Subliminal Wayfarer

As she slumped to the ground, Grace immediately shut her eyes tightly, then also went the extra step of covering them with both hands.

Even so, the image of the man’s bare body she had glimpsed mere seconds ago remained as a specter behind her closed eyes.

‘Wh…What in the world was that?’

She was so flustered that she even forgot she was in the middle of getting angry. Heat rose like a fever to her face, so intense it felt like her ears might start letting out smoke.

Despite her eyes being tightly shut, the perfectly sculpted form of the man’s body refused to leave her mind.

‘His… His Excellency’s b-bare body… I saw it…!’

It was her first time seeing the naked body of a stranger, let alone a man’s. She had closed her eyes in an instant, but her treacherous eyes had seen far too much.

“…Grace.”

A low, deep voice came from nearby. Startled, Grace waved her hand and shouted.

“P-Please don’t come any closer!”

Still with her eyes closed, she reached out one hand to wave it, trying to dissuade him. However… Her flailing fingertips briefly brushed against human skin. It was smoother and silkier than she had imagined.

But! No! That’s not what’s important right now!

Grace, terrified, quickly withdrew her hand and curled up like a defensive hedgehog.

‘He’s right in front of me! What do I do!’

With her face buried in her palms, Grace desperately tried not to think about what she had touched, shaking her head in denial.

A small sigh came from just near her.

“If… If you just raise your hand blindly like that…”

“Then you should have warned me first!”

“Um, it was too sudden for me too… and I was startled by your ferocity… Besides, Grace…”

“Oh, no no no. I-I already told you, please! Don’t come any closer!”

Grace, who had turned into a hedgehog in front of the buck-naked duke—who had transformed back from being a horse??—quickly shook her head in bewilderment. Right now, the heat on her face had spread to her ears, then down to her nape as well.

No, in fact, her whole body was burning to a point that it was difficult to find any place that wasn’t red. The only thing that was fortunate, amidst this bewildering series of misfortunate events, was the fact that it was a very dark night this evening.

It wasn’t bright under this tree, and Lucas had his back against the bright lights of this mansion. So, what Grace could mostly see were just shadows.

Indeed, this was a fortunate thing. Because of it, her treacherous and lustful eyes hadn’t seen everything about him clearly.

For instance… Below his waist.

Or rather, in between the—

Ack! I swear! I didn’t see properly!

‘I definitely didn’t see anything— Nothing at all!’

She hadn’t seen it properly, so whatever brief image had flashed before her eyes couldn’t have been real. It must have been an afterimage, tricking her eyes into confusion.

‘That can’t possibly be part of a human body. S-So, I must have seen it wrong. No, wait, not that! I didn’t see anything!”

Although she wasn’t well-acquainted with the naked form of a man, she thought that what wasn’t visible when clothed couldn’t possibly be so pronounced when unclothed.

And it was so, so… enormous! So, it must be that she had seen it wrong. No, it had to be.

“Grace.”

Lucas whispered her name again in a pained voice. Looking at her tiny, trembling shoulders and her neck flushed red, his heart felt a deep sorrow and regret, as if it was crawling on the ground.

‘How should I go about this…’

At that moment, Grace’s appearance was no different than a small animal hiding its head from a predator.

Sitting down with her small body curled up into a ball, her face buried in her hands, she was trembling.

The thought that he was the cause of her state made his expression turn grim.

Lucas clenched his teeth in frustration. Glancing at his own smooth, bare body, a sigh escaped him involuntarily.

‘Well, I’ve got nothing to cover myself with…’

Standing naked in front of the shivering woman felt strangely like being a horrendous guy.

Returning to the mansion in this state was also incredibly awkward.

He was worried about the servants witnessing this scene, but even more concerning was his mother. The servants would probably turn away quickly, knowing better, but his mother might open her eyes even wider, delighting in the situation.

She had always been sincere in her teasing of him.

The heavens were indeed indifferent.

What was he supposed to do if he bumped into his mother with this timing?

Lucas had seen his mother’s eyes sparkle for the first time in a long while.

Since losing his father, his mother’s personality had changed quite a bit. To put it nicely, she had become much calmer, but sometimes she also seemed rather depressed.

But today, she was as lively as ever, her eyes twinkling with excitement. It wasn’t clear whether she was happy about the possibility of a new family member, or just amused that Lucas had found someone who made him anxious.

In any case, it was best to resolve the current situation as quickly as possible.

‘No choice then… I’ll have to get Grace inside and ask Jaime to send some clothes.’

But he was worried that if she went inside like this, she might never speak to him again…

Lucas steeled himself and rubbed his face with his palm. The touch of his own hand, after several days, felt strangely unfamiliar. He certainly felt lighter than when he was a black stallion, but oddly enough, his body still felt sluggish.

“Gra—”

It was at that moment.

“Milady! Where are you, Milady!”

“Your Ladyship…!”

A voice calling for her came from the other side of the mansion.

Just then, the cowering Grace suddenly lifted her head. Before Lucas could react, she sprang up, eyes still closed tightly, and…

And threw herself into his arms…?

“……!”

Was this what seeing stars felt like? Lucas looked down at Grace, who had jumped to embrace him, with a somewhat dazed expression. The sensation of her breath against his bare skin sent a strange thrill through his body.

From that moment, he realized he could no longer control himself.

“We need to hide quickly, Your Excellency.”

Grace’s urgent whisper tickled the tips of his ears. Her small force pushed his large body effortlessly, and they both fell to the ground—closely entwined.

Without a chance to defend themselves, Lucas and Grace tumbled onto the soft grassy ground.

Grace’s body covered him, and her billowing skirt provided a cover for him. The two bodies overlapped completely, like sheets of paper pressed together.

Due to the lightness of the fabric, Lucas’s hot skin was felt directly against hers. Lucas’s chin rested on Grace’s forehead. She forgot to breathe for a moment and slowly lifted her head.

In the deep darkness, his piercing blue eyes shone brightly, looking straight at her.

“……”

“……”

Both were frozen in place, unable to take their eyes off each other. Though their bodies, pressed together, were burning with heat, they couldn’t move, merely mixing their breaths helplessly.

“…ady Grace! Didn’t she go this way?”

Startled by the voice close by, Grace’s lips quivered and parted slightly.

Lucas’s gaze shifted to her slightly open lips.

It was the slightest movement of his eyes, yet Grace felt as if all the moisture in her body had evaporated. She involuntarily swallowed dryly.

‘What now.’

As soon as she heard other people’s voices, her only thought was to hide Lucas Blacke. So, she impulsively hugged him and hid behind the ornamental tree.

Her body had moved before her mind. Only now, in this position, she realized she had done something dangerously reckless.

‘…What now!’

Beneath her was Lucas, now unmistakably in the form of a man. Her heart, which had just been slammed to the floor, was now throbbing and pulsating as if it had crawled back up.

Her throat was parched dry. Why did her lips feel so itchy under his gaze?

Unconsciously, she lightly licked her lower lip.

At that moment, Lucas sharply sucked in a breath and held it, but Grace, deafened by the pounding of her own heart, did not notice.

“Let’s split up and look. Julie, come with me.”

“It feels like she should be somewhere around here…”

“We’ll search more here. Could you go a bit farther?”

Jaime, Julie, and Selena’s voices were all audible.

If it had only been Jaime who came, she might have tried to call him for help. But how could she expose this situation to Julie and Elder Madam Selena?

As Grace chewed her lip in dilemma, Lucas called her in a soft voice.

“Grace.”

“Shh. Quiet… We can’t get caught.”

Grace quickly covered his mouth with her hand. She could distinctly feel the shape of his lips under her palm. It’s so strange to feel.

She felt her face flush even more when she sensed that, beneath her palm, that he was smiling.

Thankfully, the footsteps nearby gradually faded away. Around that time, Lucas’s hand, which had been holding her waist, moved.

His large hand encompassed the back of her neck and nape, pulling her head towards him with a very gentle force. Surprised, she shrank back, and Lucas’s head came closer to her ear.

He whispered softly in her ear, his voice low.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Now’s not the time for that…! Stay quiet—if we get caught, it’s a big deal. Not for me, but for Your Excellency!”

Of course, being caught entangled in this position would be embarrassing for Grace too, but it was Lucas, stark naked, who would be in bigger trouble.

Completely red. A troubled frown. A shy pout.

Watching Grace’s expressions twist into a kaleidoscope of emotions, Lucas had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling.

He whispered again, seemingly unconcerned.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you, Grace.”

‘So much for staying quiet!’

Grace slightly narrowed her eyes as she glared at him.

More than that, why was her traitorous heart racing so uncontrollably in this situation?

“If it’s not too late for excuses… I just found your innocent laughter so adorable, and I became greedy because I just wanted to see your smile for just a bit longer. Just a bit more, just a bit more… And before I knew it, it turned into this situation.”

His voice, tickling her ear, was so sweet that Grace had to bite her lip to keep from taking a sharp breath.

“It may sound like an excuse— No, it is an excuse, but I really enjoyed talking with you openly.”

“…Okay. Fine, yes. Please, let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

Feeling like her head might explode if this continued, Grace quickly interjected, stopping Lucas. He looked at her worriedly.

“Are you a little… less angry now?”

Grace didn’t answer but glanced at him and then let out a soft sigh, nodding slightly.

“Just a little, very little. Not even an inch, juuust a little…”

Grace emphasized ‘a little’ as she opened her eyes slightly. Her narrowly opened eyes, indicating just how much she had forgiven, were endearingly lovely. Lucas looked at her and gently smiled.

“I’m truly grateful for even just that little.”

As she was staring back at him, Grace suddenly turned her head away. The moment felt embarrassingly unfamiliar.

As she averted her gaze, trying to shake off her thoughts about Lucas, she brought up something that had been bothering her.

“But, um, Your Excellency.”

“……?”

“There’s something near my belly button… It doesn’t feel like a branch. Isn’t it uncomfortable for you?”

At Grace’s words, Lucas paused for a moment.

Soon, he let out a sigh with a subtly crumpled expression, as if realizing something. He looked at her with an embarrassed expression, then covered his face with one hand while rubbing it roughly.

His face, partially visible beyond the palm, seemed to be both laughing and crying…

“Your Excellency…?”

Wondering why he suddenly acted like this, she called out to him cautiously, but all he could do was shake his head, unable to respond.

Just then, a rustling noise came from right behind them. As both tensed up and looked at each other.

“Oh my gosh…!”

The exclamation echoed from behind Grace, and the owner of that voice was the very last person they wanted to meet right now.

Damn it.

Lucas muttered under his breath, sounding defeated, and Grace immediately closed her eyes tight. Lucas gently wrapped his arms around her stiff shoulders and growled protectively.

“What are you looking at, Mother?”

“Indeed, Lucas. My grown son’s nakedness… Where else would one find such a spectacle, Lucas?”

Selena smiled oh so mischievously as she looked at Lucas and Grace, entwined as if they were one.

 

---

 

t/n: i was just cry-laughing the entire time!! my neighbors must be thinking that i’ve finally lost it bahahaha