Flash.
I instinctively opened my eyes wide. I seemed to have fallen asleep quietly in Carlothian’s arms. Tired of being embarrassed anymore, I just lay there.
I could see Carlothian’s face. It seemed he had dark circles under his eyes from dealing with my madness.
Seeing him like this made me feel a bit guilty. I reached out and gently rubbed beneath his eyes. Not that it would make any difference, but still.
I carefully slipped out of his embrace.
‘He probably didn’t sleep well, so I shouldn’t disturb him.’
I stood next to the bed and stretched out. Despite having had a fit, my body felt refreshed, and for some reason, my throat was comfortable.
‘Speaking of which, I need to do something about my madness.’
I couldn’t keep relying on Carlothian. Looking out the window, I noticed that it was just the time between dawn and morning, with the sun just beginning to rise.
I went into the dressing room, threw on some clothes over my pajamas, and tiptoed out of the room barefoot.
I saw the servants already busy with cleaning early in the morning. I walked carefully among them.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“Shall we bring up breakfast?”
“No, don’t worry about it.”
I declined and went downstairs. But as soon as I set foot in the first-floor hallway, someone bumped into me hard.
Splash!
In an instant, water poured over me. What the… I stood there, soaking wet in the hallway.
“Oh no, what should I do? I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!”
When I looked down, I saw a young maid I had seen before, looking distressed and holding a fallen water bucket.
“Hey!”
The startled servants began to gather around me.
“Oh my, you’re completely soaked.”
“Someone, get a dry cloth!”
“Are you okay?”
The servants anxiously started brushing the water off me. Haha, as if that would help. I looked at the little maid, who had splashed water all over me.
She was constantly apologizing, with a face that looked like she might cry. Come to think of it, wasn’t she the one Carlothian scolded last time for coming in without knocking?
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Uh, what?”
“I asked if you’re hurt.”
“Oh, no. I’m not.”
“Be careful from now on.”
“Yes, yes!”
Then another servant asked.
“Are you really okay? Should we give her a stern scolding?”
“Huh? No, it’s fine. It’s refreshing and nice in the morning.”
As I said that with a smile, the servants’ expressions became a bit awkward.
I started to head back up the stairs, thinking about going for a walk. The maids followed behind me.
“Who’s she?”
“Oh, that’s Rodi. She’s a new maid.”
“I thought so.”
“She’s still learning, so she makes a lot of mistakes. She doesn’t seem very quick on the uptake.”
“But she’s just a kid. Cut her some slack.”
At that, the servant nodded. Then she cautiously glanced at me, as if trying to gauge whether I was being sincere.
I waved my hand dismissively to indicate that I truly meant it and said nonchalantly,
“Could you run some bathwater for me? Since I’m already wet, I’d like to wash up.”
“Understood.”
“Thanks.”
When I re-entered the room, still wet, I saw that Carlothian was still asleep. Since he was still sleeping, it should be fine, right?
I sat on the bed, passing the time, and looked down at the sleeping Carlothian.
I lightly touched his hair. His eyebrows twitched.
While I was fiddling with his hair, a servant quietly informed me that the bath was ready.
“Ah, it’s warm.”
I sighed pleasantly as I sank into the large bathtub.
‘The bathroom in the annex was nice, but Carlothian’s bathroom is really something.’
The bathtub, which dominated the entire bathroom, was gilded, and a statue—whether a bird or a dragon, I couldn’t tell—was pouring water. Isn’t this a bit extravagant? Was Carlothian into this kind of style?
I slowly swirled the water and tapped the small carving that was pouring out water. There were so many protruding parts that I thought it was a dragon, but it was a bird.
Creak-
As I was tapping the bird, I heard a door open somewhere.
Thinking it was a maid coming to help with my bath, I stood up and turned around. But standing there was…
“Carlothian?”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Carlothian was standing there, half-naked. Hmm, I didn’t expect this. With a serious face, I slowly sank back into the water.
Carlothian stood frozen, staring at me. Hmm. What should I do?
“Do you want to wash together?”
Bang!
But all that came back was the harsh sound of the door closing.
Well, it was surprising, but did he have to react like that? I submerged my face in the water to hide my flushed cheeks.
When I finished bathing, I put on a robe and came out to see Carlothian sitting on the bed.
He had his robe on properly, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. When I approached, drying my hair with a towel, he looked up.
“Why are you so careless?”
“Hey, you came in without warning. At least knock.”
“This is my room.”
“And you’re the one who told me to stay here.”
“…Why are you bathing in the morning?”
“Why did you come in? It’s morning, so I bathed.”
He seems to have complaints about everything. Why did we even share rooms? Of course, it would be uncomfortable to stay in another room when we have this nice one.
I plopped down next to his bed and continued drying my hair.
“Go take your bath now. The servants probably changed the water.”
“You… never mind.”
I dried my hair as I walked into the dressing room. Just then, the maids started to enter hesitantly. Why are they coming in now?
“Um, um… Did you see the Duke?”
“The Duke? What about him?”
“When we came in, the Duke went into the bathroom…”
Ah, they thought we were bathing together and didn’t come in. I scoffed and handed the towel to the maid. She took it and started drying my hair gently.
“He got startled and left. Don’t worry about it.”
“He got startled?”
“It’s hard to imagine the Duke getting startled.”
“I didn’t mean he was shocked to the point of flipping out. He just slammed the door.”
“Seriously, that’s too much…”
I laughed and waved my hand at the maids’ sullen comments.
“Well, we’re not married anymore, so it’s only natural. Don’t think too much about it.”
Honestly, what’s strange is that I’m here being served while speaking informally to them, haha.
I swallowed those words and quietly let the maids help me with my clothes. The dress was quite elaborate. It was definitely something I couldn’t put on by myself.
Even though it was designed to be somewhat comfortable for home wear, it was still uncomfortable, so I moved my body this way and that.
“Please don’t move.”
“Ah, the ribbon.”
I paused my movements momentarily when they said that the ribbon was crooked. Even the dress I wear at home has four layers; it’s such a hassle. I can’t even lie down comfortably.
With a relaxed smile, I spread my arms and stood still like a mannequin. How much time passed like that? The maids wiped their foreheads and stood up proudly.
“It’s all done.”
“Oh my, you look so beautiful!”
“Really! You’re even more stunning than Her Highness the Princess!”
“If you keep saying things like that, you’ll get caught.”
“Caught? By the palace?”
“Yes, to the underground prison.”
I laughed lightly and sat in front of the mirror. Now it was time for the maids to style my hair. They brought a comb and looked worriedly at my somewhat frizzy hair.
“You’ll need to use some essential oil next time you bathe.”
“Well, it’s just hair, after all.”
“That’s why you should take even more care of it.”
“But I’m not a noble anymore.”
“Miss Ariadeline…”
The maids sighed softly. Yes, it must be hard for you to serve someone who isn’t even noble.
Still, I could sense a hint of sympathy in that sigh.
‘They’re in a difficult position, especially since I’m known as the one who cursed Dorothea, even if it wasn’t my doing. If this goes out, they could get into serious trouble.’
Clearing my throat, I said,
“Just to be safe, don’t speak well of me in public. I’m worried it might cause trouble.”
“Yes…”
The maids responded in unison, sounding dejected. I nodded and looked at the half-up hairstyle they had done for me in the mirror. They were really skilled.
“It’s beautiful; thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It suits you well.”
I stood up and stepped out of the dressing room. It seemed that Carlothian was still in the bath. I felt relieved and decided to take a walk with the maids.
“I’d like to stroll around the garden.”
“Shall I get you a shawl?”
“Yeah, could you?”
I draped the shawl the maid offered over my shoulders and went outside.
Walking in the garden felt refreshing. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but I preferred it that way.
I strolled slowly through the garden, enjoying the morning breeze. It was a large and beautiful garden, worthy of the duke’s status.
The gardener must have worked hard. I walked with a serene expression, thinking about how much care the gardener must have devoted to this place.
“Eek…!”
Then I heard a small voice from somewhere.
