Heated(edited)

REBECCA'S POV

"Finally, there you are!" Irin's loud voice made both of us jolt in shock, and we quickly separated. Irin's eyes widened as she took in the sight of us standing there, awkwardly looking everywhere but at each other. I could feel my face turning red with embarrassment as Irin's mischievous grin grew wider, clearly enjoying the unexpected moment she had stumbled upon. "I've been looking everywhere for you two!" she exclaimed, hands on her hips.

"Here, I brought a dress for Freen to change into," Irin said, handing Freen the dress with a knowing smile. Freen quickly took it, grateful for the distraction from the awkwardness. She murmured something to Irin that I could barely hear, and even if I had, I wouldn't have understood.

Irin opened the nearest door, and Freen quickly slipped inside. She must have felt awful. I wanted to offer comforting words, but I couldn't speak her language, and she couldn't speak mine.

It's ridiculous to be English in an Asian nation. I speak German, Italian, French, and even Spanish. Why didn't I ever express interest in learning the Siamese language my mother spoke?

Oh. Yes, she left us.

"Oh, and Lord Nop's guard offered to escort us home after the two of you ran off earlier. He sent a guard to follow us and told me this when I lost track of the two of you," Irin continued, which caught my attention.

"Why, what happened?" I asked, confused.

"Our carriage was broken down by some crazy civilian," Irin explained, looking frustrated. "I'm sorry, I should have mentioned it earlier," she added. "But don't worry, Lord Nop offered to help us out."

"Oh no, that's terrible. I hope everyone is okay," I replied, feeling a sense of unease about the situation. Irin nodded solemnly, her expression mirroring my own concern as we made our way to Lord Nop's carriage.

"Oh, that's very... odd of him," I said, trying to make sense of the situation. Irin gave me a knowing look, hinting that there might be more to the story than meets the eye.

"I don't understand him," Irin blurted out, her frustration evident in her voice.

"Me neither," I responded, feeling a sense of confusion and suspicion creeping in.

"But we'll have to wait and see what he has in store for us; you should consider his offer for the time being," she added, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her tone.

"The guards have now doubled the security. They consider this a threat." I nodded in agreement, realizing the gravity of the situation. Irin and I exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to expect next. To be attacked inside the perimeter of the royal residence that way is truly a big threat.

"คุณรีเบคก้า คุณผู้หญิงผู้มีเกียรติ เราต้องไปที่รถม้าของคุณตอนนี้ นั่นคือคำสั่งของนายนพที่ฉันได้รับ" {Miss Rebecca, honorable lady. We must go to your carriage now. That was Mr. Nop's order that I received,"} One of the two guards spoke, whom I had just noticed.

"What did he say?" I asked Irin.

"He said we should head to your carriage now; that was what was ordered of him," Irin translated.

"What about Freen? She's still inside," I said worriedly. I'm not leaving her here.

"เราต้องรีบไปเพื่อความปลอดภัยของสุภาพสตรีผู้มีเกียรติรีเบคก้า" {We must hurry to ensure the safety of Honorable Lady Rebecca,}" The guard spoke again with conviction in his voice, forcing us to quickly make our way to the carriage, leaving Freen behind for the time being. As we rushed towards the carriage, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease about leaving her alone.

Freen's POV: A Stolen Moment

The moment I closed the door behind me, I immediately leaned my back against it, my weak knees giving in, and slowly sat down on the floor, holding the dress that Irin had given me.

The warmth of her hand on my wrist still lingered; I could even smell her flowery scent on it. I unconsciously traced my fingers on my wrist, my face feeling warm upon remembering the brief moment when she held my wrist and took me away with her from the party, which if she hadn't done, I would have already ruined it by punching that man in the face.

I know it would have worsened my situation with Nop's deal. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart as I replayed the events of the night in my mind. I know what Nop did earlier; I may not understand what they were saying, but I can tell from the tension in the room that it was serious. I needed to calm myself in order to save my mother, but my anger was getting the best of me. I took a deep breath, thinking about my impulsive action earlier. I hope it won't affect my deal with Nop, but I guess it helps more to win back a little of Lady Rebecca's trust in him.

I saw how Lady Rebecca reacted earlier. Her expression was a mix of surprise and concern, which made me realize she really does care for me, just like Nop had told me. I admit I felt happy about it, but my conscience is getting to me. What if she found out it was just acting, like what Nop did? And that I am part of it. I am being part of deceiving her, and that thought is weighing heavily on me.

As she dragged me from the party, I could tell that she truly wanted to get me away from those people—away from her fiancé and the nastiness of the aristocracy. She protected me there, and I don't have to comprehend their weird language to recognize that.

And this only deepens my emotions. I know I can't deceive Lady Rebecca, but I have to do this for my dearest mother. My mother is the most important to me, as is my grandmother.

I sighed and decided to get up. Ending this thought, I needed to clean myself. I undressed and got in the tub, scrubbing myself.

I was doing it quickly because I had been here for too long already. The warm water felt soothing against my skin, washing away the stress and worries that had been weighing me down. When I heard some commotion outside, like people were rushing, I quickly finished up and got out of the tub, wrapping myself in a towel. As I stepped out of the bathroom, I could hear the voices of guards talking to Irin, making me curious about what was happening outside.

I dried myself quickly when I heard Lady Rebecca's voice saying my name. I grabbed the dress and rushed to see what was going on, my heart pounding with anticipation. Lady Rebecca's urgent tone made me realize that something serious must be happening, and I knew I needed to be prepared for whatever was coming next.

Ugh, this dress is giving me a hard time.

Why would people make women's dresses hard to put on? I struggled with the fabric, feeling a sense of frustration building within me.

And when I heard the voices fading, I tried to walk, not having finished putting on the dress properly. As I finally managed to get it on, I hurried towards the door, but I tripped over the hem, stumbling forward. The sound of Lady Rebecca's voice calling my name grew fainter as I struggled to regain my balance, my heart sinking with the realization that Nop might have done something to get Lady Rebecca away from me and had decided to break our deal.

Finally, I managed to get up. I decided to properly wear the dress since it's impossible to walk with a twisted hem.

As I finished adjusting the dress, I heard commotion outside, like people running. The door blasted open, and there was Lady Rebecca, looking disheveled and out of breath. She quickly locked the door and held my face, and I melted.

As her lips met mine, I knew that whatever Nop had done, it didn't matter in that moment. Lady Rebecca was back, and that was all that mattered. The feeling of her soft lips against mine made me forget all about the chaos and uncertainty that had been plaguing me moments before.

She was kissing me, but I was frozen. I didn't know what to do next, my mind racing with a mix of emotions. All I could do was savor the moment and hope that it would never end. Lady Rebecca's presence was a beacon of light in the darkness, and I was grateful for her return.

"Uhm," she bit my lips, which led me to open my mouth, and there I kissed her back. Our kiss deepened. She was now holding my neck, not letting me go. I held her waist tightly, feeling a rush of desire and passion unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I was now caressing her back as she kissed my neck.

"Ah-ugh," she bit my neck. I wanted to moan, but I didn't want anyone to find out what we were doing here.

Wanting to make her feel the same, I pushed Lady Rebecca against the door. She glared at me, but I didn't give her time to see her reaction as I captured her lips with mine once again, intensifying the heat between us. Our bodies pressed together, the tension building as we both gave in to the undeniable chemistry drawing us closer.

I don't want this to end.

"Freen? Lady Rebecca? Are you two okay?" Irin's voice had again woken us up from our intense moment.

We breathed heavily as I broke the kiss.

Lady Rebecca quickly composed herself, shooting me a warning glance before replying to Irin that we were fine and just needed a moment alone. I could still feel the lingering heat between us as we both tried to regain our composure.

And I just gave her my widest smile, hoping she could see in my eyes how much I didn't want that moment to end either.