The room sunk into silence once more, but it didn’t feel awkward unlike before. If anything, it resembled the amorous atmosphere between two shy newlyweds. Roel sighed softly under his breath, mentally berating himself for his insensitivity.

  “S-shall I get the other maids to help you instead?”


  “I… don’t like to bathe in front of outsiders. Grace is fine, but the others might be a little…”


  “… I see,” Roel replied with an understanding nod.

  Silence loomed between the two of them once more. While Roel was at a loss as to how he should proceed, Charlotte suddenly spoke up.

  “But darling, I don’t think of you as an o-outsider…”


  “Hm?”


  “I-I’m just saying that because we have shared the same bed many times! I don’t mean anything by that… It’d probably be uncomfortable for you to bathe me, right?”


  “… W-well, yeah.”


  Roel averted his eyes as he admitted to it with an unusually hoarse voice. He could already feel his mind heating up at the thought of it.

  Bathing Charlotte was no different from playing with fire. He was a functioning man with lustful desires, after all. However, it wouldn’t do for him to lay his hands on her right now, not when she was in such a feeble state. To ask him to hold back before the woman he harbored feelings for under such circumstances was practically a punishment game!

  Roel didn’t think that it was wise to test his own self-control here, but after a moment of thought, he felt that it wasn’t right for him to just consider himself.

  I am here to take care of Charlotte, but I’m already being a burden just minutes after taking on the job. Not to mention, the weather is still quite warm. Charlotte would find it hard to have a good rest without properly washing up.

  With these thoughts in mind, Roel mustered his courage with a deep breath before walking up to her.

  “Charlotte, I’m happy that you’re thinking on my behalf, but I’ll be taking care of you for more a day. This is something we’ll eventually have to go through.”


  “But…”


  “No buts. Have you forgotten? You wiped me back down everyday back when we first escaped from the Witness State.”


  “…”


  Charlotte was brought back to the time when the two of them had barely escaped from the Witness State with their lives, and Roel was in a severely weakened state and couldn’t bathe due to the side effects of Glacier’s Touch. The frost aura he emanated to immediately turn water into ice, completely eliminating the possibility of conventional baths.

  During that period of time, Charlotte made sure to wipe him down everyday using her Golden Soul. Born with a golden spoon in her mouth, that was the first time she had ever taken care of a person.

  Till this day, Roel could still remember the pair of clumsy but earnest hands wiping his body while he was in a groggy state.

  “You took care of me when I was at my weakest. All that’s changed now is the reversal of our roles. Putting all things aside, I’m at least confident in my self-control. Charlotte, believe me this once, alright?”


  “…”


  Looking at the black-haired man who had gotten on one knee and was sincerely staring at her, Charlotte felt a lump in her throat and a warm sensation brimming in her eyes. After some hesitation, she finally gave an assenting nod.

  Thus began Roel’s greatest daily challenge in the coming days.

  …


  In a changing room just outside the bathroom shrouded in water vapor, Roel took off his coat and changed into a white shirt. In the adjacent room, Charlotte was in the midst of stripping off her clothes in preparation for the bath.

  While Charlotte had allowed Roel to attend to her in the bath, there was actually nothing much for him to do. The existence of transcendent powers encouraged independence in the Sia Continent, especially when it came to bathing. Unlike the case in Roel’s previous world, most nobles here insisted on settling it by themselves.

  The availability of transcendent abilities meant that a weapon was hardly needed to kill a person, making it even harder to guard against assassination attempts. Nobles were particularly vulnerable while they were bathing as they would have to take off their clothes and accessories, which meant that they would be without their usual defensive magic tools.

  As a matter of fact, there were many famous figures on the Sia Continent who had been assassinated in the bath.

  For that reason, nobles would only allow their most trusted aides and guards to remain in the vicinity while they were bathing. Their presence served to deal with assassination attempts and prevent unfortunate accidents such as drunk nobles drowning in their own bathtubs.

  There was no way Charlotte would really order Roel around like a servant given their relationship. Knowing that, Roel only requested to help her with minor chores such as scrubbing her back. Despite so, her allure proved to be too much for him to take.

  As soon as he stepped out of the changing room, he was welcomed by the stimulating sight of a gorgeous auburn-haired woman with nothing but a towel wrapped around her.

  Charlotte had tidied up her hair into a bun, revealing her fair nape, shoulders, and her defined collar bones. Her towel was large enough to cover her chest all the way to the top half of her thighs, but the beautifully-shaped legs that peeked out beneath it was oddly arousing.

  Charlotte does have beautiful legs.

  Such was the straightforward thought that popped up in Roel’s mind, though his face immediately reddened in response. It was not without reason that Charlotte was fond of wearing anklets—such accessories did further accentuate her natural charms. Those who were into legs would have definitely found them comparable to weapons of mass destructions.

  Roel’s heart began to beat fast.

  Meanwhile, Charlotte secretly glanced at Roel, whose physique was vaguely showing through his shirt.

  He looks firmer than he was a few years back…


  The contrast between the old Roel and the current Roel made Charlotte’s breathing hasten a little. In the midst of her secret glance, she accidentally met eyes with Roel. A shudder ran through both of their bodies, and they hurriedly turned their eyes away with a guilty conscience.

  It was as if there was a clumsy doe was bumping around in their hearts.

  This mission is going to be harder than I thought, Roel thought with a frown.

  Charlotte took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before meeting eyes with Roel once more. The two of them exchanged a consenting nod before heading into the bathroom one after another.

  A carriages of the Diamond Rivière was exclusively reserved for the bathroom. Spacious and avant-garde, it had sophisticated magic tools managing both the lighting and the surrounding temperature. Even the water temperature would be adjusted according to the individual’s body temperature, thus eliminating any possibility of discomfort.

  Fresh flower petals and exorbitant serums known to improve one’s complexion were poured into the bath, and a faint fragrance suffused the air. Charlotte took a sip of a revitalizing beverage before she undid her towel and stepped into the bath.

  Despite having averted his eyes, Roel still caught a glimpse of her mesmerizing body shape from his peripheral vision. Splashing sounds could be heard Charlotte slowly lowered her body into the water. What he could see in his peripheral vision correspondingly decreased. His nerves finally loosened up, but with it came a slight tinge of disappointment.

  Despite the racy situation, nothing much happened afterward.

  It could have been due to her being in a better mood, but Charlotte’s condition seemed to have improved with Roel’s arrival. She was able to handle most menial tasks on her own, much to Roel’s relief.

  Just as he thought that this dangerous bath time would end peacefully, Charlotte suddenly called out.

  “Darling, can you wash my back?”


  Her overly soft voice betrayed her embarrassment, and her fair skin revealed hints of red too. The request startled Roel, but he quickly nodded his head before walking over with averted eyes. He grabbed the bottle of natural cleansing foam, poured some on his hands, and started rubbing it on her back.

  “Ah…”


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  As his relatively colder hands came into contact with Charlotte’s back, her body instinctively trembled and a soft gasp escaped from her lips. Her sensual response sent blood gushing into Roel’s head.

  “Charlotte?”


  “I-it’s nothing.”


  Noticing Charlotte’s embarrassment, Roel decided not to probe on. Looking at her beautiful back and touching her silky-smooth skin, it didn’t take long before he was spellbound. Things were starting to get dangerous for him.

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  Before he could finish up his job and back away, Charlotte suddenly called out once more.

  “… Darling, may I ask you something?”


  “What is it?”


  “Have you… done it with anyone else before?”


  “!”


  In the bathroom that had abruptly turned silent, Roel’s body instantaneously stiffened up.