Chapter 71. A Taste for Reading Poetry

“Where is the Grand Duke now?”

“Well…… he’s still in his bedroom.”

Still?

I paused for a moment, then looked up at the wall clock. The small hand was nearing the number 11. It was almost 11 a.m. already……

‘He’s still sleeping……?’

Enoch Bayern’s irregular lifestyle was nothing new, but Jasmine had said it had improved recently.

But today, he was still in bed…… Could it be because of the weather? It’s hard to wake up on days without sunlight.

“If I sneak into Enoch’s room, will he get mad?”

I was confident I could enter quietly without waking him. No, actually, I wanted to wake him up. After all, today was the anniversary of Theresia Rubel’s death. I heard there was a small memorial gathering planned, and it would be controversial if Enoch didn’t attend to honor his mother.

I didn’t want him to be talked about negatively. Though Enoch himself wouldn’t care……

Jasmine thought for a moment before hesitantly answering.

“Well, normally…… we’d get severely scolded for disturbing His Highness’s sleep…… but if it’s you, Miss, it might be okay.”

“Hmm……?”

Was it because I wasn’t his employee but more like a business partner? I wasn’t sure, but I nodded. Jasmine had worked as Enoch’s maid for a long time, so she knew him better than I did.

“Then…… I’ll head to Enoch’s room now. Please follow me quietly to the hallway.”

“Ah……. Yes, understood!”

I headed to Enoch’s room with Jasmine. Both our rooms were on the second floor, mine in the east wing and his in the west. This arrangement was simply because Enoch disliked morning sunlight.

Additionally, there was a marital bedroom between our rooms, but it was not in use yet. Naturally……

“Wait here, Jasmine. I’ll go alone from here.”

About twenty steps from Enoch’s room, I whispered to Jasmine.

Jasmine, who had stopped immediately, stood there quietly and nodded. I smiled softly at her and took off my slippers.

I tiptoed barefoot. Fortunately, the hallway was spotless.

I reached the door without making a sound and slowly turned the doorknob.

When the door finally opened, it made a faint creaking sound, but not enough to wake a sleeping person.

I entered the room as quietly as possible. Since Enoch was sensitive, even a small mistake could wake him up.

I tiptoed across the carpet towards the bed. Despite the sun being high in the sky, Enoch Bayern was still fast asleep.

He wasn’t even properly covered with a blanket…… nor was he wearing pajamas or a robe. He was n*ked!

Good grief…….

Feeling quite embarrassed, I stepped back from the bed. Glancing at the clock, it was now around 11:05. I decided to wake Enoch at 11:30 and approached the sofa in the corner of the room. But…… there was no place to sit.

“…….”

The sofa, the floor around it, and the table were all littered with empty bottles. There were various types and labels of alcohol……. He must have drunk all sorts of liquor.

Shaking my head, I moved away from the sofa and approached the window. Since sitting on the sofa was impossible, I decided to sit in the armchair by the window.

‘Hmm……?’

There was a book on the armchair. What could it be? I picked it up curiously.

The book was hardbound but very thin. The cover was crimson with a title in gold letters. 《When Stars Disappeared from the World》. That was the title.

I opened the book cautiously, guessing it might be a poetry collection. Indeed, it was, and the poet’s name was ‘Johann Heinrich.’ A poet I didn’t know, and it seemed this book was recently published.

‘I never thought he had a taste for poetry…….’

Thinking it didn’t suit him at all, I chuckled softly and sat in the armchair. Glancing at the bed, Enoch was still asleep.

Should I read this poetry collection until 11:30? Smiling secretly, I lowered my gaze to the white pages.

The quiet sound of turning pages filled the silent room, and the rain continued to pour outside.

Time flew by unnoticed, and I suddenly snapped back to reality. In a hurry, I checked the clock and saw it was already 11:50.

I was 20 minutes late!

Theresia Rubel’s memorial service started at 1 p.m. If I started preparing now…… I might just make it in time……

I put the poetry book down and approached the bed. Enoch was still asleep, his eyes closed. ……Would he get mad if I woke him?

Hesitating, I sat on the edge of the bed. I was close enough to touch his shoulder or face if I reached out.

His sleeping face…… wasn’t angelic. He looked gentler than when awake, but still decadent. With this appearance, it wouldn’t be strange if he had just crawled out of a grave……

“……!”

At that moment, his eyes fluttered open.

His golden eyes, still hazy, met mine, and I froze reflexively. I couldn’t move, as if I were caught in his gaze.

My heart raced downhill. I needed to say something, but no words came out.

While I dumbly opened and closed my mouth, he suddenly chuckled. ……I hadn’t misheard. His lips were still curved in a smile.

“Did I get married already?”

“What……? No, no!”

Belatedly realizing his joke, I hurriedly waved my hands. What came out next was an obvious excuse.

“It’s almost noon. I came to wake you up, Your Highness…….”

“Noon? I woke up earlier than I thought.”

Did I hear that right? No, he definitely said ‘earlier.’ I was dumbfounded, my mouth agape. Noon is early?

“I went to bed at 5 a.m.…… Ah, can you hand me the robe over there?”

“…….”

I handed him the robe nearby, unable to hide my astonishment. He took it and threw off the blanket, extending his legs out of bed.

I almost witnessed a major accident of seeing him n*ked, but I managed to close my eyes just in time and stayed still, holding my breath.

Despite my effort to stay calm, my face grew hotter, and my heart pounded faster. How could Enoch Bayern be so shameless?

I counted to ten silently and opened my eyes. Immediately, I met Enoch’s gaze as he stood right in front of me, looking down.

“……!”

Startled, I nearly fell backward. Enoch was loosely wearing a black silk robe, his sculpted abs and chest in full view.

With nowhere to look, I averted my gaze in every direction, unsure what to do. Observing my reaction, Enoch laughed as if he found it amusing. ……Once again, I had fallen into his trap.

“……Please stop teasing me.”

“When did I tease you? I just looked.”

“That’s exactly why…… your clothes……”

“I’m wearing them.”

“Is that what you call wearing clothes? Can a single robe be considered civilized attire?”

“Ah, unfortunately, I’m a barbarian.”

As I glared at him with pursed lips, he chuckled. My fists clenched involuntarily. Though I didn’t have the guts, I wanted to hit him just a little. He was that annoying.

“What brings my fiancée here to wake me up? To attend my mother’s memorial service?”

Before I could say anything, Enoch had already guessed my intentions. Startled by his accurate guess, I stammered, but he coldly declared in a voice that chilled my heart.

“I’m not going to the memorial service. And neither are you.”

“But……”

“I didn’t go last year either. It’s not something you need to worry about.”

While I hesitated in surprise, he entered the bathroom, leaving me alone in the room.

I sighed deeply, looking out the window. The rain continued to pour outside. There wasn’t really good or bad weather for mourning, but going to the cemetery on a day like this would only make one more melancholic.

‘I don’t know anymore…….’

Finally giving up, I left Enoch’s room feeling gloomy. Why wouldn’t he attend his own mother’s memorial service?

How could I get him to talk about personal matters? I pondered as I walked down the hallway.

By the time I went up to the study, picked out a few books, and came down to the living room, I had almost decided on a method, but I hesitated to implement it.

Telling him about my mother first.

Wouldn’t that make him share about his mother too……?

But were we close enough to share such important and sensitive topics? No, we weren’t. It might just upset him.

In the end, I resigned myself to reading in the living room. I couldn’t take a walk in the rain, and there were no social events today.

So, I decided to spend my time quietly indoors……

I sat on the living room sofa, listening to the rain as background music, and immersed myself in my book for a long time.

Click, the door to the living room opened with a low creak.

To my surprise, it was Enoch who entered. I put my book down on the table and half-rose, looking at him with wide eyes. He was dressed in perfect outdoor attire, with a rain hat and coat―but his expression was as sour as if he had bitten into a bug.

As usual, he got straight to the point.

“Be ready in 30 minutes. We’re going to my mother’s grave.”

For a moment, I stood there with wide eyes, then nodded silently instead of questioning or asking why.

In Enoch’s right hand, I noticed…… a letter that looked freshly read, just taken out of an envelope.

A suspicious letter with no sender written on the back of the envelope.