Chapter 40 – Moonlight Romance (2)

He realized while rescuing Alice that he was also wet. He was, in fact, unaware of it until Alice shyly avoided his gaze.

“This.”

“Let’s go quickly!”

Alice quickly moved to the front of the bush and slammed her head into the torso of Lawrence, who had caught up to her.

“Ah, why!”

It was Alice who looked up at him in protest but turned her head away when her eyes met his. The water dripping from Lawrence’s wet hair glowed golden and the color faded as it settled on his shirt.

‘Why is you so handsome? His hair is also attractive.’

She tried hard to keep her mind awake. However, such thoughts kept popping into her head concluding that the wet handsome man was visually seriously dangerous. A warning light sounded somewhere but she wondered why when there were no lights in this world.

Her head was unable to process Lawrence’s words. His lips muttered something, but the words fell on her deaf ears, and all she could see were the droplets of water running down his lips. The red lips looked even redder in her eyes.

“No, why would a man be…”

“What?”

‘Be this sexy?’

Alice, distracted by Lawrence’s voice, shut her mouth. I’m glad she didn’t spit out the next words. Alice rolled her eyes as she felt her eyes continue to look at her with her strange eyes.

‘I have nowhere to look.’

The sound of Lawrence’s voice sobered Alice, and she shut her mouth. She was glad she didn’t spit out her next words. Alice rolled her eyes as she continued to feel strange eyes on her.

“Let’s go quickly.”

“We can’t go now.”

“Why?”

She couldn’t wait to get back to the barracks and get some rest. The moon was shining brightly, and the night was dark. The darkened woods were more pitch black than she’d expected. Alie thought it was just fortunate since he wouldn’t be able to see her red face.

‘Barracks, I have to go to the barracks.’

Lawrence held Alice’s hand as they continued toward the campsite beyond the bush.

“Not now.”

“Why?”

“You’re wet.”

“My clothes are fine!”

“Your hair is wet.”

At Lawrence’s one word, Alice stopped on the spot. Her hands and feet moved separately, like a broken doll moving somewhere in her.

‘So, you mean, you’re also bothered by my hair?’

Her face heated up. Alice twisted her wrist to free herself from Lawrence’s hand, trying to hide her reddened face.

He didn’t have a strong grip, so she got out easily. Alice ran into the barracks and immediately put out the fire. She could feel the eyes of the knights watching her as she ran quickly, but she had no time to care.

Her heart was beating like crazy.

Pressing her incessantly pounding chest, Alice lay on the light cot. She exhaled deeply, but the pounding of her heart didn’t cease. For some reason, she felt like she was going to hear this all night long.

****

“Last night.”

Plein, riding beside Lawrence on his horse, opened her mouth after hesitating.

“What?”

Hearing his sullen voice, Plein continued his reluctant words.

“What the hell happened with Miss Alice?”

At his words, the spirits of the knights who were riding around them were also interested. Rumors circulated among the knights at the camp this morning.

“I am saying it’s true!”

“No. The duke is not like that.”

“That’s right, he just hid in the carriage while eating breakfast.”

Another knight opened his mouth.

“Did the Duke really touch Miss Alice?”

“They can’t stand the love between them and run away… tsk, tsk.”

The elderly knight clicked his tongue at Lawrence. Starting with him, other knights also added their words.

“That’s right. Did you see Miss Alice running into the barracks last night?”

“Her hair was wet, but she was running hard.”

“Look, there’s no reason for a noble young lady to come running in, unlit and breathless, when she’s with the love of her life.”

“But the duke couldn’t do that.”

The knight who defended Lawrence was reviled by the knights around him. This was what happened this morning. Plein, who watched the situation from the sidelines, spared his words. Alice’s behavior was strange even to him.

Plein, who continued to dwell on the situation, finally asked Lawrence and waited for his answer.

“It was no big deal.”

But beside Lawrence, he noticed the tips of his ears turning red. Plein was appalled, and shouted in a loud voice.

“I can’t imagine a noble lady who wasn’t even married… !”

“What are you talking about? Baron Flender!”

Lawrence, who grasped the hidden meaning behind Plein’s words, shouted in a louder voice. If Plein’s words turned out to be true, he would become an unscrupulous man who touched the princess of the Nakran Empire.

He couldn’t cover up things that weren’t true.

‘It would be unfair to say he couldn’t touch her.’

Lawrence murmured inwardly.

“I saved her from drowning in the lake, why?”

“She almost drowned in the lake?”

“Yes.”

Plein was still doubtful of Lawrence’s answer, then asked again.

“Is that all?”

“Her wet clothes were dried right away, probably because of the divine magic, but since her hair was not yet dried, I told her not to go yet, but she ran wildly.”

“Yes… pardon?”

“When I told her hair was wet, she aggressively ran.”

Plein could only helplessly sigh, seeing that Lawrence was clueless.

“Was it not okay to say that?”

To Lawrence who asked innocently, Plein also wanted to let out a sigh.

‘Who would say that a noble lady’s hair is wet, and on top of that, when they were not even engaged yet!’

Plein couldn’t bear to get his words out of his throat, and pounded his chest in his frustration. The same goes for the knights who overheard their conversation.

“He looked like he had played with a lot of girls…”

“I didn’t think the Duke was naive.”

“We saw the Duke, didn’t we?”

The knights wrapped themselves in flags so that the whispering could not be heard by Lawrence. Lawrence knew nothing good. Unaware of the knights whispering about him from behind, Lawrence let out a deep sigh.

‘What did I do wrong?’

No matter how he thinks about it, he didn’t do anything wrong. Lawrence hadn’t seen Alice’s face since morning, who seemed to be strangely avoiding him. And he even considered opening the carriage door to speak to her, but was stopped by a determined Plein.

“I just said her hair was wet…”

“Hey there, Duke.”

Plein interrupted his self-talk as Lawrence’s eyes slanted toward him. plein cleared his throat and whispered an admonition.

“If she was me, I would have slapped you.”

“Me?”

“Of course. Do you know it’s harassment to mention a wet hair of a noble lady?”

“Harrassment?”

“Who the hell can talk about wet hair on an aristocratic woman? If that was the case, you must pretend blind eyes to it.”

“Why should I pretend not to know that?”

“No, that is etiquette…”

“She doesn’t like me?”

“What?”

(TN: Oh no, my heart. I didn’t know Lawrence was this cute. My babyyy!)

After Lawrence finished speaking, the knights who were listening behind him murmured. Plein felt more embarrassed than the knights, rode close to the horse he was riding, and spoke in a very low voice right next to him.

“Did you forget that she is the princess?”

“I know.”

“Then are you crazy?”

“I’m sane, Plein.”

“Then what did you eat wrong?”

“No.”

“But why! That is the Royal Princess. Did you forget that he was looking for him to marry someone who would be of strength to the crown prince?”

“I know.”

“Even so?”

Plein asked, and Lawrence shut his mouth. How can he explain this heart? When he thought of Alice, her heart fluttered. He couldn’t stop his heart beating so fast that he wondered if he ever had this feeling before.

When he thinks of her, everything about her shines. He fell in love and thought it was only idiots who said the world was beautiful, but he ended up being like it. His heart sank when he thought that Alice should be with someone else.

“I can’t let someone else have her.”

“Duke!”

“Plein. I am determined.”

“That is not possible. You know that. This command and…”

“I’m not a soldier. I accepted the crown prince’s mission, but his orders to me were to bring her back, not to marry her.”

“Does that make sense!”

Plein shouted at Lawrence, who was pushing him way. Still, he didn’t give up. Lawrence, whose face did not change, spoke to him again.

“She have to be that woman.”

“There are many women in the world! Did you forget the huge courtship letter sent to the duchy?”

“I don’t need women like them. Alice is the only one in the world. I want her to be the only one in my world. I don’t need another woman.”

Lawrence mercilessly cut off Plein’s words. The smile on his face disappeared before he knew it, to the point where he wondered if Lawrence was the same person. When his expression that can only be seen on the battlefield came out, Plein firmly shut his mouth. Seeing Lawrence’s emotionless gaze, he could only silently swallow his dry saliva.

“I want Alice Hamilton.”

(TN: That’s some bold confession there…)