Recognizing the man’s clear expression of not needing help, Sharti chuckled silently to herself.
‘No wound has reopened, huh.’
Given that he was already bare-chested and his shorts had shortened to the point of revealing his wounds, Sharti had already completed her assessment of his injuries.
His abdominal and thigh wounds were slightly open.
‘Of course, they would be, after running that fast, especially carrying me.’
Fortunately, there was no problem with him soaking in Sharti’s special herbal bath.
‘I wanted to help him bathe out of gratitude and apology.’
It was her considerate way of thinking, especially since he might not remember how to bathe.
‘Look at him hesitating like that.’
Sharti shook her head as she watched the man standing stiffly, not entering the bathtub. Clearly, he needed her help.
Sharti rolled up her sleeves.
‘I’ll start with his back.’
Since he was showing his back, it was a perfect opportunity for her to approach. But Sharti paused, noticing his reddened ears.
‘…Eh?’
Only then did she notice his tensed back muscles.
In the steamy bathroom, with a naked person and another insisting on helping, it was a scene ripe for misunderstanding. Sharti’s face flushed as she quickly turned around and left a note.
‘I’ll leave towels and clothes here. You can put the clothes you were wearing in this basket.’
Sharti decided to respect his wishes.
Thud. She closed the door and left, her cheeks burning.
She hadn’t realized her insensitivity. After all, in her village during the hot summer, it was common for men to go shirtless, and she was immune to seeing naked men due to her medical treatments.
‘I was too careless! I need to be more careful.’
Sharti hurried away from the bathroom.
After a while, the sound of water finally came from the bathroom.
‘I should quickly clean up a place for him to sleep.’
Sharti’s old wooden house had three rooms – an herb room, a bedroom, and a multipurpose room. The multipurpose room was the only space left.
‘There are many things, but I can make space for him to lie down.’
She gathered blankets to create a space in the multipurpose room for him to sleep.
‘He said he prefers the floor.’
When Sharti finished arranging the room, the man came out of the bathroom, his hair covered with a towel. He looked at her with a lot to say.
“The clothes, there’s only… this.”
He grumbled, although he couldn’t complain about the clothes he was given.
The clothes Sharti had provided were a woman’s nightgown, roomy enough but short in length and accentuating his physique.
Sharti’s eyes wandered awkwardly, recalling the earlier bathroom situation.
‘…Should I have given him different clothes?’
Though he was dressed, it somehow felt more embarrassing.
Was she becoming conscious of him? Was she feeling awkward because he was a stranger?
“I’m done washing.”
Hearing his words, Sharti quickly gathered her clothes.
“I want to clean the spot where I sat. What should I use?”
The man pointed to the dirtied floor, asking for cleaning advice.
Unlike in the bathroom, he had returned to his calm demeanor. Thanks to that, Sharti also managed to control her awkward feelings.
‘I’ve left ointment for you. Apply it first.’
“Alright.”
Leaving the man, more interested in a broom than the ointment, Sharti entered the bathroom.
First, she removed her hood, feeling relieved from the stuffiness. She washed her mud-streaked face and untied her robe.
Knock, knock.
“….!”
Startled by the knock, Sharti quickly covered her face with the hood.
“Thank you.”
She paused at the voice outside the door.
Not showing any sign of opening, the man’s voice continued from beyond the door.
“Thanks for everything…”
Then his footsteps faded away. Sharti looked somewhat dazedly toward the door.
Her chest felt ticklish.
“Thank you…”
Sharti pondered over the man’s words heard through the door as she continued undressing.
She carefully immersed her right leg, marred by an ugly burn scar, into the water of the bathtub.
‘It’s warm…’
The bathwater, which she thought would be lukewarm, was still pleasantly warm.
Feeling the temperature of the warm water, Sharti curled up.
‘Did he keep it warm for me to bathe afterward?’
She buried her face in her arms.
She recalled the man’s wet hair dripping water, and the droplets running down his collarbone. Startled by her own thoughts, Sharti shook her head vigorously.
‘I need to get used to this!’
A sudden thought made Sharti chew her lip.
She would see more of the man in the future. As long as she was hiding him.
‘I never thought I’d live with someone…’
And that someone would be a man with amnesia.
Sharti dipped half her face into the water, massaging her left hand. Despite the stinging pain from the scarred areas, she felt strangely at ease.
‘I really don’t have much caution. Grandma would scold me if she knew.’
Sharti chuckled softly.
Despite being pursued by soldiers, she felt a stronger sense of responsibility than caution from the man’s brief words of thanks.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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