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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: A Greedy Wish
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“Ouch, it stings.”
My body flinched as water seeped into the wound, and the calm water rippled.
“Does it hurt much?”
“A little.”
“I’ll be as careful as I can, so please bear with it for a moment.”
“…Yes.”
Was it because of the steam filling the bathroom?
Seeing Enoch, glistening with moisture and looking somehow more captivating than usual, I hid my face with my arms.
‘I must be a real pervert…’
The thoughts that had bubbled up uncontrollably at Enoch's suggestion to go to the bathroom now seemed to flash before my eyes again, and my whole body grew hot.
To think I was making an even bigger misunderstanding just minutes after vowing not to.
Seriously, where did this fickle brain of mine go wrong?
“I'm no better than a goldfish…”
“Hm? What did you say?”
“It’s nothing! I didn’t say anything.”
“…?”
And why were his ears so sharp?
Enoch had caught my mumbling with uncanny hearing.
I shook my head at him as if it were truly nothing, and his slightly raised head lowered again.
“Your feet are quite swollen.”
In the steam-filled bathroom, the sound of flowing water echoed along with his languid, low voice.
“Next time, I’ll have them prepare low-heeled, comfortable shoes.”
“But those kinds of shoes are prettier.”
My finger pointed toward the high-heeled, ornate shoes placed neatly beside the chair outside the bathroom, but Enoch answered without even glancing at them.
“You are always beautiful and radiant, even without shoes like that.”
“Wh-What! How can you say something like that so thoughtlessly?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
Enoch’s fearless lips once again uttered needlessly tender words.
Because of that, all sorts of thoughts began to pop into my barely calmed mind like exploding fireworks.
“Oh, honestly… I told you not to talk like that.”
Annoyed that he could stir up my insides with such a calm voice, I kicked my foot.
*Splash.* With an overly cheerful sound, water splashed onto Enoch’s face.
“…”
“…I’m sorry.”
Along with a swift apology, I wiped away the soap suds that had landed on his long eyelashes, and Enoch blinked a few times.
Then he rolled up his fallen sleeves again and cupped his hands to scoop up water.
*Trickle.*
The sound of the water trickling down the top of my foot and back into the tub seemed to heighten all my senses.
“Um… Enoch?”
“Yes?”
Every time he carefully poured water, avoiding the wound, the veins on his forearm flexed.
That, too, strangely tickled my toes, and clenching my fists, I asked him just in case.
“I suppose the option of me washing myself is off the table, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Just as I expected.
A firm answer that left no room for argument returned.
Feeling awkward, I stopped fidgeting with my feet, and once again, only the sound of water echoed in the quiet bathroom.
I watched Enoch, who for a long while had been wordlessly focused on washing my feet with a fierce intensity, and then cautiously spoke.
“Enoch, are you angry with me by any chance?”
At my question, one of his dark, rebelliously arched eyebrows twitched.
“Of course not. How could I possibly be angry at you, Riana, unless I were mad?”
*Uh… but your expression says something completely different.*
In contrast to his gentle tone and touch, his face was thoroughly sullen. I stared down at it and narrowed my eyes.
‘This… feels familiar somehow.’
Seeing Enoch in a state similar to that day in the carriage, I poked his shoulder, wondering if it could be.
“Then are you perhaps in a bad mood because Karhel touched me?”
*Flinch.*
As if I’d guessed correctly, his broad shoulders twitched noticeably.
‘What, was that really the reason?’
No wonder. He’d seemed to be in a bad mood ever since I mentioned Karhel had grabbed my foot.
Now that I looked, his cheeks were puffed out more than usual.
“But I wasn't the one who initiated it this time. He was the one who touched me unilaterally.”
“I know.”
With his head bowed low, the tips of Enoch’s pale ears turned red.
“…I still don’t like it.”
“Hmm…”
He didn’t say anything else, but…
the top of his head, peeking out, seemed to be asking why I hadn’t kept my promise.
Even though he denied it, he clearly looked like he was sulking, which was so cute that I burst out laughing. In that moment, his wet hand, which had been circling the top of my foot, slowly began to move up.
“Riana, do you happen to remember what I said?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“What I said in the carriage last time. That you are all of my firsts.”
“Ah… um, yes.”
Feeling somewhat shy, I gave a small nod, and Enoch lifted his face.
“I would like to be that person to you as well.”
“…Pardon?”
“Touching you like this, staying by your side. Even the little things, like noticing what you want to do, or what you want to eat.”
As he spoke, Enoch hesitated, pressing his lips together for a moment before parting them.
“Even trivial things like that… I want to be the first in everything concerning you… and the only one.”
The large hand that had been traveling up my leg was now circling the back of my knee.
The tantalizing sensation made me keep flinching.
“So please, do not give your side to anyone else. When I saw you with that bastard Karhel…”
Swallowing the rest of his words along with a fleeting, harsh expression, Enoch subtly stroked the tender skin behind my knee.
“Please let me always be the one standing by your side. Didn’t I promise that I would be the only one who could touch you? Hm?”
His gray eyes, looking up at me imploringly, shone with both gentleness and danger.
I thought he was a gentle puppy showing its belly, but now I see that wasn't the case.
“Hm? Please say you will.”
“Ah…”
Dazed by his captivating gaze and the handiwork that was subtly making my skin flush, I opened my mouth blankly, then shook my head vigorously.
An alarm was blaring in my ears.
‘Get a grip. At this rate, I’m really going to do something I’ll regret.’
Tearing my gaze away from Enoch’s lips, which seemed even redder from the moisture, I tensed my stomach and shouted.
“Ah, Ariel!”
“A…riel?”
“Yes! It’s almost her bedtime, so I should be going now!”
“…So suddenly?”
My voice was so awkward that anyone could tell I was forcing a change of subject.
At my response, Enoch twitched an eyebrow and burst out laughing, and the tense, tightrope-like atmosphere instantly dissipated.
“I wonder where Ariel is? I should hurry and find… Aah!”
“Riana…!”
Taking the chance to escape, I tried to leave in a hurry but missed my step, causing my body to lurch sideways.
Startled by my stumble, Enoch quickly grabbed my arm, but my vision flipped anyway,
and the two of us toppled into the bathtub, getting completely soaked.
“…Pfft.”
I burst out laughing at the sight of us, looking like drowned rats in an instant, and Enoch raised a hand to wipe the foam from my cheek.
“Please be more careful. Do you have any idea how startled I get when you do things like this?”
“I’ll try.”
“Anyway… By the way,”
As I gripped my hair and squeezed the water out, Enoch tilted his head slightly.
Then, he pulled me, who was sitting between his legs, a little closer.
“I suppose you can’t run away now.”
“…Huh?”
I thought I was a drowned rat.
But now I see I was more like a rat in a trap.
Avoiding Enoch’s gaze as he looked down at me with the languid eyes of a cat that had spotted its prey, I darted my eyes away, and a large hand approached.
“So, your answer?”
Enoch took the wet strands of hair from my hand and, while fiddling with them, slowly lowered his head.
Then, he pressed his red lips to the ends of my hair before lifting only his eyes to gaze at me.
“Um… Well…”
“…”
Seeing me struggle to answer him, he relented with a sigh.
“You can answer slowly. However, I do hope that answer is a positive one.”
He stood up, got out of the tub, and came back with a towel.
“Huh? I can’t see!”
A big, fluffy towel was draped over my head, instantly blocking my vision.
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay like this. I’ll look for Ariel, so please get changed first.”
The towel covering my eyes swayed with the gentle motions of his hands drying my hair.
Once my hair was somewhat dry, I sensed Enoch starting to stand as if to leave the bathroom, and I raised my hand.
And tried to lift the towel covering my eyes, but…
“Ah. Riana, by the way, did you know?”
a firm hand caught mine and instead pressed the towel down more firmly.
“Yes? Know what?”
“You broke your promise to me. The promise that you wouldn’t let anyone other than me touch you.”
“What? But what happened earlier was Prince Karhel acting on his own! That’s unfair!”
Enoch chuckled softly at my indignant shouting.
“It can’t be helped. A promise is a promise.”
“That’s so mean.”
“You said then that the one who broke the promise would have to grant a wish, correct? Then, Riana, you will have to grant my wish.”
“What’s your wish?”
“…”
“Enoch?”
When there was no reply, I called his name, and something landed lightly on the thick towel covering my forehead before disappearing.
“Later. I’ll tell you later.”
“What? What kind of grand wish are you making? I don’t have any money. You already have so much, but you’re still so greedy…”
Enoch replied to my grumbling with a voice full of amusement.
“I’ve always been a bit greedy.”
