn’t easy, though; I heard him click his tongue behind me.
“I don’t get it. You dive into dangerous situations without hesitation, but you get scared of this.”
‘No, you’re just too close.’
If Keina or Chii from Amtein had seen this, it would have been lifelong teasing.
“Excuse me.”
He wrapped one arm around me. His muscular arm crossed my stomach, pressing my back against his chest.
Through wet clothes, his warmth radiated. Was it because he was from the desert? The heat against my back was even hotter than the horse.
“This will help.”
Well…
I’d never felt such a strong urge to vehemently deny something he said.
More than anything, his breath was so close!
Every hair on my body stood on end.
Splash! Splash!
The horse’s hooves splashed water with each step.
The unrelenting rain had turned the roads to mud.
To make matters worse, by the time we reached the Count’s mansion, the rain had thickened again, so heavy that I could barely keep my eyes open.
Whoooosh!
“Fortunately, no guards!”
I had to practically shout over the rain.
Following my lead, Giovanni drove the horse to the stable. After tying it to a post, we entered the mansion.
Click. Thud.
The door closed, cutting out the downpour.
The mansion in the dim early morning was extremely quiet.
Tap, tap. Tap, tap.
Only the rain tapping the windows broke the silence. A melancholy atmosphere filled the house.
Drip, drip.
I gave up wringing water from my clothes and shook my hands.
Giovanni gathered his long hair and wrung it, then looked around the mansion.
“How do you plan to stop the rain here?”
His low whisper drifted like smoke through the quiet air.
“Let’s go upstairs first.”
We climbed the stairs. Walking down the corridor, we reached Aris’s room.
‘Somehow Giovanni ended up coming along too.’
I walked as quietly as possible, using my old skills to minimize noise.
Step, step. But Giovanni’s large frame made it impossible for him to be silent.
Fortunately, we encountered no one along the way.
I stopped in front of a white door adorned with ornate designs.
“Where are we?”
“Aris’s room.”
I glanced at Giovanni briefly. My inner conflict intensified.
Could I trust him?
Giovanni scanned the door briefly, then silently looked at me.
He must have been puzzled by my audacity to come here despite claiming I would stop the rain, but he hadn’t asked anything while we walked. It was as if he’d wait until I spoke.
‘Does he trust me?’
I couldn’t read his thoughts, but I felt a sense of being trusted. Especially after saving people together.
At the very least, he had a good character. I finally understood the devotion of Kitchef, which I had once thought excessive.
‘Of course, I’m not Giovanni’s subordinate, and Kitchef’s loyalty probably had some affection mixed in!’
I muttered to myself but stopped before it sounded like an excuse.
“Listen carefully, Your Highness.”
He met my gaze. My reflection was clear in his black pupils.
‘His eyes are so glossy.’
Shaking off the thought, I chose my words carefully.
“Perhaps I can stop Aris’s rampage.”
“Perhaps?”
“I could fail too.”
Giovanni frowned.
“You’re attempting something reckless again.”
“Because I think I can do it.”
“……”
“I thought I could make the prince my ally, save people, and even now—”
I looked him straight in the eyes.
“I think I can stop the rain.”
“It’s just a supposition.”
“I’ll make it reality.”
“……”
“Just like I have until now.”
Giovanni pressed his lips together, seemingly swallowing a sigh. I found it strange that he was exasperated. Why would my actions frustrate him?
“Are you worried about me?”
“That…”
“……”
“Are you talking about the horse?”
A slow sigh escaped between his parted lips. His dark gaze scanned me.
I knew he looked incredulous, but I swallowed nervously.
‘You were so teasing before.’
A sudden thought struck me:
‘One can’t be affectionate with just anyone.’
“Don’t worry.”
“Why?”
“You’ll misunderstand.”
His thick eyebrows twitched, and I let out a helpless laugh.
“I mean it. You’ll misunderstand.”
“……”
“And what if I start liking you, Your Highness?”
“……”
“You can’t possibly like me.”
“……”
“And I don’t want to be misunderstood by your subordinates either.”
I grinned.
Beyond the door, Aris was rampaging, and any of the staff could rise and move about, yet here we were joking.
Half joke, half serious.
“You still say that?”
Giovanni stepped closer. Just one step, but I flinched. I felt instantly within his space.
“You’re the one misunderstanding.”
When Giovanni lowered his head, his breath brushed my nape, sending a chill down my spine.
His scent—unlike anything I’d ever smelled—was so strong it almost made me dizzy.
It was the scent of a heartbeat.
