Chapter 158 Lia Spent the Day Being Tortured in the Bathing Pool

Chapter 158 Lia Spent the Day Being Tortured in the Bathing Pool
Luna looked down.
When she saw no one on her left, she shifted her gaze to the right and spotted someone lounging comfortably in a deck chair beside her. She had a bucket of nuts in hand, though her complexion looked rather pale.
Luna edged closer, scrutinizing the figure. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Miss Clarke! What brings you to Stilles Haus?"
As she spoke, she took a step forward. Just as she sensed something beneath her foot, she noticed Eliza's frown and flushed cheeks. The woman, who was still chewing nuts, gasped sharply.
"My foot! You stepped on my foot!"
Luna looked down and realized it was true.
She jumped back immediately and patted her chest.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Clarke! I was engrossed in watching over there and didn't notice that I stepped on your foot. It's all my fault."
Eliza chuckled.
"I thought no one in Stilles Haus dared to enjoy watching Lia's antics. You're honest, aren't you? Aren't you afraid I'll tell Lia?"
Luna shuddered, nearly letting a look of horror flash across her face before she caught herself.
"I believe Miss Clarke is kind."
Eliza eyed her sideways while munching on nuts, then patted the deck chair. "Want to share half the space?"
“Sure!”
Luna squeezed in without hesitation and eyed the nuts. "If you shared some snacks, this would be absolutely perfect."
"Here you are."
Eliza placed the entire bucket of nuts between them.
These treats were meant for Lia anyway—it'd be a waste not to eat them.
"Just wait. The moment Lukas shows up, it'll be over.”
"After a year away, I have no idea how much Mrs. Clarke's acting skills have improved. I'm dying to see it!"
Eliza shot her a meaningful look.
The entire Stilles Haus neither tried to placate Lia nor hid during her tantrums. Yet here she just watched.
She chuckled softly. "Lukas is here."
Lia felt utterly wronged. What were those people below her saying? As if she would paralyze herself if she jumped from this tree!
"Don't be like that. I just came up to watch the sunset. What’s the big deal?”
"Madam, if you want to watch the sunset, come down and enjoy it comfortably. Whatever you’d like to drink or eat, just let me know.”
When Erik arrived, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Lia waved her hand, feeling a bit dizzy. "Could you all please step back? I really won't do anything."
Erik blinked, then immediately ordered everyone to disperse and go about their business. He told them not to appear before the mistress.
The moment those words left his mouth, the crowd retreated in large groups.
"All right, madam, can you come down now?"
"I won't!"
Lia sat on the tree trunk, cradling her face in her hands with her elbows propped on her thighs. She tapped her knee lightly with her other hand as she stared up at the sky, pouting.
Erik showed no impatience. The more he urged her, the less likely she was to listen.
He simply sat down on the floor beside her. "In that case, I'll keep you company, Madam."
This left Lia at a loss. She finally realized she was being unreasonable.
"Don't...don't do that. Do you have something to do? If so, go handle it. I just want to sit here and watch the sunset.”
Erik's expression remained unchanged. "No. I'm free right now. I'll keep you company."
"..."
Why was he so stubborn?
Lia replied lazily, "Whatever."
...
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a deep, icy voice pierced her ears like a demon's chant.
Lia shuddered violently. When she saw Lukas' eyes blazing with anger, she nearly tumbled off the tree trunk.
"Lukas, what are you doing here?"
“If I hadn’t come, how long did you plan to keep this up?”
"I...I wasn't causing trouble."
Suddenly, tears threatened to spill.
She hadn't done anything wrong. She'd picked the quietest corner possible. This tree was enormous—its dense foliage could hide not just one person, but ten.
How had she been spotted? Not only had a crowd been summoned, but Erik had come too. With Erik came Lukas, flanked by Harkön and Ober like two guards.
Their mere presence froze her in terror.
But then she thought: She hadn't done anything wrong. She had just hidden away to grieve. Yet, they made such a grand spectacle of it, treating her as if she were deliberately causing trouble.
The clearer this thought became, the more wronged she felt.
Her lips puckered, she sniffled, and then she burst into tears.
"Me causing trouble? Where did I cause trouble? You didn't ask me a single question before yelling at me! Why did I climb the tree? Because you forced me to!”
Lukas assumed she was throwing another tantrum and prepared to pull her down.
Just as he took a step forward, her accusations grew louder.
His eyebrows instantly furrowed. “What did I force you to do?”
“You haven’t forced me? You fucking haven't forced me!"
Lia blurted out. She realized the words sounded like curses only after they left her mouth.
Lukas had warned her not to swear, so she quickly stifled her voice.
But as she did, the rising sobs choked her throat, making her voice even more tearful.
"I finished all my scenes in one day. I was exhausted, but I rushed home. I didn't see you, and I didn't get your kisses or hugs to comfort me—fine. But when you finally came back this morning, I went to find you excitedly. And what did I get? That awful look on your face, as if I'd done something terribly wrong!"
Lukas' frown eased slightly as his heart tugged.
"I told you it was just filming! There were dozens of people on set. Even for the shower scene, I was fully covered up. Who could see anything?"
While she did have some physical contact with the male actor, they didn't even hold hands or kiss.
She was just a supporting actress and wasn't even listed in the credits. No one would deliberately arrange intimate scenes for her.
Even if there were, the male actors were seasoned professionals who wouldn't deign to film with her.
But Lukas didn't know any of this.
He was furious.
Lia's emotions erupted, too.
She became increasingly heartbroken until she finally sat down on a tree branch and cried loudly.
"You didn't even ask if I was tired or if I slept well! You just picked me up and dragged me to that bathhouse to torture me all day!"
Upon hearing this, Erik, Harkön, and Ober all turned crimson, especially Erik, who finally understood why Lia had screamed earlier.
The men exchanged glances and retreated quietly. There, Eliza and Luna were huddled on a lounge chair, their nuts untouched. They was utterly stunned.
Erik whispered, "You two...how dare you? Move further away."
Eliza shot him a sideways glance. "What's there to fear? Can she punish me?"
Erik replied, "The mistress won't, but Mr. Müller will."
Eliza froze for a moment before resuming her nut-eating.
Luna ignored the warning and clenched her fists with excitement. "Wow! All day long, our Mr. Müller's stamina..."
Ober smacked her on the back of the head. "What are you yelling about? How dare you mock Mr. Müller!”
Over there, Lukas stood motionless, looking up at Lia as she wiped away tears.