PBPGD

CHAPTER 54

The man should've left for the North. Lia rubbed her eyes again and again
to see if it's just a dream, but his soft laugh informed her that it wasn't.

"Duke... Why are you here? Weren't you going to the North?"

Surprised, Lia's lips became dry from the strange joy and delight.

Lia moved as far away from him as possible, closing the button that she had loosened.

"Don't be weird and come here."

"Weird.... It's not weird if I'm just trying to hang my jacket."

"Your maid should be the one doing that."

"I know. But I think she went to the market."

She responded quite calmly and casually smiled.

Claude looked better than she thought. He wasn't that immersed in sadness, nor was he full of anger.

Thank God, she's a little relieved by that.

Hanging her jacket, she sat across from Claude that was still staring at her. She felt a bit strange because she said that she would stop living as a man after visiting the Marquis' house not long ago.

She already feels like a woman, rather than sitting opposite to Claude as a man. Still, since she haven't thought about how to tell him the truth, she also found a sense of dread.

"Canillian."

"Yes?"

"I came here to apologize."

"Huh? What?"

Staring at her eyes, he sighed.

"I did something that I shouldn't do to you with a shallow curiosity and impulse."

Lia looked at him in a daze. As if he had lost quite a bit of weight from the past few days, his rough beard made an impression of a fierce man.

"What are you talking about...?"

"I'm sorry."

The light apology made her feel like the tip of her stomach is being squeezed.

Lia holds her trembling hand and waited for Claude to continue.

"That night, I was really rude and indecent. So forget it. Or you can resent
me, Canillian."

She felt like she's being sucked into somewhere, just as someone savagely
pushed pushed her body on the edge of a cliff.

He slightly clenched his fist as he stared at her. They're both looking at
each other, but the emotions in their eyes were different.

'What is this feeling? Claude told me so many things. Joy, sadness, pain, distress, excitement, longing, chill, disgrace. And love. Isn't this too much emotion for a person to tell?'

Lia gently bit the soft inner flesh of her twitchy lips. He then stood up, put the scabbard from the table around his waist, and patted her head lightly.

At his touch, her heart that had plummeted to the floor, rises once again.

She doesn't know why his hand patting her head feel so affectionate.

"Are you... sick?"

He thought she had a fever. Lia shook her head while still staring at the
empty chair where Claude was sitting before.

"No, it's because it's hot."

"No, you have a fever. Your maid..."

"Duke, please stop."