Thank You For The Confinement, Grand Duke! - Chapter 72.1
‘What’s going on?’
It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen this, so why was he reacting so emotionally?
Surprised, I glanced quickly at his face. My gaze was immediately drawn to his golden eyes, silently shedding tears. Even though I knew I shouldn’t be thinking this way while someone was crying, he looked so beautiful.
I straightened up and gently cupped his face in my hands.
He lifted his head willingly, meeting my gaze. For a moment, we locked eyes, and then, as if drawn by an invisible force, I leaned in closer.
Softly, I pressed my lips against his closed eyelids, feeling the warmth radiate from him.
Following the trail of his tears, I planted gentle kisses along his cheeks. The way he kept his eyes shut so trustingly made him seem incredibly cute.
“Don’t cry. Why are you crying?”
“I cried because… I’m so happy.”
“Do you really feel that happy over something like this? You didn’t even cry when we kissed.”
I spoke playfully and wiped away the remaining tear tracks with my fingertips, then lightly flicked his slightly parted lips, which were almost teasingly tempting.
“What are you expecting?”
“I’m not expecting anything… It’s just that everything you give me makes me so happy that I want to say something, but words won’t come out… so that’s why.”
His golden eyes, blurred by tears, opened again. It was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Enfrise, you’re so much more delicate than I expected. You even cry.”
“Are you disappointed?”
His voice didn’t waver at all when he asked that. Yet, I could see a slight tremble in his eyes, as if he was genuinely worried about disappointing me.
I wiped away the tears from his eyes and smiled.
“Why would I?”
“Because I’m not cool. Didn’t you say you like me for being cool and handsome?”
“Enfrise, you’re really silly. That’s what makes you cute.”
I stretched out my arms and pulled him into a hug. Since I was standing while he remained seated, his face was completely hidden, nestled against my chest.
“I don’t really know why I gave my heart to you. But one thing is certain.”
If, when I opened my eyes, it hadn’t been Enfrise I saw…
“If the first thing I saw was a man who was much more handsome, charming, and perfect than Enfrise…”
I would have only viewed that person as a character in a story. Yet now…
“I wouldn’t have liked him.”
I closed my eyes gently.
The gentle sound of water rippling against the side of the boat, the distant chirping of birds, and the muffled sound of suppressed tears coming from my chest.
As I think of you as my paradise, I hope I can be yours as well.
“Even if Enfrise is ugly or has a strange voice, I would surely still like you. Because I would only find good things about you.”
I gently patted Enfrise’s back as I opened my eyes, and he looked up to meet my gaze.
‘Ah, this is it.’
The moment for a kiss.
Just as I thought to lean in, however…
“Ppi—ppiririri ppik!“
“Sherry?!”
What I thought was a distant bird song turned out to be Sherry’s voice. Since its master was crying, it must have flown over in a hurry.
The problem was that my posture was unstable.
As I leaned sideways, I fell over.
“Uh, uwaaahh!“
“Chaperil!”
… I ended up showing a side of myself I never wanted to reveal.
* * *
“It’s a relief you didn’t fall into the water.”
“….”
For now, we settled on a slightly elevated flat rock after getting off the boat. Enfrise, looking uncertain as he noticed my gloomy expression, hesitated before speaking up, but I didn’t have the energy to respond.
‘How embarrassing…’
When Sherry bumped into me, I lost my balance and collapsed onto the boat. Luckily, I fell backward rather than sideways, avoiding a plunge into the water. Startled, Enfrise instinctively reached out to catch me, realized he couldn’t hold me up, and instead ended up wrapping his arms around my head, protecting it from hitting the floor.
But still.
I fell with a thud, and my skirt… flared out…
“With the chemise inside, I didn’t see anything, it’s fine. I really didn’t see anything.”
‘I know that! I know!’
Nonetheless, he still saw my awkward fall! He saw my skirt flip up! And it happened right at the moment for a kiss!
“…Chaperil?”
“I’m sorry, but can you just leave me alone for a moment…?”
I’m done for. I’ll probably never be able to kiss properly again… Ugh.
“….”
Why did it have to happen at that moment?!
We’ve been all over each other without ever catching the right moment for a kiss. The mood was perfect!
So why?!
“…Ah.”
From now on, whenever I think of catching that moment, I’ll remember how I fell. The chance for romance is completely ruined. Ruined!
Huhu.
“Uht.”
Uht?
What was that noise?
Beside me, Enfrise was making rustling sounds as he clutched his head. Suddenly, he let out a strangely seductive sound.
What on earth is he doing?
“…What are you doing, Enfrise?”
“…I thought Chaperil had something on her mind, so I was going to eat this…”
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