Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Side Story 13

“Don’t misunderstand, I only meant it’s nice to see you.”

His follow-up comment was hardly comforting.

“Yeah, right. No matter how much I beg, it’s like you’ve become a completely different Claude— the one who used to go at it several times a day. Where’s that Claude? He must belong to someone else, because the Claude I know isn’t like that. Can you bring him back?”

Even though I grumbled, Claude just smiled at me like it was amusing.

That calm, carefree expression of his only irritated me more, and I ended up doing something I wouldn’t normally dare to do.

“…Rose.”

His reaction was immediate. His face hardened, and he called my name in a low, scolding tone. I had expected that much.

I slid my toes under the hem of his pant leg, daringly brushing them against his ankle in a suggestive way.

I made sure not to let any observers in the restaurant catch on by keeping my expression perfectly neutral above the waist.

What did I say? I don’t care at all, do I?

The relaxed smile he’d been wearing disappeared, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning softly. Yet, despite his frustration, he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy it. I knew him well enough to realize he liked it when I teased him.

Even when I was clumsy or over-the-top, he secretly enjoyed it, even if he pretended otherwise.

Encouraged by his response, I grew bolder. I trailed my toes from his ankle up to his calf, and then to his knee. The final destination, of course, was that place between his legs.

But I hadn’t accounted for the fact that his legs were just too damn long. No matter how hard I wiggled my short legs, I couldn’t reach.

Determined, I perched on the edge of my seat and tried again, really kicking my legs this time…

Caught.

“…Enough. Finish your meal.”

Claude growled, trapping my calf between his legs so I couldn’t move.

I had a lot of experience in provoking Claude in various ways, so I knew. If I kept pushing, he’d get seriously mad.

“Yes, sir…”

Reluctantly, I picked up my fork and behaved.

* * *

The moment we got home, Claude, the notorious neat freak, immediately took me to the bathroom. It was as if he feared any germs we might’ve picked up outside would latch onto me and devour me.

Hot water poured into the tub, and while the sound of it filled the room, Claude busied himself attending to my ankle.

Whenever I bathed, my ankles had to be wrapped to keep water out of the injury. And wrapping it was a task Claude never let me handle on my own.

I didn’t mind letting him do it. He was much more thorough than I was, and it was better for both of us to avoid anything that might slow down my recovery.

I watched his head intently as he focused, then reached out to stroke his thick black hair, petting him like I would a puppy. He was so absorbed in his task that he didn’t even notice.

So… this man, who’s so sensitive and defensive around everyone else, just accepts my touch like it’s the most natural thing in the world?

Feeling oddly flustered, I started tousling his hair more vigorously. That’s when he suddenly lifted his head.

But his expression was strange. His brow was deeply furrowed, like something was bothering him.

“Oh, did you not like it?”

I asked, though I didn’t think that was the case. Maybe I’d gone overboard with my teasing.

Claude looked at me with a face that was more than just irritated—it was complicated, even conflicted. After a long pause, he muttered,

“…No, it’s not that.”

It didn’t seem like that wasn’t the case.

I knew because his jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face stood out sharply.

Whether I believed him or not, Claude remained resolute in finishing what he was doing. He meticulously checked the wrapping several times to make sure no water could get in.

I watched him carefully for a moment before I slowly extended my hand again. With a swift motion, I pulled at the hem of my robe, exposing the bare skin of my calf and thigh. Claude froze, then looked up at me with a wary expression, as if wondering what I was up to now.

Undeterred, I slid one side of the robe off my shoulder and asked him suggestively,

“Want to take a bath together?”