Chapter 19
Chapter 19
What he meant to say was clearer than expected. Today he had ended the kiss by simply pressing their lips together and pulling away, but next time would be different.
Candice turned around sharply with her face red. Her face was hot as if about to burst and she didn’t want to show him. She couldn’t believe herself, foolishly anticipating kisses when even meticulous effort to avoid causing accidents wasn’t enough.
“I-I absolutely won’t make any mistakes!”
Candice shouted and pretended not to know her own desires. And from the next day on, she poured her attention into everything. Carefully, carefully. So as not to make any more mistakes.
About two days passed without any incident. The problem arose on the third day.
She had only meant to check if the goat was alright in its pen. But perhaps because she was tired from having her nerves on edge for three days, she nearly dropped the lantern by mistake.
Fortunately, thanks to Luke, who was beside her, snatching the lamp, they avoided a fire or the lamp breaking. Though Candice’s heart had burned black.
“I-I didn’t do it on purpose!”
Candice, pricked for no reason, desperately shook her head and shouted. Luke said he understood and laughed lightly.
“It’s amazing that you’ve survived alone until now without dying. How many times have you skirted death so far?”
Candice, who had been about to explain that she hadn’t been aiming for a kiss, faltered. His words just now had hurt somewhat. It seemed he thought of her as a fool who only made mistakes.
“That’s too harsh. It’s not like I wanted to start a fire on purpose. Even I don’t make big mistakes like today’s often.”
She expressed her feelings while dejected, but Luke didn’t notice and chuckled.
She was upset to death and he was laughing. Thinking she was being laughed at, Candice turned her head away sharply. Then Luke, saying it was a joke, touched her cheek with his finger.
“Candice. Look at me. Don’t be sulky.”
When she shook her head and refused, Luke let out a coaxing voice. As if her mood would soften just from that. Candice was angry at herself for nearly causing another accident despite being so careful.
And equally, she wanted to take her frustration out on him. It was because she unconsciously knew that even if she acted this way, he would soothe her.
Candice pressed her cheek against his shoulder and hid her face. As she expected, Luke patted her back and apologized.
“I’m sorry for teasing you, Candice. Let it go.”
Candice pretended not to hear. Her heart had already melted softly, but she wanted to hear more.
“You might be making mistakes because you’re worn out from working every day. Want to go to the valley and swim?”
Luke suggested, saying there wasn’t any urgent work to do right away.
The valley. It wasn’t bad. It had been a long time since she’d gone, but she remembered the water there being clear and nice. Forgetting that she had been trying to keep sulking, Candice nodded obediently.
“Do you know how to swim?”
“Candice, don’t you know how?”
“I can a little.”
Candice put on a bluff. But she couldn’t meet his eyes and fidgeted. The lie was far too obvious. Luke noticed immediately and laughed.
“Want me to teach you?”
“Really?”
Candice couldn’t hide the joy that seeped into her face. Luke said he would teach her to the best of his ability, took her hand, and left the house.
The valley located deep in the forest was incredibly quiet, untouched by human footsteps. The water was transparent like crystal, and the shadows of the tall trees densely lining the surroundings reflected upon it.
Luke threw off his top and jumped straight into the valley. The man, who had disappeared beneath the surface with a splash, soon popped out above the water. As he splashed, droplets flew up and the silence was completely shattered.
“Isn’t it cold?”
“It’s cool!”
Luke shouted. At his gesture telling her to come in quickly, Candice, who had approached the water’s edge, suddenly faltered. She only realized after coming all the way here that she had forgotten something important.
She couldn’t go into the water with her clothes on. Then how far should she take them off? When she had come before, she had simply taken everything off and gone in, but this time Luke was here. Showing him her naked body was out of the question.
“What’s wrong?”
Luke asked.
“J-Just, now that I see it, the water seems too cold. I’ll just dip my feet in!”
Candice spoke quickly as if making excuses and took off her boots beside her. As she carefully approached barefoot and tried to lightly dip the tips of her toes in, water splashed from somewhere. It was Luke’s doing.
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