6. I Got a Good Look Back Then.

Evelyn’s gaze drifted unconsciously toward Rashid in the bathtub.

Drip, drip.

Droplets of water fell from Rashid’s muscular body.

‘He’s not just sculpted in the face…’

She had never noticed it before because he always kept himself covered, but Rashid’s body was just as sculpted and beautiful as his face.

A broad, solid torso and well-developed trapezius muscles.

Arms firm with muscle and a perfectly shaped, hard chest.

A sleek abdomen clearly showing the defined split of muscle on each side.

A tightly cinched waist revealing the iliac line, and long legs that stretched down beneath it.

Whoosh…

Every time he exhaled, the muscles in his upper body moved with rhythmic precision.

His wet, muscular body shimmered translucently.

The only saving grace was that the edge of the tub blocked the view of his lower half.

‘This is unreal.’

Evelyn couldn’t help but be impressed.

She’d assumed Rashid was on the smaller side for his height because his slim clothes gave that impression—but that had been a complete misunderstanding.

‘It was his face that was deceptive.’

A doll-like, handsome face paired with a body that looked like a lethal weapon.

The contrast was almost absurd.

As Evelyn stared blankly at Rashid’s wet body, her eyes suddenly caught on a mark etched across his strong upper torso.

A faint scar stood out clearly on his left chest—right where his heart would be.

“Curtain.”

It was Rashid’s voice from within the bathtub that broke the long silence.

Fixing his cool, glowing blue eyes on Evelyn, he spoke again.

“Draw the curtain, Lady Evelyn Berge.”

His voice was flat and detached, like he was giving a work order.

Only then did Evelyn snap out of it.

‘Ugh.’

She hadn’t meant to, but she had just committed a massive act of disrespect.

To be fair, she had been in such a hurry she forgot to even knock.

Swoosh!

Evelyn hurriedly reached up and yanked the cord hanging from the ceiling.

With a loud swish, the silk curtain slid shut, separating the space.

Just before the curtain covered the bathtub, she could’ve sworn she saw the nape of Rashid’s neck turn red.

‘Must’ve been my imagination.’

Splash.

A loud splash of water echoed from behind the curtain.

Then came—

“Do you have no sense of caution at all? What were you thinking, barging in while I’m bathing?”

Rashid’s irritable voice followed.

He wasn’t calling her Lady Berge or you in his usual, haughty tone.

Instead, he referred to her as you—casual, blunt. Just like he had when they were children.

“I apologize, Lord Rashid.”

Evelyn instinctively bowed her head in apology, though she couldn’t help but feel indignant.

‘It was an accident. Who in their right mind would want to see you n*ked?’

Though she wanted to shout, Evelyn kept her voice composed.

“I acted rudely without meaning to, Lord Rashid. But fortunately, I didn’t see anything below the waist, so you needn’t worry.”

“…”

Honestly, wasn’t it his fault for still bathing in the bedroom instead of installing a proper bathroom like other nobles?

It was a trend for a reason!

“Why did Veronica even let you in…”

A muttered grumble came from behind the curtain.

Then came a long silence.

Evelyn grew increasingly anxious.

She had to get these documents reviewed quickly—that was the whole reason she came to the bedroom in the first place.

“Lord Rashid. I’m sorry, but this—”

“Towel.”

Rashid cut her off brusquely.

“Pardon?”

“There’s a bath towel near you. Hand it over.”

It seemed he was about to get out of the tub.

Understandable, but Evelyn hastily tried to stop him.

“It’s fine, Lord Rashid! If you’ll just take a moment to look at these documents, you can go back to relaxing in your bath afterward!”

“Documents?”

“A telegram arrived from Borten. It seems the mayor has finally changed his mind.”

“…”

“He’s made a few proposals. If you review and approve them, I can send our reply right away.”

“You barged in… just for that?”

A dumbfounded voice came from behind the curtain.

But Evelyn was just as incredulous.

Port Borten development project was the one Rashid had been most invested in for the past few months.

He’d been pestering her about whether the mayor had replied multiple times a day—and now he was acting indifferent?

“Would you like to review them now?”

“…Towel first. Then the documents.”

Following her employer’s orders, Evelyn quickly turned her head.

On a shelf near the wall, towels that the maid had neatly arranged came into view.

Evelyn hurriedly grabbed one.

Then, through the thick curtain, a wet hand emerged.

A large wrist, dripping with water, and long, slender fingers.

‘It’s about 1.5 times bigger than my hand.’

As Evelyn handed the towel to that large hand, Rashid quickly pulled it back.

“The documents.”

This time, a dry, clean hand reached out.

Evelyn immediately passed the documents to him.

Splash, splash.

The sound of water continued from behind the curtain.

It seemed he was reviewing the documents while still in the tub.

A long silence followed.

As it stretched on longer than she expected, Evelyn leaned against the wall and lightly tapped her heel against it.

‘Ugh, so boring.’

Growing restless, Evelyn spoke up again.

“To summarize, the mayor of Borten has asked to reduce the exclusivity period from twenty years to ten.”

“Ten years? That’s shameless.”

“I thought so too.”

In exchange for building new docking facilities at Port Borten, Rashid’s company had demanded twenty years of exclusive rights.

At first glance, it might seem like an excessive demand, but considering the astronomical construction costs, it wasn’t unreasonable.

“If they’re negotiating between ten and twenty years, then fifteen sounds like a good middle ground.”

“Do you think so too, Lady Evelyn?”

“Yes. The central railway is scheduled to be completed the year after next. If we calculate based on that, we’d recoup the construction costs in about ten years.”

“Hmm.”

“And with the remaining five years, we could gain a solid profit on the investment.”

“That’s a reasonable calculation.”

If a railway line extended to Port Borten, most of the empire’s logistics would naturally follow that route.

The ongoing central railway project was being led by Bris Company, under contract.

Control over logistics and trade routes—this was exactly what Rashid and Bris Company were after.

“What if we propose a fifteen-year exclusivity period, and add one more condition?”

“What condition?”

“That at least half of the workers hired during the construction period be Borten residents. I think the mayor would love that.”

“…That’s a solid idea.”

Stable employment opportunities for citizens were every local official’s dream.

Evelyn was confident that this condition would be even more appealing than reducing the exclusivity period.

Rustle.

Once again, Rashid’s hand emerged from between the curtain folds, holding the documents.

Evelyn quickly took them and checked the contents.

Somehow, not a single drop of water had touched the papers.

Rashid had written detailed responses to each of the mayor’s suggestions, then signed at the bottom in elegant handwriting:

Rashid Egenhart.

Evelyn stared for a moment at the now-familiar signature, then spoke toward the curtain again.

“Then I’ll send the telegram to Borten as is. I’ll visit the post office myself.”

“Good. I’m counting on you, Lady Evelyn.”

Rashid’s voice from behind the curtain sounded just like his usual self.

It seemed he had regained his composure.

Or rather—gone beyond that.

“Having a capable secretary really pays off. If only she didn’t barge in while I’m bathing, she’d be perfect.”

‘A joke now, really?’

Evelyn stood before the curtain with the documents secured.

“Are you seriously still thinking about that?”

“…?”

“Just so you know, there’s no need. I used to help Alto with his baths all the time.”

Suddenly, a loud splash erupted from behind the curtain.

Did he just slip in the tub?

“…When was that?”

Rashid’s voice came through clenched teeth.

“Until Alto was ten. So about seven years ago?”

“Bringing up something from that far back…”

Muttering followed by a quiet sigh.

‘What’s with him now?’

“Besides, I’ve already seen your upper body before, Lord Rashid.”

“…When?”

“You and I learned to swim with Adelio, remember? I got a good look back then.”

“G-Got a good look…”

The biggest perk of being chosen as the Duke of Egenhart’s childhood companion was the high-quality education.

Adelio and Evelyn studied alongside Rashid under the empire’s best tutors.

Not only in theoretical subjects like languages, science, math, and philosophy, but also in the arts—painting, vocal music, and even swimming.

‘Just that alone made it a deal I never regretted.’

Thanks to that, Evelyn consistently achieved top grades at the academy.

“…I see.”

A weary voice came from behind the curtain.

Now seemed like a good time for Evelyn to ask the question that had been on her mind since earlier.

“Lord Rashid, if it’s not too rude, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Just to be clear, I only saw it for the briefest moment, so please don’t misunderstand.”

“…”

Evelyn paused, staring at the silk curtain.

She carefully composed her thoughts and chose her words with care. Then, finally, she asked with quiet resolve:

“That scar on your chest… when did you get it?”