CH 46

Because of Kiel’s intervention, Isabelle went straight to Riggs. It was strange that there were no doctors in white gowns inside here, only white steam.

‘Bathroom?’

She hesitated for a moment. Slowly covering her mouth with her hands, Isabelle was shocked to find the body of a man inside the bathtub. She could feel the heat rushing to her face.

‘Crazy. Tight shirts really show that much when they’re wet.’

Her blue eyes, which were as wide as saucers, moved with a persistently sticky gaze.

And they widened even more when she realized that the shirt clearly revealed a solid chest and blemish-free skin underneath. Her eyes shook so heavily as her breath became hitched.

Then, it seemed like the leaves floating atop the water were moving to the side, and the man’s smooth abs could clearly be seen even more in their buff glory.

His adam’s apple moved on his wet and moist throat, and a drop of water was flowing slowly along the strong, angular jawline.

Isabelle, absolutely bewitched, gaped openly at the figure.

“…Isabelle?”

“Huh?”

As though she had woken from a spell, Isabelle flinched. It was because she finally noticed whose body it was that she was staring at without breathing.

‘Crazy!’

Isabelle could feel that her wicked intentions were being read, and she saw the corners of Riggs’ lips wouldn’t stop twitching up into a sly smile. She turned around quickly.

It’s going to be a problem if she’d permanently remember the beautiful scenery she had seen so vividly just now.

“Isabelle, why are you here?”

“No, um, Kiel said that I should come here to help…”

Isabelle herself was confused right now. When she stared at Riggs’ lips, she once thought that they were only used to eat, drink, talk or cry, but now…

Her heart thumped as she glanced at the soft smile on his lips. She thought that she had to convince him about why she came here.

“Saintess Mary said this before. That it’s good to soak in bathwater that’s infused with the leaves, but rubbing them directly on the affected area will bring out the best effect.”

“…I can’t touch it because it hurts too much though. Can you help me?”

To prove that she was here to help, Isabelle knelt down next to the bathtub. The steam gradually made her face even redder.

“It’s going to hurt a bit. Hang in there.”

“……”

Before she knew it, Isabelle was touching his wound. It was due to the teachings of the saintesses that she should always concentrate when treating someone’s injuries.

“This is good already. I think it’s going to be less painful than before. How do you feel now?”

As she was holding onto her stubborn pride, her eyes were looking intently at the wound, then shifted to the side. Then, she saw his face that was just a short distance away.

A slight expression as if holding something in. Isabelle brought her hands up to her lips, unknowingly bringing a few red leaves there because she was still holding them.

She could feel Riggs’ low breathing. When he lowered his eyes, she recalled what she did since they were still young, whenever he came back to her with a big wound.

As if possessed, Isabelle narrowed the distance between them. Their faces were so close.

She was soon startled when the tips of their noses touched. What was she doing now?

“I’m leaving.”

As she tried to run away, he wrapped his hot hand over her cheek.

Instead of narrowing the distance between them entirely, Riggs’ face leaned to the side. It wasn’t the tip of their noses—their lips lightly brushed over each other. Isabelle froze.

As though she had fallen into the water for a brief moment, she couldn’t breathe properly. Until his lips moved away.

He had touched her lower lips lightly, then soon moved back. Isabelle finally breathed out.

When the distance between them became wider again, he spoke softly, still looking into her eyes.

“If you’re going to do it, you have to be more clear about it, Isabelle.”

“……”

“How are we going to break the bed together later if you’re being so shy?”

In a fluster, Isabelle jumped up.

Riggs didn’t say it was a joke.

No. Judging by his expression, it didn’t seem like he was joking.

Isabelle ran out of the bathroom and headed for the bedroom.

Even if this was a mistake, then this was a mistake that was a seriously big mistake.

Riggs had problems with his lower body, but he said that he wanted to achieve her dream of ‘breaking the bed together on the first night.’

‘Together?’

Thinking of that word, Isabelle fell flat on the bed.

With Riggs, doing this and that…

‘Crazy.’

Isabelle kicked the blanket.

Riggs told such a bad joke towards his friend about crossing that line, but the problem here was Isabelle herself.

Words couldn’t explain how she had looked at Riggs with such a lingering gaze.

That wasn’t the kind of gaze you’d give a friend. It was the kind of gaze she’d give a man.

No. At the end of it all, she also tried to kiss him.

Isabelle tried to calmly recall the situation at the time.

It went without saying that her eyes naughtily roved his body.

Upon reflection, she was partly sure that her mouth was slightly open, too.

She couldn’t even be certain if she made a weird noise or not.

And not only was she unable to manage her gaze properly, but she just knew that her face was burning back then.

Riggs clearly remembered that she had a taste for a man who would wear a shirt and go into a bathtub.

Even though she said that years ago.

‘Did I say that to anyone other than Riggs?’

She told him about the books she read and what she thought of them consistently since they had started their adolescent years.

She even lent some of those books to Riggs.

Riggs was clumsy in the past, saying that he lost the books that she had lent him, and this type of incident would happen often every time she bought a new book that had different content.

‘But why did you mention breaking the bed on the first night?’

In spite of herself Isabelle thrashed on the bed.

How could anyone break such solid furniture?

‘Of course, if it’s with that position in the novel, and vigorously… Ack—’

The bedroom door suddenly opened, and she covered her burning face with both her hands.

Isabelle buried her face into the pillow she had been tearing just now.

She completely forgot that this bedroom was Riggs’ bedroom as well.

Soon enough, she felt that the weight of the bed’s other side shifted. A scent wafted through the air, and it was a mix of the smell of soap and the sweet fragrance of Cardiago berries.

“Isabelle. You’ll suffocate if you sleep like that.”

His voice was surprisingly casual, and she was embarrassed in turn because just until a while ago, she was kicking the blanket and stomping her feet.

Isabelle turned her head around and looked at him.

He was lying next to her, looking strangely delighted. He was far from the image of being hurt.

“Riggs, your waist?”

“I’m all better.”

“Liar.”

“I always get better whenever you take care of me. If you don’t believe me, do you want to touch it?”

Isabelle was still worried about him and she couldn’t believe what he said just now, so she carefully held the waist he revealed now.

It really was smooth and without any bumps.

With her hand still there, she looked up to meet his gaze, which was full of deep desire.

As though he was going to devour her.

Isabelle gulped dryly and waited for Riggs to go to the couch.

However, even as he had gone there usually, he didn’t budge this time.

“My back hurts a bit, so I’m going to sleep here tonight.”

“Just now you said that you’re all be… Fine.”

Isabelle instantly backed down as she saw the face of a wounded baby deer.

Was it because she was sincere about comforting him?

She saw him change his expression instantly with her own two eyes, but she felt sorry for him, so she gave in.

“You’re the owner of Cardiago Castle, so do whatever you want.”

“What’s important isn’t who owns the castle. It’s your permission, Isabelle.”

He slipped this line out and pointed out the problem as he lay down.

Isabelle tried to lie down with her back to him, then she closed her eyes tightly.

“Isabelle. You used my arm as a pillow before when we were young.”

“Back then…”

You weren’t dressed like this!

It’s obvious why he wore a shirt in the bathtub yet wore almost nothing while he was sleeping.

Isabelle carefully pulled the blanket that was covering him.

And her heart skipped a beat when she realized that the blanket was the only cloth covering his bare skin.

‘Why am I being awkward around Riggs?’

It was an irrational thought, but her instincts already knew the answer.

He smelled like a man. One that she thirsted for very much.

Isabelle clasped the blanket tightly and closed her eyes. However, she couldn’t fall asleep. It was because, for the first time ever, she felt uncomfortable in his embrace.

t/n: this marks the end of the novel’s second volume. as a personal project, i’m sad to say that i will be dropping the novel at this point, but don’t worry! effe, a fellow TL from here at travis translations, will be picking this back up from chapter 47 onwards. our group has not dropped this.