Episode 16

Petunia, who had been silently observing Apollion, took advantage of his moment of contemplation and approached him.

Apollion, unaware of her approach, only noticed Petunia’s pale feet in his view before quickly raising his head. Her clear face was right in front of his.

Petunia reached out toward Apollion.

Before long, her long fingers landed gently on his shoulder as if they were dancing. Apollion’s body flinched and trembled.

“Apollion.”

“…”

“My dear?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m not suggesting we do anything wrong, just that we fulfill our respective roles.”

“…That’s right.”

Apollion nodded cautiously.

Petunia’s sorrowful eyes curved into the shape of a crescent moon. Though her face was lovely, there was something subtly wicked about it.

Apollion gaped at the sight.

Petunia gently embraced him, despite his well-trained body being almost too large for her to hold.

Her fingers softly brushed down his back, tracing the solid muscles like feathers.

“Eek!”

Apollion shuddered and pushed her away from his arms. It was an instinctive, reflexive action to avoid danger rather than intentional.

As a result, Petunia tumbled back onto the bed with a thud. He had misjudged his strength.

“M-My lady!”

Apollion was startled by his own actions and didn’t know what to do.

After hesitating for a moment, he reached out to help her up.

But Petunia only stared blankly at his hand.

“Are you having trouble getting it up…?”

“…No.”

She raised one corner of her mouth and brushed her hair back. She looked remarkably like a delinquent.

“My lady…”

Instead of replying to Apollion, Petunia stared distantly out the window.

The pitch-black sky had gradually turned dim with the first light of dawn. The two had been engaged in their war of nerves until just before daybreak.

“The sun is… up.”

Petunia was utterly exhausted after their hours-long standoff.

Since she had been actively persuading Apollion, it was no wonder she was drained.

But Apollion was equally worn out.

He’d broken into a cold sweat trying to resist her advances while struggling to control his uncooperative body.

“Why did I think I could outdo the flawless male lead…”

Petunia muttered in a resigned voice.

Apollion could barely hear her, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have understood.

The room brightened with the soft light filtering through the window. The sun rose early because it was summer and their estate was by the sea.

“The night is completely over…”

Murmuring in a wistful voice, Petunia shuffled over and handed him his belt.

“Go now, quickly.”

“My lady…”

“First night or not, I’m too tired.”

“…”

“Let’s just say we had our first night.”

“…”

“Anyway, we did spend a ‘hot’ night together, didn’t we?”

Apollion nodded in agreement. It had indeed been a heated night in many ways.

Watching Apollion nodding like that nearly made Petunia’s blood boil.

Was he just clueless, or was he trying to provoke her into a fit of rage? If it was the latter, she wanted to commend him on his successful attempt.

“I’m tired.”

Petunia pressed her aching temples.

“…Please, rest well.”

She was displeased with how quickly he responded now, having barely answered her earlier.

“I’ll tell the attendants not to wake you.”

“…”

“You must be tired. Get some sleep.”

Apollion carefully adjusted his clothes as he spoke.

Petunia felt a sudden urge to erase the term “perfect male lead” from the keywords of the story.

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

Apollion bowed deeply and disappeared from her sight. She heard the door close, and silence filled the room.

Breathing heavily for a while, Petunia couldn’t contain her frustration and kicked the blanket repeatedly.

Her vigorous kicking startled the birds perched on the windowsill, sending them fluttering away.

It was her silent outcry, her silent sob.

* * *

I groaned as I rose from bed.

A terrible thirst clawed at my throat, so I quickly pulled the bell cord to summon a servant.

Soon, Selena entered the room after a knock.

She glanced around the room discreetly, then her eyes landed on the nightgown and pillow strewn across the floor. Her expression shifted to one of surprise.

“You… woke up?”

…No, it’s not what you’re thinking. Don’t get the wrong idea.

Despite the pang in my chest, I couldn’t bring myself to explain the truth.

There was the fear that word would get out, but more than that, Selena seemed so excited picking up the nightgown that I let her hold onto her misunderstanding.

I glanced at the clock. It was well past noon.

“Selena-”

My voice came out as a raspy, grating sound.

I’d worn out my throat with all the shouting and exertion from last night.

Selena looked a little surprised, but I continued speaking without hesitation.

“Selena, I need to wash up.”

“Ah, yes! I’ll have a bath prepared right away!”

“…And some food too.”

“Understood!”

Selena gathered up the clothing on the floor and darted out of the room. Soon, other maids arrived to fill the bath.

Normally, I preferred to bathe alone, but I was too exhausted now. My body was like a fragile piece of paper, devoid of strength.

So I opted to entrust myself to the maids and did nothing.

After verifying that the water temperature was just right, Renée added a citrus-scented bath soak.

I hastily peeled off the scraps of clothing I had on and slipped into the bathtub.

“Ahhh…”

A groan escaped me as the warm water enveloped my body. As I sipped the tea Selena brought me, I felt the tension slowly release from my fatigued muscles.

It was a moment when I fully understood the older men humming in the hot springs. I felt like I could naturally sing an ancient tune passed down through the ages.

The maids were busy washing me from head to toe.

Their gazes were very different from when they had attended me yesterday evening.

Like hyenas, their eyes gleamed as they searched for any traces Apollion might have left on my body.

‘Sorry, but you won’t find anything…’

I watched them with hazy eyes, sinking deeper into the bathtub.

Renée stared at me as if she wanted to ask something, but I pretended not to notice. It wasn’t something one could share.

After finishing my bath, I dressed and dried my hair with the maids’ help.

Just then, a maid came up to relay a message. Lady Claire wished to have tea with me.

What I really wanted was lunchtime, not tea time. After last night’s excessive energy expenditure, I was incredibly hungry.

However, it was already too late for lunch, and I couldn’t impose a meal on the lady just because I was starving.

I couldn’t keep Lady Claire waiting any longer, so I quickly got ready and headed to the estate’s rear garden.

I assumed Lady Claire would naturally summon me to the northern estate.

But she had personally come to the Pontus estate and was waiting for me.

Even though the estates weren’t far apart, it took over an hour by carriage. It was a generous gesture for someone who had just woken up late.

“Mother.”

I called out to Lady Claire, seated by the tea table.

She was reading a book with the sea in view, but raised her head at my voice.

She gave me a gentle smile as she closed her book. Her elegance as she greeted me was undeniable.

I slightly lifted my skirt to offer my respects before speaking.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I should have come to see you first…”

“No need to apologize. You must be tired after coming down to the territory. It wouldn’t be proper for me as your mother-in-law not to show this much care.”

Her graceful lips curled into a perfect arc. A beautiful smile.

“There’s a lot I want to discuss, but first, have a seat.”

“Yes.”

As I took my seat, the maid brought out a tea set for two. Warm, steeped black tea was accompanied by buttery croissants and seasonal fruits placed in front of me.

“You probably haven’t had a proper meal, so help yourself. I’m not sure if this will be enough.”

“Mother…”

I was moved by her thoughtful gesture. People who offer you food are good people…

Still, I couldn’t devour everything as I would usually do. I employed all the etiquette I’d learned on my own to gracefully cut the croissant.

…Using both a fork and knife just to eat a croissant gave me a moment of sharp self-awareness.

In documentaries, the French simply tear the bread with their hands. I muttered curses under my breath at the author who created such etiquette while pushing small pieces of bread into my mouth.

“Do you like the estate?”

Lady Claire set down her teacup and asked with her elegant voice.

I swallowed the bit of bread and lightly patted my lips with a napkin.

“Yes, a stone estate by the sea is simply charming. The interior is both classic and neat. It’s a beautiful estate.”

“I’m glad to hear that you like it. The northern Nosior estate where I reside is also lovely, so do visit next time. The dense birch forest is gorgeous. Being near the town adds to its liveliness.”

“Oh my, a birch forest sounds wonderful. I’ll be sure to visit soon.”

I followed Lady Claire’s example and smiled broadly.

She took a sip of tea before continuing.

“I hoped to speak after you’d settled in and become familiar with the estate. But time has run out, so we have no choice.”

“Pardon?”

I set down my teacup with a puzzled expression. A foreboding sense brushed the back of my mind.

“It’s time to pass the role of the family’s mistress to you.”

The butter that had melted in my mouth seemed to solidify all at once.