She was caught off guard by the direct hit of a voice coming from right beside her.

She hadn’t known he was so close. Aaron was in a position where he could see her n*ked body if he just peeked his head around.

Lucilia jumped up in shock as if struck by lightning.

In that moment, the screen fluttered, creating a breeze.

A thick arm reached in and wrapped around her slender waist.

Lucilia struggled with the sole intention of not exposing her n*ked body, while Aaron exerted force to subdue her.

After resisting with all her might, her foot suddenly slipped on the water that had wet the floor.

She was aware of grabbing Aaron’s collar, but that was as far as her rational thinking went.

What dominated her senses next was the hot water that engulfed her to the top of her head and a heavy weight.

Splash—

Water rushed into her open mouth and nostrils all at once. When she stretched out her hand forcefully to get up, Aaron supported her back and lifted her.

“Cough, cough! Ugh… cough!”

She coughed as if about to expel all her internal organs, continuously rubbing her face. With each cough, the water she had swallowed in abundance leaked out through her throat.

Even while coughing desperately, her head was numb with the absurdity of the situation.

According to her memory, she definitely hadn’t fallen.

Showing him an unseemly sight once was enough.

Even though she was half out of her mind at his command to undress, she had been careful, remembering when she fell in the greenhouse.

Of course she knew the maid had spilled water on the floor.

If he had just left her alone, she wouldn’t have slipped and fallen.

It was absurd enough that he startled her from so close, but why did he suddenly pounce on her?

Indignation swirled in her bloodshot eyes.

Her gentle gaze suddenly turned sharp.

“What are you doing?”

“It was just an instinctive reaction.”

There was no malice?

Well, since he said so, she couldn’t accuse him of being a pervert.

Since he claimed he had no l*stful intentions, she had no choice but to let it go.

But what came next was the problem.

The gray eyes moved slowly.

And their final destination was, of all places…

“W-w-where are you looking?”

His large palm was still wrapped around her back.

One of Aaron’s legs was also in the tub. Right between Lucilia’s thighs.

Due to their struggle, the water in the tub rose like waves and overflowed, and as the water level lowered, her body was naturally exposed above the surface.

Right now, he was looking at her flesh, smooth and glistening with moisture. Though his expression remained unchanged, Aaron’s nape was as red as the setting sun.

“This is really too much!”

Lucilia covered her chest with an expression that suggested she might burst into tears at any moment.

Was it fortunate that his leg covered her private parts?

Should she be grateful for that in this situation?

Even as tears welled up, Aaron didn’t budge. She shrank back, afraid that his massive body might pounce cruelly like a hungry beast.

Lucilia had to bite her lip hard to keep from crying.

She was both angry and scared.

Seeing her lips trembling precariously on the verge of tears, Aaron exhaled a sigh.

“Haah… My intention was to protect you from getting hurt. Don’t misunderstand.”

“This time it wasn’t my fault.”

“I know.”

“I was just startled for a moment; I wasn’t going to fall.”

“It seems that way.”

‘Well, thank you very much!’

Even shouting wouldn’t be enough, but her throat was choked with rising tears, and no words came out.

He gripped the tub with his right hand, responded dryly, and removed his hand from her back.

“I’m wet too and need to change clothes. I’ll send up a maid to attend to you.”

Aaron closed his eyes languidly, then opened them while deliberately averting his gaze.

Why doesn’t he look into my eyes at times like this?

Is it enough to just say he’s innocent? Who knows what darkness lurks inside him?

As Aaron pulled out his long leg, water streamed down his thigh forcefully. The fabric clung to his leg, revealing the shape of his powerful muscles.

He rubbed his heated nape and walked away with heavy steps.

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and came back.

The moment his footsteps reversed, a sharp scream erupted.

“Kyaa! A-are you crazy? Don’t come near me!”

What a scoundrel!

With such lecherous thoughts, he’s been well-praised for his military achievements!

What would people say if they knew he oppressed and toyed with a fragile woman with his fierce energy?

While she was racking her small brain for ways to protect herself from Aaron, he stretched his arm beyond the screen.

“Remove the rosary around your neck, and all rings, bracelets, and earrings.”

“What?”

“I told you I would examine everything worn on your body. If you want me to collect them personally, I’ll come over again.”

“I’ll take them off, I’ll take them off right now. So stay right there!”

Lucilia resisted fiercely, waving her hands until her wrists hurt.

In her haste, her hands slipped several times while removing her earrings, and she had to forcibly tear them off. She felt that if she hesitated, she would provoke Aaron’s temper and end up being toyed with.

This felt like t*rture.

He drove her into a corner by inducing extreme tension.

Lucilia gathered all her accessories in her grip and straightened her knees.

She could only hope that the water streaming down her slick body wouldn’t stir up l*stful thoughts in the man.

After carefully withdrawing her leg to ensure her foot wouldn’t slip, she stretched her arm as far as possible without extending her body beyond the screen.

“Here.”

He took the accessories without turning around.

A somber voice came through the thin cloth.

“You cannot leave the mansion until I confirm there’s nothing suspicious.”

“I understand.”

Only then did footsteps sound again.

Only after the noise of his steps on the floor faded into the distance did Lucilia burst into the tears she had been holding back.

‘…Bastard. Cruel son of a b*tch.’

Harsh curses raged in the saint’s heart.

* * *

Bang—

The bedroom door closed irritably.

As soon as he entered his private space, cracks appeared in his expression that had been as hard as marble.

Aaron, leaning against the door, covered his face. A gloomy breath escaped involuntarily.

“D*mn it.”

A woman’s n*ked body…

While he had occasionally seen n*ked newborns in the village, this was truly his first experience of this kind.

The shock of facing a form that maximized visual stimulation didn’t easily fade.

Her flushed face and curved female body reminded him of pink daisies blooming all over a hill.

He was completely captivated by the flower buds that had bloomed lusciously, holding a pale color.

He hadn’t been close to women simply because he hadn’t felt the need, not because he practiced extreme abstinence like the clergy.

Occasionally, when knights boasted about rolling around with women, he too would fall into lewd imagination.

In any case, he prided himself on knowing his limits and skillfully controlling his emotions.

It was because of such self-discipline that he had been able to protect Tudra, and furthermore, gain the king’s trust to freely come and go from the capital.

But why had he become such a despicable person in an instant?

A human body is just a human body, so what’s different that he couldn’t come to his senses?

It was so frustrating that the back of his head ached.

Aaron held the rosary made of natural pearls in his hand and let it hang.

The pearls sparkled as they caught the light streaming into the bedroom.

Water scales reflecting sunlight, the soft glow flowing from her delicate body, the brilliant gleam created by tears.

Looking at the sparkling object before him, he again drew a picture he shouldn’t have imagined, associating it with Lucilia.

“Crazy bastard. Tsk!”

Aaron irritably threw the accessories onto the bed and swept back his hair. His head was also soaking wet from the water Lucilia had splashed when she sank into the tub.

Thinking she was falling, he had jumped in without hesitation—how startled she must have been.

What a sight, falling into the water together while trying to protect her.

He should have been skilled enough to adjust his angle and land on dry ground, yet he had fallen in with her.

Among the noble youth, Aaron possessed unparalleled skills in swordsmanship and all other disciplines. His level was so exceptionally outstanding that the gap between him and the second best was considerable.

The praise had become laughable.

“Why is this happening again.”

Aaron glared at his stiffly swollen lower region as if it were the culprit.

The fireball circulating through his veins was still fierce.

It was his own body, yet it wouldn’t obey his will.

‘This was truly infuriating!’

As his own defiance wasn’t enough, he flung the window open.

“Hoo… Hoo.”

He exhaled heated breaths, scraping the bottom of his lungs, but far from subsiding, the branches of fantasy instinctively extended toward her.

Even though it wasn’t Lucilia’s bedroom, he kept feeling as if he could hear the sounds of her bathing.

“I need to focus on something else, for goodness sake!”

Aaron roughly removed his wet clothes, then put on whatever he could grab and headed to the study.