After her father left, she could finally rest properly. She took off that troublesome chest binder and instantly felt as if she had come back to life.
At this moment, she only wanted to get some fresh air. So she opened the window. Feeling the evening breeze and eating sweet candy — nothing could be more pleasant. Her mother was somewhere on the other side of the city wall.
Just as she was worrying whether her mother would still recognise her, a woman's voice suddenly came from downstairs. Looking in the direction of the sound, it was Claude and a beautiful woman. She had seen this person when she was little. She was Marilyn, the daughter of the Selby family.
"Shouldn't we get engaged too?"
Claude's face was full of reluctance. "There are many outstanding men in the empire. And there are also many men who admire you, my lady."
"But not a single one of them can compare to young Duke Hall."
After saying that, she turned around and ran away.
At this moment, Callian only wanted to immediately find a crack in the ground to crawl into, because it seemed that she had seen something she should not have seen. Just as she was tiptoeing and preparing to close the window and leave, the candy in her arms suddenly spilled down, and Callian's eyes widened in fright.
The words be careful had just reached Claude's ears when he saw a rain of candy falling from the sky. And that familiar figure not far away. The next second, he had intimate contact with the candy filling the sky.
Looking at Callian, the culprit who had started it all, his face darkened with black lines.
"So you were there."
But the only thing that greeted him was the bang of the window being shut. The sky instantly fell into dead silence again.
Hmph. This brat.
In her panic, Callian hid back in the room. Just as she was worrying whether Claude would come looking for her because of this, she saw the underwear on the floor, and her whole body froze.
Claude absolutely must not discover it.
At that moment, a burst of urgent knocking suddenly rang out. Turning around, she saw that Claude had already barged in.
"You dropped your sugar all over my face, and yet you're the one hiding in your room?"
At this moment, Callian could no longer care about anything else, because that undergarment was being clutched tightly in her hand. What mattered most now was how to get rid of this undergarment. She casually came up with an excuse and threw it away with a raised hand.
"Your stomach feels bad, and you can still eat candy?"
"The medicine was too bitter, so I ate a few pieces."
Looking at the flustered Callian, Claude calmly patted the sofa. "Callian, come here."
Hearing this, her body stiffened. Had she been exposed? At that thought, she couldn't help but swallow.
"I need to confirm something, so come here."
But Callian tightly covered her collar, showing no intention of going over at all. Seeing this, Claude's gaze suddenly darkened.
"You really do take me for a bad person."
Actually, Callian simply felt insecure because she wasn't wearing any undergarment.
"You need to be careful of Prince Wayden. He likes beautiful and dazzling things, regardless of gender or status. Don't smile casually in front of him. Keep an appropriate distance from him. Also, your voice is very pleasant."
The sudden praise made her little face flush red with embarrassment. She gave a few light coughs, wanting to ease the awkwardness before her. Suddenly, it was as if she had thought of something.
Claude had a figure as upright and long-limbed as a model. His sharply sculpted brows and eyes, his long and thick eyelashes, his high nose bridge, and those thin, tightly pressed lips — his whole person carried an innate air of nobility.
"If the crown prince likes beautiful things, then shouldn't you, young duke, be a little careful too?"
Claude gently raised his brows.
"Because I think you are more beautiful than anyone else."
As soon as the words fell, she turned her head and ran straight into the bathroom. Even she herself didn't know why she had said something so shameful. At this moment, she only felt that her heart was about to leap into her throat.
The next second, a man's laughter came from outside. It was Claude.
"You really are trying to toy with me in the palm of your hand."
The only response he received was the loud sound of the door slamming shut.
Looking at the shirt Callian had thrown on the floor, he actually bent down and picked it up as if under some strange spell. Compared to himself, this shirt was simply too small. The faint lavender fragrance wafting from it made the corners of Claude's lips curve into a beautiful arc.
At this moment, the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom.
This kid really has no sense of caution at all.
By the time Callian came out after finishing her bath, the room had already become exceptionally bright. Just as she was feeling extremely puzzled, a rustling sound came from beside her ear. When she turned her head, she saw Claude and a group of maids.
Not long after, Claude stood up, preparing to leave. Then he saw Callian also quickly chasing after him. Her smile was bright, and she looked to be in a very good mood.
"I wish you a pleasant night."
This made Claude somewhat unhappy inside. Only when they were parting would she show him such a lovely smile, every time. But when he thought of how Callian had looked just after finishing her bath, this night truly could be considered a pleasant one.