Chapter 60

Elena, flustered, glanced at the maids before turning to Lassino and Cura. They returned composed smiles, their expressions seemingly unchanged. Even as she parted ways with Lassino’s group and headed back to the bathroom, Elena couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Could it be…? she wondered to herself. Lost in thought, Elena suddenly realized she had entered an unfamiliar area.

“Huh? Cura, aren’t we going to the bathroom?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s right. Ah! Didn’t you hear from His Grace?” Cura replied.

“Hear what?” Elena inquired, her confusion growing.

Cura widened her smile, her lips stretching into a playful grin. “His Grace instructed us to move you to his bedroom as soon as you woke up, before he returned.”

“What?” Elena blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly. “Why?”

“Why, you ask? Well, His Grace, umm…” Cura clasped her hands together, covering her mouth as she stifled a laugh. A creeping sense of unease sent a shiver down Elena’s spine. “He said that from now on, you’ll be sharing a bedroom with him. I think they’ll be moving all your belongings while you’re bathing.”

“My belongings? Who?” Elena asked, her voice rising with alarm.

“Lassino, the head butler, took the maids with him to move your things. Right now, they’re probably…” Before Cura could finish, Elena collapsed, sitting down abruptly. Her dress billowed around her, the fabric catching the air as it settled in a circle.

“Is there anything else I don’t know about?” Elena murmured, covering her face with her hands, unable to bear looking at Cura.

“The entire castle is aware that you are His Grace’s ‘possession,’ not just me,” Cura emphasized, crouching down in front of Elena. She placed particular emphasis on the word “possession.”

“Remember when His Grace appeared in the greenhouse and said to you, ‘Didn’t I make it clear that you belong to me? If you want to escape from me, you’ll have to kill me first,'” Cura mimicked Kennard’s words precisely, even lowering her voice to imitate him. “If you touch what’s mine one more time, I’ll tear you limb from li—”

“Please, stop!” Elena exclaimed, jumping up and clamping her hand over Cura’s mouth. She shook her head violently, her eyes pleading for Cura to say no more.

Cura gently removed Elena’s hand and smiled. “I wasn’t the only one there, you know. My brother and the knights were there too.”

Elena’s face flushed, tears welling up in her eyes. She prayed for the earth to swallow her whole.

***

“Do I have to use this bathroom too?” Elena asked, now clothed in a robe and sitting in a chair while Cura dried her hair.

“Yes. You’re supposed to use this bathroom as well,” Cura replied.

As Elena lifted her head to look around, she noticed details she hadn’t seen when she first entered, overwhelmed as she was. The bathroom was a spacious room, with walls and ceilings adorned in luxurious marble carved with intricate patterns, and various gemstones glinting in the light.

Near the entrance of the bathroom was a powder room where one could dry off and change clothes, complete with a chair to sit in. Opposite that, deep inside the bathroom, a small wooden room came into view.

“What’s that inside there?” Elena asked, following Cura’s gaze.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think it’s a place to take steam,” Cura replied.

“Steam?” Elena inquired.

“Yes, it’s where you can be exposed to steam from hot water or herbs heated over burning coals. Sir Leto used to bring herbs in there to use,” Cura explained.

“Sir Leto really does a lot of things,” Elena commented.

“He’s His Grace’s personal physician and barber too. He knows more about herbs than even my brother. And he seems to have vast knowledge about all sorts of other things. Oh! He could probably talk all night about different types of alcohol,” Cura said with a smile.

Cura continued speaking as she brushed through Elena’s hair. “The dressing table hasn’t been moved here yet, so I’ll just help you here for today.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Elena replied.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate. Since this bathroom is directly connected to His Grace’s bedroom, you won’t have to walk through the cold hallway after bathing,” Cura said.

“That’s true,” Elena agreed.

Just as Cura had mentioned, this bathroom was right next to Kennard’s bedroom. There was no need to step out into the hallway, as a door from the bedroom led directly into the bathroom.

“All done,” Cura announced.

Elena removed her robe and changed into the chemise Cura had brought for her. She couldn’t help but avoid Cura’s gaze, feeling self-conscious about the marks left on her body from the previous night. Kennard’s passionate kisses had left red, swollen marks across various parts of her body.

Cura, helping Elena put on the robe over her chemise, muttered in a slightly hoarse voice, “But it’s really a relief.”

“What is?” Elena asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“That His Grace chose you, Elena. I don’t know what the future holds, but if His Grace had married someone like Miss Hazel…” Cura shuddered, her shoulders trembling.

Elena found no solace in her words; instead, she felt a wave of bitterness. “Even if it’s not Miss Hazel, His Grace will eventually marry a noble lady, right?”

Elena absentmindedly ran her fingers over the embroidery on the sleeve of her robe. “Or if he imprints on someone, he might choose that person instead.”

Just thinking about it made her chest tighten. She had braced herself for this the moment she took his hand in the greenhouse, but she wasn’t sure she could accept it calmly if it ever happened.

“Elena, have you perhaps imprinted on His Grace?” Cura asked.

Elena weakly shook her head. “Didn’t they say imprinting happens the moment you first meet?”

“Yes, those who are imprinted are instinctively drawn to each other, like the two of you now,” Cura replied.

“When I first regained consciousness here and met His Grace’s gaze, nothing like what you described happened,” Elena said.

Even now, she could vividly recall the day she first met Kennard. She had been lying in a strange place, injured and with no memory of how she got there.

The silhouette behind the thin canopy over the bed was enough to reveal his broad build, and the pheromones emanating from him were so overwhelming they took her breath away. His glossy black hair and those intense golden eyes that shone even in the dark.

When their eyes met, a chilling sensation shot through her entire body, and an inexplicable fear gripped her. That day remained seared in her memory, a day she couldn’t forget—one when her first instinct was to escape his cold gaze.

“I’ve never been imprinted, so I don’t know for sure. And I’m not certain if what I told you happens to everyone. But everyone says His Grace might have imprinted on you, given how obsessively he’s attached to you,” Cura said.

Seeing Elena’s face darken, Cura quickly added, “No, it can’t be.”

Elena forced a smile in response to Cura. She didn’t want to have any false hopes. It didn’t matter if they hadn’t imprinted on each other. Even if his obsession stemmed solely from a desire to possess her, that was fine. No matter what form his feelings took, as long as he wanted her and wished for her to stay by his side, she had already resolved to remain with him.

Elena averted her gaze from Cura, who looked at her with pity, and slowly walked out of the bathroom. Her legs still felt weak, making it difficult to walk, and her lower body was so sore that it was uncomfortable to stand upright.

When she opened the door that led directly into the bedroom, she noticed a familiar dressing table inside the room. It seemed that during her bath, Lassino had moved it there with the help of the maids.

Kennard’s bedroom was much larger and far more lavishly decorated than the one Elena had been using. At a glance, it seemed like a room where one could host a grand party. The bed was much bigger and higher than the one in her own room.

Though the room wasn’t overcrowded with furniture, it didn’t feel empty either. There was a high-backed armchair and a round table in front of the fireplace, and by the window, a desk and chair identical to those in the study had been placed. On the desk, various books and documents were neatly stacked without a single thing out of place.

Elena awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed, idly fussing with the bedding. She still felt uneasy, unsure if she was truly allowed to use this space. It was as if she had intruded into someone else’s home.

“Do you know where His Grace has gone?” Elena asked, glancing nervously at the door, half expecting Kennard to burst in at any moment.

“Soldiers from Montefiano arrived yesterday. They are going to be stationed at the border outposts, so my brother went with them to inspect the area,” Cura replied.

“The border?” Elena inquired.

“Yes, His Grace has been displeased because the White Fox Tribe keeps crossing the border. With the soldiers reinforcing the defenses, it should improve,” Cura explained.

Come to think of it, the place where she had been attacked by the White Fox Tribe was the Terra Demorte Forest.

“Will he be back tonight?” Elena asked.

“My brother said it would take about two or three days, so I don’t think he will be back tonight,” Cura replied.