#13. Bath Attendance (1)  

The Vanished Prince.  

Kalkus Traskan.  

The First Prince, son of the First Empress.  

Despite being second in line to the throne after the Crown Prince, the son of the current Empress, he left the palace and disappeared during his childhood, withdrawing early from the succession battle.  

The First Empress still resided in the imperial palace, supported by the Emperor’s affection, but she had sent her son away from the palace early on.  

She did so without granting him any official status or wealth, apart from his title as a prince.  

Though she was the Emperor’s most beloved woman, she was a commoner and not a member of the beast clan, lacking the power to protect her child during the power struggles.  

Her decision was a clear declaration that she prioritized her son’s life over the possibility of his succession to power.  

By erasing his presence so that he wouldn’t be considered a threat in the fight for the throne, she ensured he wouldn’t face life-threatening dangers.  

As a result, the Second Prince, who was next in line, was currently engaged in a fierce battle for succession with the Crown Prince.  

Unless an extraordinary variable arose, Kalkus Traskan would likely live a hidden life, just as the First Empress intended, preserving his life.  

How peculiar.  

Tarkan, Traskan.  

Even the sound of the surname was oddly similar.  

Now that I think about it, wasn’t the First Empress’s hometown near Bergen?  

Anyway, this Kalkus Tarkan seemed to have a very close relationship with Clyne Liden.  

He even secured a joint guarantee from the Lord of Bergen.  

Come to think of it, that’s strange too.  

Why would the Lord of Bergen go so far as to provide a joint guarantee for a servant? Just to allow the servant’s acquaintance to receive an advance payment? The lord himself?  

Could it be that this Kalkus Tarkan is truly the vanished prince?  

The more I looked into the documents, the more unsettling things felt. Everything about Clyne Liden’s information was suspicious, and even the guarantor was unusual.  

Clyne Liden, who on earth are you?  

What began as suspicion stemming from Clyne Liden’s connection to the woman he imprinted on gradually grew into doubt about Clyne Liden’s very existence.  

So much so that he felt compelled to uncover each lie one by one, even if it meant enduring some inconvenience.  

Of course, this conclusion stemmed from his realization and reflection on being too indifferent to the internal affairs of the household as its head during the mistress’s absence.  

It’s certainly not because he held any interest in a mere servant.  

* * *  

“What did you say, Duke?”  

Chloe asked again, thinking she must have misheard the Duke’s words.  

“Attend to me during my bath.”  

“Your bath?”  

Chloe couldn’t help but question in confusion. He had never once asked for assistance during a bath before.  

“Now that I think about it, you’re still occupying the servant position despite deceiving me.”  

“……”  

It was true. She had lied so many times now that she didn’t even know where to begin refuting him.  

“Then don’t you think you should at least perform your duties diligently?”  

“And that means attending to your bath?”  

“For now.”  

For now? Does that mean there’s more to come?  

But now wasn’t the time to worry about what lay ahead.  

She had to deal with the immediate task of attending to his bath first.  

Attending to a bath meant assisting someone while they bathed… And bathing meant being entirely undressed…  

Chloe blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to erase the fleeting image that crossed her mind.  

Don’t even think about it!  

This was absolutely unacceptable.  

Just recalling the Duke’s naked body from that day made her face flush hotly, and now she was supposed to see it again?  

And that day, it had been dark. But this time, during a bath, it would be in full light…  

No! Absolutely not!  

“Duke, I don’t think I’m suitable for attending to your bath.”  

Duke, I’m not a man. I can’t handle attending to your bath. I’m a woman!  

“Are you saying that a servant isn’t suitable for serving their master? Then what are you suitable for?”  

She had no response. It was common for a servant to assist with a bath.  

“I’m concerned that if I, who admire you, see your naked body, I might feel… strange.”  

Even though she didn’t admire him, the part about feeling strange was one hundred percent sincere.  

“Should I consider the feelings of a servant?”  

What a terrible Duke.  

He wasn’t like this before.  

He wasn’t the kind of master who ignored his servants’ words and acted as he pleased, nor the kind to demand something like assisting with a bath.  

He was the type to do everything on his own.  

“Of course, I don’t mind, but wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable with my gaze?”  

A male servant likes you—wouldn’t that make you uncomfortable?  

“Not particularly.”  

Then why have you kept your distance from both men and women as if they were germs all this time?!  

She was tempted to grab him by the collar and demand an explanation.  

“Why do you suddenly need assistance now when you’ve always done it alone?”  

“Until now, I found it convenient to do it alone. But on second thought, it feels like the servant is getting off too easily because of me.”  

Unbelievable.  

His personality had definitely changed.  

He didn’t like seeing his servants idle, so he decided to make them do something they didn’t even like.  

“Didn’t you dislike having someone assist you with your bath?”  

“Well? I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never had anyone assist me.”  

Chloe bit her lip, unable to respond.  

In truth, when she started working as a servant, she hadn’t ruled out the possibility of this kind of task.  

She knew intellectually that she would have to abandon her way of life and behave like a servant, doing whatever tasks were assigned to her.  

But the awkwardness of it all when she first started was beyond her imagination.  

‘Master.’  

It was a term she had never once considered using to refer to another person.  

Even though her mother had raised her and her brother in the forest without interacting with others, she had always emphasized, “Never bow to anyone. Your only master is yourself.”  

So when her brother decided to work for the Duke’s family, their mother had vehemently opposed it. Yet, she hadn’t forced him to change his mind.  

“Because you’re the master of your own life,” she had said.  

By some stroke of luck, the Duke wasn’t the kind of master who humiliated his servants.  

Even assisting with a bath wasn’t an excessive demand; it was a perfectly reasonable request from a master. He had simply never asked for it before.  

However, her unique circumstances made a reasonable request feel excessive.  

“Prepare yourself. Oh, and you seem to overdress. When assisting with a bath, it’s better to wear something simple. You wouldn’t want your clothes soaking wet and dripping all over the carpet.”  

“……!”  

“Dress lightly.”  

Regardless of her inner turmoil, the Duke calmly offered his advice.  

It was enough to snap her out of her daze.  

Dress lightly?  

Chloe instinctively crossed her arms over her chest to cover herself.  

She momentarily forgot that she was still fully clothed.  

“What are you doing?”  

“Oh! Nothing. I’ll go prepare.”  

Chloe quickly lowered her arms and left the Duke’s office with a dazed expression.  

This was a serious problem.  

As the Duke had said, she couldn’t assist with a bath while wearing a full jacket and all her layers.  

But she also couldn’t undress.  

She was wearing a shirt under another shirt, with an undershirt beneath that, and yet another layer underneath.  

How much could she remove without revealing her figure?  

Since that mistake that night, every moment in the Duke’s mansion had felt like a crisis, but this was the first time it felt like she was about to be stripped bare.  

Chloe stood a few steps away from the bathtub, her head bowed, waiting for the Duke to enter the water.  

Thud, thud, clink.  

She heard the sound of the Duke’s clothes falling to the floor as he undressed.  

She knew she was supposed to help him undress and fold his clothes, but she couldn’t bring herself to approach him.  

Fortunately, the Duke didn’t seem to care whether his clothes fell to the floor or not, as he said nothing.  

Finally, the sound of clothes hitting the floor stopped, and she heard the splash of water as the Duke entered the tub.  

“Ugh! Why is there so much bath oil in here?”  

At his remark, Chloe cautiously lifted her head.  

Before the Duke arrived, she had poured an entire bottle of bath oil into the tub. That way, the bubbles floating on the water would obscure the Duke’s submerged body.  

As expected, all she could see were the bubbles floating on the surface.  

“It’s supposed to help with fatigue recovery. Would you like me to wash your hair while you lean back?”  

The Duke looked Chloe up and down.  

“Dressed like that? With your shirt and pants? If you wash my hair like that, your clothes will get completely soaked.”  

“I’ll roll up my sleeves and pants. Don’t worry.”  

Chloe had resigned herself to the fact that her clothes might get wet and had only removed her jacket, leaving the rest on. For a woman disguised as a man, her layered clothing was like armor for a soldier in battle.  

Chloe began rolling up her sleeves.  

The Duke stared at her intently. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Chloe subtly turned her body away.  

But she immediately regretted turning away.  

With her back to the Duke as she rolled up her pants to her calves, it felt like she was presenting her backside to him.  

How embarrassing.  

In the end, she turned back to face the Duke and rolled up the other side.  

Why is he like this?  

To her surprise, the Duke continued to watch her. Openly and blatantly.  

Even though she was only rolling up her sleeves and pant legs to her knees, exposing parts of her limbs that were usually covered, his persistent gaze made her feel as if she were completely undressed.  

“Isn’t it hot?”  

The Duke asked, running a hand through his hair, which was damp from the steamy air.  

Whether it was due to the air heated by the hot water or the humid atmosphere or not.

The Duke’s languid movements looked unbearably sensual.