Chapter 11

Selma headed toward the storage room behind the kitchen. The firewood and ingredients needed for the day had already been brought into the kitchen, so no one was around. As she made her way from the kitchen to the storage room, the early winter chill crept through her chemise. The woman shivered slightly as the cold seeped into her sweat-dampened body.  

“Why didn’t you come back down last night?”  

“Well, that is…”  

“Don’t tell me… you served that nobleman?”  

At Selma’s low question, the woman nodded slowly. Admitting her indiscretion was undeniably embarrassing.  

“You’re out of your mind!”  

Selma’s sharp voice echoed in the storage room. Though she tried to keep her voice low out of concern for being overheard, it carried a strong note of reproach.  

Why? Was this something to be scolded for?  

The woman, who had worked at the inn since childhood, had no friends with whom to share the intimate details of her life. However, she knew that sometimes maids would enter the rooms of mercenaries. She was also aware that the village youths would often couple in various ways. As she tilted her head in confusion, her shoulders instinctively hunched.  

“You should’ve said, ‘Even if you paid me a fortune, I won’t do it!’”  

“But… wasn’t it bound to happen someday?”  

Her head tilted slightly, her expression filled with genuine curiosity.  

Perhaps it was because she had worked for Selma since she was young, but Selma was the closest thing to a parental figure she had. Most of the things she considered right or wrong came from Selma’s guidance. However, when it came to matters of intimacy between men and women, Selma had never taught her anything. Such things were simply not meant to happen to a child under Selma’s care.  

Selma brushed the woman’s platinum hair away from her forehead and cupped her cheeks. With her hair pushed back, her large violet eyes gleamed with innocent curiosity beneath her smooth forehead. Her cheeks, flushed red from the winter cold, looked almost endearing.  

What am I supposed to do with this girl…  

“Child, do you know how much I begged your grandmother to take care of you?”  

“I’m an adult now, Selma.”  

“Shh.”  

Selma put on a stern expression.  

“Listen, girl. You know what crazy things the old folks in the village say about you, don’t you?”  

“…”  

“Even if it’s not the Lord’s third son, do you know how desperate they are to marry you off to someone who could benefit Oedel?”  

The woman slowly lowered her gaze. Though Selma’s words were filled with affection, to her, they felt like nagging.  

No matter how much Selma had made her grow out her bangs and dress plainly, there was no way the girl’s beauty could remain unnoticed in this small village. The only reason she had been able to grow up unharmed as an orphan who had lost her grandmother early on was due to the goodwill of the villagers.  

That goodwill stemmed from her extraordinary beauty, rare in such a rural place. The pretty child had grown into a beautiful young woman, and the most beautiful girl in the village had become a shared hope for the villagers’ future.  

The village elders had already reached a consensus: they would use the village’s most beautiful girl to form a connection with someone of high status in Eldorff’s main estate, thereby improving the village’s prosperity. The Earl’s third son, a widowed lord from another territory, an aging merchant who occasionally passed through the village, a baron from Eldorff’s retinue—names of wealthy and powerful men circulated among the village elders.  

Thanks to this unsettling arrangement, the beautiful orphan had been protected by the village as she grew up.  

Selma had taken the woman in as a maid at her inn for similar reasons. While it wasn’t to treat her as a prized commodity for the village’s benefit, it was to protect her from unseemly gazes. Working at the large inn in the village center, where everyone could see her, ensured her safety.  

But such circumstances were difficult for a young woman, just twenty years old, to fully grasp.  

“I understand… but when will I ever meet someone like him again in my life?”  

Her voice, filled with uncertainty, grew quieter as she spoke. Her hands, clasped in front of her, tightened.  

“Oh, you silly girl.”  

Selma let out a long sigh. In the midst of her busy life, she had forgotten just how naive and sheltered this girl had grown up to be.  

That knight was indeed impressive. As the son of Montferdia, a founding noble, and a close aide to the First Princess, his status was extraordinary. If not for his lofty position, every woman in Oedel would have been eager to offer themselves to him. Even Selma, ten years younger, might have joked similarly with her peers.  

But regardless, he was destined to return to the royal capital. As the innkeeper of a village frequented more by travelers than residents, Selma knew better than anyone the lives of those left behind. While he was present, no one would dare harm the woman. But once he left, she would become “that kind of girl” in the eyes of the village.  

“For now, let’s say you were scolded by him so badly that you spent the night in my room.”  

“…Okay.”  

“I’m saying this because I don’t know what your roommates might be imagining.”  

Even after Selma’s explanation, the woman’s expression still held a question mark. Selma sighed again, realizing the girl had no idea how much the village elders had invested in her.  

‘Did I make a mistake by not teaching her anything, just to avoid being like them?’  

As Selma let out another deep sigh and lowered her gaze, her eyes caught something.  

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake.’  

Beneath the woman’s chemise neckline, faint bruises and marks—evidence of last night—peeked through.  

‘If he knew it was her first time, he could’ve at least been gentler. Nobles, whether they’re lords’ sons or royal knights, are all the same, damn it.’  

Inwardly cursing the nobleman’s handsome face, Selma gritted her teeth.  

“For today, don’t work. Just rest.”  

“What? No, no, Selma, I’m fine.”  

The woman panicked, thinking she was being reprimanded and removed from her duties.  

Honestly, this innocent girl… She’s grown up in body but knows nothing of the world.  

Selma removed the shawl she was wearing and tightly wrapped it around the woman’s shoulders, securing it under her chin. She made sure no skin below her face was visible.  

“Listen carefully, child. What happened with the knight must remain an absolute secret.”  

“…Okay.”  

“There are too many fools in this world who value a woman without experience more than others. If they find out about this, every man in the village will lose his mind.”  

“What?”  

“It’s a terrible reality, but it’s the truth.”  

Selma’s lips, painted with dark red lipstick, twisted in distaste.  

The woman, not understanding at all, murmured in response.  

“Wouldn’t they be less interested if they knew? If it’s that important…”  

“Oh, you really don’t get it.”  

Damn him. That bastard. Acting so dignified while seducing someone so naive…  

“That’s not how it works.” 

Selma said, tying the shawl even tighter.  

“For now, you’re sick today. Go to my room, wash up, and rest. I’ll prepare bathwater for you. If anyone comes, pull the blanket over your head and pretend to be unwell.”  

“…Okay.”  

The woman nodded, still looking confused.  

“But… the knight didn’t get to wash last night either…”  

“He’ll handle himself. Now go upstairs!”  

Even now, she worried about the knight.  

She may have given her body, but hopefully not her heart.  

Selma swallowed her concerns and pushed the woman out of the storage room.  

***

Selma was clearly angry. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have prepared a bath for the woman in a tub that usually cost five gold coins per night to use alone.  

The woman stepped into the tub with extreme caution. A sharp yet earthy scent rose from the water, likely from the dried herbs and medicinal plants generously added to it. Submerging her body in the warm water for the first time in her life, she felt overwhelmed with gratitude.  

‘What luxury this is.’  

Yesterday, she had shared an intimate moment with a nobleman so famous that even the remotest villages knew his name. And today…  

‘Can I really stay here and not go back down?’  

Truthfully, Selma’s kindness brought tears to her eyes. Although she was used to working and had always done what was expected of her, every muscle in her body now ached with a sharp pain that made its presence known.  

Ah, how utterly relaxing.  

Perhaps it was because she had been so tense, or because she had been swept up in sensations she had never known, or simply because everything had been a first for her. Despite the fact that she hadn’t actually slept less than usual, a deep exhaustion seemed to seep into her pores, carried by the steam, melting her body entirely.  

I mustn’t fall asleep.  

‘I need to savor this luxury for as long as I can.’  

The bath was so luxurious that she instinctively curled her body into a small shape, as though drawing a line for herself.  

Her knees peeked out from the water, cooling slightly in the air. Even that coolness felt like a luxury. The woman unwrapped her arms from around her knees and lifted them out of the water. As the droplets fell, they made a soft splashing sound, and goosebumps rose on her arms. Despite Selma having lit a fire in the hearth, the water was so warm that she could feel the coolness of the air inside the room.