Lapil didn't want to cause her any misunderstanding. Scaring her away was the last thing he wanted to happen.
Upon entering the room, he was greeted by the darkness. He carefully brought her to the bed without disturbing her slumber. Lapil took off the veil that wrapped around her head. And there she was, the epitome of beauty. He was not mistaken, he knew it was her.
As his eyesight adjusted to the pitch black surrounding, he finally could see her serenity. He gaped at her face and carved it on his head, then as he couldn't hold it anymore. He used his hands to touch her cheeks, she still felt like a dream and he wanted to feel if she's real.
He grazed his finger to her thin arched brows, directed to her little pointy nose to her thin lips. Quickly, he averted his eyes to somewhere else and noticed her hair had grown to her chest. She looks prettier with long hair. Although he must admit that short hair suits her too. But it was not appropriate for her to have that kind of style.
Because her hair was silky and smooth, he didn't track the time as he was comfortable petting her. Suddenly, her brows creased, she groaned as she opened her eyes. Lapil met her mesmerizing brown eyes, "The male lead." She whispered, stretching her arm to poke his nose, "I thought you were Achis but it was you, he-he." She closed her eyes as if she was having a hard time looking at him. "Why are there two of you? Where's Achis?"
Lapil held her slender hand and bit her finger out of annoyance. Did she dare to mention some other man's name? Even if she's drunk, he didn't want to hear her saying that name. It's annoying---so annoying.
She groaned but had no strength to pull off her hand. "Don't hurt me…" she whimpered and her eyes shut firmly.
Lapil stopped biting her, and it didn't leave any wound but his teeth marks. He looked at her face then bent over to her ears.
"Do you know what you did to me?" He whispered in her ears, caressing her cheeks with his thumb. "You bewitched me." He muttered with a deep voice, "Then, you are showing up as someone else's bride? Rym... You're making me insane." His lips brushed the skin on her neck as he sniffed her scent that he also missed.
"Hmm..." She tries to roll around but Lapil prevents her from moving by pinning her waist. This intimate scene was caught by Famir who was running while holding a bucket of lukewarm water.
"Gi-ginoo..." He stuttered as he intercepted. "I have h-here what you asked for, a bucket of water." Lapil was not flustered with his abrupt appearance. Instead, he remained composed and distanced his face to Yanarym without shifting his eyes.
"Put it there and don't let anyone enter the room." He said in a grave manner while tucking her hair back to her ear. "And be quiet."
"Y-yes ginoo," Famir ran out silently and guarded the room as he was ordered to. Lapil took the bucket of water and took some clean fabric to use to clean the woman's face. Because of this, Yanarym returned to her consciousness, and the first person she saw was Lapil who was fiercely gaping at her.
"La-lapil? Why are you in my room?" She looked around and concluded that she was back in her and Achis room safely. But she forgot what happened and why Lapil was here. So, Guide-sama re-told her what happened from the moment she lost consciousness of what she's doing due to drunkenness.
It was dark and the moonlight was finally shining from the sky and enlightened the room. It shone from the window directly to the bed and illuminated the view of two people staring at each other. The other was flabbergast, while the other one was resolute.
"I brought you here," Lapil answered shortly. He handed her a cup of water and she used it to rinse her mouth. She gargled it and spit the water on the floor. Where the void of the permeable woods ambled the water to go through the wooden floor and poured directly on the soil beneath the house.
"...I see, thank you." Lapil took the cup and refilled it with the clean water and this time she drank it all. He took back the cup and it was silent for a few minutes but Lapil spoke.
"You lied to me." Yanarym bit her lower lips as he started the confrontation. She knew it, there was no escape about this matter, confrontation here it goes. She bowed down and played with her fingers.
Lapil gape at her fidgeting. She was not nervous or anxious but she obviously found this problematic. He grinned out of irritation. Why does it feel like he's been played? When she did nothing at all.
"You said, you are a daughter of a merchant, but you are that young Datu's bride? How bold of you to kiss me if you are already betrothed to someone else." He started phrasing the words that could trigger the past, Yanarym in response was grinding her teeth and then shifted her attention to her restless hands.
"It's because…" she paused and redirected her eyes on him. "Because you are not letting me go at that time. I had no choice but to catch you off guard to run away." She tried to defend her stance, peering straight into his eyes without blinking. In that way, Lapil would think that she was not lying at all. Yet, it didn't make him delighted.
He's been thinking about that, day and night. He's yearning for the continuation and he was overthinking why would she kiss a stranger like him, and that was the answer. She had to escape from him, not because she likes him? And the worst part was her eyes weren't even lying.