Chapter 8
Of course, whatever made Selene laugh had nothing to do with him. Barath controlled his thoughts.
The goal was to win her, not to make her laugh.
Selene had heard about the wager from Anna and had taken the money and headed out to the market.
The market, the food, the fountains, the breeze, there was no shortage of it all.
While she was enjoying all this, she kept thinking about the feel of Barath’s gown yesterday. She remembered how firm his arms were when she stood on her tiptoes and held onto them, as if they were weightless under her weight.
She couldn’t stop smiling.
She was lonely, too. As Yumi, she had been her own protector since she was so young.
Sometimes, when she felt worlds apart, she thought about it. Was she destined to be lonely for the rest of her life?
But in this world, Barath’s loneliness is predestined. Maybe that’s why she came to be by his side?
They say that everything happens for a reason, so maybe there’s a reason she came to this world and became a couple with him?
Somehow, she felt like she could get along with him. She wanted to try and get along with him.
On her way back, Selene stood in the corner of the marketplace and looked at a bag woven from what looked like dried grass.
At the sight of it, Barath thought he was finally beginning to prepare to flee, though he was a little puzzled when she spent a long time looking at it. Why not just get a bag that’s strong, holds a lot, and can be slung over her shoulder?
After looking for a while, she bought a small bag that she slung over her arm.
What a stupid woman.
Next to it, she sees a pair of leather shoes.
Yeah. She’ll need shoes to run in, too. Low heels and sturdy.
But this time, after a quick glance, she heads back to the castle.
Maybe she was thinking about Anna next door. Sneak out and buy low heels?
But He won’t let her out without Anna.
Barath questioned Selene’s every move, and he had his own reasons.
***
After returning to the castle, Barath waited until about the same time as yesterday before heading to Selene’s bedroom, just in case she was fresh out of the bath like yesterday. He thought with some trepidation, but also some expectation.
He was about to knock on her door, fiddling with the present he’d brought, when the door opened with a small squeak.
‘Running away?’
Barath ducked behind the door. Selene stepped out without a glance around and walked away with her skirts lifted in both hands.
He laughed. Something about that ridiculous sight, though it must have been difficult to go from wearing an ankle-length skirt to a dress that dragged on the floor.
Barath watched Selene walk for a long moment, then followed at a distance.
Selene hobbled down a flight of stairs and stood before a room, and Barath, watching her from behind a pillar on the stone staircase, narrowed his eyes.
As he watched her pull down her skirt and straighten her clothes, he remembered whose room that door was.
‘Shit. That’s my room.’
Barath ran straight back upstairs, minimising the sound of her footsteps. ‘I’m going to go downstairs to my room through Selene’s bedroom…
‘No. Still, it’s not a good idea to barge in.’
Having managed to keep his wits about him in the face of Selene’s visit, Barath slipped into the next room, threw open the window, and leapt diagonally, landing on his bedroom terrace. It was an agile move for such a large man.
Throwing off his cloak, he stepped inside, tossed the gift he hadn’t been able to throw with him onto the table, and opened the door to Selene’s room.
Bam.
She was just about to knock.
No, she was hesitating.
Standing in front of Barath’s bedroom door, she looked into her handbag and saw two red apples she had bought today. They looked so delicious at the market that she bought two in a hurry.
She thought about waiting for him in her room, but she thought it would be better to go directly to him, so she asked Anna to find his room for her.
Yesterday around this time, Barath had visited her in her room, so she knew it wouldn’t be rude, but she also wondered if it was too late since it was dark outside.
What if he thought she was trying to seduce him, what if he thought she was revealing herself? In the midst of her deliberations, he opened the door and stepped out.
To her embarrassment, she hiccupped like a woman caught in the act of shoplifting.
Hiccup.
Meeting his searching eyes made her wonder if she’d been too bold in coming to the door after dark.
Without another word, Barath held the door open and stepped aside. As if to say, “Come in.
Selene, hiccupping and rolling her eyes, took a seat in front of the fireplace in the same position as her room.
Barath, perhaps wary of her sudden arrival, stood in the doorway until she joined him at the hearth.
We stared at each other, our eyes locked in a confrontational stare, before Selene patted the seat next to her. Her eyes widened and she hiccupped.
Something must have happened to her yesterday or today. She couldn’t help but smile at the man slowly approaching her side.
Selene took two apples out of her handbag. She handed one to him.
The apple, big enough to fill both of her hands, looked as small as a ping-pong ball when it crossed into Barath’s hands. It was so funny.
It was so funny, Selene laughed. Whether it was funny or not, he took a bite and half the apple was gone. Selene laughed again.
Barath was actually laughing at Selene’s now purring laughter. He wonders if his face looks funny when he chews an apple.
She wiped the droplets from the corners of her eyes and started to eat the apple.
She took a bite, grimacing up the bridge of her nose as if she was going to swallow it in one bite, but it was just the peel. What a small mouth.
Everything about this woman was small. She was short, her face was small. The hand that held his arm was tiny. Not to mention her waist, which was only a handful, and from what he could see yesterday, her shoulders were small.
He’d only seen her in silhouette, but he’s sure she had a small arse.
His thoughts drifted downward, and he remembered the gift he had prepared for her.
He rose slowly from his seat. Strangely, he moved slowly in front of her. Somehow he felt that if he moved quickly or did something suddenly, Selene would be surprised.
Like the time he’d opened the curtains one day and found herself in front of him, her shoulders shaking with surprise.
Barath shook his head at his own strange thoughts, then picked up the gift from the table and handed it to Selene.
“What’s this?”
She set aside her half-eaten apple and opened the box, pulling out a gift.
It was a pair of low-heeled leather shoes.
Selene examined the small engraving as if she were going to slip into the shoe.
“They’re so… so pretty.”
He stared at her for a long time afterwards, unable to take his eyes off the shoes, and suddenly he wanted to see her feet.
Were they small?
“Try them on.”
How could she possibly change her shoes when she was sitting in that big, heavy dress?
Not to mention, she can’t lift the dress up and change it herself, which is a pain.
But Selene smiled and nodded as if it was a good idea, and she began to pull the dress open.
But it was no good.
The barrier of the hem of the dress between her hands and feet was high and thick. Grunting, she decided to take the easier route and stood up.
Selene could certainly change her shoes quickly and easily, but Barath would not be able to see her feet.
Barath stood up and watched her fumble around in the hem of her dress to change her shoes.
He feels like a dog chasing a chicken.
When she’s finished, Selene thoughtfully lifts the hem of her skirt so he can see her shoes. She has small peach bones and slender ankles.
If she lifted her skirt a little higher, he could see her calves. But the hem of her skirt soon slid down.
He instinctively looked up, searching for Selene’s face.
She was already looking up at him, and she smiled beautifully when their eyes met.
“Thank you, I like it.”
Her voice rang strangely in his ears.
What the hell is this woman?
Why does she make him feel dazed when she laughs?
Barath managed to snap out of it, shifting his gaze elsewhere.
Right. She needs comfortable shoes to run away in. Wait a minute. But what if she succeeds in running away?
There was an even worse problem. What does it say about a woman with no connections in the cold north that she hates herself if she runs away?
One day she’d be all smiles in front of him, and then one day she’d run away?
His heart sank heavily at the thought.
Selene sat down next to him again and picked up the apple she had left behind. From what he could see, it was already well into the night, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of going back.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that she was sitting a little closer to him than when she first sat next to him. So close that if Selene moved, he could feel it on his leg.
At this point, she was at a loss for words with Barath.
He doesn’t know what this woman, with her innocent face and smell of sugar, is doing with him now.
He wondered why she had given him the apple, and why she kept smiling at him. Most of all, he wondered why she had come to his room after dark.
Was she really not planning on returning to the Grand Duchess’s bedchamber tonight?
