The Point Is, Your Skills Are Terrible

Edmond had never cursed in his life. He always thought he wouldn't, and often found Alistair's habit of swearing disgraceful. It turns out that sometimes, cursing comes naturally. For instance, right now, he had silently cursed countless times, and the repressed rage he'd held for years was suddenly ignited, filling him with a murderous intent.

Edmond's anger made his stomach ache, and the fire Lily had ignited in him was now completely extinguished.

"Lily, five minutes... Who told you that?" he asked in a strained and embarrassed voice, but she didn't answer.

Lily was still on top of him, clumsily trying to untie his robe. Being inexperienced, she struggled for a long time without success, sweating with frustration.

"Why is this so hard to untie? You're just lying there not helping. It's your robe; why aren't you undressing yourself? Why do I have to undress you?"

"Will you help me later? I'm not wearing anything underneath..."

She kept muttering incessantly. Edmond felt his scalp tingle, and he grabbed her hands to stop her.

Unable to untie his robe initially, she accidentally loosened it when he grabbed her hands. The belt came undone instantly, and his robe fell open. Lily stared fixedly at his exposed chest, unable to look away.

So sexy. She wanted to touch.

Edmond was momentarily stunned, and just as Lily reached out to touch him, he swiftly flipped her over, pressing her into his embrace. Throughout the motion, he was careful to keep her left cheek, covered in gauze, on top and her right cheek resting in the crook of his arm, avoiding her wounds.

Lily struggled in his arms. "What are you doing? I just got it undone."

She wouldn't stay still, and Edmond's breathing grew heavier as he tried to restrain himself. He held her tightly, preventing her from moving.

"Lily, please spare me."

If she kept moving, he wouldn't be able to control himself. Despite his anger and his desire to prove he was not a mere five-minute man, he had to consider her injuries. Although her wounds were not on her body, and he could be careful to avoid them, there was always a risk. Reapplying the medicine would make her suffer all over again. Moreover, she wasn't fully sober now. No matter how long he lasted, she wouldn't remember it. To clear his name, he needed her to be fully conscious.

Edmond held her quietly for a while, feeling the soft bathrobe under his hands. He suddenly recalled her saying she wasn't wearing anything underneath. His breathing deepened as he remembered the wine she had drunk.

The wine was imported from his vineyard abroad, very strong. He had opened it last night when he couldn't sleep and had only drunk a little. She had downed a whole glass. She'd likely feel awful in the morning.

Edmond called for a sobering soup to be prepared by Aunt Fang.

He fed Lily the soup himself.

With only the dim, yellow light from the bedside lamp, Lily's eyes stayed fixed on him, wet and glistening.

After setting the empty bowl on the bedside table, he tucked her in. It was late, and he planned to sleep in the guest room. As he stood up, Lily grabbed his hand.

"Are you really not doing it tonight?"

Edmond moved her hair away from her gauze. "We'll wait until you're healed."

Seeing she was a bit more sober after the soup, he broached the humiliating five-minute topic again. "Who told you about the five minutes?"

Lily blinked. "You did."

Edmond: "?"

When had he ever said that? Why would he insult himself? Seeing his confusion, Lily recounted her afternoon's ordeal, and Edmond fell silent for a long time afterward.

"I said half an hour. The five minutes... It was meant to bring you back here because today was supposed to be a special event for you. I wanted you to see it."

He had planned everything meticulously, consulting both Alistair and Octavian. The rose arrangement was Octavian's idea, while Alistair suggested the romantic drone display. Edmond had implemented both, arranging the roses himself and designing the drone patterns. However, when Aria ran out of the restaurant, he doubted Lily would come back with him that night, so he called off the drone show.

Lily fell silent too, feeling embarrassed for her misinterpretation and judgment.

The room grew strangely quiet, and Lily decided to change the subject. "So, when did you start planning this?"

"The day after we got our marriage certificate," Edmond replied. She had said they would go public after Royce's wedding and then move in together, so he had been preparing for that day all along.

Today marked the start of their new life.

Looking at his handsome face, Lily made a decision. "Edmond, a new beginning deserves a new start."

She grabbed his robe, her eyes sparkling as she spoke softly, "Edmond, I can do this."

Logic told Edmond she was still injured and he needed to restrain himself, but the feel of her soft hand tugging at his robe tore apart his rationality.

That night was unexpected.

Lily lay back on crushed rose petals. Initially, it felt pleasant, with the scent of roses and Edmond's gentle kisses. When she couldn't breathe, he shared his breath with her, and when she was in pain, he patiently comforted her.

Gradually, though, she wanted to curse. Impulse was the devil.

She remembered her first year as an apprentice, when she followed her master's photography team to northern Canada to film wolves up close. The sight of a strong lone wolf hunting had given her nightmares for three days.

She felt Edmond was like that strong wolf, and she was the rabbit he tore apart. Worse than the rabbit, who at least died quickly, she was tortured all night, feeling every bit of pain.

Edmond's words had been deceitful. He said he wouldn't move, yet the roses under her were crushed. He said it would be quick, yet the clock's minute hand passed several times.

Afterward, Edmond held her, showing her the time on his phone, purposely omitting the first round and starting the count from the second.

"Count how many five minutes there are."

Too tired to think, she lay in his arms, half-asleep, giving him a lazy rating.

"The number of five minutes isn't the point. The point is, your skills are terrible."

Edmond: "..."

That hurt more than the five-minute accusation.

The first rays of dawn broke through, and Lily had barely slept three hours. Exhausted, she ignored the first call on her phone, covered her head with the blanket at the second, and angrily reached for her phone at the third.

"Who is it? Who's haunting me so early in the morning!"

Barely able to see the screen, she didn't care who it was and just shouted, her morning temper flaring.

After a while, a suppressed and anxious voice came through.

"Lily, can you come to the old house?"

The voice belonged to Nayla, Franklin's mother.

Lily slapped her forehead to wake herself up, softening her tone as she asked what was wrong.

Nayla's voice trembled with sobs. "Franklin and Royce got into a fight. His grandfather is going to kill him. Can you come save him? I don't know what to do..."

Ending the call, Lily threw her phone aside and closed her eyes again. A few seconds later, she bolted upright.

"Franklin and Royce are fighting."

"His grandfather wants to kill Franklin."

"..."

Franklin was in trouble.

She had to get to the old house quickly.

The space beside her was empty. Edmond had already gotten up. Her robe, which he had thrown on the floor last night, was now neatly gone, along with her clothes.

He didn't leave her anything to wear.

Considering he had bathed her after the deed, Lily refrained from cursing him, but she still struggled to get out of bed. Moving her legs, she winced in pain and cursed him again.

"Beast. A useless beast!"

After much effort, she managed to get to the closet, leaning on the wall for support and muttering insults as she shuffled.

The clothes she wore yesterday were stained with blood. She planned to discard them, keeping only the underwear, which Aunt Fang had washed and dried, folding them neatly in a corner.

The closet held only Edmond's clothes for now.

Half an hour later, Lily had washed and dressed and made her way downstairs.

Aunt Fang had just come in from outside and looked up at the sound of her descent, pausing in surprise.