Into the Lake's Depths
It felt as if she were being dragged into the very deepest part of the lake. The chirping of nameless birds rang out noisily around them.
He was looking at her as well.
Light reflected from the water made her pale skin seem to glitter.
It was a beauty so fragile it might shatter at a touch. Beneath the enduring vastness of nature, she appeared endlessly delicate.
Plunk.
"Ah..."
Every nerve fixed on him, she let the paddle slip from her hand without realizing it.
He seemed startled too, glancing about with a flustered face. Fortunately the paddle had not drifted far.
"I'm sorry."
He apologized in a flurry and stretched his hand toward the paddle.
"W-wait a moment."
"Please wait just a moment."
As he reached sideways the boat tipped. Alarmed, Delphina seized both sides of the boat with both hands.
The woman seated opposite him was lighter than he had expected, throwing off his calculation of the weight.
The violent rocking sent the empty fishbowl resting on her knees tumbling straight into the lake.
She reached for it on pure reflex—unfortunately in the same direction Cesare was stretching his hand.
"Ah!"
In the moment of the great lurch she sensed the danger, but by then it was already too late.
The boat could not bear the imbalance and flipped completely over.
Though it was only early summer, the water was cold.
"Ugh...!"
Delphina first held her breath and flailed her arms. Her clothes drank in the water and grew heavy; she felt herself sinking downward.
Then the thought came unbidden: Did she really need to struggle this hard?
I'm going to die anyway.
The countless regressions had made her life feel faint and distant.
It was not a good sign.
Dying like this would only do her stepmother and that man a favor.
When she slowed her thrashing she felt her body gradually sink.
Even as she thought she must not, she did not want to move. Floating water plants caught at her fingertips.
Her breath reached its limit; when she exhaled, tiny air bubbles burst in the water. Soon, if she inhaled, her lungs would fill.
Ah...
If only everything could end just like this.
Yielding completely to the irresistible temptation, she let every bit of strength leave her body, and the cold water seemed to squeeze her lungs.
A powerful grip seized her wrist and hauled her straight out into the air.
"Cough—huff... hah."
She had swallowed a little water and her nose stung, but before she could register the pain Cesare gripped both her shoulders with fierce strength.
"Are you insane?"
The rough voice snapped her fully awake. Water clinging to her lashes fell like tears.
"....That."
She could not explain the reason. She would only be treated like a madwoman.
"You could have died just like that."
When she looked up she met Cesare's wide, staring eyes. Unlike his rough voice, his hands were trembling faintly.
"...I'm sorry."
In the end all she could do was apologize.
Her meek apology seemed only to drive him further to distraction; he let out a deep sigh.
"Why didn't you struggle?"
His eyes flashed. He could not understand her somehow resigned attitude.
"Why on earth..."
Anger that she would not give those who kept trying to kill her what they wanted mixed with the resignation of wanting to drown even in a summer shower that would pass in a moment.
But the sight of his blood snapped her back to her senses.
He had been hurt because of her.
"You're bleeding. Oh—what should we do?"
The boat flipping must have scraped his neck; there were scratches, and blood was flowing between them.
She reached out, but he stopped her before her hand could touch the wound.
"Let's go back for now."
He spoke in a rigid voice.
Fortunately some of the firewood they had prepared remained, so they could light a fire in the hearth.
"Since there's only the two of us anyway, don't do anything that will make you catch a cold for no reason."
"All right."
At Cesare's stern warning Delphina obediently stripped off her wet clothes and wrapped herself in a blanket instead.
While she sat before the fireplace he brought warm tea from the kitchen and only then sat beside her.
Crack. Crack.
The sound of burning wood filled the room. Cesare carefully adjusted the blanket draped over Delphina's shoulders so it would not slip.
The heat from his fingertips felt hotter than the fire.
Under the blanket that hid her from his view, her toes curled.
"Are you uninjured anywhere, my lady?"
"No. Thanks to you saving me. You're the one who's hurt, Mr. Appiano."
"This is nothing a bit of spit won't heal, so you needn't worry."
She could tell he was deliberately acting more nonchalant so she would not feel guilty.
Not wanting to disregard his consideration, she asked no further.
Delphina took a sip of tea, set it aside, and hugged her knees.
Drinking the warm tea finally released the tension in her body.
He seemed the same; for a while only the crackling of the logs filled the space between them.
With the tension gone, the things she had overlooked came to mind.
"I'll pay you back for the fishbowl you brought."
"It's fine."
"It was my mistake."
"It wasn't anyone's fault—just an accident."
"Still..."
Instead of answering he suddenly reached out and cupped her cheek.
"I'd thought I was imagining it earlier... but your cheek is swollen."
"......"
He applied pressure with his hand and turned her face toward him.
"How did you get hurt?"
"It's nothing."
"It doesn't seem like you hurt it when you fell into the lake."
Outwardly the cheek looked smooth.
His thumb carefully pressed her lower lip. When her mouth opened slightly he lowered his head to check inside.
"There's a wound inside."
When his thick-knuckled finger brushed the injured spot she tensed without meaning to.
"Nnh."
"Does it hurt a lot?"
In an instant the distance closed. Every time he approached without any sense of personal space, her feelings swayed.
"Are you always this kind to just anyone?"
As if hearing the question for the first time he hurriedly shook his head.
"I don't do this for just anyone."
His gaze slowly descended from her cheek along the line of her neck.
She did not avoid that gaze either.
"I'm the same—it'll heal with a bit of spit."
After speaking in a whisper, Delphina pulled his hand closer toward her own cheek.
"........"
His eyes gradually widened.
Worry and anger still tangled in his gaze. Delphina did not look away.
Then she slowly rubbed her cheek against his large hand. She felt the heat rising in his palm.
"...Won't you apply it for me?"
He steadied his breathing for a moment, then traced the line of her face with faintly trembling fingers.
As their eyes drew close, their breaths mingled.
Soft contact.
Lips met lips.
Cesare felt thirst rise in him once more. A cautious kiss was not enough. He pulled the nape of her neck forward.
When he bit her lower lip he delved into the parted lips. His thick, large tongue began to explore her small mouth.
Wet, soft sounds.
Every time the tip of his tongue touched the wound, Delphina's shoulders trembled faintly.
Each time the injury inside her mouth was licked, the sensation of saliva seeping into the wound felt strange.
Cesare's reason wavered. As if determined not to cross the line any further, he briefly parted their lips—but at the same time the look in Delphina's eyes held him.
Her wet lashes glittered in the soft firelight. Her face was still flushed with heat.
"You can... keep going."
Even after whispering it she did not avert her eyes. Rather, she held his gaze herself, waiting for him to come closer again.
The moment he confirmed the meaning in her eyes, a cool thrill ran down the back of his neck.
The taut tension that had underlain everything between them all along, that they had both been conscious of the whole time, snapped.
"Are you the one who does this with other people, my lady..."
"Of course not."
He could no longer hold back and pressed his lips to hers again. This time the kiss was far rougher, closer to pure desire.
By now this pleasure was no longer completely unfamiliar.
As he sucked on her lips, his hand slipped beneath the blanket.