Chapter 19

A steady rain fell with the wind, soaking the sky and earth alike.

Watching the sheets of rain flooding the streets, Celia parted her lips.

“…What about our carriage?”

At this rate, it didn’t seem like a carriage could move at all.

Hoping the answer would somehow be different, she turned toward Lucius.

A troubled sigh escaped his lips.

“As you can see, neither the horses nor the coachman can see where they’re going. The wheels keep slipping too.”

Still unable to accept the situation, Celia looked at the servant standing nearby, drenched like a drowned rat from the rain.

The servant immediately lowered his head.

“Then how are we getting back?”

Standing close to the window, Celia stared at the pouring rain.

The roads around the opera house had already become blurred mirrors reflecting countless lights.

Lucius tilted his head back and thought for a moment.

He clearly seemed hesitant about saying something before finally speaking carefully.

“I think we’ll have to stay at a nearby inn tonight.”

“…An inn?”

Celia’s voice cracked slightly.

As though expecting that reaction, Lucius immediately explained.

“The nearest noble’s townhouse is about a thirty-minute walk away. We’d definitely catch a cold. The inns might already be full because of the sudden storm, but I’ll do my best to solve that.”

She already hated the idea of staying out overnight.

And now he was talking about an inn used by travelers.

The words circled uselessly in her mouth.

“Where’s the nearest inn?”

“If we run…”

“We should get there quickly enough, so don’t worry too much.”

Lucius raised a hand and gestured.

The servant, still dripping water onto the floor, hurried off to secure a room.

“If you really don’t want to go to an inn, we can wait here until the rain stops.”

“And who knows when that’ll be?”

Looking outside, waiting seemed even more foolish than leaving.

“That’s true.”

“…”

Many nobles were already complaining among themselves.

The theater had offered places to rest, but they were completely overcrowded.

“There might be thunder soon.”

“I’d rather leave before that happens. Would that be alright?”

How exactly were they supposed to run through that rain?

Everything felt hopeless.

This was all Lucius’s fault.

If he hadn’t suggested coming to the opera, none of this would have happened.

“I can’t run.”

“Hm.”

“Do I look like I can run through that rain?”

Her cheeks twitched with irritation.

Clutching her dress tightly, she glared up at him.

Lucius gave her an odd look.

“Then how about I carry you?”

A bad look was always followed by a bad reason.

“What…?”

“It’ll be difficult for you to run.”

“I have a rough idea where the inn is.”

“It’ll be faster if I carry you.”

Carry her?

Who was carrying whom?

Celia mentally examined each word as though she were learning language for the first time.

Then horror crossed her face as she finally understood.

Meanwhile, Lucius glanced outside once more before bending slightly at the knees.

Lowering himself, he looked up at her from an angle.

The way he brushed his damp hair aside and met her gaze felt strangely natural.

“I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have dragged you to the opera.”

Her fingers twitched involuntarily.

“I can’t guarantee the inn will be comfortable.”

“I’ll do my best, but you’ll probably still get a little wet.”

“…”

“But I can’t leave you standing here all night when we don’t know when the rain will stop.”

The words of refusal rose to her throat.

The man trying so hard to persuade her felt incredibly strange.

Lucius had never been someone who patiently accepted her stubbornness.

Celia fidgeted with her fingers before finally speaking.

“What if it’s cold?”

“What if I get soaked and catch a cold?”

Even though it sounded like a challenge, he smiled.

“That’s my problem.”

Slowly, he extended his hand toward her.

His open palm hovered before her, silently asking her to take it.

She stared down at it.

“I won’t let a single drop of rain touch you.”

The sound of rain striking the earth echoed beneath his voice.

The weather was getting worse.

The sky looked ready to split open with lightning at any moment.

There was no point delaying any longer.

So this was an unavoidable choice.

“Do whatever you want.”

Though her answer was reluctant, Lucius looked pleased.

“Excuse me.”

The moment his arms wrapped firmly around her waist, her feet left the ground.

One arm supported her thighs while the other secured her back.

Firm muscle pressed against her side.

Startled by the sudden movement, she instinctively grabbed his shoulder.

Goosebumps ran across her skin.

They were far too close.

Celia realized too late that simply touching someone and being completely held in their arms were entirely different things.

At some point, his cape had ended up draped over her shoulders and head.

Lucius pulled her even closer.

Their skin.

His warmth.

His breath.

His scent.

She couldn’t believe it.

She was actually being carried by him?

By him?

Confusion overwhelmed her faster than the rain flooding the streets.

Meanwhile, Lucius strode out of the theater.

“Can you be careful not to bite your tongue?”

“I don’t… care.”

Then Lucius began running across the rain-soaked pavement.

The quiet shattered.

Rain filled her ears.

The drops hitting his shoulders were freezing, but only for a moment.

The cape covering her protected her from the downpour.

Rainwater painted dense patterns across the road.

The night sky was dark and heavy beneath thick clouds, while endless rain continued to fall.

With every step, she could feel his legs driving firmly against the ground.

Eventually, Celia made a compromise with herself.

Just think of Lucius as a horse.

You’re riding a horse.

Honestly.

Lucius Windmere was getting drenched in rain just to keep her dry.

What could possibly be crazier than that?

Every time he inhaled, she felt his breath brush against her temple.

The damp night air.

And a body so warm she could hardly feel the cold at all.

She looked up through a gap in the cape.

Wet strands of hair clung to his forehead.

Tiny droplets trembled on the tips of his eyelashes.

The rain pouring above seemed distant like a dream.

The warmth of Lucius holding her was painfully real.

This is completely insane.

She pressed her lips together.

***

The smell of rain and soap mingled in the air.

Water dripped from his wet hair and traced down his neck.

Drying his hair roughly with a towel, Lucius walked across the room.

The inn they had barely managed to reach was, unsurprisingly, far from luxurious.

At least we can wash.

It was something to be grateful for.

Yet he wasn’t happy.

He didn’t care much about where he stayed.

But making his family sleep in such a shabby place felt like an embarrassment to the title of Young Duke.

“It’s fortunate we found somewhere to stay.”

“But I can’t say I’m satisfied.”

While Celia was bathing, Lucius had borrowed the innkeeper’s room to change clothes and inspect the surroundings.

Now he lifted a glass of lukewarm water to his lips.

When he lowered it again, the sunlight-like smile that had lingered around his eyes was gone.

Instead, he sat down and crossed his long legs.

Apparently some habits remained unchanged.

He placed his left leg over his right and leaned deeply into the creaking wooden chair.

His fingertips tapped the armrest.

Tap.

Tap.

As though counting something.

Or organizing his thoughts.

The rhythm remained steady, strangely unsettling.

“Why are there so many things that don’t make sense?”

Resting a hand against his mouth, he murmured.

Then—

“Why is Celia wary of me?”

His voice was low and deep.

Half-lidded eyes darkened.

Because I’ve lost my memories?

Because she feels like I’m no longer the same person?

But she had said she would accept him no matter what he was like.

How could he possibly forget those words?

They had fallen into his confused world like a ray of light.

And yet…

She never approached him first.

Whenever she looked at him, wariness flashed within her eyes.

The sight tightened his chest.

They had known each other since they were five years old.

And they had been married for over two and a half years.

Every time I approached her… every time I showed her kindness…

Celia reacted as though she were looking at a stranger.

Throughout their time together, she seemed like someone constantly suppressing something.

The tense muscles.

The trembling eyes.

The emotions she couldn’t completely hide.

Lucius slowly clenched his fist.