CH 79

“…And so the princess, along with her companions, decides to go rescue the prince, who was trapped in the castle. ‘Just wait a minute, my prince! I will get you out!’ The princess made up her mind firmly. The next day, at dawn…”

Asella, who had been reading a fairy tale, gently tilted her face. Mariel, who had been listening to the story with a curious face earlier, was now sleeping peacefully.

“Good night, Mariel.”

She placed a light kiss on her sister’s forehead and lifted her body up carefully while trying to not wake the sleeping child. When she left the room, she was greeted by the knight who had been waiting for her. The same one that guarded her and Mariel as they were traveling to the Benvito residence.

“Your Highness, I will escort you to your room.”

Her room was right next door. It was only a few steps away, but the security was tight for a reason she knew well. Asella let out a small sigh and nodded as she accepted the thorough surveillance.

As she walked through the Grand Duchess’ private reception room and into the bedroom, she heard Margo’s voice. 

“The one on the left is not bad, but I prefer the one on the right. The one on the left has too many decorations and would be quite inconvenient. The one on the right is moderately glamorous, the material is soft, and the delicate embroidery would suit Her Highness.”

In the space connected to the dressing room, Margo and the other attendants were in the midst of a conversation over a few silk nightgowns.

Warm air was leaking through a gap in the open bathroom door. In the middle of the bathroom, she could see a large bathtub with a cloud of steam rising from it.

Upon spotting Asella, Margo approached her quickly.

“You’re back! Your Highness.”

“Ah, yes. By the way, this is…”

“I was preparing for your bath to be taken care of.”

In an instant, Asella’s face was dyed with embarrassment.

“The two maids here will tend to you.”

The two young-faced maids bowed deeply and greeted her.

“I am sure you will be satisfied with their service. They have a gentle and relaxing touch. Also, we’ve prepared a variety of massage oils. Do you have a particular scent you like?”

“Wait-”

Asella was not used to having others tend to her; not for daily necessities, and of course not when taking a bath where she had to show her body to others. This was largely due to the fact that she had lived without a maid during her time in the Chartus mansion. Although the scars on her body were now gone, she was still not comfortable with the idea of showing her body to others.

Margo noticed her hesitation and asked.

“Is there a problem?”

Asella opened her mouth with a troubled look on her face.

“Mrs. Romaine, I’m sorry, but I’m not planning on taking a bath.”

“What?”

Margo fixed her glasses and asked back as if to ask what she was talking about.

“Perhaps you didn’t like these girls? If so, I will send for other maids to come and tend to you.”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Then why are you…”

Asella was extremely embarrassed. She had no proper reason for refusing. However, she was completely uncomfortable showing her naked body to a stranger.

Fortunately, Margo was quick to read Asella’s expression. She turned to the maids and said.

“Please leave us.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once the maids left the room and only the two of them remained, Margo asked Asella cautiously.

“Your Highness, if it is not rude of me, may I ask why you don’t want the maids to tend to you?”

Asella didn’t have an answer. No, she could not answer.

She could not say that she had lived without a single person to tend to her until her marriage, or that until just a few days ago. To say that she had so many scars all over her body that she could not even see her own skin until recently.

This was when Asella bit down on the tender flesh inside her lip. 

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I was just asking if our service was insufficient.” Margo spoke softly to her.

“No, not at all.”

Margo smiled gently as Asella shook her head in reply.

“I am glad to hear that. But in any case, Your Highness, if you need us later, you will call us again, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

Asella nodded.

“Then…”

Margo graciously explained to Asella how the bathroom works, and the various equipment provided. She then gently bowed her head in greeting and silently excused herself.

Left alone in the bathroom, Asella slowly looked around the interior. Just like the bedroom, the bathroom was dazzlingly gorgeous. A view of the deep night was reflected through the wall opposite the large gilded tub.

Her room was located on the third floor of the mansion and it was quite high. It was easily comparable to the fourth floor of an ordinary building. It had a view of the garden, which was bathed in bright moonlight.

‘Don’t worry, you can’t see the inside from the outside at all.’

Margo explained when Asella was startled to see the transparent walls that allowed her to see through to the outside.

“It can’t be seen from the outside.”

Asella reassured herself and slipped out of her cloth and carefully climbed into the tub.

Fresh rose petals floated in the bathtub, and the water smelled wonderful most likely because there were bath salts dissolved in it. translated by leila. As she slid her body deep into the warm water, her tensed and stiff muscles gradually began to relax into the warmth.

“Look at the time…”

Another day had passed. The passing of time was not a very pleasant thing.

“Mariel’s birthday is coming up soon, and yet…”

She thought about it the entire time she’d been on the way to the duchy, but couldn’t come up with a good way to do it at all.

A small sigh rose and scattered like mist in the spacious bathroom.

“…”

‘How much time had passed?’

Suddenly, Asella noticed the fact that the moon outside the window had shifted from its original position by a few inches to the side.

‘I’ve been here too long.’

Asella stood up hurriedly. Having stayed in the hot water for so long, she felt slight dizziness when she stood. She felt slumped and dragged her now limp and tender body to slip her arms through the bathrobe she’d left in one corner of the bathroom.

Who knows, perhaps Margo would be waiting for her all this time… 

‘Let’s just tell her to get a good night’s rest and she’ll see her tomorrow morning,’ she thought, as she came out of the bathroom.

“..!”

Asella barely managed to suppress a bursting scream.

Someone was in her bedroom.