Chapter 115-the island

Lucca pov

When I returned from the birdwatching tower, Vincent had spent two hours soaking in the bath. It took me quite some effort to pluck those feathers from my clothes.

The ingredients for dinner were all fresh seafood. While Vincent soaked in the bath, I went to the swimming pool.

As night fell, the island grew quite cold.

The pool was lit up all around, the water shimmering, and moonlight filtered through the transparent ceiling.

I extended my legs into the water, sitting quietly by the poolside, lost in thought.

After Vincent emerged from the bathroom, it took him a while to locate me.

Eventually, he looked down from the terrace and found me sitting by the pool lost in contemplation.

Lately, I had been sinking into deep thought, as if there were too many concerns swirling around in my mind.

Vincent came downstairs to find me, and I hadn't even noticed his approach.

At this moment, my phone rang, and I answered to find it was Raffle.

"Raffle?" I inquired.

Upon hearing that name, Vincent couldn't help but pause.

He felt like a young and reckless boy, hiding behind a door, eavesdropping on someone else's unrelated call, speculating on complex and twisted emotions.

"What do you want?" I asked Raffle with some impatience.

Vincent nodded silently.

I heard some static on the phone.

"Where are you?" Raffle asked.

"You first, what's the matter?" I pressed again.

Vincent nodded once more.

Raffle's tone was even, "You haven't been to class for two days, and I was wondering if you've run into any trouble."

"No trouble," I replied succinctly.

Vincent felt that I could express my emotions more concisely.

"No," like this.

"Where on earth are you?" Raffle's voice was intermittently distant and close.

"This is the worst satellite phone signal I've ever had... You're not in Antarctica, are you?"

"I'm on an island."

"Are you with your father?"

Raffle's reaction was swift. He quickly flipped through yesterday's newspaper, saw the news of a southern colony evacuation, their flag coming down, and a new one rising.

The island's constables completed their final patrol and boarded the departing warship. His father was visiting here.

But Raffle hadn't expected him to bring me...

"Yes," I wanted to say something.

At that moment, someone snatched my phone from behind, and Vincent tossed it into the swimming pool. I cried out and reached for it, falling into the water.

Vincent reached around my waist from behind, lifting me up.

I struggled fiercely, and in the end, we both fell into the water from the edge.

After a brief chaotic splashing, Vincent managed to reach the ladder into the water. I couldn't swim, so I held on to him tightly, making sure my mouth and nose stayed above the water.

The phone's screen was still lit and sinking at the bottom of the pool. Vincent glanced at it, holding me tightly, and my heart was pounding fiercely... my legs wrapped tightly around him.

"Why do you walk so silently?" I was infuriated.

"Shh," Vincent whispered, looking at the pool's bottom.

I followed his gaze, and on the phone screen, the call with Raffle was still active.

This phone's waterproofing was just too good.

"I told you not to scare me like that!" I exclaimed loudly.

Vincent pinched my chin and whispered, "Quiet."

Then he leaned in for a kiss.

I reached out to grab something to hold onto but couldn't find anything. I had to rely on Vincent, or I would sink.

I had no idea why Raffle hadn't disconnected yet. He probably thought it was just a bad signal and wanted to wait.

"They can hear us!" I desperately pushed away Vincent's face, and my flailing hands splashed water.

Vincent held me in place. "That's why I told you to speak softly," he said calmly.

He pressed closer, not forgetting to taunt me with a smirk, "Raffle cares about you a lot."

I felt the pressure of the water, and it was getting hard to breathe.

"Maybe he has some unfinished conspiracy he wants to try with me," I said sarcastically.

Vincent lifted me up a bit, helping me turn around and grasp the railing, then leaned in closer and asked, "I just noticed your phone is the same model as his."

I tried to climb up, but Vincent trapped me between his chest and the railing. "Let go and let me up!" I angrily exclaimed.

Vincent glanced at the phone on the pool bottom again, amazed that it hadn't disconnected yet. "Go up first," he said, his expression dark.

From behind, watching me climb the ladder was actually... quite amusing.

My waist was slender, with curves in all the right places, and my silk floral shirt had become transparent when wet.

Vincent kept glancing back at the phone, using it as a way to stay composed.

"Retrieve it," I walked over to the nearby umbrella and picked up a dry bath towel.

"There are many important things in my phone!"

"Let's talk about it tomorrow. Soaking for a few more hours won't hurt," Vincent remarked.

"Are you sure about that?" I questioned loudly.

The phone had fallen silent.

Vincent pulled his soaked hair back with disdain and said, "Yes, I'm sure. I'm going for another bath."

"First, retrieve the phone..." I began, but he had already walked out. "Wait! Come back!"

I chased after him.

Vincent decided to put me in the bathroom and distracted me until I completely forgot about the phone.

The next day, the servants retrieved the phone, but it was already damaged. I wasn't sure if it was intentional.

I had chosen a phone similar to Raffle's at the time to conceal the fact that it was mine – just in case my phone was discovered, I could claim it was Raffle's.

But Vincent minded it a lot.

We argued under the magnificent daylight as we watched the sunrise at sea.

"Here, I'll give you the broken phone back," Vincent said kindly.

"You can get a replacement when we go back."

I angrily wrapped it layer by layer in tissues, hoping it would dry out and recover its functionality. I spoke rapidly, "I had a lot of photos in there, some were taken during classes, and I hadn't had a chance to organize them into notes..."

Vincent watched me ramble on, his lips moving, looking very relaxed.

Halfway through my sentence, I wanted to glare at him, and when I raised my head, I met his focused gaze.

In his eyes, there was both me and the newly risen sun.

The open sea was far from calm, with vast waves forming into catastrophic whirlpools in the distance, but they remained just a part of the scenery. S

unlight danced upon the creases of the sea, and I could feel the warmth on my lips.

I couldn't say for sure who tilted toward whom first. Perhaps it was the subtle angle of the sunlight that made them both appear more beautiful than usual.

Vincent touched my cheek, gently caressing it with his fingers. After a while, we ended the kiss in silence.

"Let's go back and get you a new phone," Vincent said.

"I'll pick one for you."

"If you don't mind the trouble, go ahead," I replied.

Vincent blinked his blue eyes.

Compared to everything that had happened before, this trouble was nothing. He was more than willing.

When the sea had calmed, we took a plane and left the island.