ETDO Chapter 37

Seeing him standing there with his loose shirt unbuttoned to his chest, hands tucked into the pockets of his light summer trousers, I suddenly realized that I had been waiting for Ethan all day since yesterday.

He asked, “Can you swim?”

“No,” I paused for a moment, then asked, “Can you teach me?”

Ethan nodded and grinned.

“How about now?”

Seeming surprised at my words that the swimming lesson would start immediately, he tilted his head. 

“Here?”

“The weather is nice, so we might as well.”

He looked at me for a moment, then eventually shrugged his shoulders. He quickly took off his shirt. As his hands went to his trousers, I got startled and quickly turned my body towards the vast lake.

I heard Ethan’s laughter behind me. I couldn’t help it. No matter how we’ve done all sorts of embarrassing things, I still didn’t have the courage to watch a fully grown man undress with my eyes wide open.

Splash!

Just as I was about to turn around at the sound of the water, a large hand suddenly slipped out from between my arms and grabbed my breast. I spun around.

Ethan was right in front of me. His sky-blue eyes met mine. Water droplets trickled down his golden hair that sparkled under the sunlight. As I wrapped my arms around his neck, Ethan asked,

“Are you still shy?”

I chuckled awkwardly and nodded. I pressed my body, chilled by the lake water, against Ethan’s warm skin. My legs naturally wrapped around his waist. I smiled faintly, feeling his firm chest and abs, and the hard object pressing against my buttocks, confidently announcing its presence.

“Since when?”

“Since I found your clothes on the rocking chair.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his lips pressed against mine. His tongue, which had invaded my mouth without hesitation, tangled with mine. We kissed passionately for a while, forgetting the cold lake water. 

I barely came to my senses first and whispered to him as I pulled away.

“Now, teach me how to swim, Teacher.”

He grinned, kissed me lightly once more, and nodded.

For the next hour, we spent it splashing around like big fish. He was a truly excellent teacher. Thanks to Ethan, who taught me croquet and now swimming with such ease, I learned quickly. It was so much fun that I wondered if there was any sport he wasn’t good at.

No matter how I looked at him, Ethan seemed to excel at anything physical. Of course, as someone who shared his bed, I knew this best.

Even though it was hot, my body temperature started to drop as time passed. The water in the lake was naturally colder than a regular swimming pool, and I was naked, not even wearing swimwear.

Noticing the color of my lips, Ethan led me out of the water. We lay stretched out on the warm, large stone steps, facing each other, until we were dry.

“I received an invitation to the Crown Princess’s tea party. A celebration for the upcoming birth of her baby.”

“When is it?”

“Three days from now. I was thinking we should go shopping for a gift tomorrow.”

“Ah, right!”

As if remembering something, Ethan abruptly sat up. As he left, the sunlight fell directly on my face. I closed my eyes, letting the sun warm my skin. Soon, I heard footsteps approaching again.

“Open your eyes now.”

I forced my reluctant eyes open. Ethan was holding out a small, square, black velvet case. I sat up clumsily, took the thin box in a daze, and asked in bewilderment.

“What is this?”

“Open it.”

I carefully opened the box. And at that moment, something inside flashed brilliantly, catching the sunlight. Startled by the sudden sparkle, I blinked rapidly.

Oh my! 

It was a pair of earrings and a necklace. Numerous white diamonds surrounded a large yellow diamond in the center, packed tightly together.

“Wow…!”

I gaped at the dazzling sight. Without exaggerating, the yellow diamond on the necklace was almost as big as my toenail. The pair of earrings were also quite large, nearly the size of my thumbnail.

I looked at Ethan, speechless by the unexpected jewelry, and he smiled brightly and spoke.

“I’ve been meaning to give this to you, but I haven’t had the chance. I think it’s alright to give it to you now.”

“This… i-is a gift?”

I stammered unconsciously, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the present. 

A gift! From Ethan, to me…!

Jewelry with such dazzling diamonds must be incredibly expensive.

“Yes. I thought the golden color would suit your eyes.”

He picked up the necklace and gestured to put it on me. I turned sideways, following his gesture and he fastened the necklace after I lifted my hair. Turning back to him, I lowered my head to look at the necklace. The white diamonds formed a beautiful semi-circular pattern, intricately woven around the large yellow diamond in the center.

“It’s so beautiful.”

I gently touched the necklace with my hand. When I looked up, Ethan’s eyes met mine. My voice trembled slightly, touched by the beautiful gift.

“Thank you, Ethan.”

“You’re welcome.”

I also took out the earrings from the box and put them on. Then I shook my head, making them sway.

“How is it? Do these suit me too?”

“Hmm, beautiful.”

He looked at me intently, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“You are. Not the jewelry.”

With those words, Ethan pulled me towards him by my waist. As I lost my balance and fell into his arms, his tongue immediately invaded my mouth. I hurriedly wrapped my arms around his neck.

My bare breasts pressed against his firm chest. His large hand slid down my back, pressing my hips closer to him.

The gentle breeze caressed our naked bodies. The sun, setting on the horizon of the lake, painted the surroundings in a brilliant red hue.

I stared at Ethan as if mesmerized. His blue eyes shone brightly against his flushed, golden skin. I shivered as another breeze blew by, and he lifted me into his arms.

“We should get dressed now. Before you catch a cold.”

I nodded. By the time we were dressed and walked back to the mansion, the sun had almost completely set.

Sitting in front of the vanity in my room, I carefully placed the necklace and earrings back in the case, then gently stroked the box with my hands. The delicate black velvet felt like soft waves under my fingertips.

A strange feeling washed over me. A tickling sensation in the pit of my stomach, accompanied by a slight nausea, every time I thought of the gift. I carefully placed the black velvet case, Ethan’s first gift to me, inside the vanity drawer.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The next day, after finishing my duties as the Duchess early, I headed to the newly opened department store to buy a gift. It was the talk of the town, a place where you could supposedly find everything, so I was quite curious.

Mary and I were so engrossed in the novel sights that we forgot about the other people’s eyes. The rumors were true; it seemed they had everything. After browsing around for what felt like hours, we finally remembered the reason why we came here.

We stopped at a store that sold baby products and carefully looked at the items. The place was filled with all sorts of adorable things for tiny humans, about fifty centimeters in size.

“Madam! Look at this! My goodness! Such tiny shoes!”

Mary exclaimed, calling me over. We stood side by side, marveling at the pair of shoes that fit easily in the palm of our hands.

Looking at the impossibly tiny clothes, shoes, socks, and mittens, I was overcome with a strange emotion. It was because these things, which had seemed so distant and unrelated to me, no longer felt so far removed.

It was surprising that something I thought should never happen no longer seemed entirely bad. 

What was the reason for this unexpected shift in my emotions?

I couldn’t deny that Ethan was behind it all. When we first started sleeping together, the thought of pregnancy terrified me. It was something I couldn’t accept, both morally and emotionally. But now?

It was clear that my feelings for Ethan had changed significantly since the racetrack and the croquet match. The image of him effortlessly subduing the drunken thug also came to mind.

I had always tried to keep him at arm’s length. But it seemed that somehow, without me even realizing it, he had jumped over my fence.

Of course, that didn’t mean I wanted to have a child right away. I chose a pair of simple, chick-yellow shoes and white mittens. I also bought some herbal tea that was said to be good for calming the body and mind, and also good for breastfeeding.

We went down to the first floor, where a large bakery had recently opened. Our eyes were drawn to the numerous cakes and treats on display, and we ended up buying a few that looked particularly delicious.

I also bought a small, round cake separately. It was a new item, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand and be eaten in one bite.

Excited, we stepped out into the lobby to call for a carriage, and then we froze in shock.