Chapter 38
“The sunlight is nice, but this is really scary.”
She got vertigo even on horseback, so standing on top of a rock was self-explanatory. Keeping far from the edge, she plopped down onto the sun-warmed rock.
Nox silently sat next to her, casually brushing back the bangs that had fallen over his forehead.
“I feel like I’m seeing you in a new light, Lord Nox.”
At Sia’s words, he turned his head with a puzzled expression. The golden and blue hues of his eyes, seen directly in the sunlight, looked even lighter.
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t expect you to be so gentle. You’re incredibly gentlemanly.”
“Am I gentlemanly?”
“Yes, very much so. I’ve never met a man as well-mannered as you, Lord Nox.”
“…Truly?”
“Have you been fooled all your life? I mean it.”
Realizing what she’d said, she hesitated. She’d picked up on the kind of life he’d led, and felt as though she’d answered without thinking. But Nox didn’t mind. In fact, he was busy trying to keep the corners of his mouth from curling up at her praise.
Watching his reaction, Sia decided to go all in and lavish him with compliments while she had the chance.
“That’s not your only strength. You’re also incredibly handsome, and you look fit. And…”
She poured out everything she’d observed while serving by his side.
“Your handwriting is so neat but strong, which is really impressive. Even the way you eat so quietly is amazing. The way you walk is graceful. Oh, and when you’re sitting at your desk, you always keep your back straight. I thought I should learn from that myself. Your posture is so good, it must be healthy for you…”
As her praise kept coming, Nox’s face gradually turned red, not just his cheeks but even his ears and nape. Sia, oblivious, continued to praise him.
“And I just saw how athletic you are, too. You were born with a golden spoon, but you have everything else as well.”
Nox focused on every word, and although he didn’t understand the expression ‘golden spoon’, he could tell she was praising him. The feeling was so exhilarating, but without meaning to, he brought up the one thing that always undermined him.
“…But I was also born with one more thing.”
In truth, he was curious what Sia thought. Did she, who shared the same black hair, feel similarly?
If it weren’t for his black hair, perhaps he would have lived a blessed life. But no matter how outstanding his other qualities were, the fact that he had ‘cursed’ black hair rendered all those strengths meaningless.
“That doesn’t matter to me. As you can see, I have black hair too, don’t I?”
Sia smiled and waved the end of her hair. Nox could no longer suppress his smile. He smiled deeply and, with a hint of nervousness, reached out and asked,
“…May I touch it?”
When he was in his animal form, he’d lie comfortably on her lap and enjoy her touch, so why was it so nerve-wracking to ask in his human form? Sia, as if it was no big deal, held out a lock of her hair to him.
“Sure, go ahead.”
The easy permission caught him off guard, but Nox didn’t miss his chance. He carefully took a section of her hair in his palm, stroking it slowly with his thumb as if handling silk.
“It’s truly soft.”
“Your hair looks soft too, Lord Nox.”
“…Then, would you like to touch it as well?”
“Huh? Should I?”
“Go ahead.”
He lowered his head in front of her, just like he did when he wanted to be petted in his animal form. Without thinking, Sia cupped the back of his head and stroked his hair, just as she did with Lips.
After running her fingers through his hair a few times, she parted it gently.
“Wow…”
“What is it?”
Nox asked, unable to see her expression with his head bowed.
“It feels even softer than mine. How can a man’s hair be this silky?”
If he grew his hair out, it might be even smoother than hers.
“I use a hair mask every day to keep mine in shape, you know.”
That’s how she managed to keep it this nice, but somehow she felt a bit unfair. At her playful grumble, Nox couldn’t hold back a small laugh.
“Huh? Did you just laugh at me?”
“Pfft, no.”
“I think you did…”
“Why would I laugh at you, Sia? Pfft… puha…”
“See? You are laughing at me!”
Maybe it was because they’d both fallen in the water together, but Sia realized she was being much more casual with Nox than usual. But for some reason, it was fun, and she didn’t want to stop teasing him.
Like she would with Lips, she expertly scratched his scalp with her fingertips.
“Mmnh…”
The unexpected sensation drew an involuntary sound from Nox, bringing their conversation to a natural close.
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