The water broke from the lake’s surface, splashing across Riven’s face and body. Droplets slid slowly down his skin, yet he did not move. His eyes widened, frozen in place.

From the ripples, a figure slowly emerged. A woman with long, crimson hair glistening wet. Her hair spread across the water’s surface like scattered rose petals. And from beneath the rippling surface, Ashtoria’s face appeared. Calm, beautiful, almost too beautiful to face directly.

Water dripped from her chin, slid down her neck, and stopped at her exposed shoulder. Half of Ashtoria’s body was now visible under the moonlight, and Riven completely lost control of himself.

At first, he was only mesmerized by her thick, crimson hair. Then his gaze trailed lower—her delicate face, her lips thin and pink, glistening wet from the water. Something within him, an instinct impossible to resist, urged his eyes to wander further.

Ashtoria’s slender neck. The elegant curve of her collarbones. And, her breast. Full, ample, with the faintest outline showing above the water, tempting in their bareness.

Riven unconsciously swallowed hard. Heat surged quickly through his body, mingling with his pounding heartbeat. He tried to restrain himself, but his gaze drifted lower still: the flat plane of her stomach, the faint, soft lines of muscle, the narrow waist that seemed to invite touch, and then—

He suddenly realized something in his body was reacting. His groin tightened. Panic gripped him. Hastily, Riven turned around, his back facing the lake. His teeth clenched as he fought to suppress the involuntary reaction.

‘No, I can’t…’ he thought. ‘If she gets offended… if she misunderstands… seeing me hard right in front of her face… she could kill me on the spot.’

Behind him, a soft, calm voice spoke.

“Why did you turn away?” Ashtoria asked, flat and unbothered, as if the situation was nothing unusual.

Riven scrambled for an excuse. “I think… I left my towel,” he said casually, trying to mask his panic.

Ashtoria’s gaze shifted briefly toward the flat rock nearby. Riven’s towel and clothes still lay neatly folded there. Her crimson eyes returned to his back.

“You brought it,” she said plainly. “Why are you lying?”

Riven froze, his face tightening. Her words were so blunt, so simple—as though Ashtoria truly didn’t grasp the real reason behind his lie. Shouldn’t she understand? Shouldn’t she realize?

She kept her calm gaze, then spoke again, her tone as innocent as before, as though nothing was out of place.

“Then… come bathe with me. You’ve already taken off your clothes, haven’t you?”

Riven nearly choked on his breath. Her words struck harder than any sword strike. His mind raced, scrambling for another excuse, but before he could, Ashtoria’s voice came again.

“Are you leaving… because of me?”

Silence hung between them. Slowly, Riven forced words past his throat. “…Yes.”

Ashtoria’s crimson eyes stayed calm, but her next words nearly stopped Riven’s heart.

“Why? Is it because I’m disgusting? Or… because I’m terrifying?”

Riven could barely breathe. The words pierced him, scattering his thoughts. Ashtoria—the strong, mysterious woman before him—was she truly asking this so innocently?

“No… not because of that,” Riven stammered, swallowing hard. His voice was hoarse, almost a whisper. He lowered his head, then added, “Don’t you know… that men and women who are not husband and wife, or lovers… shouldn’t be naked together?”

Ashtoria tilted her head slightly, her crimson hair clinging wetly to her shoulder. Her gaze remained innocent, devoid of shame or guilt.

“No,” she replied flatly.

Riven cursed inwardly, nearly ready to slam his head against the rock. She truly didn’t understand, or perhaps she was deliberately overwhelming him. With great effort, he moved, trying to hide his reaction, then slowly descended into the water.

The lake’s cold surface embraced his skin, biting to the bone, but it was exactly what he needed to dampen the fire raging within him. He moved cautiously, keeping enough distance so Ashtoria wouldn’t notice his humiliating reaction.

And there they were, two figures bathing under the moonlight. Water shimmered around Ashtoria’s body, while Riven silently prayed his heartbeat wasn’t loud enough to echo across the ripples.

Riven began to wash, letting the cold water rinse his body. He bent forward, cupped his hands to scoop water, and rubbed it across his skin. The sound of faint splashes mingled with the whisper of the night wind.

He stood with his back to Ashtoria, staring at the moon hanging in the night sky. Its light shimmered across the lake’s surface, as though watching him from above.

‘Why am I reacting so pathetically?’ he thought. ‘Back when I faced those prostitutes, I felt nothing. Disgust, yes… but not this. Why now? Why is my body out of control?’

The thought dug deeper. Then he realized—never in his life had he seen a naked woman’s body this close, directly before his eyes. Aside from a few erotic images that accidentally popped up on his phone in the past, he had no other experience. He had never been close to women, never had time, nor the desire, to pursue relationships.

And… his mother. Her presence always lingered in his mind, planting that unshakable belief: that love was only an illusion. If you are poor and weak, love means nothing. Those words had rooted deeply. Riven had grown without believing in love. To him, no matter how great, love would vanish the moment poverty entered the home.

The thought calmed his chest slightly. The heat that had once consumed him began to fade. His breathing steadied, his heartbeat slowed, until at last he could think clearly.

But suddenly, something touched him.

A small, soft palm pressed against his back.

Riven flinched, his shoulders tightening.

“You’re so strange,” Ashtoria’s voice was soft, flat, innocent. “At first, when you looked at me, your heart pounded so hard. Then it calmed. And now, when I touch you again… it pounds even harder. So strange. A heartbeat like this, I’ve only ever heard it from people who feared me. Riven, are you afraid of me?”

Riven stayed silent. Her words pierced him, sending his mind racing. Was this woman teasing him? Toying with him? Or… was she truly that innocent? No. Riven knew better. This world left no room for such innocence. Not a single woman he’d met had ever been truly innocent.

‘Maybe she’s playing with me,’ he thought. ‘If so… then I’ll play along.’

“No,” he said quietly. “Why would I be afraid of you?”

Ashtoria’s expression didn’t change. She simply asked again, “Then why are you facing away from me?”

Riven exhaled, then replied, “I just wanted to look at the beautiful moon.”

He turned slowly, steadying himself. His gaze fell upon Ashtoria, half her body still submerged, the moonlight glinting off her skin above the water. Riven swallowed, forcing a faint smile.

“It’s hard, isn’t it, cleaning your back?” he said flatly, attempting to shift the mood. “Would you mind if I helped wash you?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep