The problem was in the trunk that Marline had prepared for her.

As Idel was carefully examining the items in the trunk, she briefly brightened upon finding what she was looking for, but soon, her expression filled with confusion.

“Is this really right…?”

In a situation where none of her accompanying maids were around, there was no one to answer her question.

Just in case she would be at a loss, Marline had kindly included a catalog. Looking at the catalog’s publisher, it was Charlotte’s Dressing Room, as expected.

Recalling Madame Pompadour, who had tested her with the negligee she wore on their first night, she let out a deep sigh.

After a while of staring at the object and being lost in thought, she made up her mind, realizing she couldn’t delay any longer.

After dressing as instructed in the catalog, she looked at herself in the mirror. Idel, her face flushed, couldn’t bring herself to look directly at the mirror and lowered her gaze. The reflection was far too embarrassing.

“Is this really correct? Marline… Madame Pompadour…”

In the moment she was whispering the names of those who wouldn’t answer no matter how much she called, a knock was heard from outside.

Startled, Idel quickly donned a nightgown that was nearby.

“Idel. Are you ready?”

Caeron had come to personally greet her, as she was taking longer than expected.

“I, I’m coming out now!”

Frantically, Idel tied the belt of her nightgown tightly and opened the door.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

He had been leaning casually against the doorframe in his loose nightgown, and now he looked at her as she just opened the door.

With her face stiff, and clutching the hem of her robe, Idel looked like a knight going to war. She was wrapped tightly in the nightgown that reached below her knees as if it was armor.

“Are you going to a battlefield?”

Caeron asked, barely suppressing a chuckle, making Idel turn her gaze away in embarrassment.

“Let’s… go.”

“Alright. Let’s depart now.”

Idel shot Caeron an annoyed glance at his teasing remark.

Following his guidance, Idel stepped outside the villa and began to walk cautiously.

Caeron chuckled at the sight of her tiptoeing worriedly lest her gown opened up.

If she wraps up so tightly, it only makes one want to see more… The innocent duchess still seemed to understand little about men’s psychology.

Caeron wore a leisurely smile. There was no need to rush. After all, she would have to undress eventually.

Unaware of his thoughts, Idel, too preoccupied with her clothing, halted naturally at the sight that unfolded before her eyes.

An exclamation of wonder naturally escaped her lips. Unconsciously, her hand, which had been tightly gripping her robe, slightly relaxed.

The surface of the water, gleaming like crystal under the warm afternoon sun, was so beautiful that it was dazzling. The clear and transparent sea was so clear that everything beneath the water was vividly visible.
For a long time, waves had sculpted the rocks surrounding the area, clear seawater gathering in a round shape. This place was a natural swimming pool in its truest form.

Staring blankly at the sight, as though she were in a sea garden of the gods retaining its primordial mystery, Idel was awakened by Caeron.

“Shall we begin now?”

At his words, Idel tightened her slightly relaxed grip on the front skirt. She swallowed, her eyes trembling.

“The second lesson.”

His second lesson began, teaching her directly through demonstration, following billiards.

Caeron removed the loosely tied robe he was wearing. His refreshingly stretched clavicles, his smooth and delicate chest and abdominal muscles, split like a sculpture, were all revealed.

In the dazzling sunlight of nature, he who had completely undressed his upper body looked momentarily like a sun god who had descended to the human world.

Against the backdrop of the unfolding landscape, Idel was spellbound by his brilliant appearance, which felt unreal.

“We should start the lesson. Now undress.”

At the command to undress, Idel’s slightly relaxed pupils dilated tautly. Tension coursed through her body, her hand holding the front skirt trembling slightly.

“Can’t we just… do it with our clothes on?”

The disciple asked with a desperately trembling voice, but the strict teacher’s answer was extremely firm.

“If you go in with your clothes on, you’ll sink like a waterlogged sponge.”

She understood this theoretically as well.

‘I was foolish, knowing one thing and ignoring the other…’

She felt foolish for having chosen to wear the thickest and longest nightgown in order to cover her body as much as possible.

As Idel was nervously standing on the spot not knowing what to do, Caeron, who had been watching her, stepped a little closer to her.

“Do you need help undressing?”

“No, no! I… I will do it!”

Surprised at his words, Idel wobbled slightly and took a step or two back.

With her eyes firmly shut, she took a deep breath and slowly began to untie the tightly wound knot of her gown.

‘It’s okay. I’m not completely undressed… this is just another piece of clothing.’

She tried to reassure herself…

The ‘bathing suit’ she changed into for her second lesson, ‘swimming’, was different from her usual sense.

Of course, times were changing fast. The era when women wore long bathing gowns, revealing as little skin as possible, and sneaked to enjoy a sea bath at womenonly beaches without men, was gone.

But even so… she had never seen or heard of such a form. She would never have believed this was a bathing suit if it wasn’t from the Charlotte Dressing Room’s catalog she had with her.

‘Does everyone swim in this…?’

She had never been to a sea bath, so she didn’t know what clothes others wore… but she forced herself to believe that this design was popular these days as it was created by Charlotte’s Dressing Room.

Unfortunately… unbeknownst to Idel, the pioneering designer, Madame Pompenu, was trying out a new design of bathing suits, like the tailored jacket she had tried out for the first time.

Eventually, the nightgown flowed down her white, smooth shoulders following the touch of her hesitating hands.

“……!”

Caeron, who had been leisurely waiting for her with his arms crossed, unusually opened his eyes wide in surprise.

For a moment, he held his breath, staring intently at her figure vividly revealed in front of his eyes.