‘Did something finally happen between the two?’

Laura guessed with delight, but judging by Miss’s complexion, it didn’t seem like a good development.

Laura asked cautiously.

“Miss, you don’t look well.”

“Really? That’s strange. I’m actually fine……”

While saying this, Catherine poured herself a third glass.

The red wine rippled gently as it slipped between her lips.

Though Catherine usually didn’t drink much due to her low tolerance, today the wine went down exceptionally well.

“I do want something to lift my spirits a bit.”

“Lift your spirits?”

Pondering Catherine’s words, Laura’s eyes suddenly lit up and she clapped her hands.

“How about this?”

What is she going to suggest with such a mischievous expression?

As Catherine raised an eyebrow in confusion, Laura giggled and said, “Just a moment,” before leaving the room.

By the time Catherine had poured and drunk another glass of wine, Laura reappeared with the sound of quick footsteps.

“Huff, huff, oh my legs.”

“What’s this? Where did you run off to, Laura?”

“To, to the servants’ quarters, huff, huff.”

“What?”

The servants’ quarters were beyond the garden behind the main house. It wasn’t too far, but judging by how quickly Laura had returned, she must have run there and back.

“Goodness. Why did you run like that? You could have taken your time.”

Catherine fanned Laura’s flushed face with concern.

After panting for a while, Laura met her eyes, grinned, and pulled something out from inside her apron.

“Phew! Why wouldn’t I run? I had to hurry to see it and return it before Cindy comes back.”

“What is this?”

“It’s what you mentioned before, Miss. Here, look quickly. It’s something Cindy has hidden, so I need to put it back before she returns from her outing.”

Laura placed a titleless white book in Catherine’s hands.

‘Something I mentioned before?’

Tilting her head in confusion, Catherine absentmindedly flipped through the book and suddenly opened her eyes wide in shock.

“This, this is…!”

Green eyes filled with joy, excitement, surprise, and embarrassment looked up at Laura. Laura spoke with pride in her voice.

“Yes. That’s exactly it.”

A secret book!

Commonly known as the “white book,” this was an erotic book circulated discreetly among people.

There were many erotic books, but the white book Catherine was holding was particularly rare because of the detailed illustrations inside.

This book, which contained dozens of acts from the first time to achieving ultimate org*sm, was currently impossible to find, not only among commoners but also in high society.

Catherine looked down at the white book in her hands with sparkling eyes.

“Cindy says this is an abridged version. She got it with great difficulty and doesn’t show it to anyone, but she keeps it well hidden in case it disappears.”

“But is it okay to bring this here?”

“That’s why we need to put it back before Cindy returns.”

Laura winked and said.

“Look quickly. We have less than an hour.”

After briefly hesitating because it was stolen, Catherine quickly opened the book.

“…My goodness.”

A whole new world unfolded within its pages.

⁕⁕⁕

“Miss, Miss.”

“Huh, what?”

Catherine, absorbed in the book, jerked her head up.

Her face had flushed like a perfectly ripened peach, and her lips, bitten repeatedly, were swollen red as if about to burst.

Seeing this, Laura smiled softly and patted something on Catherine’s face.

“Just a moment.”

“What are you doing?”

“Makeup.”

“…Makeup? Why makeup?”

“Because your hair is done nicely?”

While Catherine was mumbling something, Laura quickly applied lipstick and began touching up her face.

Then, with a “ta-da,” she brought a mirror in front of Catherine.

“How is it? Pretty, right?”

“My goodness, when did you do all this?”

A completely different person appeared in the mirror.

Her neatly combed hair was half-tied, with the remaining half braided down and gathered over one collarbone.

Some parts were puffed up while others were naturally pulled out, creating a quite pretty look.

“How absorbed were you in that book that you didn’t even notice me doing your hair? But it turned out pretty, didn’t it?”

Laura was skilled with her hands. She was good at styling hair and applying makeup. With her good sense, she also chose clothes and accessories well.

The problem was that Catherine had so little interest in such things that Laura rarely had the opportunity to showcase her talents.

This time, she enthusiastically and meticulously styled Catherine’s hair.

“Our Miss is truly so beautiful.”

“I don’t think I’m that special.”

“You are. You’d probably be even prettier without your glasses. You can still see close things without them, right?”

“I can see things up close.”

“Then how about trying some eye makeup too, Miss?”

Though she wondered why Laura suddenly wanted her to wear makeup, the new hairstyle pleased her enough that trying makeup didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Catherine nodded while tightly hugging the white book she had been reading.

Perhaps due to the excitement from reading the book, Catherine was a bit more elated than usual.

“Could you close your eyes for a moment? I’ll keep it light.”

She felt Laura’s breath, closer than usual.

When Catherine hunched her shoulders and laughed at the ticklish touch on her face, Laura laughed along.

As Laura had said, she wasn’t applying heavy makeup, so it was finished after just a few touches.

Laura put on simple but elegant dangling earrings for Catherine and said excitedly.

“Our Miss is truly a beauty, see? My goodness. It’s a shame that only I get to see how pretty you are……”

Catherine, who had been quietly looking at her reflection, smiled broadly and said.

“Laura, you really seem to have great skill.”

“How could I take credit? It’s your charm, Miss. It’s such a waste that only I get to see you with makeup on for once.”

Laura fiddled with the ends of Catherine’s hair as if she were the more disappointed one. Then she quickly checked the clock and dashed out again, saying she needed to return the book.

Without the white book she had been preciously holding, Catherine felt immensely disappointed.

‘I didn’t even read half of it…’

The first section was about kissing.

From intertwining tongues to sucking lips, licking, and even kisses as deep as s*x, penetrating the throat.

There were also plenty of illustrations showing lips rubbing against various body parts besides the mouth.

Even mere kissing was so erotic that just reading the book had made her lower region wet.

‘I feel strange.’

The second section described the pain and excitement of first intercourse. It repeatedly mentioned that for less pain, a woman’s body needed to be sufficiently wet.

And along with that, the importance of the man’s efforts to make her wet.

There were illustrations of positions good for first intercourse, and they were so explicit and erotic that her eyes nearly turned red from reading.

Then came various positions and attempts for beginners. There were also several things about kissing.

Some tools were mentioned too…

“I wish I could read the rest.”

As she was smacking her lips in disappointment, Laura reappeared, breathless.

“Thankfully, I hid it well just before Cindy came back!”

Catherine smiled at Laura, who spoke proudly, and felt her mood completely improve, just as Laura had said. Not only that—

Whether it was the alcohol or something else, she felt somewhat impulsive.

Catherine suddenly remembered the party invitation she had received a few days ago. And that the party happened to be tonight.

“Laura, where is Her Highness the Princess’s invitation?”

“The Princess’s invitation……”

Laura looked at Catherine as if asking if her guess was correct, and Catherine nodded.

“Since I’m all dressed up, I thought I might as well go out for the evening.”

“Wow, that’s great!”

Laura, her eyes wide with surprise, quickly nodded and ran out.

“Wait here, I’ll bring a dress!”

In Laura’s mind, dozens of dresses suitable for Catherine’s current appearance were unfolding.

⁕⁕⁕

“Hmm……”

Looking down at her outfit, Catherine tilted her head and said.

“Isn’t this… a bit small?”

“No.”

Laura answered firmly as she applied more perfume to Catherine’s nape.

“It fits you perfectly, Miss.”

Catherine couldn’t argue further against Laura’s confident assertion.

Although the neckline was cut so low that it looked dangerous, as if it might slip down with the slightest movement, if Laura said it was right…

‘…Well, Laura probably knows better than I do.’

Having accepted this, Catherine checked the clock as she put on the cloak Laura handed her.

Since they had prepared quickly, not much time had passed. It was only 7 o’clock, just when the evening banquet would be starting.

“Shall we go now, Miss?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

When was the last time she had gone out at this hour?

Apart from the annual New Year’s gathering, this was her first night party. She had gone out with her family or Michael during festivals, but that was really it.

She went to bed early and woke up early, with living habits as precise as a well-wound clock. Perhaps that’s why even this impulsive night outing felt like a major deviation.

‘No, it is a deviation. Because it’s something I wouldn’t normally do.’

Catherine smiled self-deprecatingly as she carefully descended the stairs.