CH 61

Diego stared at me with piercing eyes and wiped his face with a napkin. Sensing that he might get angry, I quickly changed the subject.

“Guys, we played a game earlier and got somewhat close, right? Can we talk comfortably? Velta, Galley, Clovin?”

Velta, Galley, and Clovin all had sullen expressions.

“Oh, of course, you can speak freely to me.”

No matter how foolish they were, I was aware of the vast difference in our status.

“Yes…”

“Good.”

It’s uncomfortable to be called ‘Young Master,’ but it worked out well. I smiled with satisfaction.

Diego wiped his lips with the napkin and called me.

“May.”

“I would prefer it if you called me ‘Young Master’ ,as usual, Your Highness.”

It makes me feel dirty when you use that name.

“Thanks to you, my appetite has diminished.”

He quickly stood up and gave orders to his servant.

“Bring the drinks to the main room. And you all, come to the main room right after your meal.”

Galley, Velta, and Clovin stood up, bowed, and replied.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

* * *

Diego, who went to the main room first, seemed determined to get me drunk so that I couldn’t confront him again.

However, I thought that if everyone gathered in the main room for a drinking party, the bathroom would be empty after the meal, so I headed straight to the bathroom.

The bathroom was a shared space where anyone could enter while someone was bathing. But no one would suddenly decide to take a shower while drinking.

I entered the bathroom and undressed. I took off my top, then my bottoms, and loosened the chest bandage.

The feeling of liberation when removing the bandage was indescribable.

There were three large bathtubs in the bathroom. They were the kind you would find in a public bathhouse, with the middle one filled with foamy water and the ones on either side filled with hot and cold water.

I got into the foamy water tub. It felt relieving, as if all the stress I had received today was being washed away.

I played with the floating foam and muttered to myself.

‘Should I take my time bathing?’

It was still early evening, and they would continue their drinking party until late at night.

However, it turned out to be my misconception.

Splish-splash. I heard someone’s footsteps, so I quickly hid my body in the foamy water and only exposed my face.

Who could it be? They should all be busy drinking.

Due to the steam from the hot water, I couldn’t see the person’s face approaching.

One thing was certain: he was completely naked, with only a towel covering the important parts.

As the steam cleared and the person came into my view…

“I didn’t expect you to wash up so uninterestingly, May Flotina.”

It was Diego, looking down on me arrogantly.

‘C-Crazy…!’

Fortunately, due to the white foam, he couldn’t see my body at all.

I opened my eyes wide in shock, unable to move or know what to do. Why did that man come into the bathroom?

My trembling voice struggled to speak.

“Drinking… wasn’t that what you meant?”

“Because of someone, my excitement was ruined.”

So, as if he came to find that someone directly, he came closer to me. Diego approached me as if he was entering the bathtub where I was, and I was startled and shouted loudly.

“Why are you coming in?!”

“…?”

As his gaze, as if looking at a pervert, a low-life, and a despicable person, reached him, he looked noticeably bewildered.

“…What?”

After about 5 seconds had passed, I realized that he seemed bewildered.

Oh, right. To him, I am a man. It’s not strange at all for two people of the same sex to be in a bathtub together.

“No, it’s not that…”

I couldn’t find a way to explain, so my voice gradually trailed off.

Ignoring my words, Diego tried to step into the bathtub. Startled, I reflexively splashed water at him and shouted.

Splash!

The foam that had risen high, thanks to my quick gesture, landed precisely in his eyes.

“Ugh…!”

Diego clutched his eyes filled with foamy water and took a step back. He looked quite pained.

“Hey, you…! Ugh…”

He glared at me with a stern face, then quickly rinsed the foam off his eyes in the cold bath.

After completely removing the foamy water from his eyes, he turned his head sharply and stared at me with a fierce expression.

“Are you crazy?”

“I’m sorry… But, it’s just that… I didn’t expect to bathe with someone else.”

Diego looked bewildered.

“If you didn’t want to bathe with someone else, you shouldn’t have entered the communal bathroom.”

I said with a voice that seemed unjust.

“I thought no one would come in because they would be drinking…!”

Who would imagine that someone would suddenly come in to bathe instead of drinking?

He turned toward me again.

“W-Why are you trying to…!”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not going in there.”

Fortunately, he passed by the bathtub I was in and entered the hot tub.

“Whew…”

While I breathed a sigh of relief, Diego sat in the bathtub and enjoyed the warm water. His arms hung over the edge of the tub. Then, when his hair fell forward, he brushed it back with his wet hand.

I was still poking my face out of the foam.

“Can you please hurry up and finish washing?”

I wanted to drive him away, but he was the owner, and I was just a regular member. He was the prince, and I was the commoner. Given the circumstances, I had to fervently hope that he would quickly wash and leave.

“Who would think you’re the owner if someone hears? You haven’t paid a penny.”

“I’ll give it to you later, so please, I’m begging you.”

Perhaps he sensed the desperation in the faint tremor of my voice, he turned his body toward me and rested his chin on his arms. His gaze, filled with curiosity, immediately met mine.

“It’s strange, Young Lord. Why are you trembling?”

“I, when did I tremble?”

“Even now. You’re even stuttering.”

I pretended not to notice and avoided his gaze, but he continued to stare at me.

“No way…”

In case he noticed that I was a woman, I tightly closed my eyes.

“Is it your first time?”

I slowly opened my eyes at the unfamiliar question.

“…What?”

“Seeing such a perfect body.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“My perfect body.”

Diego seemed quite confident about his body. Despite drinking alcohol every day, his body didn’t seem to have any fat. He appeared to have a physique that easily built muscles with a little exercise, and overall, he was quite imposing.

He brushed his hair that had fallen forward and praised himself.

“You would be amazed when you see my body. I understand why you hide in the water, embarrassed about comparing it to yours.”

I blinked in confusion at the unexpected response.

“A perfect… what?”

“My perfect body.”

Diego seemed to genuinely believe in it. Although it was a delusion, it was better than him realizing that I was a woman, so I didn’t deny it.

“I usually bathe alone. So please leave quickly.”

However, that stubborn Diego seemed to have no intention of leaving.

“If that’s not the case…”

Diego paused his words as if he was recalling something. Then, suddenly, he frowned and struck the bathtub water with his fist.

Splash!

The water that flew out hit my face.

I thought to myself, ‘Is this guy crazy? Why did he suddenly get annoyed by himself?’ He was someone I couldn’t understand and didn’t want to understand.

Diego grumbled in an irritated voice.

“Ah… He said something strange.”

I looked at Diego as if he was a strange person and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“He said that Young master is a woman.”

“…What?”

I froze. My eyes didn’t even blink, and they widened so much that only the whites were visible.

“Who…?”

“Jed.”

It was confusing. Why did Jed say such a thing…? He already knew that I was a woman…?

“Go to Jed and tell him not to treat someone who was born as a perfectly normal man like a woman. It makes me feel uncomfortable when I hear it.”

From Diego’s reaction, it seemed like his mental magic was working well. But how was Jed able to resist it?

If he had stronger magical powers than Floa but couldn’t resist mental magic like Iris and Cassius, Jed didn’t have any magical powers before becoming a guardian knight.

I couldn’t understand how it was possible, and I was confused at that time. Jed rushed into the bathroom.

“Jed…?”

Why was Jed here…?

Fortunately, he seemed to be here for something other than bathing and was already dressed.

Jed, who had entered somewhat urgently, alternated his gaze between me and Diego before slowing down and expressing relief. He approached Diego without hesitation.

“Your Highness, how about bathing later?”

Surprised by the unexpected suggestion, Diego looked bewildered.

“You want me to leave after I’ve already entered the bathtub? Why should I do that?”

Jed calmly responded, seemingly anticipating Diego’s reaction.

“Princess Isabelle is crying.”

“Why?”

“Galley and Velta got drunk and started fighting, and they accidentally broke the princess’s precious toy.”

“What?!”

Diego abruptly stood up from his seat.

I couldn’t bring myself to face him, so I quickly turned my head away.

“They dare to make my sister cry?”

“In that case, it would be best for you to go see her immediately.”

“Exactly.”

Diego stormed out of the bathroom, emitting anger.

When I couldn’t hear Diego’s footsteps anymore, I turned my head back to its original position.

Did he leave…? I glanced towards the entrance and locked eyes with Jed. Why isn’t he leaving? Before I could think of a reason, he spoke first.

“Finish bathing and come to my room. There’s something I need to discuss.”

Something to discuss? Why is he so serious about it? I simply responded, “Okay…”

Jed exited the bathroom.