Chapter 65
Felice furrowed her brow and looked down at Claude.
He was swinging a wooden sword at an oak tree that stood in the path. Although the Racliffe estate was large, the area outside Felice’s room was just a narrow walkway leading to the garden, with nothing but that tree in sight.
It seemed Claude had been practicing for quite a while—he was already dripping with sweat. Felice stared at him in disbelief, making sure it was really him.
Blond hair, a solid build, and tall stature. It was unmistakably Claude.
Felice watched in shock. Why on earth was he practicing swordsmanship in a place like this?
Just then, Claude gave the wooden sword a few more swings.
Felice parted her lips, about to say something, but stopped herself, not wanting to disturb his exercise. Even though her room was on the second floor, it wasn’t far from where he was practicing.
Despite her decision not to interrupt, she couldn’t help but stay put, mesmerized as she watched his swordsmanship. Just one more swing, she thought. One more… Before she knew it, she was half leaning out the window, completely entranced.
Sunlight shone through his thin linen shirt, highlighting the muscles rippling across his back like waves. Felice swallowed unconsciously at the sight.
At that moment, perhaps sensing her gaze, Claude wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and glanced over his shoulder.
Their eyes met—his blue gaze caught hers. Felice startled, like a cat caught in the act, her shoulders jerking in surprise.
“Good morning, Miss Felice.”
Claude called out with a broad grin, completely unfazed.
Flustered, Felice fidgeted with the window ledge she was leaning on, replying awkwardly.
“Ah, good morning, Claude. Yes, good morning…”
Claude ran a hand through his damp hair, sweeping it back from his forehead. For some reason, that simple gesture made Felice’s breath catch in her throat.
“Well, I’ll be off now.”
Claude said with a nod, turning and walking away.
“Uh… Yes? Yes, of course…”
Felice remained there, dazed, staring after him as he disappeared around the corner of the building. She even craned her neck for one last glimpse before she snapped herself out of it.
“You just promised yourself, didn’t you!”
She squeezed her eyes shut and thumped her own head with a fist.
But that wasn’t the last time Claude practiced there. For several days in a row, every time Felice opened her window in the morning, she’d see Claude and his powerful back muscles up close.
Every time he greeted her with “Good morning,” Claude would tidy up and leave, and every time Felice watched his retreating back, she couldn’t help but stare.
She broke her promise to herself far more often than she kept it.
With each day, Felice’s lips grew drier. Every morning, she had to steel herself against the temptation that was Claude.
One day, after giving Annie her book gift, Felice was walking back to her room.
At the far end of the western garden was a small pond. The weather was nice, so she decided to take the path that circled around through the greenery. Seeing the lush forest and the clear water, the desires that had been troubling her seemed to subside—if only a little.
Kneeling by the pond, Felice reached out to touch the cool water, smiling to herself for a brief moment—until a voice called from behind.
“Felice?”
She shot to her feet in surprise and turned to see Claude standing right behind her—closer than she expected. Startled by the distance, she instinctively took a step back—her foot skimming the surface of the pond.
“Oh—!”
Felice toppled backward, and although Claude reached out to catch her, it was too late.
In her panic, Felice reflexively grabbed his sleeve—and the next thing she knew, both of them splashed into the pond together.
“Ugh—! Pah! Hah, hah!”
Felice flailed in the water, gasping for air.
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