The Missing Prince.

Calcus Trascan.

The First Prince, son of the First Empress.

Despite being the First Prince, second in line after the Crown Prince born to the Empress, he was a prince who left the palace at a young age and disappeared, withdrawing early from the struggle for succession.

The First Empress still lived in the palace, based on the Emperor’s affection, but she sent her son out of the palace early on.

Without giving him any official position or wealth other than his status as a prince.

Though she was the woman most loved by the Emperor, she was a commoner, not even a noble, and thus lacked the power to protect her child in the power struggle.

Therefore, it was a choice that clearly prioritized her son’s life over the possibility of him succeeding to power.

To erase his presence so that he wouldn’t be seen as a threat to anyone in the life-or-death struggle for the throne, thus eliminating the possibility of his life being threatened.

As a result, currently in the palace, the Second Prince, who was next in line, was engaged in a fierce succession dispute with the Crown Prince.

Probably, if there were no special variables, Calcus Trascan would be able to preserve his life by hiding, as the First Empress intended.

It’s curious.

Tacan, Trascan.

Even the sound of the surnames was subtly similar.

Come to think of it, wasn’t the First Empress’s hometown near Voergen?

Anyway, this Calcus Tacan was said to be very close to Clyne Liden.

Considering he even received a joint guarantee from the lord to vouch for him.

Now that I think about it, this is strange too.

Why would the Lord of Voergen provide a joint guarantee for a servant? Just to allow an acquaintance of a servant to receive an advance payment, why would the lord go to such lengths?

Perhaps this Calcus Tacan could really be the missing prince?

The more I looked at the documents, the more unsettling details there were. All of Clyne Liden’s information was suspicious, and even the guarantor was not normal.

Clyne Liden, just what is your true identity?

The suspicion that started from Clyne Liden’s relationship with the woman he had imprinted was gradually growing into a suspicion about the very existence of Clyne Liden.

To the extent that I thought I should uncover the lies one by one, even if it meant enduring some trouble.

Of course, this conclusion came from the realization and reflection that, as the head of the family, I had been too indifferent to internal family matters while the mistress was absent.

It’s certainly not out of interest in one mere attendant.

“What did you say, Duke?”

Chloe had to ask again, wondering if she had misheard the Duke’s words.

“Attend to my bath.”

“Bath?”

Chloe couldn’t help but question in bewilderment. To be asked to attend to his bath, something he had never requested before?

“I’ve been thinking, you’ve dared to deceive me and yet you’re still holding the position of an attendant.”

“……”

It was true. By now, there were so many deceptions that it was unclear which one to refute first.

“Shouldn’t you at least do your job diligently then?”

“And that job is attending to your bath, Duke?”

“For now.”

For now? Does that mean there’s more to come?

But now wasn’t the time to worry about future tasks.

She had to deal with the immediate task of attending to his bath first.

Attending to a bath meant literally serving while he bathed… And bathing is done naked…

Chloe blinked her eyes at the image that flashed through her mind like lightning.

Don’t think about it!

This was truly unacceptable.

Just recalling the Duke’s naked body she had seen that day was enough to make her face flush hot, and now she was being asked to see it again.

Moreover, that day it was dark. But attending to a bath would be in full light…

No! Absolutely not!

“Um, Duke. I don’t think I’m suitable for attending to your bath.”

Duke, I’m not a man. I don’t have the confidence to attend to your bath. I’m a woman!

“Are you saying that an attendant is not suitable for attending to their master? Then what are you suitable for?”

She had no response to that. It was common for attendants to serve during baths, after all.

“As someone who admires you, Duke, I feel that seeing your naked body might make me feel strange somehow.”

Though she didn’t actually admire him, the part about feeling strange was 100% sincere.

“Should I consider the feelings of an attendant?”

Oh, you bad Duke.

You weren’t like this before.

You weren’t the kind of master who ignored your servant’s words and did as you pleased, nor the kind who ordered bath attendance.

You were the kind of master who did everything by yourself.

“Well, of course, I don’t mind, but wouldn’t you find my gaze uncomfortable, Duke?”

A male servant says he likes you, wouldn’t that make you uncomfortable?

“Not particularly.”

Then why have you kept your distance from both men and women as if they were germs until now!

She felt like grabbing his collar and demanding answers.

“You’ve always done it alone until now, Duke. Why do you suddenly say you need attendance?”

“Until now, it was comfortable doing it alone, but I thought about it, and it seems my attendant has become too comfortable because of me?”

Goodness.

His personality had definitely changed.

To say he didn’t like seeing his servant idle and would assign a task he didn’t even like.

“Duke, didn’t you dislike having someone attend to your bath?”

“Well? I’d have to have experienced it to say.”

Chloe could only bite her lip without giving any reply.

In truth, when she started the job as an attendant, she wasn’t unprepared for something like this.

She knew well in her head that she had to put aside the way she had lived until now, become someone’s servant, and act like a servant. Whatever task was assigned to her.

However, the awkwardness when she first started the job was beyond imagination.

‘Master.’

It was a word she had never once thought of using to refer to another person while growing up.

Even though Mother raised the siblings without any interaction with people in the forest, she always emphasized, ‘Don’t bow to anyone. You are your own masters.’

Because of this, when my brother said he would work at the Duke’s house, she strongly opposed it. Nevertheless, she didn’t forcefully break my brother’s will.

Saying, ‘You are also the master of your own life.’

By fortune, the Duke was not a master who made his servants feel humiliated.

Even bathing assistance was not an excessive demand and was something a master could naturally request. He just hadn’t asked for it until now.

However, her own special circumstances made this natural request feel excessive.

“Get ready. Ah! And you seem to wear too many layers. When assisting with bathing, it would be better to dress more simply. To avoid getting your clothes all wet and making the carpet damp, that is.”

“……!”

“Come back adequately undressed.”

Regardless of her inner conflict, the Duke was calmly giving advice.

Startlingly so.

Come undressed, he says.

Chloe unconsciously crossed her arms in front of her chest to cover her body.

Forgetting the fact that she was fully clothed right now.

“You, what are you doing?”

“Ah! It’s nothing. Then I’ll go prepare.”

Chloe hurriedly lowered her arms and left the Duke’s office with a dazed expression.

This was really serious.

As the Duke said, she couldn’t assist with bathing while wearing layers up to a jacket.

But she couldn’t undress either.

A shirt under the jacket, another shirt under that, underwear under that, and more underwear under that. So many layers.

Just how much should she take off to avoid revealing her body’s curves.

Since that night’s mistake, every moment in the Duke’s residence had been a crisis, but this was the first time she felt like she might be stripped bare.

Chloe was waiting with her head bowed low, a few steps away from the bathtub, just waiting for the Duke to get in.

Thud, thud, clank.

The sound of the Duke’s clothes falling to the floor could be heard.

She knew she should help him undress, and also that she should receive and fold the removed clothes.

But she didn’t dare approach the Duke, so she endured without even raising her head.

Fortunately, the Duke didn’t seem to mind whether his clothes fell to the floor or not, as he said nothing.

Finally, when the sound of clothes falling stopped, there was a splash as the Duke seemed to enter the bathtub.

“Ugh! Why did you put in so much bath powder?”

At the Duke’s words, Chloe cautiously raised her head at last.

Before the Duke came to the bathroom, she had poured in a whole bottle of bath powder. Only then would the Duke’s body submerged under the bubbles floating in the bathtub not be visible.

Indeed, only bubbles floating on the water could be seen.

“I heard it’s good for fatigue recovery, so I put in a lot. Would you like me to wash your hair while you lean back and rest?”

The Duke looked Chloe up and down.

“Dressed like that? With your shirt and pants, if you wash my hair dressed like that, all your clothes will get wet.”

“I’ll roll up my sleeves and pant legs. Don’t worry.”

Chloe thought it couldn’t be helped if her clothes got a bit wet, so she came wearing everything except her jacket. For a woman in men’s disguise, layered clothes were like armor for a soldier going to war.

Chloe started rolling up her sleeves.

The Duke was staring at her intently. Uncomfortable under his gaze, Chloe subtly turned her body.

But soon she regretted turning unnecessarily.

As she rolled her pants up above her calves with her back to the Duke, this position made her even more self-conscious.

It feels like I’m sticking my bottom out at the Duke.

This is embarrassing, so embarrassing.

In the end, she slightly turned her body again to face the Duke as she rolled up the pants on her other leg.

Why is he really acting like that?

Incredibly, the Duke kept watching her. Openly and blatantly.

Even though she had only rolled up her clothes to her elbows and knees, revealing arms and legs not usually seen, with the Duke staring so intently like that, it felt as if she were completely naked.

“Aren’t you hot?”

The Duke asked, brushing back the hair that had fallen onto his forehead, perhaps due to the hazy steam filling the room.

Whether it was because of the air heated by the hot water, or the humid air.

The Duke’s languid motion looked terribly sensual.