Chapter 41 - 40: Why Are You Helping Me?

Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Why Are You Helping Me?

They were currently at the side of the banquet hall, in a blind spot for most of the nobles.

The nobles couldn’t see their movements, but it wasn’t completely safe, as waiters could pass by at any moment.

Lilia hadn’t expected him to suddenly go crazy. She subconsciously reached out to push him away, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Caius buried his face in the crook of her neck, his body trembling slightly.

After a long moment, he said in a hoarse voice, "...I’m sorry."

Lilia froze for a second.

As if afraid she hadn’t heard clearly, Caius repeated, "I’m sorry."

"...Caius?"

"I won’t do things that upset you anymore."

Caius rested his forehead against her shoulder. Through her thin shawl, the steady heat of the young man’s body seeped into Lilia’s skin.

"So..." His slightly trembling voice was barely audible. "Don’t leave me."

Lilia stayed silent for a moment before gripping his arm.

Even though she only touched him through the fabric of his clothes, Caius felt an electric shiver run through him.

"Lilia..."

He lifted his head, his hand gripping the girl’s delicate jaw as he lowered his eyes and kissed her.

Lilia turned her head slightly, and the kiss meant for her lips landed on the corner of her mouth.

"Do you know you were wrong?" Lilia asked.

"I know..." Suppressing his pants, Caius spoke with a deep, husky, and sexy voice. "I shouldn’t have interrogated you, and I shouldn’t have cared about you finding a new toy."

"And what should you do from now on?"

"..."

A glint of bloodthirsty malice flashed in Caius’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. "From now on... I’ll wait for you at home obediently and never do anything unnecessary again. Lilia..." he asked a little anxiously, "Is... is that okay?"

Lilia did not answer.

Caius lifted his eyelashes, his gaze tracing every inch of the young girl’s exquisite yet cold features. He leaned in nervously, hesitantly pressing a kiss to her lips once more.

This time, she did not dodge.

An indescribable surge of joy exploded in Caius’s heart. His previously restrained movements suddenly turned fierce.

He kissed her forcefully, yet dared not go deeper. He only lingered on the surface, rubbing and nibbling affectionately, carrying a ruthless intensity as if he wanted to devour her whole.

After letting him kiss her for a while, Lilia pushed him away.

Caius tried to lean in again but was stopped by Lilia’s outstretched hand.

Restraining his inner impulses, he looked at Lilia for a moment and chuckled softly. "...Your lipstick is smudged."

Lilia didn’t want to talk to him. She wondered how he actually dared to bring that up. He really would take a mile if given an inch.

"But it doesn’t matter."

Caius raised his hand, the pad of his thumb rubbing continuously against Lilia’s lips, gradually smoothing out the remaining streaks of red.

Although he had practically eaten all her lipstick, the young girl’s natural lip color was already beautiful. After that intense kiss, her cherry-blossom lips were tinged with a bit of flush, making them look even more alluring.

"It looks very nice like this too."

Fine. Lilia couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

The two of them returned to the Beaumont couple. Soon, as Duke Englis stepped forward to deliver a speech, the banquet drew to a close.

Count Beaumont was very satisfied with Lilia and Caius’s performance today. Lilia had successfully gotten acquainted with Elizabeth, and Caius had made contact with the Little Duke.

With their goals perfectly accomplished, Lilia followed the Beaumont couple out to the gates of the Duke Mansion.

The night was late, and the dew was heavy. Lilia was just about to board the carriage when she caught sight of a familiar figure nearby.

The young man wore a light-colored suit. His posture was upright, and his blond hair was striking. He stood alone to one side of the main gates; his solitary silhouette in the night breeze looked somewhat desolate.

The moment Lilia appeared, he noticed her. However, he didn’t approach. He merely stood in the distance, watching her quietly.

Lilia paused where she was for a moment, told the servant to please wait, and then strode forward.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist from behind.

It was Caius.

Lilia turned around and tilted her head. She wondered what he was trying to do now. Just a moment ago, he had looked completely repentant, swearing he would never meddle in her affairs again.

Meeting Lilia’s questioning gaze, Caius didn’t say a word. Instead, he slowly unbuttoned his coat and took it off.

He draped the coat over Lilia’s shoulders. The young man’s scent quickly enveloped her, crisp and warm.

Caius helped her adjust the collar, then moved down past her collarbone to fasten the first button. Only when he saw Lilia completely bundled up in his coat did he look up in satisfaction, shooting a provocative glance at Lucian opposite them.

Lilia didn’t notice his petty little gesture.

Having taken off his coat, Caius was left in nothing but a black dress shirt, which seemed exceptionally thin in the autumn night.

Caius said softly, "Go on."

He didn’t mention whether he was cold or not, nor did he impatiently rush her out of jealousy. "I’ll go explain things to Father."

Since Lilia hadn’t boarded the carriage, they naturally couldn’t head home yet. It would be impossible to hide her meeting with Lucian from the Beaumont couple.

Lilia had never intended to hide it in the first place, but since Caius took the initiative to handle it, she had no reason to refuse.

Lilia nodded gently, turned around, and walked over to Lucian.

"Are you waiting for me?" she asked, looking up.

Lucian gave a hum of acknowledgment. His gaze swept over the oversized coat draped over her shoulders before landing on the girl’s exquisite face.

He smiled. "He really treats you differently."

"We grew up together. We’re very close."

"Very close?" Lucian smiled. "Close in what way?"

Lilia looked into those focused green eyes. Whether it was due to churning emotions or simply being dyed by the night, those eyes—which were clear and bright under the sun—were now somewhat profound, like a bottomless, freezing pool.

She curled her lips into a faint smile. "Do you care?"

Lucian did not answer the question. "Thank you for today."

Lilia played along smoothly, following his lead to change the subject. "I just introduced you to a friend, nothing special."

Lucian thought otherwise.

For a fallen noble, getting in touch with the Englis siblings was incredibly difficult. Back in the garden, he never would have imagined that Lilia’s guarantee to let him stay involved introducing him to two such important figures.

To survive in noble circles, the most important thing was power, followed by connections.

Lucian still remembered what Lilia had said. The reason she chose to help him was that providing help in someone’s darkest hour held far more value—just like offering fuel in a snowstorm. ℯ

Now, she had truly delivered warm, glowing coals to someone on the verge of freezing to death. And this made Lucian’s heart swell with mixed feelings, stirring up ripples of emotion.

He looked down at the girl’s clear eyes.

After a long moment, he asked the exact same question as before. "Why are you helping me?"