Return of the Female Knight Chapter 91

Elena finally gave up eavesdropping on their conversation and left . She didn't feel like she needed to hear anything more .

So far, Carlisle had helped Elena in numerous ways . He assigned Kuhn to her, sent her dresses and jewelry, and stopped the rumors that Helen had spread . She always thought he was a good choice as a marriage partner . But this time, something was different . She really felt like she was really being taken care of as a woman . She had never felt this way, and it was strange to her .

“Oh? Sister, are you back already?”

Mirabelle looked at Elena curiously as she approached her . Elena nodded, the numbness in her mind fading away .

I thought I would get caught if I stayed too long . They didn't say anything . ”

“Really?”

“Yes . Let's go back now . ”

Elena took the lead, and Mirabelle followed behind . She had a strange expression on her face .

“But sister…Why is your face so red?”

Elena quickly raised her hand to touch her cheek .

“…My face?”

“Yes . Did something happen?”

Mirabelle was anxious about her sister, but Elena shook her head .

“It's really nothing . It…it must have been hot . ”

“Eh?”

It was a cool windy day, but Elena just smiled awkwardly and hastened her steps . Mirabelle followed with a questioning look .

“Something's strange…ah, wait for me!”

Mirabelle ran to catch up to her sister .

Elena was sitting in her room . She didn't sleep well the night before Carlisle's visit, and she was exhausted . She was gathering her thoughts and resting, when suddenly a knock on the door interrupted her . There were so many things to worry about over Carlisle's visit . She thought something might have happened, so she hurriedly straightened her posture and answered .

“Come in . ”

The door opened . She thought it would be one of the maids, but to her surprise it was Carlisle who entered . Elena leapt from her seat . She didn't expect him to have already finished playing chess with Alphord, but even so, he should've gone to the drawing room afterwards .

“How did you–”

“They showed me to your room . ”

Her mouth opened and she stiffened . Perhaps it was a mischievous maid who sent him . Although they were supposed to be lovers, it was not their true relationship and Elena was a little uncomfortable with his sudden visit . She remembered the conversation she overheard between Carlisle and her father earlier and couldn't help but feel more awkward than usual .

“Please, come in . ”

It was rude to keep Carlisle waiting at the entrance, however, so Elena cautiously allowed him into the room . Carlisle then looked around as he walked in .

“Is this your room?”

“…Yes . ”

“It's very simple . ”

It was a brief compliment, but he wasn't wrong . It must look frugal for an aristocrat in Carlisle's eyes .

“But it's my style . ”

“…Eh?”

Elena looked at him in surprise .

“Maybe because it's your room . I like it for some reason . ”

Carlisle glanced around . Her face felt hot again . To avoid being alone with him, she hurriedly offered an excuse .

“Please have a seat . I'll get you some tea . ”

“No thank you . I've already had some with your father . ”

Carlisle sat down opposite of her where she stood and stared at her .

“What are you doing? You should sit down too . ”

“Oh, yes . ”

Elena was forced to take her seat . The original plan was to take control of the situation with some tea, but even that had failed .

For a moment there only silence between the two . Carlisle had a knack for making his opponents nervous, but this position was particularly uncomfortable .

“Why are you fidgeting so much?”

“Am I?”

“Are you nervous? Because I'm here to meet your family?”

He was exactly right, but that wasn't the only reason . It was also because of the way Carlisle had been so emotionally open to her father . It was all done by the terms of the contract, of course, but the words remained lodged in Elena's heart, confusing her . After a moment of hesitation, Elena replied a beat later .

“No, it's not that–

At her remark Carlisle gave a low chuckle . Then, he leaned his upper body away from the chair towards her . Currently, the two were seated facing each other with a small table between them, but as Carlisle leaned over the presence of the table became meaningless . The two were so close they could touch each other . As Carlisle narrowed the gap between them, Elena reflexively leaned back . He spoke in a low voice .

“Cute . ”

Elena's eyes widened . Such a word was reserved for a charming and lovely girl like Mirabelle . Up until now Elena had grown up listening to other people say she was smart or reliable .

“What are you talking about–”

“You look cute when you're nervous . Do you think I would harm your family? It's not like they're against the marriage . ”

There was something strange in the meaning of his words, as if he would hurt them if they did . Carlisle's face was getting nearer .

“Why do you keep coming so close?”

Elena was about to get up when Carlisle narrowed the distance even more . Carlisle gave a small smile at her nervous expression .

“What are you thinking? I'm just trying to remove dust from your hair . ”

“Ah…”

“Where did you go when I was away? You didn't have this on your hair before . ”

She suddenly remembered that she and Mirabelle went through a narrow alley on the way to Alphord's study . There was probably a lot of dust because people did not go there often . At that time she was so absorbed that she didn't check what had gotten on her hair .

“I'll do it myself . ”

“Hold still . ”

Carlisle's long fingers touched her golden hair . His palm was thick and rough from the battlefield, but his fingers were very long and delicate . The tendons on the back of his hand seemed strangely attractive . Elena stared innocently at the floor, not knowing where to look .

Seueug–

Carlisle brushed away the dust, but paused and looked down at her trembling eyelashes . When Carlisle did not move at all, Elena raised her eyes in curiosity . Their eyes met in midair . Carlisle's blue irises were right in front of Elena, burning with a mysterious heat .

At that moment, Carlisle's large hand that was touching her hair slid down to the back of her chair . He bent his arm, and their faces, already so close, drew in even closer .

Chapter end