Anyway, if they found the dress and it became clear that I wasn't the Princess, I would be kicked out immediately.
“Then, let's use my bedroom.”
He quickly added as if afraid that I might misunderstand.
“I’ll use the other bedroom.”
I rolled my head. Just setting foot in the bedroom of the former Duchess would cause quite a commotion, but the Duke's bedroom? Wouldn't that just add fuel to the fire?
I tilted my head, but soon I understood. After all, such a handsome Duke couldn't have spent the night alone. Men, even back-alley thugs who had no money, often felt ashamed to sleep without a woman.
So perhaps it wouldn't have been scandalous for a commoner woman to stay in the Duke's bedroom for a few days.
“Are those the only two options?”
“If it weren’t for those two, it wouldn’t be worthy.”
“...Then I will use the room that Your Highness used.”
It seemed better than sharing the bed he slept in.
From a quick glance, it seemed that Albert was thinking the same thing as I was.
On the way to the concubine's room, Albert explained several places. This was the path leading to the garden, the long corridor, the path leading to the large hall, the lunchroom, the study...
At first, I tried hard to memorize it, but later I got confused about what was what.
“Right here. His Highness the Duke’s bedroom is directly across from where Young Lady is staying.”
Albert opened the high wooden door with a key, almost touching the ceiling. The huge door opened smoothly and without a sound.
"...Woah."
“Do you like it?”
Do you like it? I looked around frantically.
This was the nicest room I've ever been in. It was also the most luxurious.
Everything was white except for the wallpaper. The marble floor, the tea table, the curtains, the long canopy... It even seemed like there was a separate bedroom and bathroom in the room.
Beyond the open door, a draped bed was visible. Overall, it was elegant rather than extravagant.
When I saw the quilt embroidered with gold thread, I was suddenly scared. Could I really use this?
The Duke added as he looked at my expression.
“I hope it wasn’t a burden.”
...No matter how much I said that things didn’t go as planned.
I sat down on the bed very carefully.
It was so soft that I felt like my body would be sucked in at any moment, and the blanket was also very smooth and warm. It seemed like the blanket was thirty or fifty times more expensive than the one-piece dress I was wearing.
I bit the tender flesh inside my mouth to keep my mind straight as if I was about to fall into ecstasy.
And I thought of Olga's house, the space where I had lived my whole life. The place that suited me, the place where I was supposed to be.
The blanket that smelled musty when it rained, the creaking wooden floor, Olga's chipped teacups that she used to cherish, the smell of wet firewood... Everything that became my foundation.
As I thought about them, the things that had been given to me felt even less real. Like a summer night's dream, a fleeting illusion.
Thinking that way made me feel better. I felt like I could finally breathe.
I crawled into bed without even taking off my clothes and fell into a deep, sweet sleep.
The blanket and pillow were so fluffy that I couldn't come to my senses.
When I opened my eyes with difficulty, it was broad daylight, and my dress, cloak, and blanket were all tangled up in a mess.
I couldn't tell if I hadn't slept much or if it was just another day and daylight had returned.
I rolled around on the bed, stretching, intoxicated by the languor of sleep. It was big enough to roll to the left three times and to the right three times.
I played with the red knot hanging next to the bed like a cat and even tugged on it.
“Are you awake? You must be very tired.”
Before long, Lisa opened the door and came in. She greeted me friendly, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window.
My eyes widened.
“How did you get here so perfectly?”
“You rang the bell, right? I mean, the knot next to the bed.”
Lisa answered softly. That was a bell, I didn't even hear it ring.
Lisa noticed that I was confused and explained it again slowly.
“This knot is connected to the waiting room used by the maids. When pulled, a bell on one side of the wall rings. There are about twenty of these bells, and each one has a silver plate underneath, so you can quickly tell which room it was rung from.”
It was a wonderful thing just to hear about it.
Aside from that, I felt a little sorry for Lisa, who came running because I rang the bell without thinking. Lisa didn't seem to mind at all, though.
“Can I ask how much I slept?”
“Yes. You slept for almost the entire day.”
I slept all day? There was a difference between what I expected and what I actually heard.
Now that I think about it, I think Laskan asked me to have dinner with him last night.
“Oh, so how was dinner last night? His Highness the Duke asked me to have dinner together...”
“Don’t worry. I told His Highness that you were sleeping. Should I prepare a bath for you first? After you wash, all the remaining fatigue will be gone.”
I nodded several times. It wasn't easy to give up my warm blanket, but I was feeling uneasy after not washing it for several days.
Lisa opened the door next to the living room. I frowned at the sudden light.
One wall was entirely made of glass, and the thin, almost transparent white curtains fluttered in the wind. In the middle was a marble bathtub.
While I was admiring the luxury, Lisa soon filled the bathtub with steaming water.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
“...Then I will wash now.”
Since Lisa didn't seem to be thinking of going out, I waited a bit and then said so.
“Yes. Please put your hand in first to check if the water temperature is right.”
“Very nice. I need to take off my clothes to wash.”
“Yes. Raise your arms.”
Lisa answered quickly as if she had been waiting for it.
Raise your arms? Are you going to take off my clothes now? I panicked and crossed my arms over my chest. Then I shouted as if Lisa was a thug.
“I can take it off by myself too!”
“Oh, is this your first time receiving a bath?”
After some vague questions and answers, we realized that we had different intentions.
Lisa laughed out loud as if she thought it was cute.
“You noble people don’t take off your clothes yourself. That kind of petty work is for people like us.”
You can't even take off your clothes by yourself? I thought of the faces of all the rich people I knew.
From the fat lord of George to Zachary, Enoch, Jaina, and Laskan.
Are they all being served by others when they bathe? Why? I couldn't understand it. None of them have arms smaller than mine.
I couldn't resist Lisa's coercion and had my cloak and dress taken away from me one by one. However, I held on to the only remaining slip until the end.
“This, this is mine, I’ll take it off and go straight into the water.”
Lisa nodded as if she understood and turned away.
I slipped into the warm water almost as soon as I threw off my slippers.
Lisa brought me a few small vials and put a few drops on my shoulders and arms. It smelled incredibly good. My eyes widened.
“Wow. This is the first time I’ve smelled something like this.”
“Do you like it? I mixed some thuja and solon.”
It seemed to be the name of a spice or a flower. Both were names I had never heard of before.
“I really like it.”
“I’ll make more. I’ll add some orange blossom water too. I’m sure you’ll like that too.”
I waved my hand urgently.
“There’s no need for that. I won’t be staying long.”
"Oh."
Lisa's eyes widened. She must have thought I was at least the Duke's lover. Her face said that she had never thought of me leaving the mansion.
She said as she gently peeled the dirt off my elbows with a Rupa.
“I naturally assumed that you would stay the whole time. It is not common for the Duke to bring someone himself.”
“That’s because there are circumstances. It’s not that I’m special... But His Highness must have had many women besides me. Haven’t he brought any women to the mansion before?”
Especially the women who keep the bed warm. That's what I wanted to ask.
I looked at Lisa's face, wondering if my words had come across too bluntly. Lisa blushed a little but answered obediently.
“There hasn’t been a single person like that. At least not since I started working there.”
“How long have you been working?”
“This fall will be my eleventh year. I’ve been working here since I was twelve.”
That meant there had never been a single person like that before.
The Duke's age is not known for certain, but he must have been in his mid-twenties, and it was hard to believe that he had never had a single woman before.
If I were of such high status that I could pounce on the Duke, I would have done anything.
“Anyway, I’m not in a relationship with the Duke.”
“But you never know what will happen to people. You are so beautiful.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“It’s not just an empty remark, it’s true. That’s why I thought His Highness liked you so much that he brought you here even before his engagement ceremony with Princess Veronica.”
“An engagement party? His Highness the Duke?”
“Yes. It’s scheduled to happen this summer. The Princess will be having her coming of age ceremony in early spring.”
I felt strange somehow. I was secretly upset that I didn't know such an important story. It had only been a week since I had met the Duke.
He didn't need to tell me this, and even if he did hide it intentionally, I shouldn't feel bad about it.
I kept thinking about the scene where he held out flowers to me on my way here. And his voice.
“Then, let's use my bedroom.”
He quickly added as if afraid that I might misunderstand.
“I’ll use the other bedroom.”
I rolled my head. Just setting foot in the bedroom of the former Duchess would cause quite a commotion, but the Duke's bedroom? Wouldn't that just add fuel to the fire?
I tilted my head, but soon I understood. After all, such a handsome Duke couldn't have spent the night alone. Men, even back-alley thugs who had no money, often felt ashamed to sleep without a woman.
So perhaps it wouldn't have been scandalous for a commoner woman to stay in the Duke's bedroom for a few days.
“Are those the only two options?”
“If it weren’t for those two, it wouldn’t be worthy.”
“...Then I will use the room that Your Highness used.”
It seemed better than sharing the bed he slept in.
From a quick glance, it seemed that Albert was thinking the same thing as I was.
On the way to the concubine's room, Albert explained several places. This was the path leading to the garden, the long corridor, the path leading to the large hall, the lunchroom, the study...
At first, I tried hard to memorize it, but later I got confused about what was what.
“Right here. His Highness the Duke’s bedroom is directly across from where Young Lady is staying.”
Albert opened the high wooden door with a key, almost touching the ceiling. The huge door opened smoothly and without a sound.
"...Woah."
“Do you like it?”
Do you like it? I looked around frantically.
This was the nicest room I've ever been in. It was also the most luxurious.
Everything was white except for the wallpaper. The marble floor, the tea table, the curtains, the long canopy... It even seemed like there was a separate bedroom and bathroom in the room.
Beyond the open door, a draped bed was visible. Overall, it was elegant rather than extravagant.
When I saw the quilt embroidered with gold thread, I was suddenly scared. Could I really use this?
The Duke added as he looked at my expression.
“I hope it wasn’t a burden.”
...No matter how much I said that things didn’t go as planned.
I sat down on the bed very carefully.
It was so soft that I felt like my body would be sucked in at any moment, and the blanket was also very smooth and warm. It seemed like the blanket was thirty or fifty times more expensive than the one-piece dress I was wearing.
I bit the tender flesh inside my mouth to keep my mind straight as if I was about to fall into ecstasy.
And I thought of Olga's house, the space where I had lived my whole life. The place that suited me, the place where I was supposed to be.
The blanket that smelled musty when it rained, the creaking wooden floor, Olga's chipped teacups that she used to cherish, the smell of wet firewood... Everything that became my foundation.
As I thought about them, the things that had been given to me felt even less real. Like a summer night's dream, a fleeting illusion.
Thinking that way made me feel better. I felt like I could finally breathe.
***
I crawled into bed without even taking off my clothes and fell into a deep, sweet sleep.
The blanket and pillow were so fluffy that I couldn't come to my senses.
When I opened my eyes with difficulty, it was broad daylight, and my dress, cloak, and blanket were all tangled up in a mess.
I couldn't tell if I hadn't slept much or if it was just another day and daylight had returned.
I rolled around on the bed, stretching, intoxicated by the languor of sleep. It was big enough to roll to the left three times and to the right three times.
I played with the red knot hanging next to the bed like a cat and even tugged on it.
“Are you awake? You must be very tired.”
Before long, Lisa opened the door and came in. She greeted me friendly, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window.
My eyes widened.
“How did you get here so perfectly?”
“You rang the bell, right? I mean, the knot next to the bed.”
Lisa answered softly. That was a bell, I didn't even hear it ring.
Lisa noticed that I was confused and explained it again slowly.
“This knot is connected to the waiting room used by the maids. When pulled, a bell on one side of the wall rings. There are about twenty of these bells, and each one has a silver plate underneath, so you can quickly tell which room it was rung from.”
It was a wonderful thing just to hear about it.
Aside from that, I felt a little sorry for Lisa, who came running because I rang the bell without thinking. Lisa didn't seem to mind at all, though.
“Can I ask how much I slept?”
“Yes. You slept for almost the entire day.”
I slept all day? There was a difference between what I expected and what I actually heard.
Now that I think about it, I think Laskan asked me to have dinner with him last night.
“Oh, so how was dinner last night? His Highness the Duke asked me to have dinner together...”
“Don’t worry. I told His Highness that you were sleeping. Should I prepare a bath for you first? After you wash, all the remaining fatigue will be gone.”
I nodded several times. It wasn't easy to give up my warm blanket, but I was feeling uneasy after not washing it for several days.
Lisa opened the door next to the living room. I frowned at the sudden light.
One wall was entirely made of glass, and the thin, almost transparent white curtains fluttered in the wind. In the middle was a marble bathtub.
While I was admiring the luxury, Lisa soon filled the bathtub with steaming water.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
“...Then I will wash now.”
Since Lisa didn't seem to be thinking of going out, I waited a bit and then said so.
“Yes. Please put your hand in first to check if the water temperature is right.”
“Very nice. I need to take off my clothes to wash.”
“Yes. Raise your arms.”
Lisa answered quickly as if she had been waiting for it.
Raise your arms? Are you going to take off my clothes now? I panicked and crossed my arms over my chest. Then I shouted as if Lisa was a thug.
“I can take it off by myself too!”
“Oh, is this your first time receiving a bath?”
After some vague questions and answers, we realized that we had different intentions.
Lisa laughed out loud as if she thought it was cute.
“You noble people don’t take off your clothes yourself. That kind of petty work is for people like us.”
You can't even take off your clothes by yourself? I thought of the faces of all the rich people I knew.
From the fat lord of George to Zachary, Enoch, Jaina, and Laskan.
Are they all being served by others when they bathe? Why? I couldn't understand it. None of them have arms smaller than mine.
I couldn't resist Lisa's coercion and had my cloak and dress taken away from me one by one. However, I held on to the only remaining slip until the end.
“This, this is mine, I’ll take it off and go straight into the water.”
Lisa nodded as if she understood and turned away.
I slipped into the warm water almost as soon as I threw off my slippers.
Lisa brought me a few small vials and put a few drops on my shoulders and arms. It smelled incredibly good. My eyes widened.
“Wow. This is the first time I’ve smelled something like this.”
“Do you like it? I mixed some thuja and solon.”
It seemed to be the name of a spice or a flower. Both were names I had never heard of before.
“I really like it.”
“I’ll make more. I’ll add some orange blossom water too. I’m sure you’ll like that too.”
I waved my hand urgently.
“There’s no need for that. I won’t be staying long.”
"Oh."
Lisa's eyes widened. She must have thought I was at least the Duke's lover. Her face said that she had never thought of me leaving the mansion.
She said as she gently peeled the dirt off my elbows with a Rupa.
“I naturally assumed that you would stay the whole time. It is not common for the Duke to bring someone himself.”
“That’s because there are circumstances. It’s not that I’m special... But His Highness must have had many women besides me. Haven’t he brought any women to the mansion before?”
Especially the women who keep the bed warm. That's what I wanted to ask.
I looked at Lisa's face, wondering if my words had come across too bluntly. Lisa blushed a little but answered obediently.
“There hasn’t been a single person like that. At least not since I started working there.”
“How long have you been working?”
“This fall will be my eleventh year. I’ve been working here since I was twelve.”
That meant there had never been a single person like that before.
The Duke's age is not known for certain, but he must have been in his mid-twenties, and it was hard to believe that he had never had a single woman before.
If I were of such high status that I could pounce on the Duke, I would have done anything.
“Anyway, I’m not in a relationship with the Duke.”
“But you never know what will happen to people. You are so beautiful.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“It’s not just an empty remark, it’s true. That’s why I thought His Highness liked you so much that he brought you here even before his engagement ceremony with Princess Veronica.”
“An engagement party? His Highness the Duke?”
“Yes. It’s scheduled to happen this summer. The Princess will be having her coming of age ceremony in early spring.”
I felt strange somehow. I was secretly upset that I didn't know such an important story. It had only been a week since I had met the Duke.
He didn't need to tell me this, and even if he did hide it intentionally, I shouldn't feel bad about it.
I kept thinking about the scene where he held out flowers to me on my way here. And his voice.
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