Alora prepared herself to leave. She even requested another bath before getting ready, knowing she might never experience such treatment again. After everything that had happened, she had grown strangely comfortable in the mansion.
When she finally came downstairs, she saw Duncan waiting in the hall. He looked unusually handsome in his red coat, his dark hair neatly arranged as he prepared to leave.
Alora descended the stairs, but the moment Duncan saw what she was wearing, his brows furrowed.
"What are you wearing?" he asked.
Alora looked down at herself, confused. "My clothes, my Lord."
"What happened to the ones you wore recently?" He folded his arms.
"They aren't mine. I returned them."
"I bought them for you, so they're yours now."
Her eyes widened. "For me?"
"Yes, you. Now go and change, or we aren't going anywhere." He pointed towards the staircase.
Alora nodded and hurried upstairs. When she entered the room, she stared at the clothes for a moment before smiling. The maids helped her pack them neatly into a box, and soon, she returned downstairs.
Once they entered the carriage, Alora sat quietly, unable to hide her excitement about finally seeing her family again. Duncan sat beside her, but he deliberately faced the opposite direction.
Alora shifted slightly away from him. Duncan noticed and shifted too, closing the distance again. She moved farther towards the edge of the seat, feeling increasingly uncomfortable because of how much larger he was compared to her.
She said nothing and turned towards the window, reaching for the curtain so she could look outside.
Before she could open it fully, Duncan's large hand reached over and closed it.
"I don't like too much sunlight," he said, giving her an almost childish look.
Alora stared at him, irritated. She wanted to complain, but she swallowed her words.
As if that wasn't enough, Duncan stretched his arms and casually let one fall across her shoulder.
"Argh!" Alora exclaimed, glaring at him.
"What?" Duncan asked innocently.
"Take your hand off me."
She removed his arm from her shoulder and placed it on his lap. "That's better."
"Nope."
Duncan immediately placed his arm back around her shoulder.
"This is my carriage. I do as I want." He smiled, revealing his perfectly white teeth.
"Fine then."
Alora stood up and moved to the seat opposite him.
She folded her arms and faced the curtains, which were still closed. She deliberately avoided looking at him, hoping the journey would become peaceful.
Duncan stared at her for a moment before following her. He stood up, crossed the small space between them, and sat beside her again.
Alora immediately shifted away, but before she could move any farther, Duncan rested his head against her shoulder. His face was close to her neck, and she could feel his warm breath against her skin.
Her entire body stiffened.
She could hear him breathing quietly, and somehow, the simple closeness made her suddenly aware of everything-the warmth of his body, the weight of his head against her shoulder, and the faint scent of his cologne
Her shoulder grew heavy.
She stood up.
This time, Duncan didn't follow. He simply remained seated, watching her with an amused expression.
Alora turned towards the closed curtains, pretending to be interested in them. But she couldn't resist. From the corner of her eye, she stole a quick glance at him.
He was already looking at her.
Their eyes met.
She immediately looked away.
"Come on, Alora," Duncan teased. "You can look at me all you want. I know it's difficult to resist looking at such a handsome young man."
"I don't look at mannerless creatures," she spat, folding her arms.
"Ouuuuu." Duncan placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "That hurt."
Alora immediately regretted her words.
"I am sorry, my Lord. I should have been more polite."
Duncan burst into laughter.
He laughed so hard that Alora's face tightened with embarrassment.
"Oh my God," he laughed. "She actually said she's sorry."
Alora clenched her hands against her dress, her embarrassment slowly turning into irritation.
"Hold on, tigress." Duncan wiped the corner of his eye from laughing. "Now that you've insulted me, what if I behead you?"
"No, please don't!" Alora pleaded, folding her hands.
Duncan stared at her for a second before breaking into another smile.
"I won't. I'm only joking. You know, for a commoner, you have quite a sharp mouth. I'll remember that about you."
"Thank you," she replied quickly, looking away.
She was still embarrassed.
Duncan moved closer again and sat beside her. Alora immediately stood, intending to move away from him.
But just as she was about to step away, the carriage suddenly jolted over an uneven part of the road.
Alora lost her balance.
"Ah!"
She fell backwards directly onto Duncan.
His arms immediately caught her before she could hit anything.
"Careful," he warned.
Alora froze.
She was sitting directly on his lap, her face only inches from his. Her heart pounded as she stared into his eyes. For a moment, neither of them moved.
She could see his face more clearly than she ever had before-the sharpness of his features, the warmth in his eyes, and those impossibly white teeth whenever his lips parted.
The closeness made her suddenly conscious of his hands around her waist.
Duncan stared at her too, but this time, he wasn't laughing. The playful expression disappeared for a brief moment, replaced by something quieter.
She quickly pushed herself away.
"I-I'm sorry, my Lord."
"No problem," Duncan replied, watching her carefully.
Alora looked away, embarrassed.
Duncan adjusted himself and gave her a small, amused smile.
"You know, no one has ever called me mannerless, much less a creature. You're the first."
"Please don't remind me. I already said it was a mistake."
"Don't apologise. I enjoyed it." He leaned back comfortably. "When you grow up, you have less fun. Tonight, I feel unusually free."
Alora couldn't stop herself from smiling.
"I think we should play more often," Duncan added.
Alora looked at him in surprise.
More?
Before she could respond, the carriage slowed to a stop.
Duncan looked outside.
"We're home."
He stepped down first before extending his hand to her. Alora hesitated briefly before placing hers in his, and he helped her down from the carriage.
"Alora!"
Irene rushed towards her, relief washing over her face.
"How are you? I was so worried. Are you hurt?" she asked, checking her daughter's arms and face.
"No, Mother. I'm perfectly fine. Lord Duncan helped me."
Irene looked towards Duncan, suddenly remembering everything that had happened before.
"Thank you, my Lord," she said, visibly embarrassed.
"It's alright. I was only doing my duty. Thank God I arrived before anything worse could happen."
"I know. Still, thank you. People like you are rare."
Irene bowed again.
Duncan gave a small smile before leaving them.
Irene and Alora went inside.
Once the door closed behind them, Irene's expression became serious.
"Did he touch you? Did he say anything to you?"
"No, Mother. In fact, he wasn't around for two days until last night."
"Thank goodness."
Her shoulders relaxed with relief.
Then she noticed the small box in the corner.
"What's that?"
"Oh, he gave me this." Alora smiled as she looked at the box.
Irene opened it and gasped. The clothes looked similar to what commoners wore, but the quality of the material was far finer.
She stared at them for a moment before carefully closing the box.
"Keep them somewhere safe," she said quietly.
Then she looked at Alora.
"Now go and sleep. It's already afternoon."
Alora nodded and went to her room.
That night, she struggled to sleep. The mat beneath her felt unusually hard after spending several nights on the soft bed in Duncan's mansion.
Her thoughts drifted back to the night before.
The carriage.
His teasing.
The moment she had fallen onto him.
She smiled despite herself.
Then she remembered how close their faces had been. She covered her face with both hands, embarrassed by her own thoughts.
And those teeth...
"How could such a dark man have such beautiful teeth?" she whispered.
She imagined what it would be like to
Alora immediately shook her head.
"Stop it."
But the smile remained on her face.
Eventually, sleep claimed her.