🦋M.o.m.m.y V.i.l.l.a.i.n.e.s.s🦋

Chapter 13

TILLY was amazed by the boat that Kiho rented (Damian wasn't able to reserve a boat due to what happened a while ago).

[This is not a boat– this is a floating garden dock!]

There was a sofa and a table in the middle of the dock. It was surrounded by four wooden pillars decorated with sheer curtains. The dock also had grass and flowers on it. It was beautiful, but also excessive.

Actually, there were normal boats for rent. But Kiho asked for the biggest and the most comfortable one. The captain also chose the floating garden dock because it had a ceiling drape. Maybe he thought the drapes would do a better job in protecting her from the sunlight instead of a mere parasol.

"How do you feel, Tilly?" Kiho asked when they were sitting side by side on the sofa. The food that he bought was already served on the table when they got there. "Is your temperature back to normal?"

"Yes. Thank you for asking," Tilly said. When the boat started to move, she flinched. "How is this thing moving, Kiho?"

She couldn't hear an engine and they weren't rowing the boat!

Kiho pointed at the columns around them. "Those things were made of spirit woods. The magic in each pillar is programmed to move around pre-designated areas in the river. In that way, we won't bump into another boat. And after the time limit, this boat is going to return by the dock on its own."

Ah, right. They rented the boat for only an hour. That was the maximum time the owner allowed the visitors to use the boats.

"Are you scared, Tilly?"

"No, I was just surprised," she said. "It's been quite long since the last time I rode a boat."

"Do you want me to stop the boat until you're comfortable?"

"Can you do that?" she asked out of curiosity. [I thought the destination of each boat is already determined…]

Kiho nodded before he responded to her question. "I can freeze the lake to stop our boat from moving. My Mana is stronger than the magic here."

She blinked in surprise while waiting for him to say that he was joking. But he remained silent while looking at her with an innocent look on his handsome face. "Wait, you're serious?"

He nodded. "Yes. I'll freeze the river if you want me to."

"You can't do that," she said in a stern voice, then motioned the other (ordinary) boats around them. "We're not the only people who wanted to enjoy a good boat ride here."

"You're my priority," he said. "And it's not like they're going to get hurt or die if I freeze the river."

[But that would give them another reason to fear or hate you.]

"I'm fine," she reassured him, then changed the topic right away. "Ah, I'm curious about something, Kiho. Do you know about my Mana?"

He nodded before he explained. "Duke Prescott told me about your Mana. He also asked to help you cool down if needed. I believe that my ability to control ice is one of the reasons why your father chose me as his son-in-law."

Oh, she didn't think about that in her previous life.

All she thought was her father wanted glory for their household. It never crossed her mind that the duke entrusted her to a man who could help her stabilize her Mana.

She was touched.

[I should be kinder to my father.]

"I never liked my Mana," Kiho confessed that kind of surprised her. After all, he wasn't this open to her in her previous life. "But now that I know that it can save and protect you, I feel grateful to be born with this magical ability."