36. Days at the Villa

Was it because of the similarity in being located at the edge of the territory? For some reason, Adeline kept recalling the days she spent at the Horn villa.

Even Casis’s small actions began to overlap with Mel bit by bit. Watching Casis quietly examining her hand, Adeline couldn’t help but smile softly.

‘He is Mel after all.’

Perhaps because she recalled Mel again, Adeline kept seeing Mel overlapping with Casis.

The Mel she knew didn’t completely cease to exist.

She had thought she would never see Mel’s appearance again due to his extremely cold and hypocritical demeanor.

A corner of Adeline’s frozen heart was gradually melting.

Adeline quietly followed Casis as he headed toward the dining room. Today, her steps felt incredibly light.

The two entered the dining room and naturally sat across from each other.

A pre-meal appetizer to stimulate their appetite was placed before them, accompanied by a fragrant aroma.

The soft, yellow, wobbly egg atop the creamy seafood soup stimulated Adeline’s appetite.

Unconsciously swallowing her saliva, Adeline glanced at Casis sitting across from her.

‘I thought I would choke just from eating with him.’

Until recently, she had been busy avoiding him, let alone sharing a meal, as she felt nauseated just looking at Casis. Adeline found it fascinating how her appetite had returned in just a few hours.

Adeline quickly devoured the appetizer before her.

“You’re eating well now.”

Casis was satisfied with Adeline’s noticeably changed expression since coming to the villa. She used to feel sick just looking at him, but now she was swallowing food well.

“Is your morning sickness over?”

“Oh, you’re right?”

Adeline’s eyes widened at Casis’s words.

Not only had her appetite returned, but she hadn’t felt nauseated even once today when looking at Casis. After the initial surprise, Adeline attributed it to her comfortable state of mind and didn’t think much of it.

Soon, the main dishes began to be served one by one.

As if to make up for what she couldn’t eat due to morning sickness, the maids started filling the table with elaborate dishes.

Adeline raised her knife to cut the meat in front of her but unknowingly dropped it.

“Ah!”

When she applied pressure to the hand holding the knife, she felt a throbbing pain from her cut palm.

With Adeline’s single cry, the knife fell helplessly to the floor with a clang.

“I’ll cut it for you.”

“I’m fine.”

She truly was fine. She was just startled by the unexpected pain. The cut wasn’t severe enough to prevent her from using her hand.

However, Casis frowned at Adeline’s response. He strode over to her and placed his steak plate in front of her with a thud, almost throwing it.

“I don’t have a hobby of watching unsightly scenes.”

Casis only shot a spiteful remark before taking Adeline’s steak plate and returning to his seat.

Adeline stared blankly at Casis as he returned to his place.

“Are you planning to drop the knife again?”

‘Could he be embarrassed?’

Contrary to his provocative words and nasty mouth, Casis’s earlobes were blooming red.

Adeline’s lips kept curling upward at Casis’s irony.

It was quite amusing. Just because Mel’s image overlapped a few times, she had softened her heart like this.

Adeline looked down at the steak plate in front of her. Even in that short time, the steak had been beautifully cut.

Adeline put a small piece of meat in her mouth. Her expression relaxed at the flavor spreading in her mouth. It was a proper meal after a long time.

The pain in her palm had long been forgotten.

⁕⁕⁕

After a satisfying meal, Adeline was freely enjoying her rest.

The lake embraced by the villa presented a spectacular view regardless of the time.

Although it was still the Beginning of Autumn with abundant greenery, the autumn leaves that had quickly turned color here and there fluttered like flowers.

Adeline, who had never leisurely enjoyed natural scenery in her previous life, savored this moment to the fullest.

She sat in a comfortable chair prepared by the lakeside and reclined her body.

How much time had passed? Adeline fell asleep, intoxicated by the warm sunlight.

Casis had just arrived at the lakeside where Adeline was said to be, after hurriedly finishing his official duties.

Adeline was deep in sleep on a comfortable sofa inside a pergola in front of the lake. A cool breeze was blowing. The wide-brimmed hat covering her face fell with a thud in the wind.

Because the hat had slipped off, sunlight shone directly on Adeline’s face.

Adeline, who was sleeping obliviously, frowned at the untimely intruder.

At Adeline’s frown, Casis unconsciously extended both hands over her face.

His large hands cast a shadow over Adeline’s face.

He had intended to block the sunlight disturbing her sleep, but contrary to his intention, the sudden darkness broke Adeline’s sweet sleep.

“Mmm.”

Adeline couldn’t help but be startled when she opened her eyes. There were two large hands right in front of her.

Adeline, who hastily sat up, repeatedly grasped at empty air.

The hat that had been barely resting on Adeline’s shoulders flew to the lakeside, carried by a strong wind.

“Ah!”

Adeline ran quickly to the lakeside after the blown hat.

The hat that had fallen into the lake was within reach. Adeline stretched her hand with all her might.

The wind, as if playing a prank, pushed the hat further into the lake.

“What’s so special about that hat? Leave it.”

Despite Casis’s words, Adeline stretched her hand a bit more. If she extended just a little further, she could barely reach it.

“If I stretch a little more, I think I can reach it…… Ah!”

Adeline, who was reaching out, couldn’t finish her sentence as she misstepped.

She eventually fell into the lake and floundered.

“I told you to leave it…… Ha.”

Adeline, who couldn’t swim, floundered with all her might, but Casis knew.

The reason this villa was built for the young duke was because this lake wasn’t deep. It would have reached only up to Adeline’s waist if she had stood up.

With long strides, Casis approached behind Adeline and lifted her up with ease.

“Struggling like that makes you lose more strength. Relax your body.”

Adeline, rescued by Casis, clung to him tightly as if she couldn’t let go.

Eventually, as calm returned, Adeline realized she was clinging too much to Casis.

Through her thin, wet clothes, she could clearly feel Casis’s hot body temperature. Embarrassment surged along with his hot temperature.

“Let me go.”

Casis noticed Adeline’s cheeks, which had turned bright red.

A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes.

“You’ll fall back into the water.”

Adeline, who had no way of knowing the water was shallow, couldn’t bring herself to ask to be put down again.

Casis, carrying the embarrassed Adeline, came out to the shore and sat her on the edge of the lake.

After retrieving the hat from the lakeside, Casis handed it to Adeline.

Slowly closing the distance with Adeline, Casis’s hands firmly grasped the hem of her dress.

The wet dress hems spread on the ground crumpled in his hands.

Adeline, who had somehow become trapped between Casis’s arms, tightly gripped the hat she had received.

Their gazes, which met, began to become as sticky as the wet dress.

The two people’s gazes intertwined endlessly in the air.

From deep within Casis’s eyes as he looked at Adeline, passion began to boil.

At his hot gaze, Adeline unconsciously took a step back.

As if he couldn’t tolerate even a small distance, Casis grabbed Adeline’s waist.

Casis’s hand had already begun to fiddle with the hem of Adeline’s waist.

Due to the wet dress, Adeline’s curves were clearly revealed. Casis tensed at the clearly visible contours of Adeline’s skin.

His remaining hand on Adeline’s dress hem was torturing her dress even more, as if it couldn’t bear it.

Adeline felt like she would lose her mind from the heat that flared up wherever Casis’s hot hands passed.

His burning red eyes were like an invisible trap.

Like that trap ensnaring her, it made Adeline even more immobile.

In the rising heat, Adeline could do nothing but bite her lips. Her lips, as red as Casis’s eyes, shone as if they had absorbed water.

As if he couldn’t just look at that light, Casis’s lips began to approach little by little.

As much as their lips, their bodies also began to interlock without gaps.

Adeline’s body weakly gave way to Casis’s pressing advance.

By the time Adeline’s abundant wet hair touched the ground, she squeezed out her voice with difficulty.

“I want to go inside and wash up.”

It would be troublesome if both of them lost their reason any further. Adeline, holding onto her fading reason, continued in a voice as small as an ant.

“I’m. Not alone, you know.”

The words she uttered herself made her endlessly embarrassed.

Adeline completely covered her face with the wide-brimmed hat Casis had given her.

Even without looking, she anticipated that her face was burning.

Casis immediately came out of the water at Adeline’s words.

Looking at Adeline, who remained motionless with only her face hidden by the hat, Casis couldn’t help but smile.

Lifting Adeline in one swift motion, Casis walked toward the villa with long strides.

Adeline, who was carried like a princess before her embarrassment could subside, buried her face in the hat with all her might.

The path to the villa felt like an eternal time, as if time had stopped.

Just as Adeline’s pounding heart was about to burst, Casis’s footsteps slowly reduced speed and eventually stopped.

“Wash up and come out.”

At Casis’s words, Adeline lowered her hat slightly and peeked out with her eyes. The lakeside scenery had already changed to the bathroom inside the villa.

Casis didn’t easily put down Adeline, who was watching cautiously with only her eyes exposed.

“If you want me to wash you, I don’t mind bathing together.”

Casis’s smile bloomed even more mischievously.