“Before that, who are you exactly… Ugh.”

Ignoring the Duke’s query, Adelin pulled the unwound bandage tightly.

“Not you, it’s Del. You might not remember, but we respected each other. Can you stop being informal now?”

Adelin smiled gently, pulling the bandage again firmly.

Though she spoke softly, the Duke felt he had no choice but to comply.

‘Right. What can I do when I’ve lost my memory? I am the lady of the Credeon Ducal family, after all.’

“Was… was it like that?”

About to slip into informal speech again, the Duke swiftly added a word upon seeing Adelin’s sharp look.

“…please?”

At that moment, Adelin’s stiff expression softened.

“Good job. It’s strange you can’t remember, isn’t it?”

She gently chided, smiling.

“But before changing, I’d like to bathe… please.”

“Can you stand up?”

Feeling an inexplicable sense of defeat, Mel didn’t reply and got out of bed.

“Ugh.”

Perhaps because he had been lying down for so long, his legs gave way as soon as he stood up.

“I’ll help you. Here.”

“Fine then…”

The Duke, starting to speak casually again, sighed and corrected himself.

“…please.”

The amnesiac Duke was surprisingly adorable, like a haughty large cat.

Soon, they reached the bathroom door.

“Mel. Look at me.”

Adelin turned Mel towards her like coaxing a child.

Then quickly undid the remaining unopened lower buttons.

The shirt, half-undone due to bandage removal, fell with a thud, starting from the injured right side.

Adelin’s eyes caught sight of the fully exposed abs, sharply chiseled as if sculpted, and countless scars.

‘How did he end up like this…?’

“Ahem. I want to bathe…”
Caught off guard, Adelin found herself losing focus whenever she looked at this man.

Hiding her fluster, she asked calmly, “Shall I help you with the bath?”

“No need for a bath, just leave… please.”

The Duke quickly pushed Adelin out of the bathroom. Mel’s ears turned cherry red as he strode briskly, slamming the door shut behind him and disappearing into the bathroom.

As he ran the bathwater, he kept thinking about the woman. The same woman who fearlessly touched his body.

Remembering the way her eyes had scanned his upper body, he felt a rush of heat again.

He turned the tap to cold water and submerged himself completely in the bathtub.

Time seemed to pass in the bathroom.

Outside, Adelin began to worry as time ticked away. ‘It’s been over an hour…’

Has something happened?

Did his memory return?

Is he dead?!

Adelin’s imagination ran wild.

After a hesitant knock, and with the Duke still not emerging, Adelin, unable to contain her frustration, flung open the bathroom door.

The broad back of the Duke in the bathtub came into view.

Perhaps exhausted from healing, he was fast asleep, leaning against the tub.

“Mel! Mel?”

Adelin tried to wake him up, but he showed no response, his brow furrowing slightly and long eyelashes fluttering.

His chest gently rose and fell with each breath, deeply asleep.

Adelin feared that the newly revived Duke might cross the River Jordan again if left like this.

Should she pull him out? She hesitated, not confident enough to see the full nudity of a grown man submerged in soapy water.

Then, an idea struck her. She opened the bathtub plug to drain the water while wrapping a large towel around him, leaving only his face exposed.

While she was busy wrapping him in the towel, Mel shuddered, perhaps sensing Adelin’s movements.

The deep breath of the man right in front of her, and the intense red eyes visible through the gaps in his hair, caught Adelin off guard.

‘I didn’t expect him to wake up like this.’

Her heart plummeted. ‘Too close.’

Way too close.

“Ah, no. I just… You were taking so long. I wanted to help but…”

Adelin rambled an excuse, hurrying to conclude.

“I’ve helped enough, so rinse off and come out.”

Adelin didn’t even understand what she was saying.

She just knew she needed to leave the bathroom.

As she stood up to leave, she was drawn back to Mel by his pulling hand.

“…”

As Adelin sat down on the edge of the tub, their eyes were level again.

Slipping in the tub, Adelin landed on Mel’s smooth thigh.

What she had tried to avoid had brought them even closer than before, their noses nearly touching.

Mel’s half-closed eyes, revealing deep red irises, appeared more decadent than ever.

He slowly raised his hand and brushed away Adelin’s disheveled hair.

Adelin shivered at the hot touch on her ear.

There was no escape. Soon, a languid voice mixed with hot breath tingled in her ear.

“What exactly is our relationship?”

Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me

One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.

Synopsis:

Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.

But this is still far from enough.

He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.

_____

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