CH 233

Rieta quickly splashed water at him.

It might be useless because he was wet, but she thought it was fun for some reason.

“I, I was wrong!”

Everett, stunned by Rieta keeping splashing him with water, put his hands together and began to beg.

“Please don’t say that to Princess Gabriella.”

Seeing him beg like that, for some reason, Rieta wanted to torment him even more.

Then she thought that she must have taken some of Noel’s bad side.

Otherwise, there’s no way she  could feel such a nasty feeling.

Bad novel.

Just watch when they meet. She will make him very angry.

Rieta thought so and she took a step towards Everett.

But that was a hasty decision.

She had to step into a place where the water level was getting deeper.

She had already lost her balance when she realized that there was nothing where she expected her toes to land.

Instinctively, her arms caught the air.

She struggled. Even though she knows she won’t catch anything.

‘…… !’

Her startled heart thumped.

She may have fallen into the water.

Rieta closed her eyes tightly, and immediately stopped breathing.

It wouldn’t be a big deal since the water wasn’t deep, but it was a little scary.

“…… Uh.”

A pained sound came from her quivering lips.

It’s stupid. What’s the use of closing her eyes and holding her breath.

If she opens her mouth like this, she will drink water.

‘…… ?’

However, no matter how much time passed, cold water did not enter Rieta’s mouth.

As she breathed carefully, the air scented with water flowed in and out of her body without problems.

‘Didn’t I fall into the water?’

She doesn’t know what happened, but Rieta let out a long sigh of relief and barely opened her eyes again.

In the distance, she could see Everett running this way, frozen in shock.

She smiled for no reason because it seemed that ‘I have committed a mortal sin’ was written in his eyes.

“Kugh.”

And the next moment, she realized that someone was holding her back.

Her submerged waist was slightly pulled, and she could feel the warmth of a body on her wet back.

Thinking that she was somewhere familiar, Rieta blurted out the words.

“Noel?”

And she regretted it.

Come to think of it, there’s no way Noel would suddenly appear.

Soon, Hugh McLean came into her view.

“Ah.”

Rieta, still half-embraced by him, rolled her eyes back and forth.

She was ashamed and sorry that she called Hugh McLean‘Noel’.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Hugh McLean laughed as he still held her.

Drops of water dripped from his wet hair and landed near her Rieta’s shoulders.

‘Come to think of it, I think Hugh McLean went into the water while being careful not to get wet…….’

Everything was messed up because of herself.

“Sorry. Hugh McLean.”

“…… You always call me that.”

“What?”

“When you have a little question.”

Rieta had something curious about him.

Why did he still hold on to her so strongly until now? Even though the dangerous moment has now passed.

She couldn’t bear to ask that out loud, so she could only stare at him blankly.

“Maybe Princess Rieta doesn’t like me…… I guess.”

“Me?”

“It may be because of my feelings, but it seems that you are wary of me.”

“Stop, please.”

Rieta flinched slightly and replied.

In fact, it wasn’t because of his ‘feeling’. She was actually wary of him.

As the time for the original nobel to begin approached, the boundary must have become worse.

But she couldn’t say that, Rieta shook her head quickly.

“I can’t be wary of Hugh McLean.”

“As expected, it’s similar to when you say lines in a play.”

“What?”

Rieta asked.

But he didn’t say anything further.

He set Rieta in a safe place, took off the thin jacket he was wearing and put it over her.

He probably paid attention that her sheer dress was wet and clinging to her body.

“…… thanks.”

After the words of thanks in a small voice, the habitual title of ‘Hugh McLean’ almost followed along.

If Rieta hadn’t kept her lips shut, she probably would have called him that too.

Was it funny? He smiled for a moment.

“You made me worry.”

“No.”

“The fact is…….”

He slurred his words a little.

Perhaps thinking about something, Rieta waited in silence.

“I used to feel like a character. Somewhere.”

“What?”

“Every time Princess Rieta called my first and last name. It sounded like you were calling a character from a story. That has a bit of a bad role.”

“That…….”

What do you mean? She wanted to ask, but this time she lost her words.

Actually, Rieta used to think of him that way.

He is the nasty male lead who interferes with Noel’s happiness.

She had always thought that way since the first time they met.

‘…… I feel sorry for some reason.’

Rieta wondered if she had cared more about his ‘role in the novel’ than the ‘person’ Hugh McLean.

“Princess. I am.”

He crouched and approached, eventually drawing closer again.

She was really defenseless this time.

No.

At the sound that suddenly filled her head, Rieta hurriedly backed away from him.

“…… !”

And, pitifully, she lost her balance in the same place again.

Rieta fell completely into the water this time.