Ah… Lady Richart is truly "perceptive," isn't she?Apparently being sharp-tongued wasn't enough, she just had to pair it with that coarse way of speaking to make it complete. It seems the image I worked so hard to build for barely three days will spread throughout the capital even faster than I expected.
As for Nick, there was no need to ask he could never stand hearing such words. In his eyes, his Judy is the best.
I saw the young man's ice-cold gaze follow the two women until their silhouettes faded away. His left hand slowly slid to my waist. He glanced over at me; I merely yawned and lazily sat down at the stone table nearby.
His hand then left my waist, moved up to the back of my neck, gently kneaded it, and he smiled softly:
"Judy, wait for me."
Then he walked off.
When Nick returned, he held an entire bouquet of fresh flowers different types, different colors, gathered beautifully together.
My eyes lit up in surprise.
"You went to pick flowers?"
But almost immediately, I frowned, panicking:
"You can't pick those…! Did anyone see you? You didn't get caught, right?"
My mind spun, already calculating excuses. If someone found out… I'd claim I did it. I'm a woman, after all; picking a few flowers shouldn't be a big offense. I could apologize, offer compensation… It would be lighter than punishing Nick, who wasn't a true noble of the court anyway.
"Don't worry, sister,"Nick said as he stuffed the flowers into my hands, sighing helplessly."No one saw."
"Mm… Huh?"I blinked, still confused, then looked up into his eyes.
Nick's smile was dazzling sunlight hit him just right, making his whole figure glow. His eyes sparkled with tiny rays of light, clear and warm, filled with a tenderness I couldn't pull myself away from.
Gita had disappeared without us noticing.
Nick slowly stepped closer each step deliberate. While I was still dazed, he lowered his head toward me.
I froze as if under a spell. My mind blanked. All I could do was stare helplessly as his handsome face drew closer and closer, his warm breath brushing against my skin.
Only when he was right before me did I suddenly snap out of it, instinctively trying to pull back but his strong hand was already at the back of my head, preventing me from retreating.
His hand applied a little pressure, drawing my face toward him.It was the first time he'd ever shown such assertiveness toward me.
A flush crept up my cheeks; my heart pounded so violently it felt as though it might burst out of my chest.
The air in the small garden suddenly felt dry and warm. The birdsong vanished. All other sounds faded away, leaving only the frantic pounding of a heartbeat, his or mine, I couldn't tell.
His bright smile slowly faded, replaced by a seriousness I had never seen. One hand remained behind my head; the other lifted toward my eyes.
I flinched instinctively, squeezing my eyes shut.
Seeing that, something in Nick twisted sharply his heart clenched as if cut by a small blade, painful enough to make him want to destroy the world.
He forced himself to steady. His fingertip paused at the outer corner of my right eye, then gently stroked the spot, again and again, until the tiny mole that had been hidden finally caught the light.
My eyes… and that small mole at the corner that was the prettiest part of me. Seductive, enchanting, enough to drive him mad. It had been ruined in my past life.
But this life is different.
His voice was husky, his breath warm against my cheek. He spoke with an affection that melted straight into my bones:
"Judy… don't hide anymore. I'll protect you. I'll always protect you. Don't be afraid."
In that moment, I truly wanted to cry.
His scent enveloped me entirely. For the first time, I felt the full force of his presence like a strange seed taking root in my heart, aching to sprout.
The tension didn't last long. Voices and footsteps drifted from afar approaching, then fading away again.
"Gita, what happened?"I rubbed my eyes as I came back to myself.
Gita appeared out of nowhere:
"The two young ladies from earlier… something happened to them."
I blinked in shock.
"What happened?"
"Apparently, they were sitting in the pavilion drinking tea, and not long after that, a scream rang out. The red-dressed lady's cloak was torn apart!"
I widened my eyes, covering my mouth in disbelief.
Nick leaned lazily against a tree, playing with a dagger in his left hand, expression distant.
Gita went on, stifling a laugh:
"It was torn into several big holes! The cloak looks like a colander now!"
I sighed.
"How could it tear…? It was fine just a moment ago. And what about the young lady herself?"
Gita lowered her voice mysteriously:
"They think… they ran into a ghost!"
Me: "…"
A reincarnated ghost like me would at least make some sense.
According to Gita, only Gideon's cloak had holes. But the two of them had been sitting alone in the pavilion, no one else approached. For clothing to rip on its own was far too strange.
The noisy group earlier was probably their servants; losing face like that, they were probably begging the Crown Prince and Princess for permission to leave the palace immediately.
Gita even went back to pick up the cloak and examine it. The more she looked, the stranger it seemed.
"These holes… they don't look cut by a blade. They look… torn!"
I waved my hand dismissively, uninterested. Just hearing those two women mentioned made me uncomfortable. Better to drop the subject entirely.
"Nick, let's go back. Jason is probably worried."
I stood, smoothed my dress, and slowly walked toward him, he was still under the shade of the tree.
Standing in front of him, I spotted a fallen petal resting on his shoulder. I reached out to brush it off.
Immediately, Nick's gaze locked onto mine, and his hand caught my wrist with precision.
Our eyes met. The world went silent.
We often looked at each other like this, but this time… something felt different. A little strange, a little too intense.
There was fire in his eyes. I glanced away first, looking down at his sleeve.
There had once been a silver wave-pattern embroidery along the sleeve but now a whole section of thread had been yanked loose. The silver strands dangled in the breeze, frayed and broken.
"Hmph. The seamstresses are getting lazier by the day. This is the second time this month."
I pulled his sleeve closer to inspect it, my brows knitting tighter:
"I should just mend it for you."
The servants probably thought Nick was easy to bully. Since he wasn't the true heir of the Marquis household, they must have slacked off.
I was so angry I wanted to storm home and complain to Mother immediately.
Nick only smiled, soft, innocent.
"Don't be upset, Judy. Just being able to stay by your side like this… I'm already satisfied."