"Did you hurt your feet too?" he asked her, looking down at her legs that were covered in the dark-colored skirt and then at her feet.
"I must have sc.r.a.ped during the tumble of the carriage," Belle answered him. She had felt the sting in her leg but she hadn't bothered herself as she had been listening to Lucas speak and now that silence fell around them, the pain started to make known to her.
She saw him kneel down in front of her and bring his hands near her legs. He ran the back of his hand across her leg from her knee to her ankle, an action that had her heart hitch in her chest. He ran his hand against her other leg and she flinched when his fingers pressed against a possible wound.
Lucas didn't stop though, he instead ran his hand until her ankle, turning around his hand to squeeze the ankle that made her cry, "If you squeeze like that it's going to hurt," and she saw him look up at her to stand.
"Put your hands around my neck," he said and Belle blinked to finally listen to him. When she put his hands around his neck, Lucas bent down to pick her up in his arms. Her heart skipped several beats as he started to walk, carrying her. He looked front as he walked but Belle couldn't stop looking at him and he let her without comment from his side.
The last she remembered being carried by him was when she was young and she must have been around the age of eleven or twelve years old but this here was different. It was not every day Lucas carried people, asking her to put her hands around his neck, she held her hands firmly, feeling his own arms on her waist and below her knees that were covered by the dress.
A small splash of red fell on her cheeks as she stared at his handsome face, "You must have been a rock in your previous life," Belle commented to have him give her a glance before looking ahead of him.
"Why do you say that?" It was like he knew what she meant but he liked to make her speak more clearly anyways.
"You don't give out too many expressions or emotions. The most I have seen are your polite smiles, the controlling annoyance against the servants, and the blank look," explained Belle to him, "You are the coldest person I have met but you are warm at times."
"Seems like your head has been in the clouds for a long time," Lucas answered emotionless.
"Have you never fallen in love with a woman before?" she asked him curiously.
"Love is a waste of time. People die quickly and leave a void behind. It is an unnecessary emotion," he answered the question she hadn't asked and she smiled cheekily at him. He sent her a suspicious look but didn't comment on it.
"How do you know it is unnecessary if you don't know what it feels like to be in love?" Belle continued with her questions.
"One doesn't need to do stupid things to learn. Observing others is sufficient enough to know what you want and don't," came out to be his response and she nodded.
"So you have never been with other women," Belle never saw Lucas himself taking initiation with the opposite s.e.x but that didn't mean he didn't oblige the other women's advancement.
Lucas knew just where this was going and he said, "If you are asking about me being with other women without love then there have been plenty," he noticed how she furrowed her brows not pleased with his answers, "You cannot expect a man to be celibate, do you now, milady?" he looked into her eyes.
She had her lips pursed and she shook her head, "No, I don't," she replied to him.
Lucas and Belle found the local carriage on the second road and they finally hopped in to reach home. When they entered the mansion, the servants who were very few stared at the butler carrying the young girl in his arms as they made their way up on the stairs.
To some of the servants, it was no surprise when it came to Belle's feelings. She had always been too attached to the butler and some had guessed she would soon come to realize her feelings. They peeked from the corner of their eyes at the couple who went up, sharing a quiet look with each other.
"Did you see that?" asked one of the maid, turning towards the other maid.
"What do you think happened?" whispered the other one in full curiosity.
"They didn't come back in the carriage. Did you see how he carried her?" and while the maids continued with their curiosities, Lucas opened the door and finally dropped the girl down on the ground.
"Look at the couple. What did you do again you flimy butler," Barron said after seeing Lucas drop Belle back on the ground on her feet.
The butler came near the stuffed toy and turned it around so that it could face the wall, "Are you serious?!" asked Barron.
"Sit," Lucas commanded.
Belle didn't know if it was the vulnerable atmosphere around her that tickled her insides and had her toe-curling with just a single word from him. She took a seat on the bed. Lucas went to her bathroom and brought the minimalistic first-aid that was placed in there.
Placing it on the bed, he dipped the cotton in the bottle and used one hand to tip her chin up and the other dabbed the cotton against her forehead, his hand movement gentle on her.
