Chapter 8 – Make It More Satisfying
This chapter can be a bit suggestive. Please read with discretion.
Bubbling bubbling bubbling. Inside the bathtub, the foam was roiling like a spa tub. Have I ever been to a place like this?
‘God, this is so cool!’
My back, which had been tight and stiff from walking in high heels, was relieved from fatigue.
“Wife. You have to lean your head this way so I can wash your hair first.”
“Ah, Are you really going to wash my hair?”
“Shouldn’t I fulfill my duties as a husband?”
Water droplets made his long, long eyebrows appear unrealistically beautiful as he looked down.
“You can just pretend you did it and leave.”
I was leery of entrusting my hair to an unfamiliar man, so I made a sly suggestion.
“I can’t do that.”
“!”
“I will do my duty as a husband. Because that’s our contract.”
“But…”
“But?”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me. ‘Hmmm, are you more stubborn than I thought? If that’s the case…’ I leaned back into the spot where he had indicated. The bathtub also had a handle, making it easy to balance.
“Then let’s get started.”
I quietly closed my eyes. He poured warm water on my head. Tap, tap. swish, swish, swish.
‘Is he making shampoo foam?’
I was nervous. Wasn’t this one of those scenes you see only in movies? And since I was feeling shy, a good way to direct my attention elsewhere was to start a conversation.
“How was this tradition created?”
“In this area where demons haunt, even if you experience your first night, you will become a widow. Even so, to be greeted as a couple paired by the heavens, I believe this kind of ceremony was both affirmation and defiance of the Demonworld.”
“Ah… But as an Imperial citizen, Imperial grandson, and Archduke of this land you didn’t have to keep the traditions of the demons, hu—ahh”
I couldn’t speak anymore. Because his long, soft fingers began to caress my scalp. Ten round, hard fingertips adhered to my scalp like an octopus.
“Mmh!”
Press, press. Haa… what a great yet rare skill… Calm flowed through my body.
“Seeing that you can’t keep up the conversation, are you enjoying my massage?”
“Ah… Wha… mmh…”
“It’s a good tradition. So, I hope my wife will not treat the residents of this land with preconceived notions.”
Before I knew it, his probing fingers slipped gently toward my crown and pressed down.
“Yes, yee- mmh.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to stop myself from making such sounds. Why was I making such a strangely sensual moan? I crossed my legs and tried not to moan. He placed his thumb on the crown again and pressed down on my head with his remaining four fingers. Then, after pressing against the side, he supported the back of my head and meticulously applied acupressure along the back of my neck to the point where it connected to my skull.
“This- ugh… this kind of pressure… Where- ah… did you learn it?”
“Learning… you learn everything after you receive it.”
“Oh, ah… ye-yes.”
I only said ‘yes’ but I was curious about who had given him this kind of massage before. Was it a servant? Or a maid?
‘What if it was a maid? What if he’s a womanizer?’
Haa… However, the original story portrayed him as a man who was buried in his experiments and never left his study so I couldn’t really know.
Whaaaash… Warm water swept away the soap bubbles from my scalp. He carefully rinsed my hair, every strand. And it got quiet. Embarrassed, I quickly stood up and tried to raise my head.
“Not yet, my wife.”
“Pardon?”
I lifted my eyes to look at him. He held a brown bottle in one hand and poured something from it into the other.
“Aren’t you supposed to apply essential oil to keep your hair smooth?”
“!”
‘Wasn’t this man, Gerard Vonzeyer, a swordmaster known for killing monsters without blood nor tears?’
“Why are you looking at me like that? Shouldn’t you look the best for being the Wife of the Archduke?”
“Ah…”
So… I lowered myself and leaned toward him again. His firm, big hands gently grabbed my hair.
Suk, Suk. Tap, tap. He captured my tresses between his palms and rubbed to penetrate the moisture deep into the locks. The sweet scent of roses permeated the bathroom. His elegant hand movements were comparable to those of a hairstylist in Cheongdam-dong.* He wrapped my head with a warm towel and stood up.
tl-n: Cheongdam-dong is an affluent neighborhood of Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea.
“It’s done.”
I was finally released from his hands.
“Ah! Okay, good!”
And at that moment, splash!
He entered the bathtub without a word. Water poured out of the bathtub due to his weight.
Uuk. I quickly bent my outstretched leg and brought my knee to my chest. The bathtub, which seemed wide when I was lying alone, seemed very narrow when he joined.
“How was it? The Demon’s Race tradition.”
“It was good.”
When asked coolly, I answered coolly.
He scooped water with his palm and poured it on his chest. And wiped his face.
Blop, blop.
It was awkward, but fortunately, there were bubbles between the two of us.
“Now, shall we start with the arms?”
“It’s fine.”
“?”
“I’ll pretend all your obligations have been fulfilled.”
“You shouldn’t make extreme decisions from your stubbornness again… What I mean is you are prohibited from doing the same thing you did in the bride’s waiting room.”
He lifted his elbow and leaned against the bathtub. Leisurely
“!”
‘Did you know everything?’ I opened my eyes wide as if being woken up.
“Wouldn’t it be a pity if our Theodor sends his stepmother to heaven too early?”
“Ah…”
I remembered Theodor dozing off with a fork earlier. A child who needs a mother’s touch the most. A child who never whined and smiled silently among adults. I felt a little abashed at being reminded of the child who had just fallen asleep comfortably in my bedroom by the Archduke’s remark.
These people who were once fictional to me became real lives today, and they are lives that should be respected. Finally, five-year-old Theodor, growing up with a life-threatening childhood, came to mind — his life wasn’t fiction.
As I remembered those small eyes showing worry over my injured hand in the bride’s waiting room, my heart warmed.
“How much does Theodor know of his parents’ death?”
“Mmh… as far as he knows, his mother, Jenia, and his father, Kyle, both died heroically fighting against the Demon Realm.”
“I see. His mother’s name is Jenia?”
“That’s right. Count Kyle was his biological father, so he calls him ‘dad’. Dad Kyle, Mom Jenia, and Dad Gerard, those are his terms.”
“Then the small Prince will call me Mom Sinclair?”
“If that’s how he feels.”
“Ah…”
I was determined to win the title of Mother somehow. Did I look too greedy?
“You don’t have to make an effort to please him. It’s enough not to do anything harsh as we promised.”
‘Harsh.’ He must be talking about Marquis Owen’s plots.
“I’ll stop doing all sorts of harsh things! I’ll be his only mother in this world. I will become the child’s shield and spear so that he can grow up to be the best man in the Empire!”
‘Oh, that’s right! The destruction of the Empire is my death.’
“…”
He looked at me silently and turned away. Was that excessive?
‘Well, it’s too early to resolve any suspicions yet.’
Creak. I heard the bathroom door open. A woman’s voice called through the dark.
“Your Grace, the Emperor and other high-ranking officials are now in a hurry to hold the Ceremony of the First Night.”
“Fine.”
Gerard replied briefly. It occurred to me to look around only after her message. There was no one else except for the two of us.
How could that be? Wasn’t this the bathroom of someone high like the Archduke? No matter how reverent the ceremonial rituals were.
“There are no maids, no guards, no servants.”
“…just, to not make it awkward.”
“!”
Ahhk!!!
“Oh my goodness.”
He seemed quite impatient. I wasn’t that far away, how could he rise from his seat like that! Reflexively, I covered my eyes with both hands. But I couldn’t help but be captivated by the figure that was visible through my fingers.
Strong back muscles, firm well-raised hips (nice apple butt), strong biceps femoris, and even the gastrocnemius of the calves. His body muscles were like a work of kinetic art. My face was burning, so I turned my head.
Step, step. He strode away. Phew… I leaned my head against the tub wall and watched the Demon Realm’s purple full moon through the open window in the distance.
‘I wish I could sleep like this.’
In the quiet bathroom, I closed my eyes and inhaled the warm heat and then.
“Why aren’t you getting up, Wife?”
“?”
I lifted my head and looked up at Gerard.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“Let’s wrap this up. It’ll be hard if you catch a cold.”
He handed me a towel.
“Ah…”
But suddenly, I couldn’t rise. No matter how many gowns I was wearing, if I got up, wouldn’t the soaked gown stick to my body?
Did he notice my worries? He opened the towel and turned his head to the side. I stood cautiously, took a towel, and wrapped it around me under my arms. He held out his hand and I gladly took it and stepped out of the bathtub.
Hop!
I felt warmth across my shoulders. A strong arm supported me behind my knees. I opened my eyes slightly. Before I knew it, I was ensheathed in his body.
“Th-thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He tried to leave the bathroom, holding me.
“It’s okay now, so let me go.”
But his strong arms didn’t budge.
“Please put me down.”
“No. Shampoo and soapy water splashed and the floor is slippery.”
“I won’t fall that easily.”
“Huh. Is that true?”
‘Oh my, are you looking down on me right now?’
“Put me down.”
“…”
‘Ugh, this kind of treatment is not right.’ I needed to move strongly in this situation to discourage such a thing from occurring in the future.
Pak!
A dull sound echoed throughout the bathroom. Because I hit his chin with my head.
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