Chapter 78

Thanks to that, Elise could now enjoy solitary baths.

“You have to show me, Princess!” Ivetsa exclaimed, placing her hands on both sides of her waist and widening her eyes. “Hurry up and undress!”

“I can manage on my own, Ivetsa,” Elise murmured as she entered the bath, clutching the blanket tightly around her body with both hands. “Today, I want to be alone…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Can a princess bathe alone?!”

“When I was young, I used to bathe alone.”

Ivetsa narrowed her eyes. “Why on earth? There must have been no shortage of maids in the Argan royal family!”

“It’s not that. I just wanted to.”

In her early years, Elise, confined indoors, had found solace only in the bathroom. Despite fainting several times after prolonged hot baths, she insisted on shooing the maids away. Even an ailing person needed some time alone.

Entering adolescence, it became increasingly awkward to expose her unchanged, slender body to the servants. Of course, she had been strictly forbidden from solitary moments since turning fifteen.

It remained just as awkward now, but the reasons had evolved since then.

Ivetsa rang the bell.

“Hurry up! If you take too long to bathe, I’ll be in trouble with the Grand Duke!”

At the mention of the grand duke, Elise surrendered. She hesitated, set down the blanket, and Ivetsa, catching a glimpse of the princess’s exposed body, stood there in astonishment.

“…Oh my goodness.”

Moonlight revealed Elise’s pale skin, adorned with various bruises, creating a speckled pattern. Red marks adorned her body, a testament to the duke’s ownership.

“I, I said I could do it alone,” Elise stuttered. Blushing intensely, she swiftly sought refuge behind the bathtub. Clutching a smooth pebble for body scrubbing, she lowered her head deeply. 

“I’ll do it. Please,” she pleaded. It wasn’t just the lingering ache in her lower abdomen; her thighs felt sticky. Whatever emanated from within her was more than just menstrual blood. Even with Ivetsa, Elise couldn’t bear to expose those obvious signs. It was so embarrassing that she feared she might faint.

Observing Elise crouched stubbornly with her back turned, Ivetsa wore an awkward expression. Despite the sheet and blanket bearing evident traces of numerous encounters, broaching such a topic seemed ill-advised. However, it was a duty that couldn’t be sidestepped for the princess who endured ceaseless suffering in the darkness. Recognizing the impoliteness of the situation, Ivetsa reluctantly accepted the towel and pebble from Elise.

“If someone lacking energy were to collapse alone in a hot bath, it could be dangerous. Quit being stubborn, just close your eyes for a moment. I’ll swiftly clean you up without giving you a chance to feel embarrassed.”

In the end, Elise succumbed once more. She closed her eyes, her entire face flushing red, and Ivetsa efficiently washed her delicate body. Elise, who had been hunching her shoulders and legs to avoid exposing herself, was skillfully tended to by Ivetsa’s deft hands, to the point where she could blink and find herself refreshed.

“Oh my, I should inform Lady Freya and fetch some ointment…” Ivetsa muttered.

“…Does it look bad?” Elise inquired.

“Quite so,” Ivetsa said with a click of her tongue. “What is this, really? It’s not even a skin disease.”

Even Elise acknowledged the severity of the situation, particularly around her chest…

He seemed quite enamored with her chest. Recollecting the moment when Rezette buried his face in her bosom, savoring the scent, brought a fiery blush to her cheeks. Not only were there traces on her chest, but unmistakable imprints lingered in the areas he had focused on, especially the marks on the inside of her thighs—something she never wished to reveal.

Elise scanned the room for a way to see her body. The small mirror that once occupied a corner of the bathroom was nowhere to be found. Mirrors had vanished from the top floor some time ago. Now, the absence of the mirror mattered little since it was no longer necessary. The magic circles engraved on her body could be drawn without visual aid.

Moving her finger above the water basin, Elise began a slow process. With her index finger, she traced a circle on the surface, overlaying several triangles within it. Ripples spread as if the water were playfully bouncing. The most challenging part lay in the unreadable characters densely filled between the shapes. Elise moved her finger, bouncing off the shimmering water surface.

“Sameshita…”

A soft whisper escaped her lips, transforming into a gentle breeze that caressed the water’s surface. Light trailed the path her finger traced, and now, completing the magic circle required little effort.

If I infuse magic here, will the spell come to life? However, the flow of magic abruptly ceased, as if its source had been severed.

“Should I discreetly inform the doctor, Your Highness?” Ivetsa’s hushed voice interrupted Elise’s thoughts. Stirring the water with her hand, Elise asked, “Tell him what?”

“About a contraceptive potion, preventing pregnancy within safe limits for the body,” Elise replied. As the magic circle slowly dissolved into the water, Ivetsa lowered her voice, continuing while Elise remained momentarily silent. 

“Herbs like mugwort or goldenrod work well when brewed lightly as tea. They provide a brief contraceptive effect.”

“Contraception…” Elise murmured.

“After the young lady becomes pregnant, it’s too late. It’s easy to fill a hungry stomach, but how will you journey south with a child? So, if you’re concerned, you can discreetly consult Lady Freya. Although you underwent a checkup yesterday, given your clandestine activities, the doctor will return today. You can inquire about safe herbs, taking into account the possibility that the doctor might report to the Grand Duke. I’ll smuggle them in for you.”

“…What if he discovers it?” Elise asked apprehensively.

“Well, Your Highness, then you’ll have to rescue me.” Ivetsa chuckled, scrunching her nose.

Elise could only nod without an immediate response. It was only then that she realized something she hadn’t known before.

“I had a checkup yesterday?” she inquired.

“Yes,” nodded Ivetsa, “in the morning.”

It was something Elise had no memory of. Ivetsa explained that, during the brief moment she lost consciousness, Freya had examined her, determining there were no significant injuries and that she had merely fallen asleep due to exhaustion.

“Ah, so after I woke up again…” Elise sighed softly, covering her forehead with her hand. Somehow, the excuse that she was in pain didn’t seem to carry much weight.

She once again realized that Rezette Kyrstan had truly made up his mind. Elise couldn’t exactly pinpoint why someone who hadn’t budged for nearly three months suddenly decided to approach the line he had drawn. What change of heart had occurred in him?

Elise recalled the man who couldn’t contain his excitement at the prospect of having a child. He had emphasized multiple times that the life conceived would be ‘their’ child. Was he sincere?

Feeling a strange sensation, Elise absentmindedly touched her abdomen. Even after pouring out his warmth once, she remembered him not withdrawing from her body. Rezette, relentless, wouldn’t yield even when she begged, and whenever her trembling subsided, he would once again press his lips against her skin as if nothing had happened. How suffocating his persistence was.

After this month, continued intimacy with Rezette could expedite the conception of a child sooner than she anticipated. No, it was virtually inevitable. Spending the remaining three months in a manner similar to the past few days, it seemed more pragmatic not to become pregnant unless there was a significant issue with her body.

Until a few days ago, that was Elise’s only path. But she wasn’t so sure now.

Contraception…

At least until she comprehensively grasped the situation in the southern part of Grandel, it might not be a bad idea to opt for a mild herbal tea as a form of contraception.

However, in the very next moment, a familiar presence sounded from behind the partition covering the bathtub. The deliberate footsteps were unmistakable, belonging to someone familiar.

Before she could locate the towel, a hand extended from behind and grasped the edge of the bathtub.

“Elise.”

For a rugged man, his voice held an unexpectedly gentle tone. Rezette tilted his head and pressed his lips against the white nape of Elise’s neck. The light sound of his lips and the sensation proved to be ticklish.

“Rezette.”

“How’s your body?” Rezette inquired.

“Oh, I’m fine!” Elise responded, an immediate answer escaping her mind. The voice was louder than she anticipated.

Rezette raised an eyebrow curiously. Elise, fearing he might touch her again, hastily uttered whatever came to her mind.

“Ivetsa mentioned that it seems like I have a skin disease. I—”

“What?”

With a furrowed face, Rezette turned to look at the door where Ivetsa had been eavesdropping.

“What did you say to the Princess?” he inquired of Ivetsa. Realizing the mistake, Elise swiftly redirected attention by playfully tugging his cheek toward her. “It’s nothing serious. You’ve left marks from here to here, so…”

“It’s beautiful,” Rezette interjected.

Elise blushed once more. “That’s beside the point. How can you be so nonchalant? Even if I wear clothes, it’ll still be noticeable.”

“In my eyes, it’s beautiful. No one would dare criticize you,” Rezette asserted.

“There’s no way that’s true!”

“If someone does, should I pluck out their eyes for you?”

“What?”

It was terrifyingly absurd. Observing her astonishment, Rezette added with a deadpan expression, “I’m joking.”

It didn’t come across as a jest. Thanks to that disconcerting comment, Elise’s already scattered thoughts were further disrupted, and Rezette casually enveloped her with a blanket.