Chapter 241: Lucia (4)
Kyrie’s life was different from Lucia Prient’s.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
She spent most of her life on the battlefield, where death was a constant companion.
Born and raised in a harsh, uncivilized environment teeming with monsters, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she lived her whole life in battle-like conditions.
Kyrie’s life was that intense.
She always had to stay alert, never knowing when an enemy might attack. Even when she was called back to the rear to celebrate her achievements, she was constantly summoned to victory parades and celebration parties, leaving no time to rest.
She was worked to death, literally, only to meet a tragic end.
In contrast, what about Lucia Prient’s life?
Although she had her share of life-and-death struggles, it didn’t erase her life as a noble young lady.
She didn’t become a social star among the high society ladies, but she did form connections with other noble ladies, sharing snacks and chatting. And she didn’t miss the chance to extend her education, which was a regret from her previous life.…She truly lived a life that could be envied, one she had longed for in her previous life.
However, this didn’t mean her experiences from her previous life were erased.
Thanks to Kyrie’s life, Lucia didn’t easily get scared by ordinary things.
She didn’t tremble or feel fear from trivial threats.
“Hold, you must not let go of my hand.”
However, the present Lucia was trembling, unable to even meet her gaze.
It wasn’t from fear or terror but from pure embarrassment at facing a half-naked man.
Shiron, who chuckled, held Lucia’s hand as she splashed in the water.
“Don’t you trust me? I won’t let go, so don’t worry and just lean forward.”
The half-naked man was Shiron, whom she had started to see as a man not too long ago.
The cool seawater soaked his firm body, and his wet hair clung to his face, exuding a decadent atmosphere.
Ever since she confessed her feelings to him again, Lucia found it hard to look at Shiron’s face properly.
Moreover, they were at a beach resort, a place for lovers to splash water on each other, not for family or friends to visit.
“Kyah! Oppa, stop!”
“Mister, you’re so naughty!”
…Even the sounds she vaguely heard were unbearably embarrassing.
But when she dunked her face in the water, she became aware of what was right in front of her.
Cling-!
The presence was clearly visible through the wet pants.
She couldn’t help but close her eyes tightly, thinking she had never been this close to a man’s groin.
Shiron’s groin was right in front of her face in the seawater…
What does this mean?
Combining both her past and present lives, it meant that Lucia, who had never even experienced a man’s lips, now had her face touching a man’s… well, you know.
Even if it wasn’t directly touching.
This was…
Like a debauched woman driven mad by lust, using her entire face to greet a man’s…
‘Isn’t this too fast?’
Cling-!
Even while plunging her face into the cold seawater, Lucia couldn’t cool her flushed face.
Meanwhile, the person holding her hand…
“Sigh.”
Splash, splash.
Shiron, who was hit by the water, looked down. Despite his requests to see her swimsuit, Lucia was still wearing her leather jacket.
He could guess what kind of swimsuit she wore underneath the white thong that peeked out, but he couldn’t understand why she was still wrapped up like this.
‘You suddenly want to learn to swim? You just came back from the bottom of the sea the day before yesterday, at least make your lies believable.’
He thought she wanted to live her life to the fullest to make up for her unfulfilled desires as a hero, but now, hearing her suggestion, his thoughts faded away.
‘Still, isn’t this too much?’
Shiron poured seawater over his head. They had been out in the sun for three hours already. Although there were thick clouds in the sky, they didn’t completely block the scorching sun.
It was amusing to think that the robust body of a Prient could be affected by sunlight, but looking at Hugo, who was with Siriel, he couldn’t help but worry.
The last time he saw Hugo, his hairline had receded pathetically, and his crown was thinning as well.
‘Luckily, Glen looks fine, but you never know.’
“Hey.”
Lost in thought about the family curse, Shiron noticed Lucia, who was splashing water, slowly standing up. Her face was as red as her hair, and she seemed to have something to say, her lips pursed in hesitation.
“…Hey.”
“What?”
“Like that…”
“?”
Suddenly—
Without finishing her sentence, Lucia grabbed Shiron’s hand and led him to the shore.
“Hey. Where are we going? Didn’t you ask me to teach you how to swim?”
Shiron showed signs of confusion at Lucia’s sudden change in behavior, but she remained silent, quickening her pace.
They finally arrived at a clearing quite a distance from the beach. Checking to make sure no one was around, Lucia spoke in a trembling voice.
“Do you really want to see it?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“If you’re honest… I might show you…”
Recalling the glances she had felt for hours, Lucia gripped the hem of her jacket.
The blatant stares at her buttocks, thighs… even the soles of her feet. She wasn’t sure of Shiron’s exact intentions, but to Lucia, it seemed like Shiron was very interested in her swimsuit.
Seira had instructed her to take things step by step (not to tease with her swimsuit), but Lucia wasn’t thick-skinned enough to ignore such blatant stares.
That meant her face revealed all her feelings.
“I do want to see it.”
Before Shiron could say, “But don’t do it if you don’t want to,” Lucia made up her mind.
Ziiip—
As if she had been waiting for him to say that, Lucia closed her eyes tightly and unzipped her jacket, her trembling hands not stopping until she revealed her half-naked body.
“Here.”
“How, how is it?”
“…”
“…Is it not good?”
Lucia asked cautiously, urging for a response, but Shiron only covered his mouth as if deep in thought.
‘Even if she’s my half-sister, asking for an opinion on her bikini is a bit…’
It was crossing a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
Though it seemed incest was common in the empire, his mother-in-law, Eldrina, constantly emphasized that marriage between cousins was legal.
So, it was easy to infer that marriages within the third cousin were taboo.
‘No way…’
But Shiron prided himself on being perceptive. He was aware of Seira and Latera’s absence.
Since Seira put on the bikini, Shiron had suspected that this situation might have been orchestrated by someone.
Thus, he came to a conclusion. Shiron swallowed, looking at Lucia’s trembling eyes.
‘Was she that desperate for romance?’
A clue nestled in his confused mind. Shiron began to see Lucia, who was both a reincarnate and his half-sibling, as a madwoman obsessed with incest.
“…Hey, can you say something… anything?”
Time kept passing, and Lucia had to confront Shiron’s unwavering gaze.
‘He keeps looking, so he doesn’t seem to dislike it, but why isn’t he answering? Is he embarrassed?’
But Shiron’s expression didn’t redden. His black eyes trembled intensely, just like Lucia’s. Even Lucia, who lacked awareness, could sense the emotion: confusion.
“Lucia.”
After a long pause, Shiron spoke with a serious face.
“It’s funny for me to say this, given that I haven’t acted like an older brother, but this isn’t right.”
“…What do you mean?”
“If you’re going to date, shouldn’t you form a… healthier relationship?”
“A healthier… relationship?”
“No matter how much we’re half-siblings, we still share the same father…”
“Wait.”
Lucia’s face turned pale. She realized that something had gone terribly wrong.
“Did I not mention it? We’re not actual siblings.”
“…”
Plop, plop…
Raindrops began to fall on the sandy beach. Shiron’s hair got wetter, and droplets formed on his chin.
“This isn’t the place to talk about this.”
This time, Shiron grabbed Lucia’s hand roughly, unlike before. Lucia couldn’t say a word as the situation took a turn completely different from what she had hoped for.
Crash!
By the time they reached the hotel, the rain had intensified. Shiron opened the door, handing a towel to Lucia that he got from the lobby.
“Take a shower. You’ll catch a cold.”
“…Okay.”
The atmosphere was tense. Realizing her plan had failed, Lucia entered the bathroom weakly and took off her swimsuit.
Drip, drop…
The swimsuit she had chosen with care came undone, revealing a body that was unimpressive compared to her past life.
Instead of a well-formed tall body, she had a less developed physique, which only highlighted her femininity.
Lucia pulled the lever and let the cold water hit her. Though it was a luxury hotel with hot water always available, she treated this cold shower as a self-imposed punishment.
She made a mistake.
She was too hasty.
She internally justified that she was too busy to take care of him since Kiara and Seira found out her identity, but reality was harsh.
Shiron’s rain-soaked face looked dark to anyone, and he seemed on the verge of demanding why she hadn’t told him this earlier.
Idiot. Fool. Total fool.
Feelings of self-loathing, embarrassment, regret, and guilt swirled within Lucia’s heart.
The shower ended quickly.
Lucia dried herself with a snap of her fingers, dressed in the neatly folded clothes, and tightened her belt.
Before leaving, she wiped her teary eyes and faced Shiron, who was sitting on the bed.
“You changed out of your swimsuit.”
Shiron’s voice was heavy. He patted the spot next to him, signaling Lucia to sit.
“Sorry.”
Lucia mumbled in a weak voice.
“Who told you?”
Shiron spoke without a hint of a smile. His playful demeanor from earlier seemed like a lie, and he now appeared much more mature than Lucia.
“Father.”
“Really?”
“Yes, when I went to the Dawn Castle recently.”
Shiron sighed, rubbing his forehead at Lucia’s confession.
“Don’t call him ‘father.’ It’s disgusting.”
He spat out the words irritably and suddenly reached out with a large hand. Lucia shut her eyes tightly, expecting a smack, but the sensation that followed made her open her eyes wide.
“Ah, wh-what?”
The unfamiliar feeling of a kiss, different from any she had known, with a probing tongue, made Lucia truly feel like an idiot.