Love in Deceit; When Duty meets Desire

"What's this festival about, anyway?" Claire asked, her attention focused on a stall displaying vibrant fruits. "Is it the autumn harvest festival?"

"Part of it," Leon replied, balancing the bags he carried. "My grandfather always celebrates the harvest festival on the night of the full moon. It's usually a masquerade party and an opportunity for him to showcase his latest wine collection. Since his time, my grandma and dad have kept up the tradition."

"Oh, how cool! Your grandfather must really love nature," Claire said, her tone bright with excitement. "Come on, let's go! The last thing on the list is masks." She grabbed his arm enthusiastically, tugging him toward their final stop.

"Good evening, Grandpa Min. How have you been?" Claire greeted the elderly vendor warmly. She hadn't visited this stall since childhood, back when her mom would bring her here for masks—whether for festivals or just to play dress-up.

"Claire, my child, I'm well. And you?" Grandpa Min's kind eyes sparkled behind his thick glasses. But soon, his attention shifted to the presence beside her. Adjusting his glasses, his gaze locked on Leon, who gave him a respectful bow.

"And who's this fine young man with you?" Min asked, his curiosity piqued.

"H-he's my husband," Claire stammered with a faint smile

Min's face lit up. "Congratulations, dear! I'm so happy for you."

After exchanging a few more words and picking out their masks, Claire and Leon turned to leave. But Grandpa Min, observing the amount of bags Leon was carrying, suddenly spoke up..

"My child, don't you think your husband's arms must be hurting by now?" he asked, concern softening his voice.

Claire froze, her eyes darting to Leon, only now realizing how many bags he carried. Guilt washed over her.

Min chuckled "He must love you so much. I can tell he's someone important, yet here he is, carrying your bags and shopping with you. You're very fortunate, my dear." the delighted old man who wasn't aware of their marriage condition commented

Both Claire and Leon stiffened at his words.

Claire hastily reached for some of the bags. "Oh no, it's not like that, Grandpa. It was my mistake. I got too caught up—" she babbled, laughing awkwardly as she bid him goodbye.

Once they were out of earshot, she turned to Leon, her face red with guilt. "I'm so sorry. You can give me the bags, or we could call Levy—"

"We're too far from the parking lot," Leon cut her off, his voice low. "Besides, is it so bad if I carry them? I can't let you do it."

"It's just… I already wasted your time, and now you're carrying all this…" she mumbled, still unsure why he sounded upset.

"It's fine. I don't mind," he replied firmly. "I've always carried the bags when I go shopping with my mom or grandma."

Claire fell silent, letting him take the lead as they headed toward the parking lot.

"Why do you bargain so much? You make us look poor," Leon suddenly remarked.

"..."

Claire's mouth opened and closed in shock. She was at a loss of words.Mae had once scolded her with the exact words. "I guess I'm just used to it. Why waste money when you can get a better deal with a cheaper price?" she said, laughing awkwardly.

'Rich people wouldn't understand', she thought bitterly.

Just then, the sky rumbled, and within moments, rain poured down heavily.

The pair, still far from the parking lot, dashed toward an abandoned bus stop for shelter. Reaching it, Claire burst into laughter, the sound echoing amidst the rain.

"Why are you laughing?" Leon asked, watching her with a mixture of curiosity and amusement as he set the bags down on the bench.

"Did you know," she began, tilting her head back to catch raindrops on her palms, "I've loved playing in the rain since I was little."

Leon sat on the bench, observing her as she twirled and danced like a carefree child. A faint smile tugged at his lips until his phone buzzed. Seeing Levy's name on the screen, he answered.

"Boss, where are you? I'm on my way with an umbrella," Levy said, his voice raised to compete with the pounding rain.

Leon glanced at Claire, now spinning joyfully in the downpour. Her melodious laughter rang out "Not yet. Give me ten minutes. Bring my coat too."

"Boss, you know you can't stay in the cold for long—" Levy began, but Leon wasn't listening, his attention fixed solely on Claire.

"Mm..just hold on" he told Levy and ended the call.

Noticing how heavy the rain was, he called out to her but it appeared she couldn't hear him. He decided to go get her, "Claire" he called when he had reached to her, causing Claire to turn around.

Leon froze at the sight of her, her drenched hair clung to her face and neck, her yellow top also clung to her body, making him see through it. Though under the rain, his body started heating up subconsciously.

Claire gasped seeing Leon, the rain had totally drenched his clothes making it to stick with his body. His muscles came into full view.

"we need to go in, the rain is heavy" Leon told her stepping closer, Claire pouted when she heard what he said. Then, a mischievous thought came to her mind.

Claire blinked at him before breaking into a mischievous smile. Gathering rainwater in her palms, she splashed it onto him.

Time seemed to pause as Leon stood, stunned. Claire's energetic laughter filled the air, breaking the moment and pulling him away from his thoughts. She splashed him again and darted away, her laughter infectious.

"Mr. CEO, loosen up and enjoy the rain!" she teased.

Leon quickly caught up, pulling her by the waist. She collided with him, breathless.

"Are you done with your fun? Let's go before you catch a cold," he scolded gently, flicking her forehead with a smirk.

Claire finally relented, allowing him to lead her back under the shelter. When Levy arrived with umbrellas, he stared at the drenched pair in disbelief. He turned to Leon in shock and was about to start scolding him when Leon stopped him.

"Claire's wearing shorts. She'll catch a cold. Hand me the coat," Leon ordered.

"I-it's fine,you can wear it" Claire protested weakly. "I'm used to the cold." she said, her reserved self back leaving no trace of the energetic lady who was playing in the rain.

"I'm your husband," Leon replied sharply. "It's my job to take care of you." Leon wanted to tell her to stop acting so reserved and just loosen up, he liked seeing the real her, but decided against it.

He really didn't get why she was always trying to push him away when he reminded her many times that contract or not, he still had to fulfill his responsibility.

Claire turned silent at his words, her fists clenched as she bit her lips, allowing him to wrap her with his coat. She had an idea on why he was upset but she didn't get why he would get mad at her refusing his help and why he cared so much despite their marriage just being a contract. Even though it was out of sense of responsibility, she didn't want to let her guard down, she would eventually leave him and if he continued with his good husband act, it'll only complicate things.

Levy took their bags and started leaving for the car with one umbrella, while Claire and Leon had to share the other one. Claire's heart hammered and a blush crept on her face as Leon grabbed her waist while holding the umbrella with the other.

————

Back at the mansion, they were greeted by worried faces. She saw Mae, Old man Yu and Mrs Rinna Yu all waiting for them outside.

Their worry deepened seeing them step out of the car, drenched and shivering.

"I'm so sorry, my dear," Mrs. Rinna Yu said, her voice full of guilt as she gently placed her hands on Claire's shoulders, leading her inside. "If I'd known it would rain, I'd never have sent you two to the market."

Claire bit her lip, guilt washing over her as she noticed how worried Mrs. Yu looked. It's was her fault they got soaked. If she hadn't insisted on playing in the rain…

"You both should go and take a hot bath," Mrs. Yu continued, draping them with thick towels. "Mae will bring up some hot water and soup for you."

The duo nodded silently before heading upstairs to their room. Claire showered first, letting the hot water soothe her cold, aching body. Once done, feeling refreshed, she wrapped herself in a robe and began drying her hair while waiting for Mae to arrive.

A soft knock soon echoed.

"Come in," Claire said.

Mae entered with a warm smile, holding a tray with two bowls of soup. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Mae. I'll wait for your brother before eating," Claire said, setting the tray on the bedside table.

Mae frowned. "He's not out yet?"

Claire shook her head. "No, he's been in there for quite a while now. Longer than usual."

Mae's frown deepened. "That's strange. Leon never takes this long."

"I'll check on him," Claire said, worry creeping into her tone as she approached the bathroom door.

"Leon?" she called, knocking gently. "Are you okay?"

No response.

Her heart began to race. "Leon!" she called again, louder this time, but still, there was no answer.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from inside the bathroom. Panic gripped her as all hesitation fled. She flung the door open.

"Leon!" she screamed, rushing in.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him sprawled on the floor, unconscious, he was only wearing his trousers, leaving his top bare and his skin pale with red hives all over.

Without thinking, Claire dropped to her knees beside him, her trembling hands reaching for his face. "Leon, wake up!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. She gently tapped his cheek, her heart pounding wildly.

When he didn't respond, she turned her head toward the door. "Mae! Get help!" she yelled.

Mae burst in seconds later, her face paling at the sight of her brother on the floor. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know! He just collapsed," Claire stammered, her voice shaking as she tried to hold back tears.

"Stay with him. I'll get Grandpa and a doctor!" Mae said, bolting out of the room.

Claire's hands continued to shake as she leaned over Leon, brushing wet strands of hair off his forehead. He felt cold, far too cold. Tears pricked her eyes.

Minutes later, Mae returned with Old Man Yu, Mrs. Yu, and a family doctor in tow. The doctor quickly knelt beside Leon, checking his pulse and breathing.

"His body temperature has dropped significantly," the doctor said gravely. "He may have been exposed to the cold for too long. We need to warm him up immediately."

Mrs. Yu looked stricken, wringing her hands. "I told you to take a hot bath right away. Why didn't you listen? Did you forget about your allergy" she yelled at the unconscious man.

Claire stepped back, guilt weighing heavily on her. "It's my fault," she admitted in a small voice. "If I hadn't—"

"It's not the time for blame," Old Man Yu interjected firmly, his voice steady despite the tension. "Help the doctor get him to the bed."

They carefully carried Leon out of the bathroom and placed him on the bed. The doctor instructed Claire to sit beside him and help with warming his hands while he checked for further symptoms.

Claire obeyed, wrapping her hands around his cold ones, her eyes never leaving his face.

Moments stretched into what felt like hours before Leon finally stirred, letting out a low groan. Claire's head snapped up, her eyes wide with relief.

"Leon!" she exclaimed, leaning closer.

His eyes fluttered open, and he blinked at her in confusion. "What… happened?" he murmured, his voice hoarse.

"You fainted," Claire replied, her voice trembling. "You scared me…"

Leon managed a faint smile despite his exhaustion. "I'm fine now… Stop crying."

Claire wiped at her cheeks, realizing tears had fallen. Not long after, Leon fell asleep again.

The doctor patted Claire's shoulder reassuringly. "He'll be fine. Just let him rest, and make sure he stays warm."

As the others left the room, Claire glanced at the man resting beside her, her chest tightening. Why am I so worried about him? she wondered, confused by the ache in her heart. She didn't understand if it was due to guilt that this was her fault.

For the first time, she realized how much Leon's well-being meant to her.