Chapter 8

Braden, having finished washing his face, came out drying himself with a towel. He saw Adela standing at the door.

So she had black hair.

With the hood off, Adela’s face was even clearer.

Her slender face was small, and her white skin was spotless and pure.

A rounded forehead, painted-looking eyebrows, thick and long eyelashes, a prominent nose. Her lips were as red and moist as a ruby soaked in morning dew.

And her noble blue eyes, seemingly unshakable in any situation.

With such delicate and beautiful features, she was truly both objectively and subjectively beautiful and refined.

But it felt like there was more to her than that.

There was something about her that stirred and provoked him.

What was it?

Her gaze at his bare, muscular torso was indifferent.

If she were a woman obsessed with l*st, she would have been excited; if innocent, she would have blushed. But she was calm, showing no emotion.

Interesting.

Her deep blue eyes, like the ocean, met his teal eyes, like a deep forest.

Like wild beasts sizing up each other’s strength, the two stopped and stared at each other. The tension was so thick, it was hard to breathe.

She was no ordinary woman.

The energy Braden exuded would be difficult even for a trained Knight to endure. Yet she was completely unfazed.

Adela moved first, walking calmly to the sofa in the sitting area.

Braden watched her with his eyes, roughly wiping his torso with the wet towel.

“I’ll pay off your debt to Duke Shutal and make you a free man.”

Seated on the sofa, Adela got straight to the point.

Despite wanting to be his lady, she offered no flattery or social niceties to soften the atmosphere.

Her voice was businesslike and devoid of emotion, yet not stiff or overbearing, and conveyed respect. Braden found this curious gap fascinating.

No wonder Shutal was so taken with her.

Her appearance, bearing, and aura were all extraordinary. He’d never met anyone like her before.

“I have a lot of debt, Princess. It won’t be easy to pay off.”

Leaning against the bedpost, Braden spoke languidly, his voice tinged with a strange sensuality.

Even in front of royalty, his relaxed demeanor seemed almost insolent, making his formal speech sound informal.

“I have a magic stone mine of my own. No matter how expensive your price, that should suffice, shouldn’t it?”

The mountain range bordering the Edel Kingdom was rich in high-quality magic stones. A mine given to a Princess would be enough to buy a small Kingdom.

“A magic stone mine. That sounds like a dowry, but isn’t it too much just for a fling with a slave? What about your dowry later?”

Even if she were a Princess crazy for men, the scale was too large. Anyone would question her sanity.

But her clear gaze and deep-seated noble dignity showed she was not a woman crazed for men. There must be a reason.

Why did she need to make such a bet?

“It doesn’t make sense to say I’ll be you sponsor and then marry you.”

“You’re giving up on marriage?”

“That’s not something you need to worry about.”

Adela drew a firm line.

“Just from what you say, you sound like a completely crazy Princess, but you don’t look it. What do you want from me, Princess?”

“A scandal.”

Adela answered clearly, her face perfectly composed.

Just from her expression, the word ‘scandal’ seemed almost noble.

“A scandal? Hahaha.”

Braden burst out laughing at the unexpected answer.

“That won’t be hard. Before the match, just as other gladiators do with their ladies, make a vow of victory to me. If you win, dedicate your sword to me and kiss me on the lips.”

“In front of everyone?”

Braden whistled at her bold request.

Everyone knew that a gladiator was the lady’s lover. However, even so, they didn’t openly display affection in front of others.

In public, they pretended to be a dignified lady and an honorable knight.

But she wanted to break that custom?

“Yes. Afterwards, I’ll visit your residence.”

“Are you planning to sleep with me? What if you get pregnant?”

“…….”

“Don’t think I’ll drink that disgusting contraceptive potion. That alone is why I don’t want to have a lady.”

Braden glanced at the shelf in his room, where the male contraceptive potion was always kept, and frowned.

This potion was invented by Grand Mage Liber as a joke.

Its effectiveness was top-notch, but the crazy Liber never made anything normal. Its taste was so awful that men hated it.

It was only forced on male prostitutes or gladiators with lady patrons, or on nobles who couldn’t risk illegitimate children with women they didn’t trust.

“Or are you taking the contraceptive potion, Princess?”

Unlike men, women had to take the potion for at least a month. So this question was extremely rude.

Asking an unmarried woman if she was taking contraceptives was like asking if she was always ready for s*x—a question for a promiscuous woman.

He’d been purposely rude, but this steadfast Princess didn’t flinch at all.

Could anyone ever shake this Princess?

From the moment he first saw her, his curiosity began.

He thought meeting her would satisfy it, but the more they talked, the deeper his curiosity grew.

“No. You won’t have to drink that potion either. Of course, I have no intention of getting pregnant. Why would I drag a child into the affairs of adults when the child has done nothing wrong?”

Adela lowered her gaze, letting out a shallow sigh.

It wasn’t that she feared pregnancy itself, but rather pitied the child. The nickname ‘God’s Representative’ wasn’t given to her for nothing.

It wasn’t just her words; her entire being exuded a sacred aura, making her seem like a statue without any desire.

For such a woman to want a scandal… Braden found it more and more incomprehensible.

“What I want isn’t a lover, but a scandal. Acting is enough.”

“You’re giving up a magic stone mine just for an act?”

“Yes. But you’ll have to act well enough to fool everyone.”

“The reason?”

“Is there a need to know? It’ll only give you a headache. The fewer people with headaches, the better.”

“So I don’t need to know?”

Braden gave a faint smile.

“My demand is simple. When I visit your room, open the door and kiss me. Then, bring me inside. I’ll stay for a while and then leave.”

Adela glanced at the sofa she was sitting on. The sofa was wide, plush, and comfortable. Perfect for reading.

“Yes, I suppose I won’t even have to leave the sofa. A month or so should be enough, right? Then you’ll be freed from slavery.”

When she finished speaking, Braden burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

“Heh, hahahaha!”

“Is what I said that funny?”

Despite his rude attitude, she showed no sign of being offended, as if she were asking a very important question.

Ha, so even this isn’t enough to shake her.

She seemed like a cold, hard porcelain doll with no emotion.

“Yes. It’s hilarious. I heard you were a brilliant Princess, but I guess it was all reputation. You’re too naïve.”

“Naïve?”

“Look, Princess. Do you really think people will be fooled by that?”

Braden moved in close to her.

In an instant, he trapped her by placing both hands on the back of the sofa. The subtle scent of lily of the valley, mixed with her own fragrance, teased Braden’s senses.

At his action, a small crack appeared in her perfect composure. Of course, it was so slight that no one else would have noticed.

But Braden felt a thrill at her tiny reaction.

So she’s human after all.

Then, is she just hiding her true self under that perfectly trained, cold shell?

He was curious—what was it?

Braden took her by the shoulders and stood her in front of the full-length mirror. He wanted to see if he could glimpse her true self.

“Look closely, Princess. See what your face looks like right now.”

Adela looked at her face reflected in the mirror.

“It’s the face I always see.”

Rolling her eyes, Adela glanced at him through the mirror.

She couldn’t figure out his intentions.

She was only conscious of the strong presence of the man standing behind her.

Adela had never been particularly aware of gender. This was the first time she’d felt someone’s masculinity so strongly.

“Just from your face, it’s like an ice wall, isn’t it?”

“Ice wall?”

“A thick wall of ice so cold that men can’t even approach you.”

“……”

“That’s not all. It’s written all over your face—You know nothing about men. Pure, through and through. Completely white.”

Adela wondered if such things really showed on her face, staring intently at her own reflection. She’d never looked at her face this closely before.

She couldn’t tell.

Adela tilted her head slightly.

He continued.

“But do you think that face will change just by coming to my room a few times? No, it won’t.”

“I don’t think my face and a scandal have anything to do with each other.”

“Sure, at first people will be fooled. But do you think the smart ones you want to fool will be deceived? They’ll figure out it’s a lie soon enough.”

“Just as you can’t see the trace of a boat on water, there’s no way to know if a woman has slept with a man.”

“You’re wrong, Princess. I’ll show you the evidence.”