Chapter 34. Your Taste

For now, the maids insisted I rest well, forcing me to lie down on the bed.

In the slightly dark room, left alone after they left,

I blinked and stared at the ceiling because I couldn’t sleep.

The beautiful fresco was a collage of various mythological scenes. When a wizard king angered the goddess of the moon and offered his daughter as a sacrifice, the goddess resurrected the daughter from death. Meanwhile, the wizard king was cruelly murdered by the queen, who was enraged by her daughter’s death.

……Whose preference is this? Why would anyone choose such a story for a bedroom ceiling painting? Is it Enoch Bayern’s bad taste? It seemed like something he would do……

‘Is he trying to give someone nightmares…….’

I was already feeling unsettled, and now I found it even harder to sleep. I sighed and sat up. I took my legs out from under the blanket and slipped into my slippers. The thin indoor clothes I was wearing were not suitable for going outside, but they were fine for moving around indoors.

I quietly opened the door and peeked into the hallway. As expected, a footman was waiting. The maids would be in the resting room connected to this room through a side door.

If I said I was going somewhere, the maids would try to follow me. But I wanted to explore this palace alone. It would be uncomfortable with someone by my side.

The problem was that there was no way to sneak out. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, the footman would surely notice.

Still, I thought I’d give it a try…… I slipped through the narrow door gap and took a step into the hallway. At that moment, the footman yawned widely, and I quickly dashed to the corner.

As soon as I turned the corner and pressed myself against the wall, I heard the footman mutter, ‘What was that?’ He must not have seen me because he was yawning with his eyes closed, but he would have heard the sound of my slippers scraping against the marble floor.

I held my breath, nervous that I might be caught. Fortunately, I didn’t hear the footman knocking on the door or asking the maids in the resting room anything.

……Good. I wasn’t caught. I swallowed a heavy sigh, took off my slippers, held them in my hands, and walked barefoot. I didn’t know the way well, but townhouses generally had similar structures……

Come to think of it, I was curious. Where is Enoch Bayern?

I didn’t want to face him right now, but……

Even after coming to this Winter Palace, I hadn’t received a proper explanation from him, so I needed to meet him at some point.

He seemed to have accepted my proposal……

So what happens next? Will I really get engaged to him? Will I continue to stay here instead of returning to the Lopez estate? That would be a relief.

‘Can I claim self-defense for stabbing Anderson with a glass shard?’

I could argue self-defense since he tried to r*pe me…… but there was also the possibility that he would deny it.

‘And Enoch Bayern half-killing Anderson……’

That point…… I had a feeling I didn’t need to worry about it. It’s not just an unfounded thought, but truly, Grand Duke Bayern was someone Anderson couldn’t dare touch. ……By the way.

‘……Where am I?’

After avoiding people’s eyes and sneaking around like a stray cat, I found myself in a strange place.

And my hands were empty, I must have lost my slippers at some point. ……This is driving me crazy. Walking around barefoot in thin clothing. I couldn’t blame anyone for thinking I was truly insane.

I shouldn’t have left the room……. Regret came flooding in too late.

I sighed deeply and looked around. At first glance, it appeared to be an indoor garden…… or something similar. The ceiling was open, white walls and columns were covered with climbing plants, and short trees and various plants were scattered everywhere.

The floor was made of white tiles with patches of blue mixed in, adding a mysterious atmosphere to this strange space.

And somewhere, there was the sound of trickling water. Could there be a fountain nearby? If there was a fountain in a place like this, it would surely be magnificent.

With a slightly excited feeling, I carefully took a step. This indoor garden was extremely beautiful, and I was curious about how splendid the fountain would be.

For a moment, I forgot all my worries and troubles and moved forward joyfully. In the direction of the clear sound of water.

After a few steps, a gigantic fountain appeared among the green foliage.

No, on closer inspection, it looked more like a bathtub than a fountain.

The sound of flowing water came from five or six taps connected to that bathtub.

I approached a bit closer. The afternoon sunlight pouring in from the open ceiling created a brilliant golden shimmer on the water’s surface. The surroundings were entirely green, covered in colorful flowers, with a subtle scent of grass and flowers flowing through the air like music.

“Wow…….”

A gasp escaped my lips, enchanted. It felt like I had arrived in heaven. Taking in the sight of this space slowly, I reached out towards the bathtub―which looked like a sculpture.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch the water’s surface, something undefined and submerged in the deep water caught my eye.

“……?”

Startled, I froze for a moment, then with a loud splash, water spread out in a crown shape, splashing everywhere. The scattering droplets sparkled in the sunlight. Through them, the figure of a man, whom I hadn’t noticed until just now, came into clear view.

I blinked blankly. The first thing I noticed was his jet-black hair, wet and clinging to his skin. When a large hand brushed back his bangs, a white, smooth forehead was revealed.

The man’s eyes turned towards me. Droplets fell from his long, dark eyelashes and the bridge of his sharp nose. I unconsciously fixed my gaze on his light-colored, handsome lips, then slowly moved my eyes downward.

A thick neck line, a masculine Adam’s apple, a deep collarbone, and the firm chest muscles and the long scar running down to his defined abs…….

“…….”

And the bulging muscles of his thighs and…… in between them…….

“……Ellenore. What are you doing here?”

In an instant, my consciousness snapped. Is this what it feels like to faint while standing? When I came to, I was gripping the edge of the bathtub with both hands, trembling, while the man looked at me with a disdainful expression.

“What are you really doing? A slapstick comedy?”

“Clothes…….”

“Clothes?”

“Please, put on some clothes……!”

I couldn’t bear to raise my head and just stared at the water’s surface in front of me. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst. The merciless sound of water being parted invaded my ears. Through the curtain of my long brown hair, the man’s straight legs came into view.

Startled, I looked up. I could vividly feel the heat rising to my face. I absolutely, absolutely shouldn’t look down. Fixing my gaze upwards, I tilted my head to the side. I felt so dizzy and lightheaded that I wondered if I might actually faint.

“Why are you barefoot?”

“Is it important that I’m barefoot? Right now?”

“You’ll see everything once we’re married anyway, why make such a fuss?”

“It’s a contract marriage……!”

“You asked me to love you. Did you mean only platonic love?”

His mocking laughter came from an unbearably close distance. No way, no way, it couldn’t be. He couldn’t be right in front of my nose.

“There’s no need to act like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have. My future fiancée.”

“That……!”

I swallowed back the words demanding whether we were really getting engaged. The man’s firm arm wrapped around my waist. I could feel the pulse of life vividly from our touching bodies, and the hot body heat was transmitted directly.

I struggled like a fish out of water. A large hand grabbed my chin and turned it, making me look at him. Our eyes met helplessly. His golden eyes held a subtle smile.

“What, is my body not to your taste?”

I opened my mouth in astonishment.

“It’s not a matter of taste…….”

“Taste is very important, Ellenore.”

The man’s eyes looked quite serious. Whether he was teasing me or if he was being sincere, I couldn’t tell…….

“If we’re going to roll around in bed, it’s better if my appearance is to your taste, even if our hearts don’t connect. Don’t you think?”

“I’ve never thought about that…….”

“Then start thinking about it now. Look closely, am I to your taste?”

“…….”

I felt as if I were being seduced. Although that wasn’t this man’s intention at all. He was purely teasing me.

I sighed quietly. I barely managed to hold onto my half-flying rationality and firmly set it in my heart. Then, I slowly opened and closed my eyes and spoke. It was a rather calm voice, even to my own ears.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke,”

“…….”

“For now…… please put on some clothes.”

“Huh?”

“A shamelessly n*ked person is not to my taste.”

As soon as I turned my head to avoid looking at him, he burst into loud laughter. It was an unexpectedly refreshing laugh.

“One thing’s for sure, Ellenore.”

He spoke in a voice still tinged with laughter, persistently chasing my gaze and looking into my eyes.

“Living with you won’t be boring.”

As though he was tired of laughing, he buried his face in my shoulder. Startled, I clenched and unclenched my hands, rolling my eyes. The thin, wet fabric clung to my skin, and his hot breath seeped through. My body stiffened and couldn’t move.

I endured the moment when I wanted to run away. Under the transparent sunlight where nothing could be hidden.