TMBS 05💖

Episode 5: Just as I Thought

As everyone stood dumbfounded, eyes locked on the rippling lake surface, Mensha finally snapped out of it and tried to jump back in. But the grip on her wrist tightened.

“Don’t.”

“Let go. Grace is—”

“Gray went in. That’s enough. He’ll save her.”

Mensha stopped and looked at her friend, whose eyes brimmed with conviction. That unwavering gaze said it all.

Gray can do this. You can’t.

If Gray pulled a naked woman from the lake, it could be written off as a passing incident. But if Mensha tried, it wouldn’t end the same.

Gray had the power and reputation of a noble house behind him. No one would question his actions, especially with his long-standing image—aloof, emotionless, never sincere with any woman. His intentions would never be doubted.

That’s why only Gray could step in here. Even if he was more than a little drunk.

Mensha had to accept reality. Clenching her fists tightly, she stared anxiously at the lake.

A moment later, something broke the surface halfway between the shore and Grace. Silvery hair shimmered under the moonlight—Gray, swimming slowly toward them.

He moved like a massive white python gliding through moonbeams in the night sky.

“Hey?! Are you okay? Try to stay calm!”

Adele shouted at the flailing Grace, her voice ringing out through the dark, broken only by water and rustling trees.

If she rushed in recklessly, Grace might cling to her in panic, pulling them both under. Adele wasn’t foolish enough to risk that.

“You have to stay still to float! Please try to calm down!”

“Bluh… gurgle…”

Her words, of course, didn’t get through. Grace thrashed like she didn’t even know someone had come to save her.

So Adele stuck to her backup plan—use the boat. She turned and swam back toward the drifting vessel, still holding her glasses between her teeth.

As soon as her fingers touched the sturdy wooden edge, she tossed her glasses safely inside. She couldn’t afford to lose them. With both hands free, she began pushing the boat toward Grace.

It was heavier than expected. Much heavier. She had to be careful not to get caught on any submerged nets or hooks. Her progress slowed.

“Ugh…”

After a long struggle, Grace’s hand finally brushed against the boat. Just as Adele had hoped, Grace immediately latched onto it, clinging for dear life.

“Okay… just breathe. Try to catch your breath.”

“Cough! Gah… bluhh!”

Grace choked on both air and water, her eyes slowly regaining focus. But her complexion was terrifyingly pale, her lips dark and bluish-black.

She clung to the boat, trembling violently, then began slipping back into the water. Adele quickly scrambled onboard and tried to pull her up.

“You need to get in. Rest here, okay?”

But Grace’s limp body was impossible to lift. Adele, already exhausted from pushing the boat, didn’t have the strength.

After struggling fruitlessly, Adele had no choice but to get back in the water. This time, she tried pushing Grace from below. Thankfully, her undergarments were still intact.

Then, just as Grace began to float a little, she suddenly started crying.

“Hic… th-thank you…”

Whether from relief or embarrassment, Grace wept uncontrollably—despite barely having the strength to cling on.

“Please—enough! Stop crying!”

Adele gasped as Grace’s weight pressed her underwater.

Dammit. If you have the energy to cry, then climb up already!

While choking down more lake water, Adele tried to come up with another plan—when suddenly, something coarse wrapped around her ankle.

She froze. So I did get caught after all…

It felt like a net. Fortunately, no hooks. Still, not good.

She tried to shake herself free, but with Grace’s weight dragging her down, she only sank deeper.

“Blghhh!”

She cursed in her head.

Grace flailed again—and the two of them were thrown from the boat.

Adele watched the boat drift farther away and sighed.

Great. Just great.

For a moment, the artificial lake felt like an endless ocean. The thing wrapped around her ankle began to tighten.

Panic rising, Adele turned toward the shore, hoping someone might help.

But without her glasses, all she saw were blurred torches flickering in the distance.

Then, through the silence, she heard something cutting through the water. She focused—something was approaching, shimmering brighter than moonlight.

What is that?

Just as Adele squinted to see, it rose from the water—silver hair slicked back, a smooth white forehead, golden eyebrows glistening in the moonlight. Wet lashes framing glacial eyes.

And those eyes locked on Adele’s.

When the man’s broad shoulders broke the surface, his languid voice shattered the silence:

“Just as I thought.”

As if a soundproof wall had broken, a rush of noise—lapping water, distant voices—poured into Adele’s ears.

Only then did she realize she had been hearing nothing until now.

Gray climbed into the boat Adele had brought and reached to pull Grace up. But the moment he touched her, his expression twisted slightly.

“Wait!”

Adele grabbed a floating piece of cloth—Grace’s torn underdress.

She quickly covered Grace’s chest with it. The thin wet fabric did little, but it was better than nothing.

Gray’s tense face softened, and he let out a faint chuckle. “Alright then.”

With a heave, he pulled Grace aboard.

As soon as she landed, Grace collapsed like a rag doll. From the shore came distant cheers.

She coughed up water before lying flat, unmoving.

Gray turned to Adele and offered a hand.

“My foot… it’s caught in a net. Please wait.”

She ducked underwater and tugged at the rope binding her ankle. It was knotted tight.

She surfaced for air—and met Gray’s eyes.

“Still stuck?”

“Yes.”

Gray tilted his head, shrugged, and dove in without hesitation.

The splash was huge. Adele brushed back her soaked hair, clearing her vision—when a warm touch grazed her ankle.

She flinched.

There was nothing on the surface… but she could feel something alive below. His hand was large, gentle, and warm. A strange current spread through her.

That hand wrapped around her calf, slid away, then brushed her ankle again.

The sensation overwhelmed her.

How is he not out of breath? Just as panic rose, the net loosened and slipped off.

Gray’s head surfaced again. They locked eyes.

“Got it?”

“Yes.”

“You hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

He smiled, then pulled himself back onto the boat—still perfectly composed.

He reached for Adele. She took his hand and climbed aboard.

“Haah… haah…”

On solid ground again, Adele curled up, gasping for breath, her chest aching. Grace lay nearby, passed out.

“Th-thank y—”

She faltered.

Gray was holding her glasses.

He looked at frozen Adele for a beat, then casually slid them onto her face.

Adele’s mind went blank. She couldn’t breathe.

Meanwhile, Gray just smiled—like a boy on a balcony, chatting with friends.

“Your eyes almost popped out.”

He teased, lifting her glasses and peeking underneath. Seeing her startled eyes, he replaced them… then lifted them again. And lowered them once more.

In a world that kept flashing between color and grayscale, Adele saw it clearly—his eyes sparkled with the curiosity of a young collector discovering a rare insect.

And Adele knew.

This giant of a man now held her life in his hands.

Adele Norah. Or rather… she used to be. The real Adele had died long ago.

Adele’s eyes, according to genetics, should’ve been plain red.

But now… her eyes were hot pink. Practically fluorescent.

If anyone saw them—if anyone realized—her secret would be exposed.

In the Kingdom of Karl, a commoner impersonating a noble was a capital offense. Treason.

Punishable by death—not just for her, but for her relatives up to the third degree.

“I, um…”

Adele stammered.

“I just…”

“Of course. No one wears glasses like these without a reason.”