Rinel suddenly moved his position.

Behind my back…

I couldn’t do anything while his position changed in the bathtub.

It happened so suddenly,

“I’m cold. I’ll stay still. Really…”

At his desperate plea, I couldn’t move my body.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“It’s warm. The human heating magic stone even talks, so I’m not bored.”

Rinel said as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“You know. You don’t have to say it.”

At least you’re wearing clothes.

“Ah, right.”

“But why do you ask?”

“Don’t you know? I must be crazy.”

I nodded in agreement with his words, and he laughed like a madman, seemingly finding it amusing.

When his laughter subsided, I quietly asked, recalling what he had said earlier.

“Do you often go to the training grounds?”

“As an emperor famous for wielding a sword in war, how could I neglect going to the training grounds?”

“Have you… killed many people in war?”

I couldn’t imagine what he would be like on the battlefield.

Right now, he was just an excessively handsome husband who had slipped and fallen into the bathtub.

“I fight thinking that the fewer enemies I kill in war, the greater the sacrifice of my empire’s people.”

He answered seriously after a moment of silence.

“I’m not a murderer. See, I even did the national marriage thinking it might reduce bloodshed in the war with the South Continent if the North Continent’s power grew stronger. Well, it was also to check the ministers.”

Rinel’s low voice and gentle laughter behind my back sounded pleasant.

“Don’t you regret it?”

“What? Falling into the bathtub? Or the national marriage?”

“As expected… You fell into the bathtub on purpose, didn’t you?”

I glanced at him, thinking of the precious soap pitifully crushed on the floor.

“My acting was quite excellent, wasn’t it?”

He admitted frankly, lowering his eyes.

Surprised by his moist and shining face, I changed the subject.

“My favorite soap was sacrificed.”

He responded kindly to my accusatory tone.

“I’ll buy you the same one.”

“…Pardon?”

“I have a lot of money.”

“Pfft.”

“Why are you laughing? Your laughter makes it seem like I’m lying.”

“No, please do buy it.”

“Alright. First, let me answer about falling into the bathtub. I don’t regret it. It feels like all my fatigue is melting away. Look, the water is still warm.”

Rinel marveled at the still steaming bathwater, scooping it up and letting it trickle through his fingers.

“But it’s really strange…”

He muttered to himself in a dubious voice, then returned to what he was saying.

“And the national marriage. I’m glad you’re the empress. So I have no regrets. I’ll… try to do well so that you won’t regret it either.”

My heart fluttered at his shy confession-like voice.

“You don’t believe me?”

When I said nothing, he tightened his strong arms around my neck.

“Ack, are you going to strangle me to death right now if I say I don’t believe you?”

I pretended to choke, grabbing his firm forearms.

He chuckled and loosened the two arms that were about to squeeze my neck.

“It’s nice to have a comfortable conversation since we’re both fairly in the bathtub.”

“I’m not comfortable though.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not really fair, is it?”

“Ah, my. How rude of me.”

Rinel spoke as if reflecting, then there was a sound of him moving something behind me.

When I glanced back at him, he was unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing.

“What are you doing now…?”

“Making it fair.”

Even though it was already soaked through, revealing his chest muscles, he deliberately took off his shirt and tossed it on the floor.

“Zelda, move forward a bit.”

Ah, surely not…?

He grabbed my arms and pushed me slightly forward in the bathtub.

Then he knelt on the bathtub floor, raised his upper body a little, and put his hands on the waistband of the pants he was wearing.

I quickly turned my head back to the front and exclaimed.

“Ah, I don’t think you need to take off the bottom! You, you get cold easily anyway!”

“Is that so? Well, you have a point.”

He sat back down properly in the bathtub.

Whew, I thought he was really going to take everything off.

A moment later, Rinel whispered in my ear with a wicked voice.

“But Empress.”

“Yes…”

“I’ve already taken them off.”

“!”

Shocked by his words, I turned almost my whole body to look at him.

His blue eyes, moist with water, looked so mystical that this moment felt surreal.

“Now that I’ve said I took everything off, you finally look at me properly?”

I didn’t see anything though?

I looked up at the ceiling just like that.

On the ceiling was painted a scene of naked goddesses and gods bathing together, with baby angels pouring water from jars onto the two deities.

Is he really in a state of having removed all his clothes?

“Don’t worry. It was a joke.”

What?

Not trusting Rinel’s words, I glanced down at the bathroom floor.

It seems to be true.

Seeing that there was nothing on the floor, fortunately, his reason seemed to be functioning properly.

“It wouldn’t be right if we both took everything off. At least one person should be properly dressed.”

“We’re quite a proper couple, aren’t we?”

“Hoot, huhu, hahaha!”

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

“Rinel, I’ll get out of the bathtub first if you’re not planning to eat me for breakfast tomorrow. I’ve been in for so long, I feel like I’m getting cooked.”

I showed him my wrinkled ten fingers, attempting to escape.

“Alright. It would be troublesome if you got overcooked. I should get out too.”

“Then… who should get out first?”

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

Let’s settle this in one round.

I clenched my fist and held it out to him, meaning to decide with rock-paper-scissors.

Everything is luck.

Rinel also clenched his fist. But that fist rushed straight towards my fist.

“Yes, it was a good bath.”

Our fists collided with a thud and he spoke.

This isn’t right.

Hey, I meant to play rock-paper-scissors?

I awkwardly held my fist for a moment before slowly lowering my hand again.

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

It doesn’t seem like something someone cursed with hypothermia should say, but still, that thoughtful heart for me was touching.

“Alright, then please turn your head away for a moment. Surely… you won’t peek, will you?”

“I may like stealing other people’s land, but I’ve never once peeked at someone else’s body. I don’t have a hobby of peeking either.”

His resolute words inspired trust.

“Okay, then I’ll get out of the bathtub first.”

“You haven’t gotten out yet?”

Rinel said nonchalantly, turning his head to the opposite side.

I walked to where the robe was hanging, checking his turned head until the moment I left the bathtub.

After wiping my whole body with the long towel placed on the shelf, I put on the pink slip and robe hanging on the deer antlers.

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

“I’m dressed. I’ll go find a towel for Your Majesty to use… Kyaak!”

Rinel’s head was already facing my direction.

“Wh-when did you start looking?”

I tightened my robe once again, dumbfounded by his brazen change of direction.

“Hmm, I wonder.”

“Haa? You said you don’t have a hobby of peeking!”

“I said that because I’ve never had the occasion to peek before? So of course I didn’t have a hobby of peeking. But from now on, it might become a hobby.”

He languidly spoke, resting his perfect face on his arms folded over the bathtub.

“What did you say?”

“It seems to suit my aptitude.”

“I’m disappointed.”

I said curtly with an astonished expression.

“But you know. Honestly, saying I peeked doesn’t make sense.”

“Are you trying to deny it now?”

“Tut-tut, I’m speaking the truth.”

“?”

“I didn’t actually peek, I just openly looked? Wouldn’t you say this isn’t denying?”

“Ha…”

“And I’m not stingy like someone.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Something, an ominous feeling arose.

I felt like I needed to leave the bathroom quickly.

“If you want to look, look. I, you see, don’t say such old-fashioned things like ‘turn around’.”

“I, I need to go get a towel for you to dry off…”

“Don’t move. Stay right there.”

Just as I was about to take a step, my foot stopped mid-air at his solemn command.

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

Ah, are we at the stage of sharing a towel?

Weren’t you the Emperor, Your Majesty?

Even in the Shatroni Kingdom, I had never heard of royal or noble couples sharing towels.

Feeling that arguing with him would only drain my energy, I picked up the towel I had just used from the shelf as he wished.

Absolutely do not lower your gaze below his lips.

I walked towards him, reminding myself this over and over.

Anyway, the thick steam made it hard to see him clearly.

As I approached, he rose from the bathtub with a noble gesture.

Rinel’s overall figure, seen hazily, was beautifully like a water spirit.

He came out of the bathtub without any hesitation.

It happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to avert my eyes… well, that’s just an excuse.

Deep down, I was curious.

I wondered if he could really stand up confidently as he said, and if so, I was also a little curious about how he would act afterwards.

Yes, just a little.

But there was nothing to see.

“Haah…”

A long sigh escaped from my mouth.

I couldn’t tell if it was a sigh of relief or disappointment, even to myself.

“You look quite disappointed that I didn’t remove my bottoms?”

He seemed to interpret my sigh that way.

“Not at all?”

“That reaction right now, it’s cute, but now I really should take them off.”

“Are, are you trying to take off your pants now?”

I turned my body slightly with a defensive tone.

“They’re wet, so of course I need to dry them. I can’t lie on the Empress’s bed like this, can I?”

Ah, right. That’s obvious.

“Towel.”

“Ah, here, dry yourself.”

I turned my head slightly to the side and handed him the towel.

“Can’t you dry me?”

Rinel’s hand, which had taken the towel, grabbed my hand as well as he spoke.

I turned my gaze to his face.

Even though I was looking at his eyes, I could tell.

I could tell without looking.

He had already removed his bottoms.

In other words, he had really become a naked emperor now.

Clearly, I was only looking at his face, but my face was gradually heating up.

Sweat trickled down my forehead, mixed with the bathroom steam and tension.

Rinel’s hand wiped the sweat from my forehead.

“You really seem to have a lot of heat in your body. I feel like I’m freezing the moment I get out of the bathwater.”

Oops, I had momentarily forgotten about his hypothermia curse in my confusion.

His soaked body was rapidly losing temperature.

Who told you to get completely naked?

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

“It’s too cold…”

At his pitiful voice, I quickly spread out the towel and wrapped it around his body, wiping off the moisture.

I shook out his soaking wet black hair, pressed the moisture from his sculptured face, passed over his broad shoulders, passed over his firm chest muscles, passed, passed, my hand stopped at his waist.

My hand holding the towel couldn’t go down any further, and looking into Rinel’s eyes,

“Hold this.”

I put the towel in his hand and stepped back.

“I understand. It’s too big an obstacle to casually pass over.”

“!”

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

Without realizing it, my body had stiffened with both shoulders touching just below my ears.

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

I hurriedly left the bathroom as if escaping and entered the bedroom.

[This is the timeline separator]

One hour ago, Duke Martins saw Emperor Rinel while returning to the annex where the guest rooms were located after taking a night walk.

Even from a distance, the Emperor was walking quickly towards somewhere.

Where could he be going so late at night?

The attendants and guard knights following behind the Emperor seemed busy trying to keep up with his hurried steps.

Duke Martins followed behind him at some distance.

“I thought so, but…”

Emperor Rinel disappeared in the direction of the Empress’s palace.

Duke Martins gazed at the distant Empress’s palace for a while before turning his steps towards the annex where he was staying.

Returning to the guest room, the Duke closed his eyes and inhaled as soon as he opened the door.

With his keen sense of smell, Duke Martins noticed that the air was quite different from when he had left the room an hour ago.

It meant that someone had entered his room.

“You’re here earlier than I expected.”

When Duke Martins snapped his fingers, a black shadow appeared from near the terrace window.

The Duke’s shadow knight, who had been hiding his body behind the curtain, knelt on one knee and paid his respects to him.

“I greet you, Duke!”

“The news you’ve brought.”

“There’s still no improvement. The physician says this week is critical.”

“Hmm, well, it’s surprising he’s still breathing after falling off a cliff. Has Prince Tessler not noticed yet?”

“It seems not. The royal knights also seem to think that the body would have been swept away by the swift river current at the bottom of the cliff.”

“I suppose so. Tell the physician to watch over him 24 hours a day, and give him more money.”

“Yes, Duke.”

“How is the child’s condition?”