Lucas's body suddenly began to tremble before he finally burst into laughter.
Irene flinched, her anger now mixed with embarrassment.
"Why are you laughing?! I'm not joking with you!!"
Lucas simply could not stop laughing.
I'm going to lose my mind.
He felt a kind of amusement unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.
He continued laughing uncontrollably before finally managing to ask,
"Did I... kiss you?"
Irene was still upset with him.
"Do you think I'm stupid? I've studied these things beforehand..."
"You studied?"
Lucas's laughter grew almost hysterical, carrying all the way outside the tent, where some of the servants could hear it.
It felt as though Lucas were laughing like this for the first time in his life, as if his heart were about to burst out of his chest.
Meanwhile, Irene was completely stunned. She had never heard him laugh like that before.
Is he drunk right now?
Despite Irene's extraordinary intelligence, she was completely ignorant when it came to matters concerning the relationship between a man and a woman. The only things she knew were those she had been forced to learn before her marriage—things that had put her through an incredibly difficult time as she struggled to accept them...
He finally looked at her as though he were seeing her for the first time.
Her face grew even redder.
You really are troublesome... Ah, what am I doing right now?
Now I want to see more and more of this side of you.
Lucas moved closer to her, bringing his face near hers as he spoke in a teasing, mischievous voice.
"Oh, so you've exposed me... Then, did you hate being kissed by me that much?"
Irene felt his body drawing closer to hers and completely lost control of her nerves. She tried to move away.
"What are you talking about... and what exactly do you think you're doing right now?!"
Lucas kept moving closer and closer, deliberately teasing her even more, until Irene was forced to lean back onto her arm.
Then she said in a threatening tone laced with fear,
"If you don't stop this nonsense, I'll scream as loudly as I can and make everyone come here."
Lucas felt a strange sense of pleasure at her threat.
"Oh, really? And what are you going to tell them... that your husband is trying to kiss you?"
Lucas grabbed the fist Irene had placed over her mouth and pulled it away before leaning even closer toward her lips.
"Then start screaming now, before it's too late."
Irene was suddenly overwhelmed with fear. She fell hard onto the bed and covered her face with her other hand.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Lucas suddenly stopped because of the sound.
He said sarcastically,
"Wait... Don't you think the sound of your heartbeat is a little louder than normal?"
For the first time, Irene was completely incapable of doing anything. She could not even put her thoughts in order, and the words simply spilled from her mouth without thought.
"You... if you don't listen to it... Ah, seriously... just move away now. I'm not joking with you."
Lucas finally felt little sorry for her
'All right. That's enough for today'
He finally backed away.
He stood up as Irene grabbed the blanket and pulled it over herself.
He turned toward her.
Seeing her like that, he began laughing again.
'Uh this is fun '
"I'll leave now... But if I hear that you refused to take your medicine again, I'll come back."
A crooked smile appeared on his lips.
"And I won't give it to you with my hand that time. I'll make sure you swallow it by putting it down your throat with my mouth."
Irene's heart was still pounding beneath the blanket, so she shouted,
"Get out! Now!!"
Lucas finally turned and left the tent, still laughing.
Irene muttered,
"Why is he acting so strange all of a sudden?! Since when did he start talking to me like this...? He must definitely be drunk."
Outside,
Lucas was still trying to stop himself from laughing.
"Ah... At least now I can be sure she'll take her medicine properly."
Not far away, Louie stood watching Lucas's expressions.
For the past year, his friend Lucas had seemed almost lifeless after being forced into a marriage. He had hated even talking about his wife or anything related to her at least until recently, when he had left for the south with her...
But now, it was as if he had become a completely different person.
How long has it been since I last saw or even heard you laugh like that?
Yet instead of feeling reassured, Louis found himself experiencing an entirely different feeling this time.
He raised his hand and called out to his friend.
"Lucas."
---
The two of them were leaning against the trunk of a tree beside the river, smoking together.
Silence settled between them for a while before Louis finally spoke.
"How's your hand?"
Lucas glanced at his hand, which was secured in a splint.
"It's fine. It doesn't hurt... That damn old doctor insisted on putting this ridiculous splint on me."
Louis laughed.
"You gave that doctor quite a hard time yesterday. You should have seen his face while he was trying to explain it to you. He looked like his life depended on it... Hahaha! I mean, obviously you need to wear a splint if your hand is broken. Otherwise, the bone won't heal properly. That's basic common sense."
Lucas looked at him.
"Since when do you talk like that? Did you suddenly become an old man?"
Louis scoffed.
"Who are you calling an old man, you idiot? They say old people are the ones who are more stubborn than children! More like you "
He fell silent for a moment before adding,
"Still, I'm glad it's your left hand... If it had been your right, you would've suffered a lot more."
"Who says I'd suffer? I wouldn't care even if it were my right hand. I can use both of them."
Louis laughed at his friend's determination.
Silence fell between them once again.
But Louis was not finished.
He looked at Lucas for a few moments before speaking.
"Your relationship with your wife must have progressed quite a lot."
Lucas looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... you nearly lost your mind trying to find her back then."
Lucas's expression changed slightly.
"What are you talking about? I already told you. What happened to her was my responsibility."
Louis shook his head.
"You're wrong... I don't think your reaction was simply because you felt responsible."
"Stop talking nonsense."
"This isn't nonsense. Maybe it's just my opinion, but you're my closest friend. I know you as well as I know myself."
Louie looked directly at him.
"The way you were laughing just now..."
Lucas fell silent.
"And the way you held her back then..."
A faint smile appeared on Louis's face.
"Maybe those actions came from something else. Maybe you're simply trying to ignore those feelings and convince yourself they aren't real."
Lucas raised an irritated eyebrow.
"What the hell are you talking about? Stop spouting meaningless nonsense before I break my other hand over your head."
"Your reaction just now only confirms it."
Lucas suddenly stood up.
"Stop bothering me... I'm leaving."
But Louie did not laugh this time.
His tone suddenly changed, becoming much more serious.
"Lucas."
Lucas stopped.
"These feelings you don't understand... the feelings you have for her... Try to control them now, before it's too late."
Lucas raised his eyes toward him.
Louie continued,
"Because that woman is far more dangerous than you think."
Lucas stopped in surprise and turned toward him.
"What?"
Louis stood up as well.
"You'll understand what I mean when we return to the capital."
Louis was about to leave, but Lucas grabbed him by the hand.
"I don't understand what you mean... But I don't have feelings for any woman in this kingdom except Viola. As for her, I only feel guilty because she almost died because of me. That's all... So get those ridiculous thoughts out of your head before I crack your skull."
Louis looked down at the hand Lucas was gripping, then back at his friend.
"You're wrong again..."
He gently pulled his hand away.
"But consider this advice from me as a brother, not as a friend."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"And I'm not saying this because I'm Viola's brother. This has nothing to do with her in any way."
He looked directly at Lucas.
"It concerns you alone... Don't forget that I was the one who asked you to give your marriage a chance. But... things have changed now, and they've become far more complicated."
Then he said seriously,
"You'll understand when we return to the capital. But before we do, I want you to sort out your thoughts and listen to your heart... Then face your true feelings and try to control them before they grow any stronger. Because you'll suffer greatly if you don't."
Louis pulled his hand free and said,
"Think about it carefully. This isn't as simple as you think."
Then he turned away.
"I'll leave first."
He left him behind and walked away.
Lucas remained standing where he was, watching his friend's back as he disappeared into the distance.
He stayed silent for several seconds.
Then he muttered to himself,
"You idiot... You say all this incomprehensible nonsense and then just walk away like that... What the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden?"
To be continued....
(Let me know what y'all think<3)