His joyful laughter echoed to the ceiling along with the steam.

“Rinel, if you’re not planning to eat me for breakfast tomorrow, I’ll leave the bathtub first. I feel like my body is getting overcooked after being in here so long.”

I showed him my wrinkled ten fingers and tried to escape.

“Alright. It would be a problem if you get overcooked. I should get out too.”

“Then…… who should go first?”

“Choose. Me, who has clothes on but no change of clothes? Or you, who’s currently naked but has a robe?”

Let’s decide this in one round.

I clenched my fist, indicating to him that we should decide with rockpaperscissors.

Everything depends on luck.

Rinel also clenched his fist. But then, his fist plunged into mine.

“Alright, it was a good bath.”

Our fists bumped into each other and he spoke.

That’s not it.

Excuse me, I meant we should play rockpaperscissors?

I awkwardly held up my fist before quietly lowering my hand again.

“I’ll turn my head for a moment, so you can put on your robe first. It would be a problem if you catch a cold.”

It didn’t seem like a thing someone cursed with hypothermia would say, but I was moved that he was considering me.

“Okay, then please turn your head. You won’t… sneak a peek, will you?”

“I’ve always liked claiming other people’s lands, but I’ve never peeked at someone else’s body. I don’t have a hobby of peeking.”

I trusted his very firm statement.

“Okay, then I’ll leave the bathtub first.”

“Haven’t you left yet?”

Rinel turned his head to the other side and spoke teasingly.

I confirmed his turned head until the moment I stepped out of the bathtub, and then I walked to where the robe was hung.

After wiping off the water on my body with the long towel on the shelf, I put on the pink slip and robe hanging on the deer antler.

After tying the robe tightly, I turned to him and opened my mouth.

“I’m all dressed. I’ll get a towel for you to…… eek!”

Rinel’s head was already facing my way.

“Wwhen did you start looking?”

I was so shocked by his shameless rotation that I secured the robe again meticulously.

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”

“You said you don’t have a habit of peeking!”

“I said that because I didn’t have anything to peek at before. So of course, I didn’t have a hobby of peeking. But now, it might become a hobby.”

He leaned his perfect face on his arms over the bathtub and spoke languidly.

“What did you say?”

“It seems to suit my tastes.”

“I’m disappointed.”

I spoke bluntly with a dumbfounded expression.

“But you know. Honestly, saying I peeked is not right.”

“Are you now denying it?”

“No no, I’m telling the truth.”

“?”

“I mean, I didn’t really peek, I just looked openly. That’s not denying, is it?”

“Ah…”

“And I’m not as indecent as someone else.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I sensed an ominous vibe.

I had a feeling I needed to get out of the bathroom quickly.

“You can look if you want. I, for one, won’t say anything oldfashioned like ‘turn around.'”

“I, I need to get a towel for you to wipe your body…”

“Don’t move. Stay there.”

As I tried to lift my foot, it stopped midair at his solemn command.

“You can use the one you just used. So there’s no need to go out.”

Ah, are we sharing one towel?

Even if we are a couple, aren’t you His Majesty the Emperor?

Even in the kingdom of Chatoneil, not only the royal family but also the noble families, I’ve never heard of a couple sharing a towel.

Bickering with him seemed like a futile drain of energy, so I took the towel I had just used from the shelf, as he wished.

I absolutely should not let my gaze slip below his lips.

With that resolution, I approached him.

Due to the thick steam, I could hardly see him anyway.

As I came close, he gracefully rose from the bathtub.

Rinel’s overall figure, vaguely visible, was incredibly beautiful, as if he were a water sprite.

He left the bathtub without any hesitation.

The situation had escalated so swiftly that there was no opportunity to avert my gaze… I admit, that’s just an excuse.

I was slightly curious.

I was intrigued if he could really stand confidently as he had said, and if so, how he would behave afterward.

Yes, just slightly.

But there was nothing to see.

“Sigh……”

A long sigh escaped my lips.

I couldn’t determine whether it was a sigh of relief or disappointment.

“Do you seem disappointed that I didn’t undress completely?”

He seemed to interpret my sigh that way.

“Not at all.”

“Your reaction is cute, but now I really need to undress.”

“AAre you going to take off your pants now?”

I turned slightly defensively.

“I’m wet, so I need to dry off. I can’t lie on the Empress’s bed like this.”

Ah, right. That makes sense.

“Towel.”

“Ah, here, dry yourself off.”

With a slight turn of my head, I handed him the towel.

“Can’t you dry me off?”

Rinel, who took the towel, caught my hand and asked.

I shifted my gaze to his face.

Even while looking into his eyes, I knew.

I knew even without looking.

He had already undressed completely.

So, he was now truly naked.

Although I was only looking at his face, my cheeks heated up.

The bathroom steam and the tension made sweat trickle down from my forehead.

Rinel wiped the sweat from my forehead.

“You seem to have a lot of heat in your body. My body feels like it’s freezing after coming out of the bath.”

Oh, I was so flustered that I forgot about his curse of low body temperature.

His soaking wet body was rapidly cooling.

Who told you to strip naked like that?

No, why did you fall into the bathwater in the first place?

“It’s too cold……”

At his pitiful voice, I quickly spread the towel and wiped his body, wrapping him in it.

I shook out his wet black hair, pressed down on his sculptured face to dry it, past his broad shoulders, his firm pectoral muscles, and stopped at his waist.

My hand holding the towel could not go any lower. Looking into Rinel’s eyes, I said,

“Here, dry yourself.”

I handed him the towel and stepped back.

“I understand. It’s too big an obstacle to pretend it’s not there.”

“!”

“I’ll dry off from here. Zelda, why are your shoulders so high?”

Unconsciously, my shoulders had stiffened up to my ears.

“The towel seems a bit small to dry off completely. I’ll get another one.”

I hurriedly escaped the bathroom and entered the bedroom.

One hour ago, Duke Martins saw Emperor Rinel on his way back from a night walk to the guesthouse where he was staying.

Even from a distance, the emperor was walking briskly towards somewhere.

Where was he going so late at night?

The attendants and knights following the emperor looked frantic trying to keep up with his fast pace.

Duke Martins followed him at some distance.

“Never would have thought….”

Emperor Rinel was headed in the direction of the Empress’s palace.

Duke Martins stared at the distant Empress’s palace for a while before turning back to his own lodging.

Upon returning to his guestroom, the Duke closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The keennosed Duke Martins noticed the atmosphere in his room was quite different from when he had left an hour ago.

Someone had been in his room.

“You came earlier than I thought.”

Duke Martins snapped his fingers, and a dark shadow emerged from behind the terrace curtains.

His shadow knight, who had been hiding behind the curtains, kneeled before him, saluting him.

“Greetings, Duke!”

“What news do you bring?”

“There’s no progress yet. According to the council, this week will be critical.”

“Hmm, it’s surprising that he’s still breathing after falling off the cliff. Has Prince Tesla not noticed yet?”

“It seems like it. The royal knights also think that his body must have been swept away by the violent river beneath the cliff.”

“That’s likely. Tell the doctor to guard him for 24 hours and give him more money.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“What’s the condition of the child?”