He Who Covets the Abandoned Bride - Chapter 48
But before she could gather her wits, someone opened the door to the room again. Layla stepped back in confusion, and saw Maeve standing beyond the doorway with a few servants in tow.
As if unable to utter her name in front of other people, they just stared blankly. Maeve spoke to the maids in a stiff voice, different from how she used to address Layla before.
“Bathe her, change her clothes, and inform me when it’s done.”
“Yes, Head Maid.”
So Maeve was the head maid of the Crown Prince’s Palace…
While Layla filled her mind with irrelevant thoughts, Maeve promptly left. Layla was then dragged by the maids to a narrow shower stall somewhere in the Crown Prince’s Palace to be washed.
It was embarrassing to be touched by others as a slave, not a superior, but it wasn’t unpleasant to have the shackles removed briefly and clean water sprayed on her body that hadn’t been washed for days, with her hair being shampooed.
Perhaps the maids of the Crown Prince’s Palace were being careful with their words, as they didn’t say a single thing until they brought Layla back to the small room to change her clothes.
Layla just quietly followed along.
Maybe there were other orders, but shackles were put on Layla’s wrists and ankles like before, but they weren’t connected by chains.
However, the weight was much heavier, making her arms droop and difficult to take steps. Still, Layla felt fortunate that at least the sound of iron chains clashing wasn’t heard.
Every time she heard that sound, it felt like a corner of her mind was crumbling.
The newly dressed clothes were more decent than she expected. Unlike her assumption that they would carelessly dress her in shabby attire, it was a proper dress, albeit thin.
But.
‘So revealing…’
The clothes seemed loose enough for anyone to easily open. Layla recalled what Emperor Heinkin had said in the reception room as she looked down at her precariously covered chest and the side-slit skirt that barely covered her buttocks.
Concubine.
Inside the ship, Adrian only pretended to embrace Layla, but in reality, he didn’t touch her body anywhere.
But now that he had returned to his own world, Heinkin, it might be different. He wouldn’t need to mind the eyes of others anymore.
That’s what he said as he kissed her, and warned her not to misunderstand, but maybe he didn’t touch her on the ship simply because she was dirty.
As if to prove that, the maids who dressed Layla even applied makeup to her face. Powder was patted all over her already pale face, with red tones added to her cheeks and lips.
One of the maids who had dolled up Layla went to inform Maeve, and before long, she appeared again.
Maeve, holding a lamp as it was already late at night, meticulously examined Layla’s dolled-up appearance from various angles and nodded.
“Follow me.”
Surrounded by maids, Layla walked through the spacious Crown Prince’s Palace.
They crossed a corridor illuminated by candles and stood in front of the door to a room located deep inside. Layla had never been here before, but she sensed that this was Adrian’s bedchamber.
Her mouth went dry as the door opened.
Unable to even breathe under the pressure, she waited for the inside to be revealed.
As expected, in the middle of the vast room was a large bed draped with a semi-transparent canopy. Various luxurious furnishings were arranged around, but Layla’s eyes were uniquely drawn to that one piece.
But should she consider it fortunate? Adrian wasn’t inside yet.
Maeve took the lead and entered the bedchamber, which was brightly lit as if it were daytime despite being nighttime, and designated where Layla should wait.
“Kneel here.”
Maeve never directly ordered Layla, instead controlling her through the maids.
Thus, Layla knelt in front of a small table with fresh flowers. The maid tidied Layla’s clothes nicely and stepped back. After checking the arrangement, Maeve soon closed the door and left.
How long had she been there?
The waiting time alone was rather long.
It felt like a message telling her to understand and accept her fate of being dedicated to Adrian.
The sound of several people’s footsteps began to echo from outside, and the voices of Adrian and Lilburn faintly mixed in. The sound was distant, so there were no words that could be properly understood.
Finally, the door opened, but Adrian was still looking at Lilburn.
“At this rate, you’re about to come up to my bed and nag…”
Although he turned his body in the middle of speaking.
Discovering Layla sitting on the floor inside the bedroom, Adrian stopped talking.
Soon his eyes widened.
Why are you here?
With such a gaze, he checked Layla’s face and attire, and then he slightly opened his mouth.
Quickly grasping the situation of how this happened, he swiftly turned around. And blocking Lilburn, who still didn’t know the situation inside the room, he said a word.
“Get lost now.”
Lilburn seemed momentarily confused by his sudden change in attitude after peeking into the bedroom, but soon narrowed his brows.
But fortunately, he seemed to guess the situation and quietly backed away.
“Then let’s continue our conversation tomorrow morning.”
“Whatever.”
Responding half-heartedly, Adrian even pushed Lilburn’s body away with a clumsy hand.
Blankly watching their brief bickering, the moment Adrian turned around, Layla lowered her head deeply before their gazes could meet.
“……”
For a moment, only the breathing of the two people spread in the extremely quiet room.
“…Close the door.”
As soon as Adrian’s order fell, the bedroom door closed.
Still wearing the ceremonial attire from when he entered the imperial palace, he approached with thudding footsteps from his shoe heels. Then he looked down at Layla intently. He had a slightly perplexed expression as if her presence here was a bit puzzling.
“Who brought you here?”
Was it not Adrian’s order?
Layla, who naturally thought Adrian would have made her wait, was also embarrassed by his reaction, but she answered for now.
“It was Head Maid Hereford…”
When Maeve’s name came up, Adrian sighed, pushing back his silver hair that had flowed down to his forehead. Then he grabbed Layla’s arm and lifted her up.
However, before Layla could fully stand up, he hesitated, perhaps due to the changed weight. Adrian examined Layla’s wrists and ankles, then muttered.
“This is better, though.”
Then he had Layla sit on the edge of the bed.
Due to the awkward atmosphere, Layla was avoiding Adrian’s gaze, and he asked again.
“Did Maeve prepare everything?”
“…Yes.”
“Unnecessarily.”
Layla flinched at the words that followed.
Adrian then moved away from the bed. At the end of her gaze, she saw Adrian standing in front of a full-length mirror, starting to undress himself with his own hands.
For someone who was supposed to be the Crown Prince, undressing himself was surely an unfamiliar act, but he didn’t call for an attendant separately.
‘Is it because of me?’
Or was this his usual habit? She couldn’t tell.
Watching Adrian remove the robe wrapped around his body and unfasten the clasps to detach the decorations on his clothes, Layla hesitated for a long time before opening her mouth.
“Shall I assist you with undressing?”
“……”
Adrian’s hands stopped moving.
His face reflected in the mirror was slightly stiff. Come to think of it, he had told her not to speak first. Layla shrank back, thinking she had made a mistake.
“You want to?”
A voice rang out, its emotion indiscernible.
In any case, Layla, who had received permission, barely stood near him, dragging her heavy feet. Then Adrian turned his body to face Layla.
Although his expression was still not very pleasant, when Layla’s hands approached, he leaned his body to make it easier for her to handle the ornaments.
Perhaps because it was her first time assisting someone with undressing, or because it was in front of Adrian, or maybe because her wrists were heavy, Layla’s hands trembled slightly.
Still, she unfastened the decorative cords covering the collar, belt, and other items, placing them one by one on a nearby table.
Tak, tak……
Irregular and indifferent sounds continued. In the midst of it, Adrian, who was being attended to, suddenly opened his mouth.
“Layla.”
Being called by her name, Layla felt her heart pounding for some reason.
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do you trust me?”
Layla looked up at him with questioning eyes, not knowing with what intention he was asking. Then Adrian added an explanation.
“I’m asking if I still seem like a liar to you.”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
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