CH 6

A field of wheat rustling in the wind. 

And it was the clown who talked to the grass.

Young Blake in his memory said bluntly.

At that time, a girl no more than four years old turned around…………

Her hair fluttered through the wheat fields.

But he couldn’t remember the girl’s face. The color of her hair was also blurry.

Did the girl laugh?

Or did she answer his question friendly? 

“…!”

Blake pondered, then came to his senses.

It was because Lily was holding a comb. The tip of the brush touched Dominic’s hair carefully.

Lily was very curious about everything in the stable that she had never seen before.

Blake tried to stop her action.

Dominic was a brave horse. It had been in every kind of battle with its master and was that fierce.

Blake was worried that it might rip Lily’s arm to shreds.

But before he could stop her, Lily’s hand touched Dominic’s hair.

That was the moment. …………!

“Oh, you’re so gentle.” (Lily)

Dominic closed its long eyelids and its distinctive lashes and got closer to Lily. By nature, animals and monsters were not the ones who feel an affinity for wizards. 

Besides, Dominic mistook the cute Lily for a child—so it was extra kind to her.

Blake felt betrayed. He twisted his lips, which were always tightly closed, and held back a muffled “ha”.

After being pregnant, Dominic became very sensitive that it wouldn’t be very friendly even to Blake.

Blake had somehow forgotten his original purpose.

Instead of monitoring Lily to see if she was treating Dominic recklessly, he was watching to see how “unloyal” his horse was.

His keen eyes held a frowning emotion.

“You look exactly like Lord Blake on the outside, but on the inside you’re very different. You are very friendly….” (Lily)

Blake clenched his teeth tightly.

‘It’s a war horse! It’s fierce and cold hearted!’ (Blake)

In the meantime, Dominic steadily showed obedience.

“Oh, I don’t know your name. If I had to guess, I’d say maybe Coco.” (Lily)

‘What kind of name is that? A cute female cat’s?’ (Blake)

Blake closed his eyes tightly. Honestly, with the way Dominic looked right now, the name Coco would be more appropriate. He had to admit it.

Blake was upset.

He was determined to just send Lily Hedwick back. Blake spoke firmly.

“Look here, young lady.”

The timing was not good.

Lily finished brushing Dominic’s hair and was coming down from the pile of straw.

She fell when she suddenly heard Blake’s heavy voice.

“Ah!”

“Miss Hedwick!”

As she suddenly collapsed, Blake ran vigorously towards her.

“Oh! Are you all right?”

“Oh, Lord Blake… Can you grab my hand?”

“Did you hurt your ankle? Then don’t get up. It’s better to check the affected area first.”

Blake was so startled that he didn’t even recognize his racing heart. A little bit of that won’t freak him out. It was his chest.

It was the moment he was about to pick Lily up.

“Neighhhhh!”

Dominic tilted its head hostilely at Blake. It didn’t like the way Blake had startled Lily.

“Dominic, don’t tell me you’re mad at me right now……………?” (Blake)

It was the first time in his life that Dominic was angry with him.

This was such a regrettable part of his life. The friendships and memories he had built over so many battles were crumbling.

Blake was upset.

The man made an effort not to act as wild as he usually did.

He quietly stepped out of the corner of the stable and deliberately kept his voice low so as not to startle the young lady.

Although maybe the problem was that it was too much. Anyway, he hated Dominic, who stood on Lily’s side.

“You’ve only been with her for a few minutes and you take her side!”

Blake grumbled sincerely.

Then, under Dominic’s watchful eye, Blake raised Lily up by the hand. It was an extremely careful movement.

“Move your feet carefully. So I don’t get misunderstood. So that Dominic won’t drop me off the saddle later.” (Blake)

Lily burst out a small laugh because the man’s way of speaking was funny.

Imperial aristocrats were never this straightforwardly sarcastic.

Blake’s lips quivered faintly at her clear laughing sound.

“What’s so funny?”

Blake made a tireless effort to regain his gaze from Lily’s smile. Hmmm, hmmm.

Luckily, Lily didn’t seem to notice.

Blake put her on the shelf. Then he took off her shoes and looked at her ankle.

It was definitely swollen.

“I’d better tie it so that there’s less blood flow through the area near the ankle. I need some cloth…”

Blake was about to take off his coat to tear the fabric.

Lily hastily stopped him.

“I appreciate your kindness, but I’ll use my clothes. It would be a shame if you have to destroy your coat because of my injury, Lord Blake.”

The trait of not wanting something from a man came into play again.

Lily looked down at her body as she said this.

‘Wait a minute. On second thought, I don’t have anything I can call clothes right now.’

She had a lot of clothes on, but they were clothes that the maids had lent her so that she wouldn’t get cold. Only the one pair of pajamas inside was given to Lily as her own.

‘Should I tear off my pajamas?’

In order to do so, she had to take off all her clothes.

Lily was a little concerned about the dignity of being upper class… 

It’s outrageous. She ran away from the nobles, so why should she still have to care about dignity?

She had to change her way of thinking.

“Hmm, wait a minute. I’ll take it off right now and tear the cloth.”

Lily wanted to fit in like the people of this Duchy.

She decided to be free like the people here, unencumbered by petty pretensions and falsehoods.

In the first place, the pajamas were also the loungewear that she wore around the castle. So….Lily took off her hat, scarf, and winter cloak one after the other.

Blake’s dark eyes blurred open for a moment. He stared blankly at Lily in disbelief.

~He did.

The scent of peaches was haunting him again.

“….”

His lips quivered.

He regretted it. How could he have been so close to this woman again?

His beloved horse had caused him to lose his reason momentarily.

‘God d*mn it, Dominic. Lily Hedwick!’

‘Don’t you have any awareness? In front of a stranger?’

His voice was laced with anger, sighs, and the pain of trying so hard to suppress his wild emotions. 

“Lord Blake?”

This time it was Lily’s turn to be frustrated. She just wanted to give up her aristocratic manners and be free for the first time in her life. She hated her parents. Her father was a member of the imperial court and a very serious man. 

Because her father valued dignity too much, Lily’s movements were strictly controlled.

She ran away to this Duchy without hope, but it was quite a nice place. So she tried to be like the people here.

She recalled the scenery she had seen when coming to the castle. The territorial people, who looked like the working class, were singing and making firewood. 

Instead of worrying about the cold, they drank fermented beer in the broad daylight and laughed aloud. Black dust was on their clothes when they were digging for gold or magic resources.

“Don’t call my name like that. Do you know what your voice actually sounds like?” (Blake)

Blake was not confident of being fine looking at her pajamas.

Lily just didn’t know that.

The fact that the man didn’t explain it well was also a problem. 

But Blake would rather bite his tongue and die than say it himself.

“I don’t understand why you’re mad at me. From what I hear, Lord Blake…” (Lily)

“Name! again!” (Blake)

It was a tug-of-war between reason and instinct as to whether Blake should leave the woman.

Rip!

Lily, who had only her pajamas left, pulled up her skirt to tear the fabric.

Blake turned his face quickly elsewhere.

It was a swift, beastly motion.

But his dark eyes were cursed after seeing everything. The brown walls of the stable. The tiny Lily Hedwick, placed on a shelf at his chest’s level.

And the pure white skin on thighs.

And the small scars on it…..

Wait a minute, scars?

“…”

Blake couldn’t believe his memory and looked back at Lily on the shelf again. He could have sworn. These wounds were probably the work of her b*st*rd ex-husband.

The stable had a temperature control system, but it was cold. It was even more so at dawn when the sun had not risen.

Lily felt a little cold with only her pajamas. She didn’t think she showed her thighs. But the next thing she knew, she discovered Blake’s strange gaze.

“Are you going to get angry with me and say strange words again? As I said before, my injury isn’t that serious.” (Lily)

It was hard for Lily’s ability to heal serious wounds on others. However, it was possible to heal herself. But she didn’t want to use magic right now in front of Blake. 

The words were thrown lightly, but unfortunately the man heard them with complete misunderstanding.

It was due to the fact that he still didn’t know that Lily was a wizard. 

Blake’s heart thumped in pain.

How could she smile like that when her ankle was injured? Wouldn’t a normal noblewoman cry already?

Oh, she had gotten used to this kind of injury because of her ex-husband! 

Blake completely misunderstood and dragged her husband into the subject of dialogue. Then he shouted in anger.

“You should have killed your ex-husband!”

Lily’s blue eyes shone with curiosity.

He stared intensely at Lily sitting on the shelf.

He seemed to be remembering their conversation they had a few hours ago.

“It was a drunken mistake to raise his hand at you every night? Then there is no way he could have tormented you in such a despicable way by mistake! I didn’t know it was this bad because you looked fine on the outside!” (Blake)

“Oh, you saw my wounds other than on the ankle.” (Lily)

Lily grabbed her clothes in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Blake gripped the shelf tighter.

Blood vessels popped up the back of his hands.

“How can he dismiss it that it was a mistake to leave scars only in invisible places? It was deliberate and premeditated harassment. Why did you stay still? If I were you,.………!” (Blake)

Blake couldn’t even move his sharp lips properly.

His voice, which had hardened, was filled with anger and heat.

Lily knew that he had noticed everything. For example, how unfortunate her marriage was.

It would have been different if this man was there.

It was a little amusing to imagine that this man would scare her ex husband to the point of crying.

“Of course. Because Lord Blake is a bold person. The moment you met my husband, you would have picked up the candlestick nearby with that strong force and determination. And then, like a skewer of pork on my husband’s stomach………” (Lily)

“Do you think I’m joking?” (Blake)

Blake was still huffing with anger and stopped talking.