Chapter 22: It’s Okay, That’s Love (1)

Chloe, groggily rising from the bed, looked down at Yudith, who was sleeping soundly beside her, breathing deeply.

Her eyes were still swollen and red from how much she had cried yesterday.

‘…What should I do?’

She gently smoothed Yudith’s hair as she slept soundly. Seeing Yudith, lost in a deep sleep and making small breaths, filled her with complicated emotions.

‘Should I just accept it as it is?’

She had never seen Yudith in that way. She had been by her side for eight years, taking care of her. To be honest, she was like a younger sister.

She knew that Yudith liked and cherished her. They had escaped from that place and come to a place with no connections, supporting each other for eight years.

She understood why Yudith relied on her. She was also relying on Yudith.

Therefore, she thought that all of Yudith’s actions towards her were simply because she relied on her and liked her.

Acting cute, giving her dresses as gifts, giving her necklaces as gifts, escorting her and protecting her.

…Now that she thought about it, there were plenty of hints.

She had just pretended not to know.

Chloe slowly exhaled and looked at the sleeping Yudith, wearing a bitter expression.

‘It’s too… heavy…’

Yudith’s love felt too heavy.

Their relationship was that of a maid and her Milady.

She didn’t want to destroy the tower that she had painstakingly built. She didn’t want to turn everything she had built because of her into bubbles.

Yudith would do many things in the future. She didn’t want to see Yudith, who had risen to a high position as a Grand Duchess, become obsessed with a mere maid like her and fall apart.

Nevertheless, she was greedy. She didn’t want to leave her side. If possible, she wanted to be by Yudith’s side.

Even after realizing Yudith’s feelings, this feeling had not changed. What she wanted from Yudith had always been the same since eight years ago.

She wanted Yudith to be happy.

However. The happiness she wanted for her and the form of happiness that Yudith wanted were very different.

She wanted her to meet a good person, fall in love, and live a happy life, but she couldn’t help but blush at the fact that she was the good person for her.

When she thought about all the actions she had taken towards her until now, that she had done those things because she loved her.

Where else would there be a fool like her?

She understood why she had been so anxious last night.

‘What should I do, Milady…’

As she gently brushed away the hair covering Yudith’s face, she saw the small lips that had craved her last night. The memory of last night flashed through her mind, making her blood rush.

Her face flushed, and as it came into contact with the air in the room, she felt a stinging sensation, making her cheeks flush.

‘I’ve never had this kind of experience before, so I don’t know what to do…’

She had never been in a relationship, nor had she ever loved someone so dearly. She had absolutely no dating experience in her past or present life, and this was the first time she had received a confession.

And it was from her Milady, who was the same gender as her…

‘What should I do, really…’

She felt a sense of darkness looming over her, making her future bleak. She had never felt love for a man, and she didn’t think she could love another woman.

‘Yesterday was just a mistake, swept away by the atmosphere…’

She resolved to do so and looked out the window to erase the events of yesterday from her memory.

Looking out the window, she saw that dawn was breaking, so she had to get out of bed and prepare for work. Despite this confusion, she had to start working.

She gently lowered Yudith’s arm from her waist and slowly got out of bed, heading towards the closet.

As she looked in the mirror to quickly change her clothes and get ready to go out.

Her face couldn’t help but flush.

As if to prove that she loved her, she had left marks all over her body to show that she was hers.

The marks that Yudith had left on her neck were dyed red.

The kiss marks clearly imprinted on her chest and neck, and the teeth marks that had gnawed at her, craving her, made her imagine last night even more, which she had been trying to forget.

Her flushed cheeks became unbearably hot.

She buttoned up her maid uniform to the very top to hide the kiss marks on her neck.

Even so, she couldn’t help but sigh as she saw the marks that Yudith had left on her, which were slightly visible.

‘I’m really crazy…’

She turned her head and looked at Yudith, who was sleeping soundly, making her feel resentful.

These marks couldn’t be hidden no matter what she did.

The red kiss marks, which remained vaguely even when she buttoned up to the top, revealed themselves.

Anyone could tell they were kiss marks, so if her maid colleagues saw them, a storm of questions would surely come flying at her.

‘Really… I have no choice…’

She untied her hair and tidied it up. She decided to cover her neck by arranging her long, loose hair. The loose strands of hair gently touched the kiss marks, concealing them.

She didn’t like letting her hair down.

When she sweated while working, it would stick to her neck and tickle, and since being a maid involved physical labor, it was more comfortable to have her hair neatly tied up.

She let her hair down and looked in the mirror, and although it wasn’t completely hidden, it seemed like it wouldn’t be visible unless someone looked closely.

Even as she tried to go outside, she was constantly bothered by the kiss marks that couldn’t be hidden. She felt a tingling sensation on her back due to the shame of someone seeing them.

Nevertheless, time wouldn’t wait for her, so she touched the kiss marks on her neck and headed outside.

Yudith, unaware of her feelings, was sleeping soundly.

She felt a bubbling resentment rising from within.

---

-Knock, knock, knock

“Milady. Are you awake?”

“Yeah… I’m awake…”

Chloe, who opened the door and entered, looked the same as usual. Despite what had happened yesterday, she approached Yudith with the same voice and expression as always.

Yudith felt a sense of novelty at Chloe’s appearance, who had her hair down, unlike usual.

‘She usually ties her hair up, but she has it down today?’

Thinking that, Yudith slowly took in Chloe’s fresh appearance, which was different from usual.

“…? You need to get ready quickly. You have a meeting scheduled with the Second Duchess today. I heard she came to the ball, have you met her?”

“…? I don’t know.”

“…I see.”

Yudith got out of bed and stretched once to loosen her stiff body, then walked towards the dressing table where Chloe was standing.

As she walked, looking at Chloe and passing by her.

On her neck, slightly visible through her hair.

She saw the marks she had left to show that Chloe was hers.

Seeing that, Yudith smiled. She immediately knew why she had let her hair down, which made her feel even better.

‘It’s well imprinted…’

It was her first time doing something like this, so she wasn’t sure if it would leave a proper mark. Nevertheless, she had tried her best, so she was able to engrave it on Chloe’s body like that.

As she sat at the dressing table, she felt Chloe’s gaze, who was focusing on her as usual. Today, she felt that the powdering, which was usually delicate, felt slightly forceful, as if she was angry.

She loved all those changes.

The change of letting her hair down to hide the kiss marks, the change of being angry because of that but not being able to express her anger towards her, so she was putting more force into it like this.

And the still red ear tips that could be seen when she slightly opened her eyes.

Everything about Chloe that had changed because of her was so lovely.

Looking at Chloe’s red ear tips, she felt the heated emotions she had felt last night rising again.

Once a heart had been unleashed, it was no longer easy to control.

Once you’ve done it once, it’s easy to do it twice.

Yudith finished her makeup, turned her body, and sat facing Chloe directly.

Yudith, who looked up at Chloe, opened her arms wide and hugged Chloe’s body.

“A, Milady…!”

“Why?”

“…Please get up quickly. Don’t bury your face in my clothes, you’ll ruin your makeup.”

Chloe, who was greatly surprised by Yudith’s tight hug, coughed dryly and acted as usual. Yudith brought her ear to Chloe’s solar plexus.

The slightly audible heartbeat of Chloe.

-Thump, thump, thump thumpthumpthumpthump

A heartbeat that was getting faster and faster.

Chloe’s heartbeat began to speed up like crazy.

Feeling that pleasant heartbeat, Yudith hugged Chloe even tighter.

“Really…! Stop it!”

Yudith, startled by Chloe’s angry voice, released her arms and looked up at Chloe.

Chloe, who was covering her face with one hand as if to hide her bright red face, sighed.

“…I’m sorry for getting angry. We don’t have much time, so let’s get ready quickly.”

“…Okay.”

Yudith, who was so surprised by Chloe’s appearance, which was different from last night, blankly looked at Chloe’s back.

‘…? Why…? She clearly accepted my confession yesterday…?’

She couldn’t understand Chloe getting angry.

Yudith, who thought that she had clearly accepted her yesterday, asked Chloe to confirm.

“…Why did you get angry…?”

“Yes…?”

“You can do this much, right? Like yesterday…”

“Ahem!”

She couldn’t understand Chloe, who was stopping her words with a dry cough.

She had clearly accepted her yesterday.

But she couldn’t even understand why she was being so cold.

Chloe’s expression was not good.

Feeling the sunken expression, Yudith instinctively felt it.

That she had not yet fully accepted her feelings.

“Yesterday…”

“Don’t say that.”

Yudith, who realized the words that were about to come out, grabbed Chloe’s hand.

Yudith, who jumped up and grabbed Chloe’s hand, pleaded desperately. She felt so scared of the words that were about to come out.

She felt like the happy feeling she had just had was falling into the abyss in an instant.

Chloe, who looked at Yudith’s eyes, which were filled with tears, didn’t know what to do.

Looking at Yudith’s desperate appearance in front of her, she couldn’t easily open her mouth.

In the end, at her gaze looking at her.

She asked for time rather than rejection.

“…Please give me time to think.”

“….”

Yudith could quickly guess Chloe’s thoughts.

She must have thought that she was not a good match for her, or that she was a hindrance because of her position.

Not knowing who she had risen to this position because of.

Yudith sighed deeply and reluctantly accepted the request, which was not a proposal.

It wasn’t a rejection.

And looking at Chloe’s reaction today, she thought that there was clearly more than enough possibility.

She was bound to come to her side anyway, so it would be okay to give her some time.

“I won’t give you that much time. You have to answer quickly.”

“…I will.”

She had gained a short amount of time, but…

She had no idea how to solve this situation at all.

She had to find a good solution within this very short time that would not hurt Yudith’s feelings.

But…

‘I don’t think I can solve it…’

In fact, she had already given up halfway.

But the reason why she asked for time rather than rejection was.

It was because she needed time to think about what this feeling she felt when she looked at Yudith was.

Whether she was just feeling embarrassed because of what happened last night, or whether it was something else.

She needed time to think deeply.