Ianthe’s Note: As I mentioned in the previous chapter, there are no missing chapters! I just switched the raws, from buying them in volumes to buying the serialized chapters. Don’t worry!

Upon reflection, Leopold rarely undresses himself. He always receives Richard’s assistance.

Given this, there’s no need for him to dress Ariel. Isn’t May here for that?

“What’s the reason, why did I insist on doing it?”

Leopold swept his bangs aside.

He had certainly been in a bad mood at the way he was treated harshly, but to think he was hesitating after removing just one shirt.

But why did I insist on dressing her, even after receiving such harsh treatment from the maid? I don’t know. I don’t want to know. It’s the inner workings of a common male.

He felt pathetic for having such thoughts while she, exhausted from a day of suffering, had fallen asleep.

‘I should dress her quickly and leave. I don’t want Ariel to feel embarrassed over a misunderstanding.’

After steeling his resolve, he turned Ariel’s body to remove her skirt.

“Hmm…”

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable, Ariel let out a soft moan and tossed her body. Startled, Leopold quickly withdrew his hand from her body.

He was on edge, fearing that he might disturb her sleep. He struggled to calm his pounding heart and cautiously reached for her skirt again.

After pondering how to remove her long skirt, he undid the hook and eye at the back.

He grasped the waist of the skirt with both hands and slowly lowered it down to her ankles.

Then, he lifted her ankle slightly to remove the skirt.

Thanks to the chemise rising up to mid-thigh, her white legs were revealed beneath.

When they spent the night together, it was too dark to notice, but her legs were quite muscular and toned.

‘It’s no wonder there’s a sword hanging in her room.’

He thought that as the daughter of a well-off household, she wouldn’t have exerted herself at all. 

But her legs were toned, something that could only be achieved through exercise.

It makes sense for someone skilled in swordsmanship. But why did the events of that night come to mind at this moment? The exhilaration of her smooth legs wrapping around his waist ignited a fire in his belly.

Leopold’s gaze wavered.

‘What kind of imagination am I having for a sleeping person…’

To dress her in a slip, he would have to remove her chemise, but his hand remained still in the air.

If he removed the chemise, he felt like he might lose even the faint remaining reason.

His patience reached its limit.

‘I can’t do this. I need to get out of here.’

He tried to get up from the bed and leave, but he worried that the chilly autumn night might make Ariel cold.

Turning back, Leopold returned to cover her chest with the soft blanket.

‘It must have been a tiring day… I hope she wakes up feeling refreshed tomorrow.’

Leopold stooped down and gently stroked Ariel’s head. Eventually, he pressed a deep kiss on Ariel’s collarbone.

He didn’t want to let go. He wished he could explore her entire body. His lower abdomen quivered.

Now, any further delay would surely lead to him making a mess of everything.

“Sleep well.”

A voice filled with regret echoed in the room. Leopold took his unwavering steps.

Thud.

When he left the room, the deeply affectionate look in his eyes vanished in an instant.

His face was so indifferent and cold that it could unsettle anyone who looked at it.

“No need to inform anyone.”

Leopold passed by May, who was standing outside the door. It meant not to inform anyone in the mansion that he was returning to the palace.

“Oh, and one more thing. Since I couldn’t dress her in a slip, make sure to do it when you go in.”

Having said that, he swung his jacket and descended the stairs.

May couldn’t say anything in response. She was too bewildered. The fact that the Emperor was trying to dress someone, particularly her miss, left her completely flustered. She watched his retreating figure with a blank expression before entering the room.

***

Leopold boarded the carriage that Richard had prepared outside the mansion.

‘I’m going back without saying what I really had to say.’

The reason for her visiting the Holy See. That’s what he had come to ask about today. But in the end, he didn’t ask.

Nevertheless, coming to meet Ariel allowed him to hear about her disappearance.

If he hadn’t hurried to Norca, perhaps Ariel would have returned home in Noah’s arms.

Leopold’s face hardened coldly.

‘Yet, we moved up the wedding date… and Ariel promised to come to the palace before the ceremony…’

Soon, a calmness settled over his face.

He recalled their deep conversations in the reception room. The moment he held her in his arms flashed through his mind.

He had toured Ariel’s room and could guess at her hobbies.

Despite the danger she’d been and Noah’s appearance, it wasn’t such a bad day after all.

As the carriage departed, Leopold was finally released from all tension.

‘I wonder how good Ariel is with a sword. I should try sparring with her if the opportunity comes.’

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes gently. The faint moonlight settled on his long eyelashes.

***

The next morning, Ariel woke up in bed and stretched. Her body felt sore, perhaps due to the aftermath of the previous day.

‘I must have fallen asleep while talking with His Majesty… How did I end up in my room.’

Ariel blinked her eyes as she tried to recall. But she couldn’t remember anything.

Feeling exposed, she pulled up the blanket and sat up.

She was only wearing a slip.

‘Could it be that Leopold dressed me?’

In her drowsiness, Ariel thought she heard May and Leopold conversing.

Frowning, Ariel pulled the blanket up to her chest.

“May!”

“Yes, Miss.”

May entered the room with a bright smile.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Thanks to you. But, listen…”

“Yes, please go on.”

“Did you dress me in my clothes?”

Ariel’s grip on the blanket tightened.

May looked uncomfortable, glancing away before meeting Ariel’s gaze again.

“Well, yes.”

“May, if you dressed me, you dressed me. ‘Well, yes’ isn’t an answer.”

May’s hesitant response made Ariel feel uneasy. It was a terrible feeling as if Leopold had dressed her.

Seeing Ariel’s questioning look, May nervously scratched her cheek.

‘His Majesty never said not to tell her. I guess it’s okay for me to tell the truth.’

May forced a strained smile.

“His Majesty undressed you. Fortunately, I was the one who dressed you in the slip.”

“I see. I understand.”

A sharp look from Ariel met the air. It felt unpleasant that someone had touched her body without permission while she was asleep.

Despite enjoying privileges at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy, she still couldn’t get used to such things.

“His Majesty spoke very sternly, so I was frightened. I’m sorry, Miss.”

May closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

“It’s not your fault. I just fell asleep.”

“I’m sorry, Miss.”

May’s face twisted with distress. Ariel shook her head as if she didn’t need to. Then she soon rose from the bed.

“It’s okay. I’ll go wash up.”

She had been outside all day and felt uncomfortable from not bathing the previous night. She quickly washed up in the small bathroom attached to her room.

“Will you be at home today?”

“Yes.”

May took out a negligee and helped Ariel put it on.

“I’m glad you’re back safe.”

“Oh, were you worried? Even if I had taken a sword, they were not even worth a punch…”

Ariel replied as if trembling. After meticulously buttoning up behind Ariel, May led her to the dressing table.

“It seems His Majesty really loves you. He went without hesitation.”

“…”

Ariel looked at May as she tidied her hair. A lonely smile reflected back at her from the mirror.

‘If he loves me, then what could be his reason for loving me.’

Ariel and Leopold spending the night together was not entirely unexpected. I don’t know. A sense of unease came over her, and in the end, it became suffocating.

Her mind was filled with conflicting thoughts. But soon she buried the uncomfortable emotions.

“It’s all done.”

Having finished dressing, Ariel rose from her seat and descended to the first floor. The butler Henry approached her and handed her a golden envelope.

“This is a letter sent by His Imperial Majesty.”

The envelope was sealed with wax imprinted with the Emperor’s seal. Ariel ran her finger over the seal’s imprint.

‘Why do I feel happy? Despite my intention to escape from him.’

As she opened the letter, her heart raced a little faster. It was a change that she herself did not realize.