Chapter 22

Aside from brief stops to water his horse, Henry never paused. After riding continuously, he finally reached the castle late at dawn. Upon seeing Catherine soundly asleep without any issues, he felt a wave of relief.

Henry nearly laughed when he saw Alto dozing off while standing, seemingly intent on guarding Catherine’s bedroom in his absence. He patted Alto on the shoulder, which startled him awake. Alto looked like he had much to say to Henry, but after glancing at the sleeping Catherine, he simply bowed silently and left the room.

Henry’s body was too stiff to sleep right away. Having spent half a day on horseback, gripping the reins tightly, it was no surprise his body ached.

The best way to relax sore muscles was to soak in warm water.

Leaning back and closing his eyes, Henry let the hot water envelop his body, loosening every tension.

If Marina had been awake, he would have asked her to assist with his bath. As he closed his eyes, drowsiness began to wash over him, his mind growing hazy.

He had been submerged in the water for long. The sound of the door opening roused Henry from his light sleep. He must have dozed off while trying to warm his body.

“Marina?”

He assumed Marina had entered the bathroom upon realizing he had arrived late at dawn. Without turning his head, Henry called her name.

But there was no response.

Sensing it wasn’t Marina, Henry sat up slightly and turned his head toward the door.

It was Catherine who had entered. Her hair was disheveled, as if she had just woken up, and she stood there staring at him.

The last time he had seen that face was three days ago. Though it hadn’t been long, Henry couldn’t hide his joy at seeing her again.

“…Catherine.”

Henry softly called her name. Though she had been the one to open the door and come in, Catherine’s face showed a mix of surprise and embarrassment. She clearly hadn’t expected to find Henry bathing here.

“W-When… did you arrive?”

Catherine hastily covered her face with the sleeve of her robe. She had woken up feeling restless, sensing movement in the bathroom. Curious about the faint warmth and light emanating from the room, she had risen to check, only to be startled by the sight of Henry in the tub.

Suddenly, Catherine became self-conscious about her appearance, thinking her face must be a mess after just waking up. She quickly covered her face, but Henry extended a hand toward her, beckoning her to come closer. Hesitant about showing him her disheveled state, Catherine slowly approached the tub. Henry’s gaze never left her as she walked closer, as if he were trying to make up for the three days he hadn’t been able to see her, his eyes tracing her every movement.

“Could you help me?”

“Pardon?”

“I’d like you to help me soap up.”

Goodness.

He was asking her to wash him.

Flustered, Catherine’s lips parted and closed as if she were at a loss for words. Without any hesitation, Henry handed her a towel. Reluctantly, Catherine took the towel and stood awkwardly. She had accepted it, but she had no idea what to do next.

Henry leaned back leisurely. It seemed she was the only one embarrassed by this situation of facing his bare body after three days. Catherine alternated glances between the towel in her hand and Henry’s shoulder.

Rolling up the sleeves of her robe, which extended past her wrists, Catherine wet the towel. Henry watched her with an expectant expression.

After working up a lather, Catherine brought the towel to Henry’s shoulder. Since his body above the water consisted only of his head, shoulders, and arms, she decided to start with those areas.

The moment her hand touched his shoulder, she could feel how firm his body was. Catherine took a deep breath and began to move her hand. Starting from his shoulder, she moved to his arm, which rested on the edge of the tub. She couldn’t help but notice that Henry’s arm was about as thick as her leg.

How could someone’s body be this large?

It wasn’t just his height. Henry was a man whose entire physique was massive. As her thoughts began to drift in a strange direction, Catherine quickly shook her head.

“H-How was it?”

She was so nervous about silently scrubbing his body that her palms were sweating. To distract herself from his bare body, Catherine blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“How was your meeting with His Majesty?”

In truth, Catherine wasn’t particularly curious about what the King had said to Henry or what they had discussed. She simply wanted to break the tense atmosphere.

Henry, who had been quietly enjoying her touch, turned his head at her question.

“Why do you ask?”

Suddenly, Graham’s words came to Henry’s mind—that Catherine had almost become the King’s tenth concubine.

“Oh, no reason…”

Catherine trailed off. She had only asked to make conversation, but it seemed her question had irritated him. Her heart raced nervously, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at his face. Instead, she focused her gaze back on his arm.

This is awkward.

Avoiding his face only made her more aware of his n*ked body. Feeling her lips go dry, Catherine licked them absentmindedly.

Bubbles floated on the surface of the water. Between the white foam, glimpses of Henry’s body teased her vision, making her heart flutter.

“By the way…”

Catherine, who had been absentmindedly staring at his body, was startled when Henry spoke, causing her hand to tremble.

“Yes?”

“Before we got married…”

“Before we got married?”

He wanted to ask if she had been involved with another man. Henry tapped the edge of the tub with his finger—a habit of his whenever he was deep in thought or faced with an awkward situation.

“Before marriage, what?”

“Did your family arrange any marriage proposals for you?”

He phrased his question carefully, indirectly asking if she had ever considered marrying the King. Henry waited for her answer.

“Well… why do you ask?”

Catherine found it strange that Henry was suddenly asking about her past. As she scrubbed the towel against his skin, she tried to recall. Any marriage proposals she had received before meeting Henry had been managed by the Duke, so she was unaware of most of them. The only one she knew of was the proposal for her to become the King’s tenth wife.

It was a memory she didn’t want to revisit. The idea of marrying a man old enough to be her father, solely for political power, was something she had vehemently opposed.

“It’s nothing. But are you just going to keep washing my arm?”

Despite asking her to wash him, Catherine had only been scrubbing his exposed arm.

“Oh, sorry. Let me get the other arm…”

Splash.

Henry lifted his other arm from the water and grabbed Catherine’s wrist, causing droplets to scatter. Catherine used her free hand to wipe the water off her face.

Since meeting Catherine, Henry had spent every night with her. The three days apart had been an agonizing test of patience.

From the moment he entered the bedroom and saw her sleeping, his body had been burning with desire. Yet, not wanting to wake her, he had restrained himself and come to the bathroom.

He had asked her to wash him as a playful tease, but now he was struggling to control his own body’s reaction to her touch.

“Come in.”

“Pardon?”

With a single word, Henry pulled Catherine toward him. Caught off guard, Catherine fell into the tub.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Soaking wet from head to toe, Catherine lifted her head in a panic. Henry’s pull had caused her to fall onto his chest.

“You look good.”

Water dripped from Catherine’s hair as Henry smiled down at her.

“What kind of prank is this…!”

It was a mischievous act. Her wet nightgown clung to her body, and Catherine frowned as she glared at him. But before she could scold him, Henry pressed his lips to her forehead, silencing her.

“I missed you.”

Murmuring against her forehead, Henry spoke softly. Holding Catherine in his arms, he finally felt alive again. The exhaustion of the past three days melted away. Wrapping his arms around her back, Henry pulled her closer.

“I missed your scent.”

Now that she was wet, Catherine’s natural fragrance was even more pronounced. Henry moved his lips from her forehead to her ear, then to her neck.

“Ah…”

The area just below her earlobe carried her strongest scent. Pulling her tightly into his embrace, Henry buried his face in the crook of her neck.

He didn’t need anything else.

Simply holding her and breathing in her scent filled Henry with an overwhelming sense of happiness.