If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 87

“I-I can’t.”

“What?”

At her response, a look of bewilderment surfaced on Raymond’s face.

“I said I can’t. I can’t stop the horse. I’ve never learned how to ride.”

Only then did he notice Georgiana’s trembling arms. She looked as if she would lose her grip on the reins at any moment. Even the arm wrapped around the reins was weakening, as if it would slip free at any time.

The sound of rushing water grew louder, signaling that the ravine was rapidly approaching.

At this rate, she would either fall into the ravine or be thrown from the horse.

Neither outcome guaranteed survival.

“Leona, do exactly as I say from now on.”

Raymond’s voice dropped with tension. His tone, no longer a request but a command, made it clear that there was no room for mistakes.

Georgiana nodded firmly, her face equally grave.

“Pull on the reins as much as you can. If that’s impossible, press your body as close to the front of the saddle as possible. I will handle the rest.”

She tried pulling on the reins as he instructed, but her strength was not enough to control the panicked horse. It continued to charge forward.

Summoning the last of her strength, she leaned forward over the horse.

At best, she had moved only a hand’s width closer.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind—Raymond could get hurt because of her.

“Mr. Rivern, I don’t think I can do this. It’s too dangerous. You should move away from me.”

“It’s the opposite. Because it’s dangerous, I’m going to get closer. Hold on tight.”

His black horse closed the gap, nearly brushing against her saddle. If they collided, neither of them would avoid being thrown.

Sensing the precarious situation, her horse sped up even more. Raymond pressed himself closer once more and reached out.

“Let go of the reins!”

Her grip was already weak, and the large hand that grabbed the reins snatched them away in an instant.

The moment she squeezed her eyes shut—

A surge of warmth and weight pressed against her back. The startled horse hesitated slightly at the sudden shift.

In that brief moment, her body was pulled upright against a firm chest.

“Whoa, whoa.”

Raymond yanked hard on the reins, and the horse that had refused to budge under her strength suddenly halted its galloping hooves. With the abrupt stop, its front legs reared up, nearly forming a right angle.

Their bodies tilted backward as if climbing a sheer cliff, but the arms firmly wrapped around her waist held her steady, unfazed by the movement.

The relentless sprint, which seemed like it would never end, came to an abrupt halt, mere steps away from the cliff’s edge—only because Raymond had managed to transfer to her horse.

Snort.

The horse let out a heavy breath toward the abyss below. Just a few more strides, and they would have inevitably fallen.

Thump, thump.

The rapid pounding of a heart echoed in her ears—and it wasn’t just Georgiana’s.

Raymond’s heartbeat, just as erratic and forceful, pounded so strongly that even she could hear it.

“Are you all right?”

Despite his pale face, Raymond’s voice remained calm and gentle.

If only she had had someone like this by her side before, might she have been a little happier?

Lost in thought, Georgiana turned to look up at him.

His golden eyes, warm like the sun on a spring day, flickered across her face as if checking for injuries.

Now that the danger had passed, her exhaustion hit her all at once. Her entire body, drenched in cold sweat, felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, and drowsiness washed over her.

Through her blurring vision, she saw his concerned expression deepen.

Only then did she realize she had yet to thank him.

“Mr. Rivern, truly… thank you.”

With those words, Georgiana lost consciousness.

***

She awoke in a cabin where a cool breeze flowed.

Or rather, she was still in a dream, but her drifting consciousness was slowly grounding itself.

Her whole body ached, likely from the injuries. Her mouth felt as dry as if she had swallowed a handful of desert sand.

Too weak to sit up, she simply stared at the ceiling until the creak of a door opening reached her ears. Someone approached her cautiously.

The measured footsteps and the faint, cool scent were unmistakable.

Lockwood?

Startled by his unexpected presence, she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, forgetting that this was a dream.

“When will she wake up?”

Muttering to himself, he pressed a damp cloth against her forehead.

Only then did she realize she must have had a fever. The coolness seeped into her burning skin, relaxing the tension in her face.

“That bastard Willow… If I ever see him again, I’ll kill him.”

His dark murmur sent a chill through her body.

From his words and the state of her body, she deduced when this dream was taking place—shortly after she had boarded the ship.

It must have been during the days she was bedridden with a high fever from Willow’s assault.

At the time, she thought she had lost all memory due to the high fever, but fragments of recollection seemed to resurface in her mind.

Had he taken care of her like this back then?

He was skilled at everything, yet when it came to nursing, he was remarkably clumsy.

His usually composed demeanor was nowhere to be seen as his hands, busily wiping her forehead and hair, gradually moved downward.

Georgiana held back a gasp in shock.

“I’m sorry. This is unavoidable…”

He squeezed excess water from the towel and slipped it under the collar of her loosened clothing, wiping her body. He did not forget to apologize repeatedly.

Even though she had spent the night with Lockwood before, he had never touched her like this. She bit her lips, trying her best to feign sleep, uncertain of what to say if their eyes met.

His hands moved quickly past her chest, stomach, and the more intimate areas below, but she had to swallow hard multiple times to keep from flinching.

Fortunately, her act seemed to be working, as he continued to mutter to himself while diligently cleaning her body.

Convincing herself she was truly a patient, she felt relieved when she finally heard the sound of him setting the towel on the nightstand.

Now he would leave the room, right?

But her assumption was entirely wrong.

She heard the clinking of objects being stirred, and suddenly, his hand grabbed her chin, forcing her mouth open.

Before she could react, his lips parted slightly, pressing against hers as he poured a bitter medicine into her mouth.

‘Ugh!’

Whatever it was made of, it burned as if scorching her throat. She might have been a patient, but surely it was just as unpleasant for him to administer medicine this way. Yet he continued, passing the liquid from his mouth to hers until the bowl was empty.

‘Was this what Henry had mentioned? Something about using the mouth…’

It made sense now.

If this was a piece of her memory rather than a dream, then it explained why their first kiss had not felt unfamiliar.

If he had been feeding her medicine like this for days, of course she would have gotten used to it.

And he never even mentioned it?

Annoyed, Georgiana huffed inwardly. Just as she finished the last of the medicine, he poured lukewarm water into her mouth and used his tongue to ensure the liquid spread throughout.

Her mind went blank.

There was no hint of any indecent intention, yet her face burned hotly.

When she instinctively tried to withdraw her tongue, he simply followed and held onto hers, sucking gently. She tried to escape several times, but avoiding him was impossible.

Whether from suffocation or sheer embarrassment, she felt as if she might faint.

“That should do.”

After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled away, his demeanor as composed as ever. Only she, lying on the bed, was left flustered and burning from the lingering warmth.

Even in her dreams, he was infuriating.

If she had the strength to move, she would have kicked him.

She glared at him as he gathered the empty medicine bowl, her lips twitching with frustration.

Just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back, locking eyes with her.

Her heart plummeted as she instinctively shut her eyes again.

“I know you’re awake. I’ll be back shortly.”

Was it because she was too shocked?

As the door shut with a thud, her awareness finally returned to normal.

***

“Are you conscious now?”

“Leona, are you all right?”

The moment her eyelids fluttered open, two figures with nearly identical faces—save for their hair color—were looking down at her. Their golden eyes shimmered with concern.

Seeing them in reality, Georgiana let out a long sigh of relief, grateful that she had awakened from the dream. Had she woken any later, Lockwood surely would have continued tormenting her.

“I must have dozed off.”

Even she found it hard to believe that she had fallen asleep precariously atop a horse. Her last memory was definitely of being on horseback.

“You didn’t just doze off—you were asleep for two nights.”

Angela held up two short, plump fingers in front of her eyes.

“That long?”

Sure, she had stayed awake all night while trapped in the warehouse and had exhausted herself running for her life, but it was still hard to believe she had been unconscious for two full days.

“Angela is correct. The wounds on your feet became infected, and you were unconscious with a high fever for two days.”

That explained it.

Her feet felt unusually heavy. Glancing down, she noticed thick bandages wrapped around them.

It was no surprise they had festered—she had run barefoot across rough terrain.

Still, compared to the price of her freedom, the damage was minor.

As long as she never had to return to that place, she could endure her feet being torn apart countless times.

But…

Now that she had a moment to think, she realized she had been too focused on escaping to tell Raymond about the man and Catherine.

Before they had a chance to flee or destroy any evidence, she needed to explain everything to Rivern.

“Mr. Rivern, I have something to tell you.”