"So hungry… Where did Dahlia run off to?" Catherine rubbed her stomach. She hadn't eaten all day—no, actually, she hadn't eaten since last night.
"Seriously, she said she was just going out for a bit, but it's been half a day now, and she's nowhere to be seen."
Pouting in frustration, Catherine lay on the bed, absentmindedly stroking the soft blanket. A relaxed expression spread across her face—this blanket was even better than the ones in her ducal estate.
She turned her head, scanning the room. The decor was exquisite, and a stove in the corner radiated warmth. Everything here was different from what she had seen in the royal capital.
"So this is a room in Sedona City's lord castle? It's actually really nice… Feels even better than my room back at the ducal estate," Catherine murmured to herself.
Tap, tap, tap…
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside. Catherine's eyes narrowed slightly, and her pale lips curved into a sly smile.
"Hmm… Dahlia, you're finally back! Let's see how you handle a good scare from me." She pulled the blanket over her head, preparing to sit up suddenly and give her friend a fright.
Creak!
Lucas pushed open the door, followed by a maid carrying a bowl of refined rice porridge—Catherine's dinner.
He sighed helplessly. Nicole and Mina refused to come, insisting that since he had seen a noble lady's ass, he had to face her in person.
Taking the porridge from the maid, Lucas waved her away. He knew exactly what Mina and the others were thinking, which made him chuckle bitterly. She's just a duke's daughter—so what if I saw her butt? It's not like she's necessarily going to hold a grudge. What, do I have to take responsibility just because of that?
Entering the room, he placed the bowl on the bedside table and sat at the edge of the bed, gazing at Catherine, who had the blanket pulled over her head. Is she the type who likes to sleep with her head covered? Or is she feeling insecure?
Could she have a fever? No, that shouldn't be the case. She had already been given an antipyretic injection—at most, she'd still be a little weak.
Lucas decided not to overthink it. He simply reached out, grabbed the blanket, and pulled it back. Might as well check and see.
"Ah...!"
Catherine suddenly threw off the blanket, making a spooky face as she abruptly sat up, laughing playfully, "Dahlia..."
"Uh..."
But the scream she had been expecting from Dahlia never came. Instead, she found herself staring blankly at an unfamiliar man in front of her. More importantly—her boobs were currently in his hands.
"Ahhhhhh...!"
A sharp scream pierced the air as Catherine yanked the blanket around herself, wrapping her entire body while scrambling backward in panic, eyes fixed in terror on Lucas's outstretched hands.
"You... who are you?" Catherine's voice trembled, her face full of shock. She had planned to scare someone, but instead, she ended up being the one scared.
"I..."
Lucas was stunned. Did a pair of boobs just deliver itself into his hands? This was a huge misunderstanding! He had genuinely been reaching for the blanket—he hadn't meant to grab that.
"Uh... So, what happened was... I was just trying to pull the blanket off, and then you suddenly lifted it yourself and, well, ran into me. Do you believe me?"
Awkwardly, Lucas retracted his hands, then spread them helplessly. "I just wanted to check on your condition, so I reached out, and—cough—this was all just a misunderstanding."
"..."
Catherine froze for two seconds, tilting her head in deep thought. Then, her cheeks puffed up in anger, and her eyes locked onto Lucas with the look one gives a liar. Who would believe something so convenient?
"Sigh," Lucas sighed, shaking his head in resignation. "Looks like you're still not fully recovered. Your brain's not processing things properly. Seems like you'll need more treatment."
"Ah?"
Catherine's mouth fell open. She hadn't expected this stranger to say something like that. Could it really have been a misunderstanding?
But then she remembered what Dahlia had told her about the treatment method—it involved needles. And worse, it involved needles in the butt.
The mere thought of it made her backside ache in phantom pain. Clutching her ass in panic, she shouted, "No! I'm fine! I'm completely healed! I don't need a shot in the butt!"
"Uh…"
Lucas blinked. Wait, did she just stop misunderstanding him? Looked like she was fine after all. Great. That cleared things up.
"Alright then, come here. Let me check if you're really better." Lucas waved her over, wanting to see if her fever had gone down.
"Check…?"
Catherine's eyes widened, tears welling up as she spoke in a soft, trembling voice, "No… I'm really better… You don't have to check my butt…"
"Cough cough cough—"
Lucas nearly choked on air. He straightened up, reached out, and flicked Catherine twice on the forehead before grumbling, "For crying out loud, can you not say things that make me sound like some kind of pervert?!"
"What?"
Catherine froze, her eyes misty as she gazed at Lucas with a pitiful expression.
"That's all."
Lucas simply reached out and pressed his hand against her forehead before touching his own, comparing their temperatures.
"Still feel dizzy?" He asked. Their temperatures were about the same now, and since Catherine wasn't burning up like before, it meant her fever had gone down.
"No!"
Catherine pouted, covering her forehead as she shook her head blankly. Her eyes flickered between Lucas's dark ones and the hand that had just touched her.
Then it hit her.
This was the person who had cured her.
And that meant… This was also the person who had given her that butt injection.
Oh my god.
Catherine's face instantly flushed red. Without a word, she yanked the blanket over herself and dove under it, hiding like a startled kitten.
Lucas stared at the sight of her backside sticking up under the covers, utterly confused.
What was this supposed to mean now?!
"I brought you some porridge. Have a little bit." Lucas said gently, reaching out to tug at the blanket.
"Mmh! Just leave it there. I'll eat it later." Catherine's muffled voice came from under the covers.
"Alright, then. I'm leaving."
Lucas stood up, easily recognizing that she was just feeling shy.
"Mmh!"
Shaking his head, Lucas let it be. Fine, he'd have Nicole check on her later. With that, he turned and left the room.
"Creak."
As the door clicked shut, Catherine cautiously peeked her head out from under the blanket. After making sure there was no one else around, she finally let out a deep breath.
"Phew..."
Catherine patted her chest, her flushed cheeks burning even hotter as she muttered to herself, "He's actually pretty good-looking… has a great demeanor… and he's my savior. So if he saw a little… it should be fine, right?"
Wait, what am I thinking?!
"Oh my god, Catherine! How can you have such thoughts? Are you… are you no longer pure?!"
"But… what's done is done. What should I do? Marry him? No, that's way too hasty… And Father would kill someone…"
"Maybe I should just properly thank him for saving my life? But with what?"
"Should I give him perfume? Maybe two bottles? Would that be too cheap?"
"So confusing… Dahlia, where are you?!"
The girl's endless murmuring filled the room as she spiraled into her own dramatic dilemma.
Ah, the troubles of youth.
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