I nodded, relieved. “Sometimes it’s good to have another mind nearby,” I murmured.
His hand squeezed the tip of my elbow as he said, “Come on, I want to show you a place.”
Reagan pulled me forward, guiding us through the corridors.
I wondered whether he planned to guide me to another study or library. The idea piqued my interest.
We descended the stairs to the ground floor, passing maids and manservants, their gazes following us.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we slowed down in a corridor that felt like the lowest part of the castle. The sound of a stream came from somewhere near us and was increasing.
“It’s easier if I show you,” Reagan said, guiding me down a hallway of cream stones with no furniture or decorations.
We crossed an arched passageway, and the space on the other side was completely different from the rest of Erisea Hall.
The air here was warmer, steam and humidity clinging to my skin. The room was dimly lit, and the sound of falling water grew louder with each step.
It didn’t take long for me to realise this was no ordinary room.
A very real, very blue body of water nestled in the centre, its surface smooth and gleaming, like liquid glass.
Light streamed in from an unseen opening above, casting shifting patterns on the stone walls. The soft murmur of water falling filled the room, as if there were a secret waterfall tucked away behind the stones.
“By now, you’ve noticed that Erisea has a fondness for water,” Reagan said as we circled the spring. “This is one of the caverns that houses their famous Pools of Quintessence. They’re meant to keep the element close. Actually, I think this is supposed to be the purest form of water, almost like a fifth element. Honestly, I think it’s the coolest thing about this Hall.”
I had to agree. There was a strange sense of being outdoors, surrounded by nature. The water itself glimmered as though touched by moonlight, tiny flecks of silver shimmering beneath the surface.
“It’s very odd to have this inside the Hall,” I said, still bewildered.
“It is,” he said with palpable eagerness in his voice. “Do you want to get in?”
My brows rose, and my eyes left the spring to find Reagan already untying the laces of his boots.
“Get in? As in . . . in the water?” My neck flushed.
“Obviously,” he said, a taunting grin tugging at his lips. When both shoes were off, he began unbuttoning his shirt. “We can go half-clothed.”
“Oh...well, in that case...” I huffed a laugh, though Reagan kept his gaze fixed on me, clearly expecting a real answer. “I can’t.”
I averted my eyes from the sight of his shirt, parted to reveal tightly coiled muscles.
“I can’t swim,” I admitted.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed he had stopped moving. I imagined my confession had taken him by surprise.
“You never learned?” His tone carried mild amusement, and I braced myself for his usual taunts.
I tried to focus on him, but his half-naked form stole all my attention. He stood there, casting his shirt aside onto the stone floor.
My heartbeat picked up.
Reagan walked toward me, utterly undisturbed by his bare chest.
His torso was honed, strong, with straight lines tracing his abdomen and indents marking his hips. This was what lay beneath the shirts and jumpers.
There was no denying how attractive he was. I had known it from the first moment I met him. But now, seeing his torso fully bare, each sculpted muscle etched into sun-kissed skin—
And I found myself gazing at him for far too long.
