Chapter 1: Young Maid (Part 5)

A strange mood arose among the maids who witnessed the day’s events. Whereas before they had been busy vilifying Lizbeth with all sorts of derogatory words and criticisms, but now they avoided her like an uncomfortable presence. If they happened to spot her, they would exchange glances and quickly turn in the opposite direction. Lizbeth could guess why they found her troublesome. It seemed as if they misunderstood her relationship with Bieren and thought of her as his lover, but there was no way to correct them. She couldn’t speak first about something no one had asked.

“Did she learn how to flirt with that innocent face?”

“Maybe she tempted him with her big bosom, like a cow.”

Lizbeth hid behind a wall when she heard the gathered maids gossiping. Everywhere she went, they talked about Bieren and cursed her, but she found herself in a state of bliss. She can’t stop thinking about how she sat soaking wet by the stream, how he reached out with his big hand and touched her ankle, how he picked her up and carried her away. It seemed like a dream to be in the arms of a man to whom she had only needed to say hello. She had never been so happy.

“Lizbeth, today you will clean the young master’s bedroom.”

Some of the maids glanced at Lizbeth upon hearing the housekeeper’s words. Despite knowing the meaning behind those looks, the elderly housekeeper didn’t correct the instructions. Lizbeth entered Bieren’s room to clean, only to find her master occupying the space again.

“I’m here to clean up.”

Bieren showed no intention of leaving again. Lizbeth, observing him reading comfortably on the bed, opened the window. Since the misunderstanding of being his lover, no one had dared to take away her mop and bucket. As Lizbet swept the floor, she noticed her handkerchief on the bedside table next to his bed. 

Why was it there? 

 Lizbeth leaned over, wondering if she had seen it wrong. It was indeed hers.

‘Hand me the handkerchief.’

It was the handkerchief she had handed to him by the stream that day. It had been given by the Duchess, so she had cherished it, but it now appeared worn and frayed. Lizbeth pondered the questions swirling in her mind as she cleaned the floor, unconsciously edging closer to him.

“Come and sit.”

Eventually, Bieren said to Lizbeth, who had been hovering around him. Naturally, Lizbeth knelt down and sat on the mat in front of Bieren’s bed. He held out the book he was reading as if he wanted her to see it.

“If you want to read, there’s no need to sneak a peek. Recite.” 

Although she just wanted to strike up a conversation with Bieren who was reading, she ended up receiving the thick history book he was reading, much to her confusion. Bieren reclined comfortably against the headboard as if expecting her recitation. Feeling his gaze on her like pressure, she lowered her head and started reading aloud.

“In the kingdom of Leryanne, as part of its diplomatic policy, it has pursued marriages with neighboring countries. In order to foster diplomatic prosperity between the two kingdoms, public intercourse was demanded at places where royal officials, guests, and servants were present.”

Lizbeth halted her recitation after just two sentences. 

Intercourse. 

She doubted if it meant what she knew. She became flustered and turned to Bieren with a puzzled look on her face.

“I, I have a question.”

“Speak.”

“Does intercourse also have a political meaning?”

“Here, it means s*xual intercourse between a man and a woman. Since bearing royal offspring is a major event for the royal family, everyone hoped to witness them engaging in intercourse.”

Bieren replied lazily, looking at Lizbeth with a languid expression from his sunken position on the leather headboard. 

Public intercourse.

The thought of families, servants, and strangers witnessing such acts made her face flush red. Even after reaching adulthood, Lizbeth had never read a book discussing s*xual relations between men and women. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about it.

“It’s impossible to have proper intercourse in front of everyone. On the other hand, no one has seen intercourse with a concubine.”

“……”

“The reason there are many royal bastards is that, unlike legitimate wives, concubines can engage in passionate intercourse.”

Bieren continued to explain casually as if he were a teacher elaborating on a student’s question. The more he explained, the more flushed Lizbeth’s face became. She couldn’t even properly hear the words about concubines or legitimate wives. The fact that she couldn’t comprehend such discussions as an adult made her feel even more ashamed. He looked at Lizbeth’s face and spoke.

“Your face is as red as a ripe fruit.”

She blushed uncontrollably as he pointed out the redness of her face. She felt as if she could be chastised for thinking so sternly of the royal family. It seemed that whenever she stood in front of him, she could only be seen as indulging in promiscuity and lasciviousness. Moreover, this was his bedroom.

“I… I can’t read anymore.”

Lizbeth pleaded, almost on the verge of tears. It seemed like her master, who was looking at her mischievously, wouldn’t let her go. Bieren slowly scanned Lizbeth with a cold gaze and said.

“It might be difficult to do it publicly. Imagine all the men who would see your face and they might have various thoughts…”

They might just have thoughts or something more. Perhaps I’m just restless for not being able to covet her yet. 

Just the thought of a stranger’s touch on Lizbeth’s fair skin made him uncomfortable. 

How dare he. 

Lizbeth was nothing more than a mere maid, never to become the main wife, but Bieren couldn’t help but think about the tales of Leryanne’s kingdom.

Bieren couldn’t understand why he was thinking of Lizbeth as nobility when she was just a mere servant girl. 

Isn’t she just an object of lust?

It was ridiculous for a noble to imagine falling in love with a servant girl and even considering marriage. 

So this had to be just lust. 

Lizbeth, unable to comprehend his words, blinked and asked.

“… Pardon?”

He knew how this innocent-looking maid would blush at the sight of him. She would hide when she saw him, but she would always stare at him as he walked down the street, and it bothered him that she was watching him from behind. On days when Lizbeth didn’t see him, he would deliberately make her come to him the next day. Today, Lizbeth came to clean his room, because he had ordered it.

The day would be incomplete without a maid who blushed at the sight of him, but that didn’t mean it was love. He thought love had to be like his father, who couldn’t let go even though he knew his wife was having an affair with another man. Love had to be to the extent where a nobleman fell madly in love with his maid and married her. 

So this couldn’t be love. 

Bieren tried to imagine Lizbeth kneeling at the foot of his bed, her head buried between his legs. He imagined her emerald eyes gazing up at him, mouthing something too big for her mouth to contain. Then, he grew excited. Even though he couldn’t be certain of her purity, his lust was clear.

“Well, you can leave now.”

Bieren gritted his teeth until his jaw clenched, then spoke with a deep voice. As she left, she could feel Bieren’s sigh behind her. She was about to turn around but remembered the white l*quid dripping into the stream where she looked down. 

What was that? 

Remembering the rough breath the man poured over her head, she regretted not seeing his expression. She was curious about anything related to Bieren.

Like why he still had her handkerchief, the one he’d taken from the stream.