TCBCVF 101

~Chapter 101~

When I hesitated, the Duke’s eyebrows drooped as if he was disappointed.

“If Lady Ansie feels uncomfortable with me…”

“No, not at all!”

I instinctively waved my hands.

“Then that’s fine.”

The Duke gave me an eye smile so pretty it could make someone cry.

My expression twisted strangely for a moment.

…Why do I feel like I just fell for something?

It’s just my imagination, right?

The Duke and I headed toward the low hill behind the villa.

The forest path, covered in colorful autumn leaves, was as beautiful as a flower garden.

I forgot my earlier worries about how to treat the Duke, completely absorbed in the picture-perfect scenery.

“Haa…”

I took in a deep breath and let it out.

Fresh air filled my lungs—cool and clear from the early morning forest path.

“This is amazing.”

I turned to the Duke with shining eyes.

“If I’d known it was this nice, I would have come earlier.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, my lady.”

The Duke looked at me with a smile in his eyes.

“If we go further in, it gets even better.”

“Really? Let’s go!”

I grabbed my dress hem and walked quickly deeper into the forest.

And—

“Wow…”

The Duke was right.

The autumn foliage was breathtaking.

The trees above were thick with red and orange leaves.

And it wasn’t just above—red and yellow leaves covered the ground like a soft carpet.

“This is so beautiful…”

Just then, something hit my cheek.

“Huh?”

I looked up in surprise.

When we came out earlier, the weather had been perfectly sunny, and the sky was still a clear blue.

But—

Plop, plop, plop.

Raindrops began falling steadily, tapping the branches and autumn leaves.

I turned to the Duke with a flustered expression.

“I–Is it raining?”

The Duke also looked troubled.

“It seems so…”

And then—

Whoosh—!

A downpour began.

My mouth fell open.

How could it rain this suddenly?

And from a clear sky, no less!

In moments, my clothes were soaked.

In just a bit, I’d look like a drowned rat.

“Tch.”

The Duke clicked his tongue softly and glanced at me.

“Would you come this way for a moment?”

The place we arrived at was…

‘A cave?’

Well, more like a hollow in the cliff—just deep enough for two people to sit and keep dry.

The Duke felt around inside and looked relieved.

“Thankfully, this part isn’t wet.”

He took out a handkerchief and gestured to me.

“Come sit here.”

His care was so natural, it made my heart flutter no matter how much I tried to resist.

“Ah…”

After a brief hesitation, I bowed slightly and crawled inside.

“Thank you.”

And so, the Duke and I sat side by side, waiting for the rain to stop.

We started talking naturally.

“How did you even find this place?”

“When I was young, I used to play here often with Eva.”

The Duke’s eyes softened at the memory.

“We hid it with bushes and called it our secret base. Our parents thought they’d lost us and panicked.”

“Really?”

“Yes. When we came down in the evening, it was utter chaos.”

The Duke shrugged.

“Well, we got scolded badly.”

“Oh my, I can imagine.”

I chuckled quietly. The image of the Duke and his sister being scolded side by side was just too cute.

“Anyway, no need to worry. Eva knows this place, so if we’re late, she’ll come find us.”

The Duke reassured me, then glanced up at the sky.

“But… there’s no sign of the rain stopping.”

The rain grew heavier. Raindrops shattered white against the ground, sparkling like diamonds.

Even with the foliage above blocking some of it, it was still this heavy. Outside must be far worse.

‘Ugh.’

I shrank slightly.

‘It’s so cold…’

My teeth started chattering.

The back of the cave felt slightly warmer, so I tried to shift backwards—

“Take this.”

The Duke had taken off his outer coat and held it out to me.

I quickly waved my hands.

“No, you’ll be cold too…”

“I’ll be fine.”

He spoke firmly, but… something was strange.

Why wasn’t he meeting my eyes? And why was his face so red?

Then it hit me.

‘Oh no!’

I looked down at myself.

My dress had grown wetter and was starting to turn see-through.

‘Ahhh!’

I gasped and wrapped my arms around myself.

The Duke reached toward me.

“Pardon me for a moment.”

Fwump!

His large coat fell over my shoulders, big enough to wrap around my entire body.

His big hands carefully fastened the collar.

The warmth from the coat—and from him—drove away some of the cold.

But…

‘His clothes are so thin…’

It was autumn, and the morning air had been cool even before the rain. Now, in a downpour, there was no way he could stay warm in just a shirt.

“I’m fine.”

No, he definitely wasn’t fine!

He hadn’t been looking well lately either. If he caught a cold, it’d be my fault.

I made up my mind.

“Then… in that case…”

Closing my eyes tightly, I shuffled closer to him.

“Lady Ansie?”

The Duke looked down at me, wide-eyed.

“I just… thought it’d be warmer this way. With the rain so heavy, we shouldn’t lose more body heat, so…”

I fidgeted with my collar, rambling nonsense.

The Duke stared at me for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

“In that case…”

“Huh?”

Before I could react, he reached out and pulled me into his side.

“Forgive my rudeness, but just for a little while…”

“Uh—uh?!”

Suddenly, I was in his arms, his firm arm lightly around my shoulders through the thin shirt.

“…Are you uncomfortable?”

He leaned down slightly, his blue eyes carefully gauging my reaction beneath his damp platinum hair.

“A–Actually…”

My mouth was dry, and my heart pounded so hard I feared he could hear it.

But no, I wasn’t uncomfortable.

In fact—

‘I really like this…’

An opportunity to be this close to him, so naturally.

My heart was racing so fast, I thought I might faint.