When the lights of the mansion came into view again, Lydia could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Every step of the journey from the lake to the mansion had been a great struggle for her, but she had managed to stay on her horse.
It didn't matter how terrible and exhausted she felt.
As they entered the dark place where not even a single stable boy was present, they were greeted by a servant.
"Where did you disappear to at night, my lord? I was nearly out of my mind searching for you."
As Lydia handed over the reins of her horse, she understood from the anxious voice that it was the servant who had found them in the morning.
"I just went for a swim in the lake, Winfred. You know I always do that."
"In this weather?"
"It's more enjoyable in this weather."
Noticing that his master had returned with a different horse, Winfred furrowed his brows, but Damian's expression clearly indicated that this should not be mentioned. He turned helplessly to Lydia.
"My lady, it would be best if you returned to your room without being seen by anyone."
Lydia was completely in agreement with him, but since she had no strength left, she remained silent while Damian answered for her.
"I will accompany her, don't worry."
Winfred's face turned pale at the response he heard.
"If you don't urgently need to get married, please don't do this, my lord."
"I do need to get married urgently, but unfortunately, to someone else..."
"Then please try your luck another time, my lord."
Lydia couldn't help but think for a moment that Winfred was quite outspoken and brave for a servant, while Damian was overly familiar and understanding for a master. Yet Winfred probably appeared to be in his forties, with a pale face and a worried demeanor. Lydia couldn't understand why someone like Damian kept him around.
Without waiting for them, Lydia threw herself out of the stable. As she entered the mansion, all the fears she had been avoiding came crashing down on her. Being observed coming from the stables late at night was the least of these fears. Still, she couldn't help but see each shadow in the corridor as a hidden person.
It was as if the whole mansion had united against her tonight.
Finding her room in the labyrinthine corridors of the Reyes mansion took longer than usual. When she heard muffled moans coming from her room, she couldn't believe it. She was about to think that her mind was playing tricks on her when a hand grabbed her like a claw, pulling her away from the door handle.
Lydia could now recognize him by his hand alone. His long fingers and broad palm had completely enveloped hers.
"You can't catch Lady Humphrey with her young lover in her room, Lydia. Even by society's standards, that would be devilish."
This whispered remark was followed by a muffled cry of pleasure from the room. Lydia, trying to ignore the strange sensation awakening within her along with her astonishment, murmured.
"I wasn't trying to catch anyone. I thought it was my own room."
Despite the dim light of the corridor, she kept her eyes away from the lively green eyes. She had no idea why Damian had followed her all the way here.
After a brief pause, she heard his soft yet mocking voice.
"I'll accompany you to your room. I don't want you to disturb my other guests."
Lydia couldn't immediately object to this. She admitted that fear and concern had completely disoriented her sense of direction. She contented herself with nodding in agreement to his gesture. Clearly, he just wanted her to get to her room without any trouble.
With the key easily fitting into the keyhole of a room at the end of the same corridor and the door easily opening thanks to the key turning, Lydia felt relieved, sensing that all the bad things could wait until tomorrow. She was safe now, and there was no need to think about it anymore.
She was about to enter quickly and close the door when she heard an anxious voice from Damian, something she never expected.
"There's someone in the corridor."
At the same time, Lydia heard the firm steps echoing in the corridor and realized she had rejoiced too early. Getting through this night wouldn't be as easy as she had thought.
"Disappear before they see you!"
"Alright, but how? They're coming from the same direction. I hope you're not implying I should jump out the window."
As Lydia briefly considered this seriously, she remembered they were on the third floor and shouted as quietly as she could.
"Hide at least!"
When she heard Damian laughing mockingly despite the terrible situation they were in, she truly wanted to kill him.
"Where to? You must see that I'm larger than a vase."
Lydia sensed that Damian was still amused, not caring about the seriousness of the situation. Unable to control her anger, she muttered in her most hostile voice.
"If you're going to get caught, at least stay away from my door!"
"Don't be so rude, Miss Lockhart. Especially at this moment when I dare to tarnish my honor and dignity for you... Lydia..."
As the footsteps approached, Lydia decided to close the door and act as if she didn't know about it. After all, she hadn't asked him to accompany her, and she was in a more vulnerable position than him.
However, she couldn't do it. She had never heard her name come out of someone else's mouth with such need.
In a rush, she opened the door slightly, and Damian swiftly slipped inside as if he had been waiting for this moment. Instead of closing the door completely, Lydia tried to see the person in the corridor through the small gap she had created. It didn't take long for the source of the firm footsteps to become apparent.
But it wasn't the person she had expected to see. She already knew, like everyone else in the mansion, that Lady Vivian's ears and eyes didn't work very well. The only thing she had learned recently was that the old woman was prone to sleepwalking.
Just then, a strong force pushed the door closed, obscuring her view. As Lady Vivian disappeared from sight, Lydia's gaze turned to the man standing right behind her.
"You tricked me."
Although she couldn't fully show the disappointment and anger she felt in her voice, Damian was aware of it just from her burning gaze. As he grabbed her from the shoulder and pushed her against the door, he whispered in a dangerous tone.
"Did I really?"