How long had she cried, she wondered.
As her body finally began to conserve its moisture, diverting it away from her eyes, Chloe’s sobs gradually subsided. She gently pulled away from Lloyd.
“Better?” he asked.
Chloe nodded.
Without a word, Lloyd presented her with a handkerchief—the very same one she’d stitched for him just days earlier.
“Thank you,” Chloe mumbled. She dabbed at the damp corners of her eyes. “Sorry,” she mumbled between sniffs. “I lost my composure.”
“It’s nothing to worry about,” replied Lloyd, resting a firm hand on her head. “You’ve been holding it all in for so long. It’s good that you finally let it out.”
A whimper of embarrassment escaped Chloe. “Still, I wish it didn’t have to happen in front of you.”
Yet, just as Lloyd had assured her, Chloe felt better. It was as if a torrential downpour had washed away the pain, leaving her heart bathed beneath the sun’s gentle glow. But at the same time, the shame of having cried like a child in Lloyd’s arms quickly rushed in to fill the gaps.
Heat rushed to her face and neck, her ears feeling as though they might start emitting steam.
“Chloe? Are you okay?”
“D-Don’t look at me right now!” Chloe shot back. “I’m a mess.”
“I...see,” Lloyd replied, picking up on her cue.
She was grateful for his understanding, but the silence that ensued was almost just as uncomfortable.
“But still...” After a few moments, Lloyd spoke again. “A noble’s daughter, huh...” He struck a pensive pose, his thoughtful hum resonating in the quiet room.
Chloe could see the conflict brewing behind his furrowed visage: she was the missing daughter of a noble, and he was a royal knight. If her disappearance had been officially reported, his continued sheltering of her could be perceived as nothing short of dereliction of duty.
“I won’t go back,” she declared. The last thing Chloe wanted was to be a burden to Lloyd. “But if my presence here poses a risk to you, I’ll leave at once.” She steeled herself to make one final appeal. “So please—”
“I’m not going to turn you in. You needn’t worry about that,” Lloyd interrupted, slipping on his best attempt at a reassuring smile. “Yes, my duties are important to me,” he continued, “but so are you, Chloe.”
A soft whisper of Lloyd’s name escaped Chloe’s lips, her vision once again blurred as fresh tears threatened to fall. Her tear ducts were still primed from her earlier breakdown, it seemed.
“Thank you,” she said, “for everything, again and again. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”
“No need,” Lloyd responded gently. “You’ve already done more than enough for me.”
“But that’s only because I’m your housekeeper...”
“No, it’s more than that. You’ve done far more for me.”
“More than that...?” Chloe questioned, her head tilting in confusion.
Lloyd averted his gaze, his lips pursed as if restraining unspoken words.
“In any case,” he said instead, “you’ve done so much for me.”
“I have...?” Chloe puzzled. Nothing in particular came to mind, but she chose to accept Lloyd’s words for what they were.
“However, there is one thing I must ask of you,” Lloyd continued.
“There is...? Wh—Wah!”
Without warning, Lloyd hooked his arms around Chloe, pulling her flush against his chest. Her pulse surged, her senses overwhelmed by his intoxicating scent, his inviting warmth, and the solid reassurance of his body against her own.
“L-L-L...Lloyd?” Her voice began as a nervous stammer but dwindled to a barely audible whisper.
“Don’t say you’re leaving—ever again.” His voice was barely above a whisper—it was pleading, almost, a stark contrast to his usual steadfast tone. “I can no longer imagine a life without you.”
He was so close; his breath brushed against her ear; Chloe almost felt her heart stop. Struggling to temper the rapid pounding in her chest, she managed to ask, “What do you...mean by that?”
She felt Lloyd’s body flinch against hers, but no reply came.
After a beat, he spoke. “You’ve improved my quality of life immensely. Whether it be cooking, or cleaning, or keeping the house well stocked and provisioned, you’ve been doing a better job than I ever could. If you were to leave, my life would fall apart once more.”
A tinge of disappointment cast a shadow over Chloe’s heart. “Oh. Is—is that so...?”
His response wasn’t what she’d dared to hope for. She knew she was being greedy—selfish for expecting it, but the hope flickered in her heart nonetheless.
Still, even that small assurance was enough to warm her soul—she was happy to hear that she was irreplaceable to him, even if only for pragmatic reasons.
Chloe gingerly reached her own arms around Lloyd, patting him gently on the back, much like how one would comfort a newborn. Lloyd let out a deep exhale in response, a response that tickled her somewhat.
Still locked in their embrace, Lloyd spoke, “Have you considered that your family may be searching for you?”
“I...I have, yes,” Chloe replied. “Knowing them, they’ve probably kept my disappearance a secret and are conducting a search in private.”
An image of her mother, eyes bloodshot and bulging as she screamed at her servants, flitted across her mind’s eye.
“In any case, I don’t think they’ll find me,” she added. “Shadaf is too remote from the capital; I doubt they’ll think to look for me here.” While she couldn’t say for sure, the possibility was, in her estimation, quite small.
Lloyd, on the other hand, seemed to have different thoughts. Perhaps it was an occupational hazard, but his mind instinctively jumped to the worst-case scenario. “It may be a good idea to take a few precautions,” he muttered.
“Lloyd?”
“It’s nothing,” he dismissed. “We can save that discussion for later.”
With those words, Lloyd gently untangled from their intimate embrace, leaving Chloe in a warm, bewildered haze.
“You must be tired; let’s call it a night,” Lloyd suggested.
“Thanks,” Chloe paused. “Um, Lloyd?”
“Yes?”
“Could we...do that again sometime?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Chloe snapped back to her senses. She had no idea what possessed her to voice her desire so boldly—perhaps it was the whirlwind of emotions from the day causing her mind to fray.
“That? You mean a hug?” Lloyd looked puzzled, his brow furrowed.
Chloe hurriedly waved her arms in front of her dismissively. “Um! No, it’s just... I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just that when you hold me, it’s so comfortable that I— You know what? Sorry, I don’t know what came over me, just forget I said anything, good ni—wah!”
Without so much as a word, Lloyd silenced Chloe by enveloping her in his arms once more. She caught another deep breath of his scent. This embrace felt more potent than the last—he squeezed tightly, as if his hug alone could convey his determination to protect her.
He released her from his grip, then gently stroked her head. “My arms are yours, whenever you need them.”
His baritone whisper sent spirals coursing through her body, and she whimpered. “Th-Thanks...”
As Lloyd released her from his embrace once again, Chloe was the picture of serenity. The intense pleasure of the hug seemed to have transported her to the heavens.
When her vision refocused, she noticed it—Lloyd’s face, cheeks, ears, all tinged with the slightest shade of rose.
“I-In any case, head to bed, Chloe. Leave the rest to me,” Lloyd instructed.
Snapping back to reality, Chloe stammered, “R-Right—okay.”
Lloyd rose to his feet and turned away from Chloe as fast as he could.
“Lloyd,” she called out gently behind him.
“Yes?”
Wearing a smile as serene as the calm after a storm, Chloe said, “Thank you.”