The next afternoon, Vanessa arrived at the Duke's palace, delivering more documents. She left them on his desk, a silent communication. Instead of returning directly to her mansion, she decided to seek out Henry. She found him by the palace lake. Lying on the water, relaxing and calm.
She shed her shoes off and approach him. The ground was damp, and lost her footing, tumbling into the cool water with a startled cry.
Henry, startled, watched her fall, a flicker amusement dancing in his eyes.
Vanessa, sputtering and soaked, stands up immediately as she pants. Her silky dress clinging to her body, her hair plastered to her forehead. Henry couldn't resist a teasing smirk
"Perhaps a less dramatic approach next time, Lady Vanessa?" He murmured, his voice laced with amusement.
Before she could respond back, he playfully nudged her back into the water, a laugh escaping his lips.
This time, she didn't cry out, her surprise quickly replaced by defiant glint in her eyes.
As she stood, water cascading from her hair, her dress clinging to her curves, she was a captivating sight.
Henry, his amusement turning to something deeper, he walks closer to Vanessa, his movements deliberate, his gaze fixed on her. The playful banter had creased, replaced by a changed silence.
Vanessa, caught between anger and an unfamiliar thrill, bit her lip until it bled. Henry, noticed the blood, gently brushing his thumb across her lip, wiping away the crimson stain. His touch was feather-light, yet it sent a shiver down her spine.
He leaned in, his thumb lingering on her lip, then gently slipped it into her mouth, a gesture both intimate and audacious. The water around them seem to hold its breath, the playful atmosphere replaced by a palpable tension.
For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them, the cool water, and the unexpected intimacy of their shared space. The thrill of the moment was heightened by the unspoken acknowledgment of their mutual attraction, a potent mixture of danger and desire.
The unspoken words hung heavy in the air, a silent acknowledgment of forbbiden feelings that beginning to surface between them. This unexpected encounter, born from a playful push into the lake, had transformed into something far more profound, a turning point in their complex relationship.
Suddenly the intimacy of the moment shattered. A shadow crossed Henry's face, the warmth in his eyes replaced by a chilling uncertainty.
The thought of Vanessa, like Lita, choosing another man over him, he pieced through the burgeoning connection. He abruptly withdrew his thumb from her mouth, the sudden break in contact leaving a lingering emptiness. The spell was broken.He puts his hands down away from her face.
"Vanessa..." He said, his voice devoid of he playful teasing from moments before.
"It's getting late. You should return back to your mansion." His words were polite, yet firm, the distance between them widening with each syllable.