Chapter 54
“Ah!”
“Oh dear, it seems I accidentally dropped my wife. You won’t be able to pull the rope in this state, so I’ll help you.”
With that, Benjamin stepped straight into the bath as well. His playful gaze met Shai’s, and he smiled. Wet hair clung to his forehead, giving him a charm that was different from his nighttime demeanor.
Shai, feeling a mix of disbelief and exasperation, finally reached out and placed her hand on the nape of Benjamin’s neck.
It was only after a long while that Shai was able to dress.
The maidservants had helped her, so although the remnants of the previous night still lingered on her body and embarrassed her, she convinced herself that the maids had probably seen this many times before, so she pretended as if it were nothing.
The maids, well-trained, didn’t show any reaction even while assisting her in dressing.
“You’ll have your meal in your room rather than the dining hall. His Highness the Grand Duke ordered it,” the maid said as she guided Shai to her room.
Inside, a small, round table had already been set with hot food.
A large lobster, crab bisque, soft bread, crisp salad, and roasted carrots filled the table.
Benjamin, dressed in a simple indoor outfit like Shai, was already seated.
Without the layers of clothing hiding his body, the muscles under his thin shirt stood out, making him look even larger.
“Please, sit, Shai.”
Benjamin invited her, and as she took her seat, the servants moved aside to attend to them.
“We wish to eat in peace, so do not come unless called,” Benjamin instructed, and the servants bowed and left.
The lobster remained un-shelled, as is customary; normally, the servants would remove the shell and serve the meat.
Shai, who wasn’t particularly hungry, didn’t mind.
‘I’ll just eat the soup and bread.’
After the servants left, Benjamin leaned closer to Shai, pulling his chair nearer to hers.
Shai looked at him, puzzled. Benjamin wiped his hands with a damp cloth and, with an expressionless face, began breaking apart the lobster.
In no time, he had extracted the meat, wiped his hands again, and offered a forkful to Shai.
“Here. Try it.”
Though his tone was still curt, his actions resembled an affectionate lover, flustering Shai.
“Huh?”
She quickly regained her composure.
“I can eat it myself.”
But Benjamin didn’t back down.
“You haven’t regained full strength yet, so I’d appreciate it if you’d eat.”
“Since your arm might hurt, I can—ugh?”
Shai’s protest was cut off as Benjamin swiftly fed her a piece of lobster.
Shai closed her mouth and began chewing, and Benjamin had already prepared the next piece on his fork, waiting.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m waiting to give you the next piece.”
“I said I can eat by myself.”
“I’d rather you save your strength for something else, hence this.”
Shai muttered, blushing.
“You flirtatious man.”
“Your expression.”
“Huh?”
“I like it. Consider it a small pleasure, understand?”
Realizing he wouldn’t relent, Shai finally opened her mouth and accepted the food. She was too tired to resist.
‘He always does things that could be misinterpreted and then denies them. Every single time.’
“Chew carefully. I don’t want you to get sick.”
“You’ll eat too, won’t you?”
With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Shai picked up a piece of the perfectly prepared meat on a fork and said sternly.
“Here. Eat.”
She couldn’t even imagine the man, acting like a baby bird, opening his mouth to eat. She hadn’t expected anything, just teasing him a little.
“Yes. Ah.”
But Benjamin surprisingly opened his mouth obediently. Tilting his body slightly, he looked at her with an almost picture-perfect face.
Shai stared blankly at him with the fork in her hand, and Benjamin quickly ate the meat.
“You still lack the strength to move quickly, it seems.”
The distance between them had closed significantly.
Their lips were almost touching, the previous heat threatening to resurface.
Yet Benjamin didn’t come closer, simply locking eyes as he asked,
“What’s the schedule for today?”
“…I thought I’d take a day to recover from fatigue and catch up on planned tasks.”
“Then let’s go to the lake with Soia as promised earlier.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now,” Benjamin said calmly.
“You need it now, it seems.”
Shai realized he was right—she needed comfort.
Even though things hadn’t been good, her maids had died, her father was irredeemable, and she had been betrayed by a nanny she trusted.
Even if she didn’t want to think about it, the thoughts kept coming. Perhaps gazing at the beautiful lake would calm her heart.
‘Come to think of it, I hardly thought about this while with Benjamin. He never gave me the chance.’
Even though he was blunt and curt, she felt his consideration and warmth again.
‘I’m affected by every little action of his.’
Benjamin had stepped back, resting his chin, watching her lost in thought.
“My wife’s head may be small, but it’s always full of thoughts.”
“Sorry for thinking so much,” Shai replied, pouting.
Benjamin looked at her with satisfaction.
“Your expressions are varied too. It’s nice. Is thinking a lot a bad thing?”
“It can be both good and bad.”
“I think it’s good. So, relax your face.”
She liked that he interpreted it as admiration. She didn’t respond, knowing he wouldn’t answer even if she subtly or openly asked whether he liked her.
“I hope you eat a lot, get angry, cry, laugh, and enjoy life,” Benjamin added with an interested look.
“And enjoy it fully.”
Reading the glint in his eyes, Shai stuck out her tongue.
“You’re a pervert.”
“A learned pervert. And you like that kind of pervert, don’t you?”
Shai sighed in resignation.
“Yes, I do.”
Benjamin smiled like a ripe, juicy apple.
“Eat. Afterward, we’ll go. I’ll have the carriage prepared.”
‘Usually curt and cold, yet sometimes he stirs one’s heart like this.’
“I want to ride a horse, not the carriage.”
“You know how?”
“Yes, I’m quite good at it.”
She used to ride often when her mother was alive. Afterwards, her father banned it, which made her long for it.
Now she could choose for herself. There was no reason to hesitate.
“I’ll pick a gentle, good horse. I didn’t know my wife was so active.”
“Don’t you stop me for being unladylike?”
“If you want to ride, why would I?”
Shai laughed at his casual reply.
‘He doesn’t try to fit me into his mold. He listens to my opinion.’
She gazed at Benjamin deeply. His blue eyes held warmth and intense heat.
He was beautiful.
Benjamin silently looked into her eyes, then playfully tapped her nape with his fingers.
Shai, laughing, tried to pull away, but Benjamin held her and kissed her.
Clang! The fork fell, and now their attention was no longer on the meal.
Clippity. Clippity. Clippity.
The wind brushing past them was refreshing. White, fluffy clouds floated across a deep blue sky.
The weather was perfect.
Shai and Benjamin, wearing matching riding outfits, rode their horses to the lake.
Shai’s dark navy riding jacket with a thick white shirt underneath suited her beautifully, offering a charm different from a dress.
Benjamin wore the same design, and it fit his solid body elegantly.
Shai glanced at Benjamin riding beside her.
‘I didn’t realize he had prepared so many riding outfits for us to wear together. At least twenty, it seems. Did past me really want to ride with him that much?’
Seeing the unused riding outfits neatly hanging in the dress room, Shai had asked Rosa,
“Did I like riding?”
“No, milady. You were always worried about falling off and never actually rode.”
She had liked riding. She wanted to share it with her husband but had pretended otherwise, hiding her feelings.
‘Maybe… I didn’t throw a fit because I disliked him. Maybe I just…’
