Chapter 147
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Everywhere she’d touched had felt firm, hard even. Seeing such places with her own eyes stirred a different impression.
His broad shoulders, his powerful forearms, down to the clearly carved abdominal muscles.
It was a muscular build, yet it didn’t feel excessive, which she found curious.
As she wiped down the wet spots with the towel, his muscles flexed. Keeping her eyes fixed on empty air out of embarrassment, she wiped briskly, and from above a laugh dropped down and his abs moved.
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you so tense? It’s only what a personal maid would naturally do.”
“Ah…”
As for being his personal maid, all she had were memories of trailing after him a few times, so she had no idea how she was supposed to attend to him.
Ivan, who had been waiting quietly for her to wipe him down, soon took hold of the back of the hand that held the towel and began wiping himself.
“Wha?”
Swish, swish. Ruby was dragged along wherever he moved. And when he wiped his face with the towel, she had to lift onto her heels. A fresh scent drifted from his body, pressed so close against hers.
Realizing it was the scent of the cologne he usually wore, Ruby felt an odd sensation.
When had they become close enough that even his scent had grown familiar?
“This time, pick out my clothes for me, Ruby.”
Tossing the used towel aside, Ivan took her hand and led her along. Standing before the wardrobe that held only shirts, Ruby awkwardly pulled out a shirt he usually liked to wear and went behind him.
When he naturally spread his arms and slid them all the way to the ends of the sleeves, she scurried back around to the front and buttoned the shirt for him.
“Well done.”
Praised over something so trivial, her face heated up for no reason. It also felt, strangely, like being treated like a child.
Embarrassed and dissatisfied, she pouted, and he suddenly bent his head down. A quick peck, lips touching briefly and pulling away.
“Why…?”
To the short question that implied the question, ‘It’s not like you’re in heat or anything, so why are you doing this?’, Ivan answered casually.
“Because you were pouting.”
It wasn’t an answer that made much sense, but Ruby pressed her lips inward and finished doing up the buttons. Because he kept shifting around, her hands slipped a few times, but somehow she managed to finish.
Once he’d changed into his jacket as well, he took Ruby’s hand and returned to the sitting room. After seating her right beside him, he picked the conversation back up.
“We’ll wring out the other Serpent Tribe members properly too, so you’ve nothing to worry about. Now that we have solid evidence, I think we’ll be able to look into the curse doll as well.”
“Yes.”
“Ruby.”
“Yes?”
At the suddenly serious voice, Ruby, who’d been staring straight ahead, raised her eyes. Ivan, smiling very tenderly, said.
“Thank you.”
“…Huh? For what?”
“For saving Alex, and for saving me too.”
“Uh…”
She couldn’t yet say she’d saved him. And this was a contract between them, so could she even call it helping? Knowing full well her intentions hadn’t been pure to begin with, he still thanked her.
That made her very glad, and she was grateful too.
“If you hadn’t been here, we’d have been suffering without even knowing why. That must be how my ancestor met such an unjust end as well.”
His tone was composed, but his voice was very hard and low. It was as if a cold anger could be felt in it.
His silver eyes, on the other hand, looked so sorrowful that Ruby reached out and tightly clasped the hand resting on the sofa.
Even as his hand twitched, she gripped it harder, then spoke clearly, word by word.
“I’m here for you, Your Grace.”
“Ruby.”
“Don’t worry about anything to do with spirit power, and leave it to me. We won’t just be victimized in ignorance like before. Not as long as I’m here.”
At her resolute words, the set line of his mouth relaxed into a languid ease.
“Of course. I trust my bold little rabbit.”
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