‘A Temnes?’

Motivated by his words, she moved as he instructed, wanting to be a Temnes in Rowen, not a Balmond.

As Claudel’s wife, she wanted to live up to the name he had given her.

Suddenly, Claudel looked up at Kaiyan.

He was supporting her on the water, looking down at her. She seemed to see herself reflected in his eyes.

Droplets from his wet black hair fell next to her navel, making her feel a ticklish sensation.

“Don’t turn your head.”

He reprimanded her.

“Look at the sky. Turning your head will shift your body’s balance.”

Claudel shifted her gaze from Kaiyan to the sky.

“Wow.”
Then, as she lay there, a wide expanse of blue sky opened above her.

“How do you feel?”

“Like I’m flying in the sky.”

Floating slightly on the water, feeling the buoyancy, she looked up at the sky and felt as if she had become part of the clouds.

She felt like she could drift along the water’s path, just like a cloud.

“Close your eyes. It’ll feel even better.”

Kaiyan’s tone sounded unusually pleased, perhaps because she was following his suggestions.

She closed her eyes and, contrary to her previous fears, felt utterly peaceful.

The gently rocking water and the lapping waves evoked a primal memory.

The feeling enveloped Claudel, reminiscent of the comfort she might have experienced in her mother’s womb, now only a dim memory.

The sounds of the water flowing and small birds skimming the surface, the distant chirping of insects near the shore, and then there was Kaiyan.

The one person she could truly rely on and trust.

“…Lord Kaiyan?”

Claudel twitched, her eyes still closed.

“Are you holding me?”

Not sensing his presence while floating made her skin crawl with goosebumps.

Afraid to open her eyes and find him gone.

But when she finally did, she saw Kaiyan looking down at her and let out a small sigh of relief, still floating.

“Why don’t you answer? You scared me.”

Then it happened.

Kaiyan slowly lifted his hands from beside her shoulders.

“I’m not holding you.”

“Splurt!”

Claudel floundered and plunged into the water.

“Pfft! Cough. Cough.”

Kaiyan wrapped his arms around her shoulders and waist.

“Why so startled? You were doing fine.”

“You, you liar. You said no pranks.”

“Ha. Hahaha. I never promised that.”

She should have added ‘no teasing’ to her request!

But Claudel stopped wiping the water off her face and just stared blankly at Kaiyan.

“Haha. Hahaha!”

Kaiyan was laughing.

His face, usually as rigid as a statue, softened into a warm, genuine smile.

The sight of him laughing freely under the bright sun was like another sun rising in the lake.

The white light that brightened Claudel’s world.

Noticing her intense gaze, Kaiyan’s shoulders, which had been shaking with laughter, gradually calmed down.

“Ah. I laughed.”

As if laughing was a rare, somewhat awkward occurrence for him.

He awkwardly attempted to return to his usual stern expression, coughing slightly, but Claudel reached out her hand.

She wanted to see that bright, sunlit face just once more.

Since coming to Rowen Castle, she had never seen him smile, and she didn’t want such a fleeting moment to pass.

Claudel asked him, “Can I kiss you?”

Kaiyan’s eyes widened slightly. Claudel, holding onto his neck, leaned in and gently kissed him.

Her heart thundered loudly.

Drops of water from his forehead and nose mingled between their lightly touching lips, warmed by their shared body heat, pooled on their chins before returning to the lake, back to where they originated.

Claudel let go of her embrace.

Her body had been in his arms the whole time.

‘I had to do this here, of all places.’
Feeling like she wanted to flee but still relying on Kaiyan in the precarious depths, Claudel was unsure what to do.

“You really are fearless.”

“I told you I’m not a coward.”

Claudel felt a bit deflated.

It was her first kiss.

But Kaiyan’s reaction was to comment on her lack of fear.

Something seemed off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.

Then, she thought, since it’s come to this, why not fulfill a little desire?

“Can we do it one more time?”

Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.

The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…

Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.

Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.

The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”

When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…

The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced