“For your safety, it might be better to show some degree of our closeness.”

“…..”

It’s called closeness, but is it really appropriate to explain a man and woman staying in the same room as mere closeness?

Litania briefly considered whether she should firmly push Orbis away.

If she hadn’t known about the communication stone, she would have refused with a stern face, but knowing about it now, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

It was a diplomatic principle to hide any potential weaknesses and use even pretense if possible. Especially for Litania, who was visiting as an envoy for the first time.

After all, she didn’t have the eloquence to skillfully persuade the King of Sermo.

“I understand what Orbis is trying to say. You want to share a room to protect me, right? To show the King of Sermo that even though we’re divorced, our relationship isn’t completely severed.”

“Now you understand without misunderstanding.”

Orbis smiled quietly. It wasn’t a mocking smile, but a face of pure joy.

“But still… I need to bathe and sleep, isn’t it a bit much to be in the same room?”

“We’re divorced, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“No, because we’re divorced, it’s even more of a problem!”

“Didn’t we do this even when we were just friends?”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, they had. When Litania fell from the tower stairs and injured her shoulder, Orbis had helped her bathe in place of Snow, who was bedridden.

Saying that friends should help each other.

…Looking back now, it was an absurd thing, but at the time, she had allowed it, swept up in Orbis’s momentum.

‘Surely he’s not going to offer to help me bathe again?’

Orbis might be able to help her bathe without any ulterior motives even if he saw her naked, but for Litania, showing her naked body to a man who wasn’t her husband was beyond common sense.

Even if he was once her husband.

“Alright. We can stay in the same room. But don’t touch me without my permission.”

“Understood.”

He accepted cleanly. He didn’t show any signs of disappointment.

As always.

‘Is he really just trying to help as a friend?’

He was holed up like a recluse in the dragon castle, only painting her pictures, but now he’s this composed?

Litania found it difficult to understand Orbis’s emotions.

‘But Orbis has never broken a promise.’

He won’t peep at her bathing or force himself on her.

Litania pulled the movable partition from the dressing room and arranged it around the bathtub.

“I’m going to bathe, so don’t come close. And don’t peek inside.”

“Alright.”

His clear answer inspired confidence. Litania approached the bathtub with a slightly lighter heart and began to undo the laces of her dress at the back.

‘Oh no. I can’t take this off by myself.’

Normally, she would have worn a dress that was easy to put on and take off, but as she was visiting Sermo as the emperor’s envoy, she had put special effort into her attire. Wearing a dress with all the knots gathered at the back to enhance the silhouette, she found it impossible to remove alone.

Usually, she would have called a maid to help her undress.

‘But Orbis is in this room!’

If a maid saw her bathing next to her divorced husband in the room, they would surely find it strange.

‘But to send Orbis out…’

Perhaps because of the communication stone earlier, she couldn’t trust even the maid to be safe. Even if they didn’t threaten her with a weapon, if they were to inject a mild poison under her fingernails with a needle or thorn, she might collapse on the way back.

She couldn’t easily entrust her body to a stranger.

“Litania. Are you having trouble removing your clothes?”

“I, I told you not to look!”

“I’m not looking. I just didn’t hear the sound of you undressing, so I wondered if you were having difficulties.”

Even though the partition blocked the view, sounds could still be heard. Realizing that Orbis had been listening intently to the sound of her undressing, her ears suddenly felt hot.

‘Really, why does this man have no sense of shame?’

Litania considered telling Orbis to cover his ears too, but feeling pathetic for being the only one conscious of him, she gave up.

‘Right. Orbis has done many wrongs to me. Let’s think of this as compensation through labor.’

Litania cleared her throat and asked Orbis beyond the partition.

“Orbis. Help me undo the laces of my dress.”

“Are you allowing me to enter?”

“I’m not asking you to undress me. Just undo the laces without touching my body, then leave again.”

“As you command.”

The thick white cloth of the movable partition slid silently to the side, and a tall figure entered abruptly.

Shiny black shoes stepped on the carpet with intricate patterns.

Thud.

In one step, Orbis came close, went behind Litania, and grasped the end of the half-undone ribbon at the bottom.

Her body tensed momentarily at the warmth of the man felt through the fabric.

“I’m going to undo it.”

“…Okay.”

Litania gathered her fallen hair to the front, entrusting her back to Orbis.

Rustle, rustle. The sound of silk fabric brushing could be heard.

Litania narrowed her eyes and focused on the sensation felt from behind.

Large hands. Long fingers. The image of smooth and elegant fingertips without a single callus pulling on the thin silk ribbons to undo the knots was vividly clear even without seeing.

‘Orbis has only undressed me once before, so why does it feel so familiar?’

There shouldn’t be any memories left from before the regression that he had erased.

It took less than a few minutes for Orbis to undo the black dress that had required three maids to put on before departing from the imperial palace.

“Orbis, you’re skilled at undressing.”

“It’s easier to undo knots than to tie them.”

Easier to undo than to tie.

Is that really true?

The two had gone on a farewell trip to tie the knot of their relationship that had only caused each other pain.

Officially, they were visiting a neighboring country as envoys on the emperor’s special order, but for Orbis and Litania, it was also their first trip together.

That’s why there were no other envoys besides her.

“It’s all undone.”

The fingers that lightly brushed the back of her neck moved away. A shallow sigh escaped as her chest felt a twinge.

As the dress opened, a cool breeze touched her skin. Litania clenched her hands tightly, trying to suppress the slight goosebumps.

Sermo was much further south than Veriveribium and was warmer even in winter, but winter was still winter.

Her back felt so cold that she almost missed the brief warmth she had felt.

“Thank you, Orbis. You can go out now.”

Orbis briefly replied that he understood and quickly moved away. The sound of white cloth fluttering and settling back down was heard.

Litania turned her head slightly to look behind.

Because Orbis was so tall, she could see his head protruding above the partition.

He was turned around, as if trying to keep his promise.

‘What was Orbis thinking while undressing me?’

He probably had never served anyone before. He had only been doing troublesome things for her because she was his bride.

Now that she wasn’t his bride, what thoughts was he having about her?

Litania removed even her underwear and entered the bathtub. The water was warm, and she noticed a magic stone embedded inside the tub. It seemed to be maintaining the water temperature.

“It’s winter outside, but it’s warm in here.”

“Sermo has many deserts, but the capital is along a large river. They developed a bathing culture early on.”

“Have you bathed here before, Orbis?”

“No.”

That was unexpected. He had lived for so long, but had never traveled to another country?

“I guess we never went on a honeymoon or anything like that before?”

“You weren’t curious about other countries.”

Even if she had been, she wouldn’t have been able to bring it up to Orbis. Litania gave a bitter smile.

“I wasn’t particularly curious about other countries either. But now that we’re here, it’s nice.”

“I’m glad.”

“I hope you like it too, Orbis.”

“…..”

“This is an experience we’ve never had before, right?”

Litania leaned her head against the warm, jet-black natural stone and slowly raised her legs.

The sound of water splashing was heard.

She kicked her feet as if playing in the water, then flipped over and submerged, then rose again and stepped out of the tub.

Orbis was still standing in the same position, turned away.

Litania put on a robe and slipped out between the partitions.

As she approached Orbis, he took a step back.

As if deliberately turning his back on her.

“Orbis?”

“If you’ve finished bathing, it would be best to sleep now.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t need sleep to function, so…”

In the past, he wanted to imitate humans and would casually undress next to her, but now he’s making excuses.

Yet somehow, it felt endearing.

Because she could see his ears turning red as he tried hard to avoid her gaze.

‘He used to treat me so plainly before.’

When they were married, he hid his feelings so well, but after parting, that mask crumbled.

It’s truly ironic.

“Orbis.”

“Yes, Litania?”

“Do you want to sleep together?”