The voice that greeted her was soft, but Sveta heard it clearly.
“…Beth.”
She could not bring herself to take another step. Sir Pailin must have been watching her from somewhere out of sight.
Perhaps Beth knew that, because he didn’t move towards her either.
Their hair, each dyed the color of the other’s, swayed softly in unison.
In that picture-perfect moment, they communicated only with their eyes.
It lasted no more than a single breath.
Then, all at once, a bright, lively shout rang out from inside the laundry.
“Beka! What are you doing? Hurry and bring those in!”
“Ah, honestly—I’m coming!”
Calling back loudly over her shoulder, Beth let out a small, suppressed giggle.
“Look at me. I’ve become a proper maid, haven’t I?”
Playfully shrugging, she deftly secured the loose strands of hair and began gathering the laundry swiftly. The sheets that had surrounded them like a shield fell away one by one.
Beth lifted a large rattan basket with a quiet grunt and whispered.
“There are many eyes watching, Sveta. You know that.”
Sveta nodded slightly and took a step back. Acting as though nothing had happened, she led Dongle towards the lakeside.
Her steps were stiff and her heart was pounding wildly.
There was so much she wanted to ask her.
How have you been?
How did you get in here?
She was deeply worried.
Would the duke recognize Beth?
What was she supposed to do now?
Surrounded by sunflowers in full bloom, Sveta pressed her cheek against Dongle’s neck and wept silently.
Then, just as quietly, she smiled.
***
After completing his routine inspection of the southern territories, Aiden Czernok sought out Sveta once more.
While he had been away, his mistress had either toured the ducal estate with the mad horse constantly at her side, or had shut herself away in her bedroom.
The thought of her sitting quietly, waiting for him, slowly eased the turmoil in his mind.
When he opened the small door leading to her chamber, he found the room steeped in darkness. She had drawn the curtains so tightly that not even the last glow of the setting sun could penetrate them.
At the faint sound of his arrival, she rose hesitantly and approached him.
“Your Grace…”
The moment her low voice reached him, his body responded before his thoughts could catch up.
He slowly removed his cloak and gloves, then walked towards her.
As the leather gloves hit the floor with a soft thud, she threw herself into his arms.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Of course.”
“Why.”
Warmth that began low within him spread through his body, mingled with relief.
“Just…”
Before she could answer, he pulled her in for a passionate kiss.
As his hand moved from her cheek to the nape of her neck, her slender body trembled slightly.
The instinctive movements that followed did not cease until night gave way to a clear, blue dawn.
A humid breeze drifted in through the open window. The scent of summer roses in full bloom wafted into the room on the fresh morning air.
Beside him lay the woman who looked up at him with eyes as clear as the sky, with reflected stars within them.
It was deeply satisfying.
Fixing his gaze on the ceiling, Aiden spoke in an even tone.
“Did you request a maid to attend your bath?”
“…How did you know?”
“……”
“Ah. Meriette must have reported it.”
Aiden answered with silence.
After moving her lips as if to speak, she murmured in faint explanation.
“It’s lonely, staying by myself. That’s all.”
It was an odd thing to say.
To Aiden, servants were like walls.
He didn’t disregard them, but nor did he believe that they could fill any emptiness.
What a foolish woman!
To seek emotional comfort from servants!
Tilting his head, he looked at her and muttered something under his breath.
“So you summon a maid to ease your loneliness.”
Sveta’s cheeks turned as red as a rose.
His gaze drifted from her flushed cheeks to her small, downy ear and followed the elegant curve of her neck.
The faint light of dawn illuminated the pale scars on her pale arm.
Aiden narrowed his eyes.
“…Do you love me?”
Now red to the tips of her ears, she pressed her forehead against his shoulder. Her rounded brow burned with heat.
“…Yes.”
“Say it.”
She parted her lips several times before answering.
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you, Your Grace…”
Her voice flowed like water, trembling faintly.
Her chest pressed softly against his arm beneath his hand, her heart beating steadily.
Aiden knew she was sincere.
In that moment, as she spoke of love, he found himself thinking that perhaps this woman wouldn’t lie — at least not now.
Turning slightly, he drew Sveta gently into his arms and whispered.
“Then tell me the truth.”
She lifted her head and looked at the line of his jaw with puzzled focus.
“What…?”
“Who you are.”
“W-What do you mean?”
Sveta fidgeted and slipped out of his arms. She sat up and pulled the blanket up to her chest.
Aiden sat opposite her and seized her slender ankle. She flinched sharply, as though his hand were a shackle.
“What is your real name.”
“Beth… Gould.”
The way she desperately avoided his gaze, as though she were a frightened animal ready to bolt at any moment, stirred something dark within him.
This was reality.
Whether or not she was Beth Gould, she was nothing more than a barbarian.
And barbarians lied.
He had always known that. Yet he still wanted to hear the truth from her lips, just once.
Perhaps that was why he had put off investigating her past, claiming he was too busy with state affairs. Maybe deep down, he had wanted to give her a chance.
But Sveta crushed that hope with merciless ease. He seized her ankle and pulled sharply. She was dragged towards him without resistance.
Gripping her slender arm with painful force, Aiden addressed her in a rigid, unyielding tone.
“The scars on your arm.”
“……”
“How did you get them.”
“You once said… you weren’t curious. That you had no need to ask.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“……”
Her long black lashes trembled as she lowered her gaze halfway.
Aiden tightened his grip, urging her to answer.
“It was… discipline.”
“By whom.”
“It’s better I don’t say the name. You’ll only grow angry again.”
“……”
“It hurts. Please let go.”
“Ha…”
With a quiet exhale, he released her.
“What did I expect to hear from a mere barbarian woman.”
Aiden stood up, leaving her there with tears brimming in her eyes. He carelessly pulled on a robe and walked towards his room.
Sveta stared at him in silence.
Although he was the one leaving, she felt as though she were the one being abandoned.
She clutched the blanket tightly and forced her chin up. Even as tears slipped down her face, she stubbornly followed him with her eyes.
How many times had this happened before?
One moment he would be gentle, only to become cold the next.
She could not understand why he insisted on proving that she was a barbarian, yet became angry when confronted with the very truth he sought to confirm.
The man who had once consumed her with fierce intensity now seemed unbearably distant and cold.
Quietly, Sveta pressed her cheek against the spot where Aiden had been lying. The warmth of his body still lingered there.
Ignoring the loneliness deep within her, she buried her face further into the fading warmth and the emptiness he had left behind.
***
“The bathwater is prepared.”
Meriette’s voice slipped through the long-draped curtains.
“I will summon the maid to attend you shortly.”
“Thank you.”
Sveta carefully rose from the bed and slipped into a pearl-colored silk robe.
When she entered the bathroom, she was greeted by warm, jasmine-scented steam. The deep tub was less than half full.
“Hoo…”
Breathing softly, she removed her robe and dipped her toes into the water.
After wetting herself up to her ankles, she took a deep breath and lowered herself into the bath.
The water lapped gently around her calves. She lifted the water with her hands and let it run over her shoulders, trying to calm the fluttering in her chest.
‘Beth will come, somehow.’
Sveta had specifically requested the same maid who had previously attended to her bath in her bedroom.
She had also made it clear that, as she would be undressed, she would prefer someone she knew.
The head maid nodded in understanding and agreed.
After a short while, there was a gentle knock on the door, followed by a calm voice.
“Miss, I will enter.”
Sveta slowly turned towards the door, her eyes widening with relief.
Beth looked the epitome of a model servant in her black maid’s uniform with a white apron.
Click.
Beth locked the door behind her.
Carrying thick towels and a robe, she approached Sveta with light, quick steps.
Curled up in the bath, Sveta smiled at her.
“Beth. I knew you would come.”
“You… are you all right?”
Beth’s eyes widened when she saw her. She trembled visibly with shock.
Her gaze skipped over the red marks scattered across Sveta’s neck, shoulders and body.
“Yes, of course. I’m fine. These are just…”
“The scars are almost gone?”
“I used the oil the physician gave me. Isn’t it amazing?”
Beth, who had been staring with parted lips as her eyes roamed over her, finally met her gaze and smiled faintly.
“Yes… that’s good. I’m glad.”
“Beth, there’s so much I want to ask you. How you’ve been. How you got in here…”
“Me too.”
Beth stepped closer.
She rolled up the silk robe that Sveta had left beside the bath and sat on it.
After testing the water’s depth with her hand, Beth gave an ambiguous smile.
“You’re still afraid of water, aren’t you?”
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bluemoon238
I really wonder about ML mindset. 1 year with him until she gets executed. Promising to kill her child should she have one during that time. He constantly isolates and harms those who show her any kindness. Not once has he been gentle with her. He acts as if he has some bipolar tendencies and takes his aggression out on her constantly. There is absolutely no chance she can properly form any positive attachment with his behavior. Not with him beating her over the head with reminders of his plans to cause her suffering and potential death. Even Stockholm can’t possibly take hold with him. He doesn’t allow for personal connection to form properly and wants to know why she isn’t becoming more attached… now he even believes she means it when she says she loves him.