Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 64
Suddenly, rain began to pour down while they were walking on a quiet path away from the festival. What started as a few drops quickly turned into a heavy downpour. Having already left the bustling area, they were surrounded only by fields that had just been harvested, with no carriages in sight.
Desperately looking for shelter, they found an abandoned hut near an empty wheat field. The hut, likely used by workers for short breaks, seemed unused now that the harvest was over.
Richard checked around the hut, then pulled out two blankets from a wooden chest used for storage. After ensuring there were no leaks in the hut, he started a small fire with the remaining firewood. His actions were so natural and practiced that Louise watched in awe.
“Even though you’re a royal, you handle these things yourself,” Louise remarked.
“Did you forget that I spent many years on the battlefield? Expecting someone to serve you in a place where life and death hang in the balance is a luxury.”
Richard glanced at Louise, then spoke casually. He laid one of the blankets on the dry floor and motioned for Louise to sit on it.
“Fortunately, it’s not dirty.”
“Uh, I….”
Without giving her time to respond, he removed his wet shirt. Though the hut was dim even with the fire, his well-defined muscular torso was visible enough to make Louise take a step back, her eyes widening. Though she had seen his body before, the sight of his strong upper body in the dim light made her blush.
“You should dry your clothes too.”
“No, I’m fine…!”
“Aren’t you soaked inside as well? You’ll get sick if you stay like that.”
Richard walked closer to Louise, shivering in her wet clothes, and checked her condition. Her small face was paler than usual. Despite their efforts to find shelter quickly, both her outer and inner clothes were thoroughly soaked, and her shoes were filled with water. Cold droplets continuously dripped from her long, wet, amber hair.
Realizing she would catch a severe cold if she didn’t change out of her wet clothes, Louise hesitated a bit longer before finally starting to undress. Her hands, slippery from the water, struggled with the buttons of her leather vest, so Richard stepped in to help.
“Put your arms through here.”
“Um, yes….”
“Sit here.”
Wearing only a thin linen chemise, Louise did as he directed and sat on the blanket. Fortunately, the blanket was relatively clean. Although the rain outside continued to pour down loudly, the hut kept them dry, and the thick blanket on the floor insulated them from the cold ground, making it bearable.
“…!”
As Louise looked around, she glanced down at herself and gasped. The thin, wet fabric clung to her body, becoming almost transparent and revealing her erxct nxxples. Flustered, she tried to cover herself when Richard, who had just returned from wringing out their wet clothes and placing them by the fire to dry, noticed her and stopped in his tracks.
As their eyes met, Louise hurriedly tried to explain.
“It’s because of the cold! It’s not… anything weird….”
“I know.”
Richard sat down across from her and laughed softly. Seeing his smile for the first time since they reunited brought back memories of their time together, rendering Louise speechless for a moment. Richard handed her the other blanket.
“Cover yourself.”
“Please use it, my lord. I’m… fine.”
“You’re shivering and saying you’re fine.”
“W-When did I….”
“And it’s because of the cold, right?”
“…!”
When Louise stubbornly refused the blanket, Richard glanced at her chest and made a slight gesture. Realizing where he was looking, Louise’s face turned red. As she quickly covered her chest with her arms, he draped the thick blanket over her shoulders.
“…My lord! But….”
“If you insist, we can share it.”
In the end, they ended up sharing the blanket, but it was too small for both of them. They had no choice but to sit very close, their bodies almost touching.
Ah….
Feeling his warm body and hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, Louise’s anxiety gradually eased.
Thinking back, it had always been this way when they were together. Whenever she felt overwhelmed and scared of everything, being held in Richard’s strong arms made her feel like everything would be okay.
“My lord.”
Like she had done once before, Louise whispered, resting her face gently against his chest. She was glad there was an excuse of the narrow space inside the blanket. When her fidgeting fingers brushed against one of the many scars on Richard’s back, his strong body stiffened.
“I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. You were really good to me….”
“It’s okay.”
Richard nodded silently, understanding why she left. The agreed time had ended, and she must have wanted to return quickly to the man she loved. Moreover, he had treated her so roughly despite her refusals that it was only natural for her to lose all affection for him.
“The one who should be sorry is me. You… you did enough for me.”
“No, I should….”
“Are you crying?”
“No, I… hiic…”
