Chapter 287

The Fifth Prince of the Argentia Empire, Antonio Robert Valtoria.

Just moments ago, he had entered the bathroom alone, awkwardly undressing in preparation for his bath.

"This is... uncomfortable, as expected."

To be honest, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all.

With one arm tightly secured in a splint, undressing wasn’t as simple as usual, and he was experiencing firsthand how difficult it was.

Of course, Antonio, being a prince of the empire, had been training in both swordsmanship and magic since childhood. There had been times in the past when he suffered even worse injuries during training, but this was the first time he had to undress by himself with one arm immobilized.

“Ugh…! Ugh, haaa…”

"Prince Antonio, wouldn’t it be better if I assisted you?"

"I’m fine, Sir Colt. If I can’t even take off my own clothes, how can I walk around calling myself a prince of the empire?"

"But you can’t move your arm properly. Since Lady Blaze is still at dinner, I could at least assist you with your bath—"

"If Lady Agnes finds out I had you help me, she’ll surely get upset. She insisted on looking after me herself. She’d think I don’t trust her if I let you help instead."

"But—"

"I don’t want to make her dislike me any more than she already does. Frankly, after everything that’s happened, I’m already on thin ice."

At first, Antonio had mistaken Agnes for someone younger and treated her like a child, a mistake he thought he could recover from. However, things had taken a strange turn, and his actions only seemed to upset her more.

Now, even Antonio could see it. If he made another mistake, any small chance of things working out with Agnes would disappear completely.

From the time he’d almost put Lilith’s life at risk, to when he’d tried to spare Agnes any burden only to offend her, and when he’d failed to show any real masculinity by following her into the Witch’s Forest… Even today, he couldn’t cut down one of the Hydra’s heads and ended up injured instead. Antonio felt pathetic, and it was no wonder his behavior had become more cautious.

"You don’t need to worry, Sir Colt. I won’t be needing your help. You’re here as a coachman and knight, not as a maid."

"...Yes, sir."

"Then go. If you stay any longer, Lady Agnes might catch us. I can manage bathing myself without assistance."

"...Understood, Prince Antonio."

Antonio listened to the sound of Sir Colt’s footsteps fading away from the bathroom door as he finished undressing and prepared for his bath.

Despite his injured arm, once his shirt was off, things became a bit easier, much to his relief. Though, he was already dreading the struggle of getting dressed again afterward.

Normally, it would be Agnes, who had volunteered to care for him, handling such tasks. Helping an injured person with a bath was more about these kinds of tasks than merely serving them food.

Of course, that was assuming Prince Antonio could comfortably ask Agnes for such assistance.

If it had been someone like Sir Colt, there would be no issue with ordering him around, but Agnes was different. Asking her for help with such trivial matters felt wrong, especially given the feelings she harbored for him.

Particularly, asking her to help with something like a bath felt impossible. It wasn’t just about being a patient—it was, in essence, showing his naked body to someone he cared about. He was embarrassed, and more than that, he feared she would find it repulsive.

—Splash!

"As expected, it’s not easy to wash with just one arm…"

Though he could dry his wet splint with magic, the fact that he couldn’t use his dominant arm made washing a chore. It took him twice as long to wash his hair, and there were several places he couldn’t even reach with just one hand.

Still, thinking he only had to endure for three days, Antonio was managing to soap his body with one hand when he heard a light knock on the bathroom door.

—Knock, knock.

"Sir Colt? As I said before, I’m fine. I don’t need your help."

"……"

"If you come in to assist me, Lady Agnes might misunderstand. You’d better leave before she catches you."

"……"

There was no response from the other side of the door. Perhaps his voice had been drowned out by the sound of running water.

Assuming it was Sir Colt, Antonio continued focusing on washing himself. After all, he didn’t want Agnes to find him struggling alone in the bath.

But just as he twisted his head, trying to scrub the hard-to-reach spots on his back, the door creaked open, and a woman stepped into the bathroom.

—Creak.

"I said I didn’t need help with the—"

"...Really, you don’t need any help?"

"………What?"

"I asked if you really don’t need help with your bath."

"L-Lady Agnes…?"

Antonio froze the moment he saw her walking in. If she had simply come to assist with his bath, he wouldn’t have been this flustered.

While his biggest concern was that she might dislike seeing his body, what truly left him speechless was Agnes’s attire.

Or rather, the lack of it. She had walked into the bathroom as naked as he was.

Without even bothering to cover herself with a towel, her confident entrance left such a strong impression that Antonio’s mind went blank. When he finally regained his senses, he quickly averted his gaze from the sight that made his heart race.

“W-What are you doing, Lady Agnes!? We’re not even engaged yet! I-I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but… shouldn’t we take time to get to know each other better before…!”

"...What are you talking about? I came to help you with your bath."

“…What?”

"I told you, I’m going to take care of you for these three days. That includes helping you with your bath."

"But, that…"

"And when helping someone bathe, the attendant usually gets undressed too, so the patient doesn’t feel embarrassed, right? That’s the rule, isn’t it?"

"W-Wait, what?"

Was there really such a rule?

At least, not one Antonio had ever heard of. All the maids who had bathed him before had certainly never been naked.

Which meant Agnes had misunderstood something. He had no idea who had told her this, but…

"Who… told you that?"

"...Lilith did."

"L-Lilith…?"

"Yeah. She used to be a Blackwood maid, so she taught me about the differences between same-sex attendants and a woman bathing a man."

"……"

What… is this?

Could the Blackwood family’s servants really have such strange customs?

Antonio knew that Harold Blackwood, the head of the family, was still grieving his late wife, and Ethan seemed utterly devoted to Lilith. Could it be that behind the scenes, they indulged in such licentious practices?

‘No, that can’t be it.’

He couldn’t jump to conclusions. He had already misunderstood Agnes once before, and that had caused enough trouble.

If such things had truly been happening in the Blackwood household, rumors of their debauchery would have surely spread by now. Ethan had been just as embarrassed as him when he saw the naked ladies during the altar incident. Antonio couldn’t imagine him secretly indulging in maid services like this.

Which meant… this “naked bathing rule” was something Lilith had concocted.

Maybe she was teasing Agnes, or perhaps she was trying to help him somehow. Whatever her motive, Antonio couldn’t quite figure it out.

"Was this… not right?"@@novelbin@@

"Huh?"

"I’m asking if this was wrong. Should I have stayed dressed like when women bathe each other?"

Agnes’s voice held a slight edge, as if she were on the verge of getting upset.

If Antonio answered, "Yes, you’re not supposed to be naked when helping someone bathe," it was clear what would happen next.

Agnes would likely get angry with Lilith for misleading her, feel embarrassed for her actions, and distance herself even further from him. So there was only one answer Antonio could give in this situation.

After all, he didn’t entirely dislike the situation…

"You’re… not wrong, Lady Agnes."

"…Really?"

"Yes… When a female attendant assists a male employer with a bath, they usually undress to make the employer feel more comfortable… Of course, you, as a noble, don’t have to follow that rule, but it’s not wrong either. You don’t need to be embarrassed or upset."

"Good. If we’re going to do this, we might as well do it right."

Repaying her debt to him—Agnes whispered those words softly behind his back, and Antonio’s heart began to race uncontrollably.

"I’ll just wash the parts you can’t reach. That should be enough, right? You wouldn’t want anything more, would you?"

"O-Of course, Lady Agnes…"

‘Hold it together. Hold it together. You can do this. Stay calm…’

Pretending that this was completely normal. That it was merely a bath, and that he wasn’t thinking any improper thoughts at all.

As Antonio focused on suppressing the rising heat within him, he concentrated on the gentle touch of Agnes’s hands washing his back.

And in his heart, he silently thanked Lilith several times for creating this opportunity.