Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 87

Gideon opened his eyes in a languid haze.

As always, the bedroom was quiet, and a sense of solitude filled the space within the bed curtains. But today, there was a distinct warmth in his arms. He groaned softly, savoring the comfort.

If he hadn’t known better, he might have been able to let go, as unpleasant as the thought was. But now that he had tasted this warmth, it would never be possible…

Greed clung to him with a cloying sweetness. Even the mere thought of Vanessa leaving him made his breath hitch. He felt hostility towards a nonexistent rival.

Yes, this was definitely madness. Gideon readily admitted it.

The man lowered his head and pressed his lips to the woman’s hair in his arms. Vanessa nestled against him, seemingly undisturbed by his rigid body.

Even the slightest separation felt regrettable. Gideon wrapped his arm around Vanessa’s waist and pulled her closer. Only then was he satisfied, with their bodies fully touching.

At the movement, Vanessa murmured something in her sleep.

“Sleep more.”

He soothed her with a low voice, as if singing a lullaby.

Vanessa obediently resumed her even breathing, resting her cheek against his chest. Gideon knew that the light of dawn would soon break, but he ignored it and closed his eyes again.

Hoping that nothing would disturb this peaceful moment.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Vanessa barely managed to open her eyes. Her whole body ached, making it a struggle to lift her eyelids.

The wall in front of her was unfamiliar. And the warmth that firmly embraced her from behind was alien enough to send shivers down her spine.

No, it was familiar, but being like this in the morning was not.

Vanessa tried hard not to recall the events of the previous dawn. Of course, these things were beyond her control, so it didn’t go as planned.

When she twitched her toes, a sharp pain shot up her leg to her thigh.

The size of the body… didn’t fit. Vanessa gritted her teeth and suppressed a groan.

Fortunately, unlike her last memory, her body felt refreshed, and a thin, airy gown enveloped her.

Vanessa naturally knew the owner of the arm around her waist, so she didn’t even want to turn around. She simply couldn’t, couldn’t face him after that night.

Vanessa carefully tried to slip out of his embrace. She would let him sleep a little longer, and she… had to escape from here.

But her whole body creaked, making each movement unnatural and convulsive. And, of course, Gideon was already awake.

He watched with interest as Vanessa wriggled in his arms. Unaware, Vanessa tried to slip away as quietly as possible.

Just as Vanessa managed to move forward by a hand’s breadth after her desperate efforts, Gideon tightened his arm around her waist, bringing her back into his embrace.

Vanessa froze completely, unable to move, as his soft lips touched the back of her neck.

“Did you sleep well?”

His slightly hoarse voice, perhaps due to the early hour, resonated sweetly in her ear. At the sound of his voice, Vanessa’s memories of the previous day suddenly flooded back, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Are you tired?”

“No, I’m, I’m okay…”

“Does anything hurt…”

He trailed off. There were many places to mention, but they were too embarrassing to talk about, so Vanessa decided never to open her mouth.

The thought alone was terrible. Like, *my inner thighs and waist hurt a lot, do you happen to know why?*

Of course, both the answer that he knew and the answer that he didn’t would make her feel resentful.

Gideon released his arm and turned Vanessa’s body around. He intended to meet her gaze, but Vanessa quickly buried her forehead in his neck. Gideon laughed in disbelief, but Vanessa didn’t lift her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s embarrassing! Let me out of here.”

“This is my bedroom.”

“Oh, right. Then I’ll leave!”

Vanessa flailed her arms and tried to get up, but Gideon easily suppressed her struggles. He gently arranged Vanessa’s disheveled hair and said kindly,

“Ramona probably has tidied up the room you often use. But it might be cold, so stay here.”

Vanessa turned pale at the thought of facing the other servants. They would all know that she hadn’t returned from his bedroom.

*How can people live well while doing all sorts of things!* The thought of anyone knowing about this relationship made her skin crawl. This was a very, very personal matter!

Gideon, who was looking down at Vanessa, still buried in his neck and in shock, continued teasingly,

“What’s wrong? You were fine last night. Oh, there, where you bit me.”

“Ah! Don’t say it!”

Vanessa quickly covered his mouth with her hand, and Gideon, meeting her gaze, smiled with his eyes. Vanessa’s strength drained away at the sight of his captivating eyes.

Gideon stopped teasing her and first got up to straighten his gown. The thin gown that wrapped around his large body revealed his firm physique.

Vanessa, who was blankly admiring him, blushed at the afterimage that flashed through her mind. So she tried to roll off the bed and escape, but Gideon didn’t miss her and quickly picked her up.

“I can walk on my own….”

She was so embarrassed that she wanted to cry. Gideon chuckled briefly as Vanessa mumbled with her face covered.

“I thought your legs were hurting. Just stay still for a moment.”

Gideon went to the connected bathroom and, still holding Vanessa in his arms, filled the tub with warm water. Only after the water splashed in the tub did he sit Vanessa on the edge of the marble tub.

He carefully checked the water temperature and knelt on one knee in front of Vanessa. He tried to touch the places where she was hurting, but Vanessa flinched in horror. Vanessa huffed and said,

“Why weren’t you this nice last night?”

“I’m sorry.”

Gideon obediently apologized. He couldn’t deny that he had been persistent.

Vanessa groaned and whined. She lost her words at his candid admission and slumped. But seeing his hand approaching to help her wash, she quickly straightened up again.

“I can do it myself! Just get out!”

“Doesn’t it hurt? While you’re twisting your body like that….”

Vanessa shook her head firmly. Night was night, and morning was morning. She would never face him naked in such a bright, large-windowed place.

Gideon was eventually chased out with a worried expression, and Vanessa was left alone in the bathroom, where only the sound of water echoed.

As befitting a castle that felt like a jewel with its natural light rather than extravagant decorations, the bathroom also had a large window. The glass window facing the bathtub was connected to the forest behind, offering a clear view of the towering trees.

Being here in the summer, surrounded by the green waves of the trees, would make paradise envious.

Under the bright sunlight, Vanessa immersed herself in the water. As the warm water enveloped her body, her stiff muscles relaxed, and she let out a long breath. Her head drooped back powerlessly.

Vanessa splashed water on the sparse red marks on her white skin. Of course, there was no sign of them fading.

Vanessa shook her head wildly at the afterimages that kept flashing through her mind.

“Don’t think, don’t think….”

But when she remembered scratching his shoulders and back, she eventually buried her head in the water.

She warmed her body in the warm water for quite a long time. Nevertheless, her body, which had been overworked and went to bed late, complained of fatigue.

But it was time to leave now. Because she had somewhere to go.

After washing cleanly and putting on her gown, Vanessa picked up the prepared clothes.

It was a dark green velvet dress that went very well with Vanessa’s brown hair. It had a very antique and simple design, so there was no problem wearing it alone.

Vanessa dried her dripping hair with magic and smiled in satisfaction.

“Ha, this much is easy now.”

She ignored the fact that the ends of her hair were tangled from excessive moisture loss.

When Vanessa went back to the drawing room, Gideon was already neatly dressed. The large white clothes, without any frills, suited him very well, and Vanessa closed her eyes briefly before opening them again.

Simple foods were set on the table that had been barren yesterday. The scent of fresh fruits and freshly baked bread wafted through the air, even in the cold weather. There was also warm soup, which looked appetizing.

“I asked for mostly light things because I thought it might be too much, but is it okay?”

“Of course. I usually don’t even eat breakfast.”

Gideon smiled crookedly at those words, and Vanessa realized she had said something wrong and just sat down.

*Damn it, I need to show him that I can do well on my own, but why are there so many loopholes in everything I say.*

She shivered with satisfaction as the warm liquid flowed into her throat. The soup was perfectly warm and easy to eat. The rich, savory taste melted on her tongue.

“The chefs in this castle are truly perfect. How can soup taste like this?”

Gideon chuckled softly at Vanessa’s serious voice.

“It’s because you’re here, so they prepare more diligently. I don’t talk about what I want, so the chefs hate me as an employee.”

“For someone like that, the people in the castle like you very much.”

Gideon was busy taking care of Vanessa so that she could eat well, rather than putting something in his own mouth. While Vanessa swallowed at least five times, he didn’t even touch the food in front of him.

Vanessa glanced at Gideon for a moment and flinched. The red marks she had left were clearly visible through the comfortably open collar of his shirt.

Vanessa quickly buttoned his collar all the way up and even tied the loose silk tie tightly in a strange way.

Gideon looked at Vanessa with interest.

“Don’t you like the shape you carved?”

At those words, Vanessa glared at him, and Gideon cut a piece of fruit and put it in her mouth.