episode_0287

Argentia Empire’s 5th Prince, Antonio Roberto Valtoria.

A little while ago, he entered the bathroom alone and started preparing himself with a slightly uncomfortable gesture as he undressed.

“As expected, it’s quite uncomfortable…”

To be honest, he wasn’t feeling too great.

It was a moment when he realized firsthand that it wasn’t easy to undress while one arm was tightly bound with a splint.

Of course, Antonio, being a prince of the empire, had a history of training in swordsmanship and magic since a young age, and he had suffered injuries worse than this while increasing his training intensity in recent sparring sessions. However, undressing with one arm injured without the help of another person was a first for him, even as a noble.

“Ugh…! Ugh, ahh….”

“Prince Antonio, wouldn’t it be better if I helped you?”

“It’s… fine, Colt. How can I call myself a noble of the empire if I can’t even undress properly by myself?”

“But you can’t move one of your arms. Since Lady Blaze is still having her meal, let me assist you with just the dressing…”

“If Agnes were to discover this, she would definitely be upset. She already wasn’t pleased when she had to ask you to help her despite saying she could handle it herself.”

“But…”

“I don’t want to incur any more of her displeasure. Honestly, I already think the events that have transpired so far are a bit risky.”

He thought he could somewhat make up for treating Agnes as a child by mistaking her for younger during their first meeting.

However, Antonio’s feelings towards Agnes continued to veer in a strange direction, only upsetting her and making her feel uncomfortable, and now even the prince himself could see that.

If he made more mistakes here, even the slight possibility of things working out well with Agnes would completely disappear.

From almost endangering the life of her dear friend, Lily, by interfering in a crisis and upsetting Agnes by not giving her any tasks despite saying he would help her, to following her all the way to the Witchwood and showing anything but a manly demeanor, he had been acting passively due to feeling inadequate after failing to properly wield his sword and losing an arm to the Hydra. It was inevitable that his behavior would become more passive.

“There’s no need for you to lend me your hand, Colt. Don’t worry. After all, you didn’t accompany her as a maid or a servant, but as a groom and a guardian.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you understand, then you may leave now. If you stay here unnecessarily, you might be caught by Lady Agnes. You can wash yourself without needing someone else’s help.”

“Understood, Prince Antonio.”

As he heard Colt’s footsteps moving away from the bathroom door, Antonio finished undressing and prepared himself for the bath.

Even though one arm was uncomfortable, after removing his top, the discomfort lessened somewhat, which was a relief for Antonio. Of course, the process of putting on clothes again after washing would be awkward once more.

Originally, Agnes, who had volunteered to help with all these tasks, should have been the one doing this. Offering to help a patient who couldn’t use one arm to undress meant more than just having a meal, it also meant assistance in this aspect.

Of course, this kind of service was only possible when Prince Antonio could confidently demand such things from Agnes.

If it were someone like Colt, who had a strong sense of self-assurance, it wouldn’t have been difficult to boss people around. But Agnes was different. With her unique emotions, even making such a small request somehow felt embarrassing to her.

Especially asking a noble to help in this manner was a type of favor that was not easily asked for. Even though it was to take care of himself as a patient, ultimately, it was like showing his naked body to the person he loved.

Feeling embarrassed, and above all, Antonio was hesitant to ask because he thought Agnes might not like seeing his naked body.

– Ouch!

“As expected, it’s not so easy to do things with just one arm…”

They say you can dry wet armpits with magic, but not being able to use his dominant arm and having to wash himself was a big embarrassment.

Not to mention that it took more than twice the usual time to comb his hair, and there were many areas he couldn’t reach with just one hand.

Nevertheless, Antonio, determined to get through the next three days like this, was in the bathroom trying to soap his body with one hand when he heard two light knocks on the door.

– Knock, knock.

“Is it Colt again? I told you earlier, I’m fine. It’s not so difficult that I need your help.”

“….”

“And if you help me bathe, Agnes might misunderstand again. It’s better for her to rest before she sees you.”

“….”

There was no response from behind the door. Perhaps it was drowned out by the sound of running water in the bathroom.

Antonio, who thought it would be Colt, simply focused on washing himself with one hand. After all, it didn’t seem like a good situation for Agnes to see him bathing without her help.

As he turned his head back to try to reach the areas he couldn’t with the towel, the door opened, and Antonio, who witnessed a woman entering the bathroom, froze.

– Eek.

“Well, I said I didn’t need help with my bath…”

“…Really, you don’t need it?”

“….What?”

“…Do you really not need help with your bath?”

“Ah, Agnes?”

Antonio was momentarily stunned as he watched her casually enter the bathroom. In fact, if Agnes had just come in to help with his bath, he might not have been so flustered.

But more than feeling embarrassed to show his naked body, he was more afraid that she might feel uncomfortable seeing it.

So, the current situation where Agnes seemed indifferent to his body was indeed fortunate, but what made Antonio’s heart race even more was Agnes’ attire as she entered the bathroom.

Because, like him, she was wearing nothing… in other words, she entered the bathroom completely naked without even trying to cover herself with a towel.

Her confident entrance, without any attempt to cover herself with a towel, was such a strong impression in Antonio’s mind that it turned it into a blank white sheet, and only belatedly did he manage to avert his gaze from that thrilling sight.

“W-what are you doing, Agnes! W-we’re not even engaged yet! O-of course, I would gladly accept Agnes’ feelings, but we should take the time to get to know each other first…!”

“What are you talking about? I came in to help with your bath.”

“…What?”

“I told you. For three days, you will be attending to your duties, including bathing.”

“But, but…”

“And during the bathing duties, it is customary for both parties to be naked to ensure that the one receiving the service does not feel embarrassed. You should have known this already.”

“Uh, um…?”

Was there such a rule?

No, at least as far as he knew, there was absolutely no such rule. There were countless maids in the Hwangga who had bathed Antonio, but none of them had ever entered the bathroom showing their naked bodies.

So, Agnes must have misunderstood something and entered the bathroom in this manner. He couldn’t know who had caused this strange misunderstanding.

“W-who said such a thing…?”

“Lilith did.”

“Lilith? Are you serious…?”

“Yeah. She’s originally from the Blackwood maids. She taught me that there’s a difference between same-sex and opposite-sex bathing duties.”

“…?”

What on earth is she talking about?

Could it be that the Blackwood family is a family that mocks their own servants in this way?

As far as he knew, Harold, the head of the Blackwood family, still mourned his deceased wife and had not taken a new wife, and his son, Ethan, seemed to be infatuated with Lilith. It was hard to imagine that such a person would mock the maids of the mansion in such a way.

In other words, this idea of ‘naked bathing duties’ was just an idea that came from Lilith’s mind.

Perhaps she did this as a prank to tease her friend Agnes… or maybe she deliberately did this to help him.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why she would do such a thing. What benefit could it be to her to support his relationship with Agnes by doing this…

“…Isn’t it this?”

“Y-yes?”

“Could it be that this is it? Maybe it was right for you to come in with your clothes on, just like when same-sex bathing duties are performed?”

Agnes’s voice, slightly tinged with anger, reached Antonio’s ears.

If he were to say, ‘No, you don’t have to come in naked for bathing duties,’ the consequences that would follow were obvious.

Not only would she be angry at Lilith for deceiving her, but she would also feel embarrassed for the thoughtless act she had done, and their relationship would drift even further apart. So in this situation, there was only one answer that Prince Antonio could give.

…Besides, even as Prince Antonio, he didn’t particularly like this situation.

“T-that’s correct, Agnes.”

“R-really?”

“Y-yes… When a female servant bathes a male employee, it is customary for both parties to be naked to ensure that the employee does not feel embarrassed… Of course, it was not necessary for a noble like yourself to follow this rule, but, it is not a wrong act, so there is no need to feel embarrassed or angry.”

“Then it’s settled. If you have to do it anyway, it’s better to do it properly according to the rules.”

That way, it will be the best way for you to fully repay your debt. With the same words whispered behind his back by Agnes, Antonio’s heart began to beat like crazy.

“I’ll wash the parts you can’t reach. Is that enough for you? You wouldn’t want more than that, would you?”

“Y-Yes, Agnes my dear….”

‘Endure. Endure. Somehow endure. Endure….’

As if this situation was a natural one. As if it was just a noble service, without any lewd thoughts at all.

While trying to suppress his rising desire, Antonio, the prince, focused on Agnes’s hand that had started to push his back.

Furthermore, he was silently thanking Release, who had created this situation, over and over again in his heart.