Cain strode across the hallway. His footsteps were so rough that the servants glanced at him in surprise.

And when he arrived in front of Jane’s room, he knocked on the door. Literally not knocking, but pounding.

Bang, bang, bang.

If the hinge screws had been a little loose, the door would have fallen off.

Still, the response from inside was slow. Only after Cain pounded on the door about ten more times did Hailie open it.

She was startled to see Cain standing in front of the door. She hadn’t even imagined that the person roughly pounding on the door was Cain, who was rumored to be gentlemanly.

“Is Jane inside?”

Cain asked, regardless of whether Hailie was surprised or not.

“Yes, she’s inside. But she’s bathing…”

Hearing this, Cain noticed Hailie’s state. The apron worn when assisting with bathing and the white foam on her hands.

“I’ll take over from now on.”

“Pardon? My lord?”

Before Hailie could understand Cain’s words, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her out into the hallway.

He entered the room and locked the door.

“My, my lord. I should attend… If you could just give me a little time…”

Hailie’s voice could be heard protesting from outside, but Cain completely ignored it and opened the bathroom door.

The sound of splashing water could be heard in the bathroom filled with misty steam.

“Hailie, who came?”

Jane naturally thought the person who entered the bathroom was Hailie.

“Hailie? Can you hand me the soap? Hailie, why aren’t you say… Cain!”

Jane turned her head and shouted in shock.

Cain, who had been standing like a rooted tree since entering the bathroom, finally moved.

“You mean this soap?”

“Cain, ge, get out right now! What are you doing here? Wh, where’s Hailie?”

Jane’s face turned bright red. In contrast, Cain was very calm.

“I sent Hailie out because I had something else for her to do.”

Cain lied calmly.

“Then, please call Mary.”

“Mary is busy too.”

Jane barely poked her face out while clinging to the bathtub wall. Even though she hid her body in the bubbles, she felt unbearably embarrassed.

“Please call another maid then.”

“Who in the Hastings house has free time? I’m the only one free right now.”

“But you’re busy too!”

In fact, if asked to name the busiest person in the Hastings house, everyone would unanimously point to Cain.

For such a person to say he’s free?

There are all sorts of ways to torment people.

“Here, take the soap.”

Cain approached right next to Jane’s bathtub. With his stance suggesting he wouldn’t leave unless she took the soap, Jane barely extended just her hand out of the tub.

Cain placed the soap in Jane’s hand and took a step back.

Without turning around to leave!

“…Please leave.”

Jane pleaded.

“Why be embarrassed when we’ve seen everything already?”

He spoke in a flat tone, but Jane could tell.

For some reason, his insides were twisted.

“…Cain, I’ll be out soon. It seems you have something to say, please wait outside for a bit.”

“No.”

When he flatly refused, Jane flinched. The bubbles in the tub rippled.

“I want to know your true thoughts.”

Swish, the sound of Cain’s clothes rustling was heard.

As if trying to maintain some semblance of courtesy, he stood behind Jane’s line of sight, but this made Jane even more tense.

She could feel the stiffness in her raised trapezius muscles.

“I’ve never lied.”

“I’m not sure about lying, but you’re an expert at hiding the intentions behind your actions.”

What nonsense is this now.

Jane almost forgot she was naked and nearly rose up.

Fortunately, her hand slipping as she gripped the tub hard brought her back to her senses.

“You can think whatever you want. I’ll explain properly today, so can you please leave?”

Cain laughed. At his mocking laughter, Jane’s brows furrowed.

“Jane, to gain someone’s trust, you need to show it through actions, not words. So far, you’ve only acted in ways that make me unable to trust you.”

Despite the room being full of steam, Jane’s fair skin was clearly visible in Cain’s eyes.

Perhaps due to the steam, his clothes, and his body felt damp.

Cain touched his unusually dry lips in this moisture-filled place as he continued speaking.

“I know when you become honest.”

“When is that? Then, you can ask me then, right?”

“That’s right. That’s why I’m doing this now.”

Jane’s small head poked out above the bathtub and then sank back down.

It seems he’s quite irritated that she’s not giving a satisfactory answer.

“You become honest when you’re naked.”

When you can’t hide behind anything.

Suddenly, Jane’s body temperature soared. Her vision spun, and her hand kept slipping from the bathtub.

‘I need cold water, cold water…’

Jane’s breathing became increasingly rapid.

“Jane?”

Cain, sensitively detecting this change, approached.

“Don’t come, don’t come…”

Jane’s body was sucked into the bathtub.

“Jane!”

* * *

“It’s just simple dizziness. There’s nothing particularly wrong.”

After the doctor finished examining Jane and left, only Jane and Cain remained in the room.

“See? I told you it was nothing.”

Whether she was embarrassed about losing consciousness in the bathroom, or ashamed that a doctor was called despite her quickly regaining consciousness, Jane pulled the blanket up to cover her face.

“Do you want to faint again?”

Cain pulled the blanket down.

“Well, if you had left the bathroom when I told you to, wouldn’t that have been better?”

“Don’t blame me. If I hadn’t been there when you collapsed.”

Cain closed his mouth. A vein popped on his temple.

What would have happened if he hadn’t been there then?

It would have been an incident worthy of the ‘Believe It or Not’ section in the newspaper.

Just thinking about it made him dizzy.

“I want to rest.”

Jane murmured softly after checking outside the window.

She had certainly caused quite a commotion in the evening.

“You said you had something to say. It won’t take long.”

As Jane tried to forcibly sit up, Cain gently pressed down on her shoulder.

“You can talk while lying down.”

If Cain was okay with it, Jane was more comfortable lying down. Though the doctor said there was no problem, she felt nauseous.

“Joseph came to see me.”

“Really? Did he speak clearly?”

Unlike Jane, who brightened at the mention of Joseph, Cain’s expression turned cold.

“Did you tell him to?”

“Tell him what?”

“What else? The zoo.”

A smile appeared on Jane’s lips.

It seems Joseph had spoken properly to Cain.

I wonder how he said it.

Just before dinner, he had been complaining that he wouldn’t be able to speak to Cain, but when did he find the courage?

I hope he didn’t stutter too much.

Jane was so lost in thoughts about Joseph that she forgot Cain was in front of her.

“No.”

So she missed what Cain said.

“What did you say?”

“Tell him the zoo invitation is cancelled.”

Jane’s large eyes filled with bewilderment.

“But Joseph asked you.”

“I know.”

“Joseph has wanted to go since long ago.”

He didn’t know that, but even if he had, Cain’s decision wouldn’t have changed.

“Still, it’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

Because the queen will be at that event. She’ll naturally meet Jane, and since she considers Jane a thorn in her side, she won’t leave her be.

Damn it, he was worried about Jane.

“He’s not ready to meet His Majesty.”

“Who?”

Jane’s eyes narrowed.

“Surely not Joseph?”

Cain didn’t answer. He realized he had made too harsh an assessment of the young child.

It was a mistake that came out from speaking carelessly.

But he couldn’t take back words already spoken, and he wasn’t in a situation where he could allow them to go to the zoo, so he chose silence.

“Cain, you really are a bad person.”

But he had no intention of enduring Jane’s criticism as well.

“Aren’t you the bad person? Don’t you care at all about Joseph, who will be criticized and ridiculed for stuttering in front of people?”

“Stuttering is not a disease. Even if it were, he shouldn’t be criticized or ridiculed for it. The people who say such things are the bad ones.”

Everything Jane said was correct. But this world doesn’t run on right and wrong alone.

“I don’t know if you’re naive or just pretending to be. I don’t want Joseph to hear bad things.”

As they talked, the possibility of what he said coming true seemed high, so Cain’s resolve to not send them to the zoo grew stronger.

“I have nothing more to say about this.”

Cain abruptly stood up. Jane also raised her upper body to sit up straight. She immediately tried to grab him, but her head spun and in that moment of hesitation, Cain had already moved away from the bed.

“You’re not worried about Joseph, you’re concerned about the Hastings, aren’t you?”

“What?”

Cain whirled around.

Jane tilted her head and clicked her tongue.

“You’re afraid Joseph might leave a blemish on the perfect Hastings family. That’s what you’re scared of. Not worrying about the child.”

The corners of Cain’s mouth tightened. Veins bulged on his clenched fists.

A quiet anger flickered in his eyes.

He knew Jane’s assessment of him was harsh.

But that last comment went too far. It was quite a deep wound even for him, who had been hardened by years of tempering. Especially since he thought his relationship with Jane had improved considerably.

“Do I look like someone who would do anything for the family?”

Cain’s very low voice was full of anger.

“You don’t just look like that, you are that kind of person. For you, Joseph and I are just tools that exist for this family, aren’t we?”

Cain closed his eyes. It was just the movement of one eyelid, but the air in the room became cold enough to freeze.

“You’re seriously mistaken.”

Cain slowly approached Jane. He grasped Jane’s chin with one hand.

“If I only cared about the family.”

Cain slowly lowered his head. His unrefined breath flowed into Jane’s ear.

Jane wanted to cover her ears. She didn’t want to hear his answer. But contrary to her thoughts, her lips moved on their own.

“…Then what?”

“Neither you nor Joseph would be here.”

“What does that mean?”

Jane’s face turned pale.