The Devilish Duke Can't Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

“Well, it’s just what they call it. It’s a little party held by Her Majesty the Queen in March.”

Lena, who was surprised that she had to attend the Banquet, was even more surprised when she heard the word ‘the Queen,’ and her eyes widened.

“Yes? The, the Queen? Are you saying that I am going to have an audience with the Queen?”

“You don’t have to think big. The rank of a Baronet can be issued by a Duke, and it’s just a matter of reporting the palace, but I’d like you to greet first and give a direct report on the conferment of the title. Her Majesty will just receive your greetings and give you a few words of blessing.”

“Bu, bu, but how can I…… the…… the Queen…….”

“Keep in mind. You are no longer the maid in Kerouac. You are the maid and a Baronet working for the Great Luave Duchy. And the most important virtues for nobles are self-esteem and pride. Even though it’s a non-hereditary title, have pride as Baronet Belrose.”

Lena’s eyes seemed to twinkle, but she automatically nodded her head to Kahel, who in a confident tone of voice exhorted her pride instead of herself. If Kahel was like that, it was her job to do as he said.

Kahel didn’t seem to understand Lena, but Kahel nodded his head with satisfaction, as she still wasn’t frightened nor took a step back and trembled at him. His forthcoming words would further embarrass Lena, but it was inevitable anyway, so he had to speak a little sooner to give her time to prepare her mind.

“So, as soon as you return to Ardennes, you will have an etiquette teacher and a liberal arts teacher. In front of Her Majesty, the excuse that you were not polite because you didn’t know doesn’t work. Even now, you do not seem like a commoner, and you are using pretty good noble etiquette.

Kahel spoke to her half-sternly, but he looked into Lena’s eyes. Because Kahel knew that few would welcome the call to have to study further.

“Thank you, Your Excellency. By the way…… What will I learn in the liberal arts class? I roughly expected the etiquette class , but I couldn’t get the hang of the liberal arts class…….”

“The history of the Kingdom, the genealogy of the royal family, the genealogy of the nobility, the events that nobles should know, the flow of money, the flow of power, relations with foreign countries…… Well, these things. No need to be so scared…….”

“Wow! Amazing!”

“Amazing……?”

“Yes! I feel like a real noble!”

Lena smiled more happily than when she received any present. Even over Elliot’s shoulder, she learned a little bit about the history of the Kingdom and the genealogy of the royal family, but she was always thirsty. A lot of questions came to her mind, but instead, she couldn’t even ask a question from her place as the beaten child.

Up until now, she had been looking forward to life in Terra Luave, but now she wished she could return to Ardennes soon. Her heart pounded just at the thought of, ‘I should ask the teachers a lot of things I’ve always wondered about.’

‘I was worried for no reason.’

Even at a glance, Kahel was relieved by Lena’s excited look and picked up the tea again. A child who liked to study was rare even in the noble world. He was proud of Lena’s appearance, and he wanted to brag about it somewhere.

Oh my gosh, my maid loves studying so much, she’s so smart that she already begs me to buy books that’s of a higher level than what her peers learn, hohoho!

As he recalled such thoughts in the distinctive tone of the chattering wives used to brag about their children, Kahel smirked to himself. Lena, who doesn’t know what’s inside him, just thought he was satisfied with the tea, and she smiled proudly.

After dinner, when the more noisy Terra Luave castle was quieter than usual, Kahel took Lena and headed to the hot spring in the castle. They had to keep going down the stairs, so it felt like a basement, but the castle itself was on high ground, so it was actually higher than the village. The walls of the castle built with solid bricks gradually turned into rocks like cave walls, and a warm and humid energy came in.

“Wow…… !”

Lena couldn’t help but shed admiration at the appearance of the hot springs in front of her.

In the middle of the dark cave, steam was rising over the milky-white water in the bath that looked like a spring had been dug, and small bloodstones were emitting a soft light in all directions. There were several small windows on the wall that looked only like thick rocks, indicating that this was not underground, and on the other hand, a partition stood as if it was a place to change clothes.

Lena, who had been looking around for a while while shedding exclamations, slid back to Kahel, who looked at her with a smile from behind her.

“I’m, I’m sorry. It’s my first time seeing this…… Then, should I help you with the bath?”

“No, I just brought you to go to the bath together.”

“What…… ?”

Lena rolled her big eyes trying to figure out what Kahel meant. There was only one bath in the hot spring. There was a bucket of cold water next to it, but it wasn’t big enough for a person to soak in. Moreover, judging from the word ‘together’, it seemed to mean that the two of them should go into that hot spring bath together. A man and woman went into the bath together naked, was something she had never dared to imagine.

“Ex, excuse me…… I, later…….”

Kahel, who looked down at Lena, who was frozen tight, grinned.

“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but if you look in the basket you’re carrying, you’ll find a bathing suit to wear in the bath. There is no distinction between men’s and women’s baths in Terra Luave’s hot springs, so everyone wears clothes to enter. Rather, if you walk around naked, you will be fined.”

“Ah, I, I see. Haha…….”

Lena’s face dyed red and she hurriedly pulled out the bathing suit to hide her embarrassment. It looked like a robe with a waistband, but the hem was wider than a robe worn in the bedroom, allowing it to be worn deep outside the body. Thanks to that, there seemed to be little room for nakedness through the slits of the hem.

While Lena hesitated, Kahel changed into the bathing suit and went out to soak in the hot springs. Lena also endured her shame and went behind the partition, and she changed her clothes. When she said that the basket was large, there were towels and a thick robe to wear after bathing in addition to the bathing suit.

However, even though she was wearing a bathing suit, it was not easily acceptable for her to enter the same bath with Kahel. It wasn’t because of her reluctance for Kahel, but because she was worried about what would happen if dirty things washed out of her body and polluted Kahel.

‘Will you get stained from me? Do my body smell?’

Even though there was no way, Lena cautiously sniffed her own flesh and barely stepped out of the partition. She was somehow very nervous. Lena went to the farthest place from Kahel and slowly soaked her toes.

“Ah, hot, hot…… !”

“It’s not that hot. It’s cold outside, so you’ll feel hot right now, but you can slowly start with your feet and soak in.”

Lena was more nervous because of Kahel looking at her with a grin and a warm gaze, but as he said, she slowly began to soak her body. As Kahel said, her cold feet melted and the warmth began to spread throughout her body.

“Hahhh…….”

When she finally put her shoulders in, a moan of satisfaction came out unknowingly. Since becoming the Duke’s residence’s maid, she was able to use the hot tub from time to time, and it felt better than that.

Kahel smiled as he looked at Lena’s quickly reddened cheeks. It’s the first time he shared a bath with someone else, and Lena probably doesn’t know. Frankly, he wished Lena was a little closer to him, and his heart swelled up. As he pondered how Lena would react, Kahel gave a hint.

“Lena. If you’re not too tired…… No, no.”

“Yes? Uh, what’s wrong? I am not tired at all!”

“Ummm…… My shoulder hurts a little…….”

“Huh? May I give you a massage?”

“Can I ask you for a little?”

“Yes! Sure!”

Kahel’s plan worked nicely. Lena, who had been embarrassed until recently, wiped it away from her face when he asked her to massage him, and approached him warmly. Kahel’s skin was tickled by the waves of water that she caused.

Kahel turned his body as Lena approached from behind, her small breath passing through the nape of his neck.

“Excuse me.”

Lena murmured softly and placed her hand on Kahel’s hard shoulder. Kahel quietly closed his eyes at the touch of the hand stroking the top of his wet bathing suit. Her hand was still stronger than she looked. His shoulder, which didn’t feel much pain, felt cool as Lena rubbed his body.

But Kahel didn’t really want Lena’s massage, so he turned around and said within three minutes after Lena started rubbing his shoulder.

“I’ll massage your shoulder, too.”

“Yes? Why, why?”

“Because you must have been more tired. Ah…… If you’re uncomfortable…….”

“Nope! It’s not like that, but Your Excellency is, how can I…….”

“If it hurts too much, tell me.”

Kahel lightly ignored the murmuring Lena, turned her around and sat her down, then gently rubbed her slender shoulders. But it wasn’t long before he realized that he had made a huge mistake.

As Lena had her hair turned up, the white, thin nape tinged pink right before his eyes. Her shoulders, exposed over the wet bathrobe, were slender, round and straight. When he covered it with his big hand, the feeling of ‘touching’ was stronger than the feeling of ‘massaging’.

A gulp ran down his throat. He couldn’t figure out why he had such a thought, but the desire to bite her white neck just once arose. It was somehow very sweet and seemed to be delicious.

“I, I think it’s fine now.”

As Kahel unknowingly stopped his hand and looked only at the nape of Lena’s neck, Lena said shyly as she turned her red face. At that moment, Kahel nearly lost his mind. He came to his senses when he tilted his face toward Lena’s neck. Lena called, ‘Your Excellency?’, otherwise he would have buried his lips in the nape of her neck.

“Ah…… I wonder if something is here…….”

“Huh? Really?”

“I think I saw it wrong. It must have been the shadow of your hair.”

“Aahh…….”

Lena rubbed the back of her neck and smiled softly. Kahel’s mouth kept drooling inside and only the throat was gulping.

“Thanks to being a close maid to you, I can enjoy such luxury…… Thank you so much.”

“You seem to like the hot springs.”

“Yes. And…… Your Excellency is good at massages, too.”

Lena rarely threw a joke. Kahel smiled unknowingly, finding that Lena, who smiled shyly and bashfully, was cute. He wanted Lena to lean on him, but he quickly erased it. If she did, he wouldn’t know what to do.

“I got a passing grade from you, so I can go and say that I’m good at massages.”

At that, Lena laughed out loud. The sound of laughter echoing in the hot springs was enough to relieve Kahel’s fatigue from all over his body. It was a completely comfortable and enjoyable hot spring bath.