Chapter: 101
When I hesitated, the Duke lowered his eyebrows as though he were disappointed.
“If Lady Ancy finds my presence uncomfortable…”
“No!”
I reflexively waved my hands.
“Then that settles it.”
The Duke gave me such a beautiful eye-smile that it was almost enough to bring tears to my eyes.
For a moment, my expression became rather strange.
…Somehow, I feel like I’ve been tricked.
It’s just my imagination, right?
The Duke and I headed toward the low hill behind the villa.
The forest path, covered in colorful autumn leaves, was every bit as splendid as a flower garden.
I forgot all about worrying over how I should treat the Duke and became absorbed in the picturesque scenery.
“Haaah…”
I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
The refreshing air filled my lungs.
It was the cool, clear air created by the early morning and the forest path.
“Oh my, this is wonderful.”
I turned toward the Duke with sparkling eyes.
“If I’d known it would be this beautiful, I should have come to the forest path much sooner.”
“I’m glad that you’re enjoying yourself, Lady.”
The Duke looked at me happily, his eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“It is even more beautiful farther inside.”
“Really? Let’s go quickly!”
I gathered up the hem of my dress and hurried into the forest.
And then—
“Wow…”
The Duke had been telling the truth.
The autumn foliage was truly breathtaking.
Trees covered in vivid red and yellow leaves stretched thickly overhead.
And that wasn’t all.
Red and yellow leaves had also fallen all over the ground, making it feel as though I were walking on a soft carpet.
“Oh my, it’s so beautiful…”
Just as I was completely captivated by the scenery, my eyes sparkling—
Plop.
A drop of water landed on my cheek.
“Huh?”
I looked up in confusion.
When we had left in the morning, the weather had definitely been clear, and even now, the sky itself was so blue that it made my eyes sting.
But then—
Plop, pitter-patter, plop.
Drops of water continued falling, tapping against the branches and autumn leaves…?!
I turned toward the Duke with a bewildered expression.
“I-Is it raining right now?”
The Duke also looked perplexed.
“It certainly seems so…”
And just as he finished speaking—
Whoooosh—
A torrential downpour came pouring down.
My mouth fell open.
How could it suddenly rain this heavily?
And in a perfectly clear sky, too.
Was this even possible?!
My clothes quickly began to soak through.
At this rate, I was going to end up looking like a drowned rat.
“Oh dear.”
Meanwhile, the Duke clicked his tongue softly and glanced at me.
“Would you come this way for a moment?”
And so, we arrived at…
‘A cave?’
Though calling it a cave was a bit of a stretch, it was a naturally recessed space near a cliff.
It was just deep enough for two people to sit inside and stay out of the rain.
The Duke reached into the cave and felt around, then looked back at me with relief.
“Fortunately, it’s dry inside.”
He took a handkerchief from inside his clothes and unfolded it, then gestured toward me.
“Come and sit here.”
Such natural consideration, as effortless as breathing.
Whenever I received this kind of kindness from him, I couldn’t help but feel my heart flutter.
“Ah…”
After hesitating for a moment, I bowed my head slightly and crawled farther inside.
“Thank you.”
And so, the Duke and I ended up sitting side by side, waiting for the rain to stop.
Perhaps because of that, we naturally began talking more.
“But how did you find a place like this?”
“I used to come here often with Eva when I was young.”
The Duke’s eyes softened as he reminisced about the past.
“We covered it with bushes and called it our secret base. Our parents were so surprised because they thought they had lost their two children.”
“Really?”
“Yes. When we came down around evening, the whole place was in an uproar.”
The Duke lightly shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, we were scolded quite severely, too.”
“Oh my, I can imagine.”
I let out a small giggle.
The Duke and the young Lady being scolded side by side by their parents.
Just imagining it was so adorable!
“So there is no need for you to worry too much. Eva knows where this place is, so if we are late returning, she will come looking for us.”
After reassuring me, the Duke looked up at the sky with concern.
“More importantly… it doesn’t seem like the rain is going to stop anytime soon.”
The rain grew heavier and heavier.
The raindrops shattered into white sprays as they struck the ground, sparkling like diamonds.
Even though we were on a forest path and the thick foliage was shielding us from the rain, this was how heavy it was.
Just how hard was it raining outside?
More importantly…
‘Brr.’
I curled up slightly.
‘It’s so cold…’
My teeth were chattering.
The inside of the cave seemed to be at least a little warmer, so I was about to quietly move farther inside when—
“Please take this.”
The Duke removed his outer coat and held it out to me.
I hurriedly waved my hands.
“No, Your Grace. You must be cold, too…”
“I’m fine.”
The Duke answered firmly.
But something seemed strange.
Why was he avoiding my eyes?
And why was his face so red?
At that moment—
‘Oh, no way!’
I looked down at myself.
As my dress became increasingly soaked by the rain, the fabric had begun to turn translucent, faintly revealing what was underneath!
‘Aaaah!’
I instinctively sucked in a startled breath and covered myself.
At the same time, the Duke reached out toward me.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
Flop!
His large outer coat settled over my shoulders.
It was so roomy that even after completely covering me, there was still plenty of space.
His large hands carefully fastened the collar of the coat.
Perhaps because it still held his body heat, I immediately felt a little warmer after putting it on.
The trembling in my body slowly subsided.
There was just one thing that bothered me.
‘Duke, your clothes are too thin…’
I looked at the Duke worriedly.
It was autumn, when the leaves had turned colors.
Besides, the Duke and I had come outside right after breakfast, so the air hadn’t been particularly warm even when we first left.
And above all, it was pouring rain like this.
He couldn’t possibly endure it wearing only such a thin shirt…
“I’m fine.”
No, you don’t look fine to me!
He had seemed to be in poor condition lately, too. What if he caught a cold like this?!
Unable to sit still, I made up my mind.
“Then… if that’s the case.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and shuffled closer.
I moved right next to the Duke and sat down close beside him.
“Lady Ancy?”
The Duke stared down at me with his eyes wide open.
“I-It’ll be warmer if we stay close. It’s raining so heavily, and we can’t keep losing body heat. So…”
I continued rambling while nervously fidgeting with the collar of the coat.
The Duke gazed at me silently before speaking in a slightly husky voice.
“In that case.”
Huh?
I blinked.
At the same time, the Duke reached out and pulled my shoulder toward him.
“I know it may be rude, but just for a little while…”
W-Wha…?!
In an instant, the distance between us disappeared.
Before I knew it, I found myself being held tightly in the Duke’s arms.
Through his thin shirt, I could feel his firm arm lightly wrapped around my shoulder.
“…Are you uncomfortable?”
The Duke lowered his head slightly toward me and asked cautiously.
Beneath his damp platinum-blond hair, his blue eyes carefully watched my expression.
“Ah, I…”
I felt my mouth go completely dry.
My heart was pounding so wildly that I was afraid the Duke might be able to hear it.
But aside from that, I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
If anything—
‘I love this…’
What an incredible opportunity to be this close to the Duke so naturally.
I felt so excited that I thought I might faint.
