Mia's height wasn't even enough to reach his chest, and now with her head lowered, it forced Arthur to bend down slightly just to catch a glimpse of her ears, half-hidden by her disheveled hair. When he saw Mia's skin flushed redder than the blazing sun, he couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "What's this? Feeling shy now?"
It seemed his Mia was only just now recalling the boldness and candor she'd shown last night.
Mia stubbornly ignored him, trying to wrench her hands free from his grip so she could continue getting dressed. But how could her strength possibly rival Arthur's? Of course, he dissipated it effortlessly!
"Let go!" Mia was equal parts shy and annoyed as she struggled to break free, but her hands remained firmly clasped in his.
"As long as you lift your head, I'll let go of your hands," Arthur bargained.
"I won't." Someone was still holding out.
"Then I won't let go." Arthur's words came with a sly smile. "We'll just stay like this. Hmm, I think Tina should be back by now. She'll see us!"
With one arm wrapped around Mia's waist and the other controlling the freedom of her hands, the two were pressed tightly together. It was an ambiguously intimate scene that anyone catching sight of would surely misinterpret.
Though, no matter how suggestive the moment, it paled in comparison to the far more compromising picture of them waking up in the same bed—but the pure and straightforward Mia wouldn't even think of that.
"Then you let go first," Mia conceded with a step back.
"You lift your head first, and I'll let go," Arthur wheedled childishly.
Mia fell silent for a moment after hearing that, then, as if steeling her resolve, took a deep breath and abruptly raised her head. "Can you let go of me now?"
Arthur savored the sight of Mia's face, a mix of shy indignation, and couldn't resist pressing a kiss to her faintly flushed cheek.
As the kiss landed, he watched her startle—eyes widening, mouth parting slightly in surprise—and she looked utterly adorable!
He couldn't hold back; he planted another kiss, and then another, peppering them densely across her face until the slow-on-the-uptake Mia finally snapped out of it and issued a hoarse protest.
"Arthur...!"
"Ha—!" Arthur burst into laughter. Mia's exposed skin turned a vivid crimson, threatening to spread across her entire body.
"Let go!" Hadn't he said he'd release her if she looked up? Why was he still gripping her so tightly?
"Alright, alright." True to his word, Arthur let go.
"Arthur!" Mia's voice edged toward a roar.
How could he act like this? Hadn't he promised to let go? He'd only freed the hands that had pinned her in place. Now, with his newly liberated hand, he slid it around her back, drawing her body even closer to his.
In the past, he'd only ever held her lightly; this was the first time he'd embraced her so fervently, so tightly that she wondered if her body might melt right into his. The intensity only amplified her shyness. "Let go of me!" Her struggles were soft and languid, feeble at best, and Arthur remained unmoved.
"I'm only doing this to keep you from catching a chill! The weather's so cold—if I let go, you'll get sick!" Arthur's excuse sounded nobly selfless, though it masked a selfish motive.
"Then let go so I can finish getting dressed." The nerve of him—Mia shot him a glare.
"Unless you let me help you," Arthur replied with a cheeky grin, not seeing anything remotely rogue in his demand.
At those words, Mia felt her strength drain away entirely, leaving her to slump limply into Arthur's arms. "If I don't agree, are you just going to hold me like this forever without letting go?" Her voice carried a note of utter helplessness.
"Hehe!" The culprit's laugh rang out clear and bright—clearly, she'd caved.
Nestled in Arthur's embrace, Mia balled up her fist and landed a punch on him. This man was insufferably domineering!
It seemed Arthur was truly swamped; the two hadn't even had a chance to eat breakfast—or exchange a few words—before the butler summoned him away again.
Mia finished her breakfast in a glum mood, then, with nothing to occupy her, slumped over the windowsill, gazing out at the scenery beyond.
The ever-attentive Jenny noticed her demeanor and asked, "Miss Mia, is something on your mind?"
Mia, who hadn't actually been lost in thought, turned at the question to look at Jenny, who had been standing quietly behind her. "You could tell I have something weighing on me?"
"Yes, Miss Mia," Jenny replied with a gentle smile.
"It's nothing major, really. I'm just thinking about someone."
"Who are you thinking about, Miss Mia?" Tina asked curiously as she entered, carrying a large platter of snacks. "Your parents?"
"No," Mia shook her head.
It wasn't that she was unfilial; it was just that her parents had never given her even a quarter-hour's worth of familial warmth. She often wondered why they'd bothered having her at all.
"He's a friend of mine—a close friend I've grown up with." Someone who shared her same hardships, too.
"Is he down south right now?" Tina offered Mia a piece of cake, but Mia shook her head, not wanting any.
"He came to Moor Manor with me."
"That's wonderful! You could invite him to come see you." Tina was genuinely thrilled for her and set the unwanted cake back down. These snacks had been specially prepared for Mia on Arthur's orders—he wanted her to eat more; she was far too thin. But if she didn't feel like it, they couldn't force her, even if these meticulously crafted pastries might spoil by tomorrow and end up tossed out for having lost their flavor.
"I was actually planning to tell Arthur about it today, but I didn't get the chance before he left." Sigh, she was really starting to miss Dick's nonstop chatterbox mouth.
"Miss Mia, you could always talk to the head butler about it," Jenny suggested quietly, having listened all along. "He handles all the ins and outs of the manor."
Mia's eyes lit up at that. "Could I? Would the head butler really help me?"
Tina nodded vigorously. "Of course, absolutely! You're probably the most important person at Moor Manor right now—who would dare disobey your orders?"
"Huh? Why?" Mia blinked in confusion.
"Oh, Miss Mia, the master thinks so highly of you and indulges you in every way! That's why you're the biggest deal here."
"No way...!" Indulge her? More like he was utterly overbearing!
Tina's words made Mia's cheeks flush crimson, her mind flashing back to that morning's escapades.
But the oblivious Tina, missing her expression and her mumbled retort entirely, pressed on. "So, whatever you want to do, everyone at Moor Manor will bend over backward to make it happen for you."
"It's not that exaggerated—I just want to see Dick."
"Dick?" Tina drew a blank at first, tilting her head in bewilderment.
"That's my friend's name," Mia explained.
"Oh!" Tina suddenly got it. "So, Miss Mia, do you want to go find the head butler? Ask him where your friend is and have him brought to see you?"
"Sure!" Mia agreed happily.
She really wanted to know how Dick was doing these days. Was he okay?