Charlotte was at a loss for words, embarrassed by the sudden realization that Felix was still searching for her.
“I’m sorry for waking you. …You should continue resting.”
She nodded slightly in apology, about to stand up, when Richard grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.
“Now it’s my turn to ask a question.”
His face bore an expression she had seen once before—in the pit when she hesitated at his command.
“Why are you with that guy?”
Richard’s question came out with a biting edge, and Charlotte shivered, sensing that a careless answer could lead to serious consequences.
“Have you become so close to him? Since when?”
His lips curled into a smile, but it was a cold, unsettling one.
Charlotte felt as if a noose tightened around her neck. She struggled to breathe easily, the groundless accusations causing her to clench her teeth and shake her head vehemently.
“How could you think that!”
The emotions she couldn’t express welled up in her eyes. She bowed her head to hide her heated gaze.
“Are you insulting me, Richard?”
She wanted to sound calm, but her voice trembled with indignation more than anger.
“You think because I’m from humble origins, uneducated, and possess nothing, I don’t understand the concept of propriety…”
“Who said that?”
His interjection cut her off sharply. Charlotte lifted her head in surprise, meeting his intense violet eyes that narrowed like those of a serpent.
“Who said such a thing?”
His voice was a harsh growl, as if scraping up from his throat.
“Tell me, Miss Hegel.”
His formality returned as if he had never growled like a predator before its prey.
Every time this happened, Charlotte felt a chill at the politeness of Richard—a politeness that seemed more like a guise for deception. It was as if civility was merely a camouflage he used temporarily to better devour his prey.
“No one…”
“You should look at someone when you’re speaking to them.”
His command was as cold as a stern tutor’s as he tilted her chin up with his fingertip. That was all he did, but she felt as if she was immobilized by fangs sunk into her neck.
“Tell me.”
“…”
“Who said such things?”
Her lips quivered. His eyes, intense and close, seemed painted with crushed hydrangeas. He held her gaze, unrelenting, from that first day in the wilderness to now.
“…No one.”
A gut feeling told her that she must not reveal anything. Voicing it might mean she’d never see him again, a sense of foreboding filling her.
“It’s just how I felt.”
Silence followed. Her mouth dry, she barely managed to swallow when his response came.
“There’s never been such a thing.”
His words were disarmingly straightforward, loosening the tension. As he moved to rise, Charlotte found herself blurting out without thinking.
“…Were you worried about Felix?”
It was a plausible guess. She was currently under the care of the Kensingtons. Any scandal involving her and Felix Barker would undoubtedly implicate the Kensington name as well. That would make sense.
“If that’s the case… don’t worry. Nothing like that will happen.”
Her voice trailed off quietly. Richard chuckled briefly.
“It won’t happen?”
“Just like you, Felix has no interest in me.”
What Felix showed was likely just curiosity or pity towards a poor woman. That’s what Charlotte believed.
Stretching his long legs, Richard stepped out of the boat and added, “What if he becomes interested?”
“…Excuse me?”
“What if he’s already interested in you?”
Richard adjusted his loosened tie, his expression unchanging as he continued.
“What then… Are you planning to run away?”
Instinctively stepping back, Charlotte looked up at Richard as he smirked at her, his gaze like that of a hunter contemplating a trapped animal. There was a touch of sympathy and regret in his eyes, but it was overwhelmed by a cruel anticipation.
Charlotte, trembling slightly, received a chilling declaration from Richard.
“You won’t be able to escape.”
“Why not?”
“Because I won’t let you.”
His words implied that even if she did manage to escape, he would chase her to the ends of the earth to bring her back, utterly and thoroughly consume her. No amount of pleading or screaming would deter him.
Richard decided to admit it—he was drawn to this rabbit-like woman. Whether it was lust or some kind of craving, he couldn’t tell, but it didn’t matter.
A pleasant impulse moved his hand slightly forward. Just a little stretch, and he could touch her heated nape, delve into the hollow of her clavicle, and trace the soft scars in between…
Rustle.
It was then that his predatory gaze was interrupted by a sudden noise, pulling both their attentions sharply to one spot.
“Richard!”
It was Felix who had appeared.
***
One week later, the birthday gala for Kiara was held.
Being the only beloved daughter of the Spencer Duke family, who dominated the central political circles of Ethelwood, the gala was magnificent. Not only Cloverfield but all the nobility from nearby regions competed fiercely to receive an invitation.
Nobles who had passed strict standards to be invited from the capital arrived one by one, proudly filling the spacious earl’s manor by evening, dressed splendidly.
“I never expected you to host the gala here this year, after last year’s lavish event in the capital.”
“Indeed. It gives us a chance to make an impression on Duke Spencer, doesn’t it?”
“Even the children of prominent families from the capital have come to make a good impression on Miss Kiara. Perhaps we’ll find a suitable match for our daughter among them.”
Though the atmosphere was consistently warm and elegant, the guests were fiercely pursuing their own objectives.
For Charlotte, a member of the working class, everything she saw was like another world.
There were ice sculptures of swans surrounded by exotic delicacies and rare fruits, and waiters circulating with silver trays carrying wine worth her monthly wages.
Young men and women clasped hands and danced in the central dance hall, while ladies exchanged secretive conversations behind jeweled fans on velvet couches, and gentlemen shared serious talks over cigars.
The servants, on standby for any unforeseen issues, lined up along the walls, observing the exchanges of the nobility.
Standing among them, Charlotte overheard two maids she had come to Cloverfield with from Gredel Hill whispering.
“It’s a feast for the eyes, sure, but it’s all just out of reach. Today was supposed to be my day off, too.”
“We must follow Madam Janice’s strict orders, no choice for us lower folks. At least we can look forward to taking some leftovers after the party.”
“And how does Richard stand out even among these distinguished gentlemen?”
“What’s there to say? Such beauty is rare in this world or any other.”
Following the maids’ gazes, Charlotte saw Richard. His auburn hair was impeccably styled, and his skin and profile looked as if it was carved by divine hands. His thick, lowered lashes framed perfectly sculpted, tightly sealed lips.
Even among tall men, he stood out, his physique honed by two years of military service, broad and solid. Charlotte, who had been staring blankly, remembered the well-defined muscles she had glimpsed before. His voice had been low and sharp, scraping the ground.
Just then…
“…”
Richard, who had been conversing animatedly with the surrounding people, turned his head and looked directly at her. It felt as though time had stopped. Her heart trembled, and her thoughts stalled.
“Ah! He saw me just now, right? He did!”
“Don’t flatter yourself. Why would he notice a freckled nobody like you?”
Was it a moment of eye contact? No, it seemed not. Amidst the chaos stirred by the maids beside her, her mind swirled with confusion.
I need to get out of here.
A chill ran down her spine instinctively. Even if he had recognized her, it was not a good sign. She remembered the murderous look in his eyes the last time she had mentioned her role as a maid.
“…Oh, where are you going?”
“Just to the restroom for a moment.”
“You must come right back, Charlotte. You know you shouldn’t be away from your post for too long.”
“Understood.”
With a slight nod, Charlotte quickly made her way through the crowd, escaping the gala hall to the empty back door.
Once outside, the oppressive feeling lifted from her chest, and a wave of frustration hit her.
“Who does he think he is, not showing his face for a whole week?”
The day they lay side by side in the boat at the lakeside, and then Richard abruptly left for Gredel Hill on urgent business, not returning to Mistymoor Hall for a full week.
During that time, a young lady went missing, and Gredel Hill was shrouded in fear. As she lay trembling next to her mother at night, Charlotte foolishly thought of Richard.
‘What if he’s already interested in you?’
That playful, perhaps meaningless remark sounded so sincere. Every glance, gesture, and smile seemed laden with meaning, keeping her awake all night.
It had been a torturous night. When she did manage to fall asleep, her dreams replayed the days spent with him, over and over.
The day he shot a wolf charging at her with his shotgun.
The day she fell into a pit and he caught her in his arms.
The day they rode side by side in a carriage, and she told him stories of her hometown.
As dawn broke, Charlotte admitted to herself how dearly she had missed him over the past week.
The thrill she felt every time their eyes met was not just out of fear.
A bitter laugh escaped her. It was ridiculous. But upon reflection, it wasn’t all that unusual. Countless women had fallen under Richard Kensington’s spell.
“To think I’ve become just another one of them, how awful…”
Tears warmed her eyelids. The realization from seven days of absence was as clear as it was miserable. She felt like sitting down and crying.
As she closed her eyes, a rustle from the tall bushes behind the backyard hinted at an approaching presence.
🍉🍉🍉
