She met his serious gaze as he held her in his arms.

“When did you get here?”

“You can’t fall asleep in here.”

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

“If I’d been a little later, you would’ve slipped underwater. You said you could be alone, yet you keep needing my attention.”

“I almost slipped underwater?”

“You almost did.”

What he saw was Cecilia’s face submerged, slowly sinking further into the water.

He had tossed aside the towel he was holding and jumped into the spring.

Cecilia pouted.

She didn’t like him raising his voice, no matter the reason.

“I’m really sleepy right now.”

“Even if you’re sleepy…”

“I’m sore and tired.”

“Sore?”

“Because of you.”

“……”

“Why are you wearing those clothes again?”

“I had to go fetch a towel.”

The clothes he was wearing were now completely soaked.

Cecilia imagined him walking naked through the castle.

If anyone had seen him, rumors about the lord’s strange hobbies would have spread instantly.

She burst into laughter.

Russell sighed.

Watching her glare at him with a sulky expression before suddenly laughing, he felt a rush of heat.

‘Calm down. Don’t think about it… damn it.’

It was too late. One side of his pants tightened noticeably.

“Shall we go back to the room…?”

If she hadn’t been on the verge of falling asleep, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from kissing her.

Russell exhaled, glanced at the ceiling to regain his composure, and sat down in the spring with her still in his arms.

As she barely opened her eyes, Russell said,

“Just a little longer. I already called a maid to tidy the bedroom.”

Cecilia closed her eyes again. Her soft, steady breathing filled the quiet space.

Russell looked down at her, fast asleep and defenseless in his arms, feeling an indescribable emotion.

His hand moved toward her face but stopped midway.

He clenched his fist.

If he touched her, he’d want to kiss her—if he kissed her, he’d want more.

After some time, he moved to the shallowest edge of the spring. Carefully sitting her down to ensure she wouldn’t slip, he stepped out of the water and wiped his soaked clothes with a towel.

Then he lifted Cecilia out of the spring.

Leaning her half-asleep body against himself, he dried her damp skin with a towel.

‘What a handful.’

He grumbled internally, though his expression betrayed no annoyance.

Tossing the wet towel aside, he wrapped her snugly in a soft, dry one and carried her back to the sitting room. It was quiet—the maids had likely finished tidying up and left.

Opening the bedroom door, he saw the neatly made bed.

He gently laid her naked body on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. The room was warm enough that she wouldn’t feel cold.

He gazed at her sleeping face for a moment before turning away.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

House Jericho’s knight, Willa, knelt before the grand duke.

“Because of my poor judgment, casualties occurred. I humbly beg for Your Grace’s forgiveness.”

About a month ago, Willa and the knights of House Jericho had escorted Cecilia to Lagos Castle before immediately setting out on their return journey.

There were three main routes from the continent to Lagos Castle.

The fastest and most dangerous route.

The moderately quick and relatively safe plains route.

And the long detour through Lagos’s villages.

Typically, people chose either the moderately quick route or the detour.

Cecilia had requested the ‘fastest route’ on the way to Lagos, but Willa and the knights had actually chosen the ‘moderately quick route’.

The fastest and most dangerous path required traversing a forest, which was impossible with the large traveling carriage carrying Cecilia.

Willa and the knights had never been to Lagos Castle before—not because they lacked experience, but because most people on the continent avoided even approaching Lagos in their lifetime.

The knights were on high alert throughout the journey, having heard countless warnings about Lagos’s dangers.

Yet nothing happened on the way there.

Aside from the cold weather, it had been an uneventful trip.

On their return, however, the knights were already exhausted from the journey to Lagos Castle.

They grew bored at the thought of retracing the same route.

‘It didn’t seem that dangerous,’ they thought.

So they decided to take the fastest and most dangerous route.